Good day fellow hoteliers and welcome to episode 272 of The Hotel Marketing Podcast by TravelBoom. I’m your host Pete DiMaio, and I’m Mackenzie Livernois, and we’re the Boomsquad.
Today we’re going to peel back the layers of mystery around Metasearch and how your hotel can finally achieve success and clarity.
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Newsaroos:
Marriott’s MOXY Brand Continues to Expand:
https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2025/05/29/playful-moxy-hotel-opening-uptown-summer-marriott
I just love this quote from their director of sales:
“We think this is gonna be a great place for people to pregame with quick little small bites (and) cocktails (before they head) out the door to …”
Independents can take note of the fun environment and how they can learn from the direction of the industry giants like Marriott. But these microbrands make competing against the big guys even harder.
TravelBoom’s Room for Improvement: Fixing Hotel Failures
The Main Topic: Making Metasearch Succeed For Your Hotel
First of all, you should already be heavily invested in metasearch. Typically, we find hotels that are either at somewhat of a loss on how to get started, or we find hoteliers who need a hand in running the campaign well.
What to Expect From a Well-Run Metasearch Campaign
Quick Overview
- Metasearch = showing your hotel rates across platforms like Google, TripAdvisor, Trivago, etc.
- Goal: Capture bottom-funnel travelers comparing prices, and win the booking direct.
What success looks like:
- Increased direct bookings
- Lower acquisition cost vs. OTAs
- More qualified, ready-to-book traffic
What’s new in the last 6–9 months:
- Smarter auto-bidding (AI-driven optimizations from Google and others)
- Free Google booking links gaining traction
- Attribution + conversion tracking getting more accurate
- Cost-per-acquisition (CPA) which are based on a 10-15% commission have been phased out of the North American market.
Two Paths to Metasearch Success
Option 1: Third-Party Integrators (e.g., DerbySoft, WIHP, Koddi, etc)
These platforms connect your rates and availability to multiple metasearch engines and offer tools to manage bidding, tracking, and reporting.
- Pros
- All-in-one access: Seamlessly connect to Google, TripAdvisor, Trivago, Kayak, and more.
- Smart automation + optimization tools: Includes AI-based bidding, real-time feed syncing, dynamic pricing strategies.
- Agency-friendly control: When paired with a team like TravelBoom, these platforms give you the keys while automating the busywork.
- Detailed reporting & attribution: Understand performance across all channels from one dashboard.
- Cons:
- Platform costs: You’re paying a tech fee in addition to your ad spend.
- AI bidding transparency: Some platforms don’t give you granular visibility into bidding logic—though this is often worth it for the performance lift.
- Slower onboarding: Integration, feed setup, and partner approvals can take weeks—not ideal for hotels looking to launch quickly.
Option 2: Direct with Google Hotel Ads (GHA)
- Pros:
- Full control over strategy and spend within your current Google Ads account
- No platform fees: What you spend on ads goes entirely toward media—great for lean budgets.
- Faster launch potential: If your booking engine supports GHA feeds, you can often launch quicker than with a full-scale third-party setup.
- Cons:
- Google-only reach: You’re not showing up on TripAdvisor, Trivago, Kayak, or others unless you add those separately.
- Higher technical involvement: You (or your vendor) need to manage feed setup, bidding, and troubleshooting.
- No advanced automation: Compared to platforms like DerbySoft, you may lack bid algorithms, multi-channel dashboards, or predictive optimizations.
- Ongoing campaign management required: Someone’s gotta babysit the bids, budgets, and conversion tracking—this isn’t set-it-and-forget-it.
Getting Started with Google Hotel Ads (GHA)
- Confirm booking engine compatibility: Ensure your system (like SynXis, Cloudbeds, or TravelClick) can generate a valid GHA feed.
- Set up a Google Hotel Center account.
- Connect your feed: Rates, availability, taxes, room types—all structured in Google’s required format.
- Link your Hotel Center to Google Ads: You’ll manage bidding and tracking from there.
- Launch a test campaign with conservative bids and monitor ROAS.
- Optimize landing pages and conversion flow—don’t let that high-intent traffic bounce!
Pro tip: Start with free booking links and scale into paid when performance justifies it.
Four Things Most Hotels Aren’t Doing With Metasearch (But Should Be)
1. Fixing Rate Parity First
“If you’re losing the rate game, you’re losing the metasearch war—full stop.”
Metasearch is driven by rate-first decisions. If your direct rate is higher than the OTAs, travelers will click on the cheaper listing—and you’ll be funding that click.
- Regularly check your Meet/Beat/Loss report via your integrator. GHA has a limited “participation” report if you are managing directly in Google
- Work with Revenue Management to:
- Ensure rate parity, or ideally, a direct booking advantage.
- Use incentives like flexible cancellation, room upgrades, or freebies.
- Implement loyalty/member-exclusive rates to stand out without violating parity agreements.
2. Using Dynamic Bid Multipliers Based on Date, Device, and Market
“Flat bidding is like driving with cruise control in a race—you’re not going to win.”
Advanced campaigns fine-tune bids based on real variables:
- By stay date: Push harder during high-demand periods.
- By device: Mobile users = high-intent, last-minute bookers.
- By geography: Increase bids in proven source markets.
This is how you maximize ROAS and avoid wasted ad spend.
3. Integrating First-Party Data for Smarter Targeting
“Your CRM is a goldmine—start mining.”
Hotels often overlook their most valuable asset: guest data. Use it to:
- Retarget metasearch clickers who didn’t convert.
- Suppress current guests or recent bookers to avoid wasted spend.
- Push loyalty rates and tailored offers for returning visitors or logged-in users.
This is how big brands drive personalized performance—and small hotels can do the same.
4. Optimizing the Landing Page Experience
“Don’t send a ready-to-book guest to your homepage. That’s like hiding the checkout aisle.”
You’ve paid for the click—now close the sale:
- Direct guests to a booking page pre-filled with dates and room info.
- Ensure fast load times, especially on mobile.
- Eliminate distractions: Make it easy to finish the booking, not explore the rest of the site.
Your landing page is where metasearch ROI is won or lost.
Conclusion:
Most hotels treat metasearch like a checkbox. The top performers treat it like a competitive sport. Focus on:
- Rate parity
- Smart bidding
- CRM-powered targeting
- Conversion-optimized landing pages
Master these, and your metasearch campaigns won’t just “run”—they’ll perform.
60 Seconds to Success:
Alright hoteliers, here’s your 60 Seconds to Success—and today, we’re talking about the one thing you can do this week to boost your metasearch performance without spending a dime.
Check your hotel’s rate parity across OTAs and your direct site.
Open Google, search your hotel, and look at the price grid. If Booking.com is beating your direct rate—even by $1—you’re losing that booking. You’re also paying for a click that ends up converting for the OTA. Not cool.
So, here’s the play:
- Run your Meet/Beat/Loss report in your GHA dashboard or via your feed provider.
- Flag any violations and bring them to your Revenue Management team.
- If you can’t beat the OTAs on price, beat them on value—with perks like flexible cancellation, upgrades, or freebies exclusive to direct bookers.
Don’t let OTAs win on your own turf. Metasearch works, but only if you make direct the best option!
Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to @_travelboom or info@travelboommarketing.com.