The Journal
Insights for Hospitality Leaders
Practical strategies for social media, video marketing, and guest experience — crafted for boutique hotels and unique stays.
Hotel Group Bookings: How to Attract and Win Corporate and Event Business
Group bookings can transform your occupancy — but they require a completely different approach to leisure bookings. This guide covers how to position your property, price group rates, write proposals, and proactively find group business.
Hotel Revenue Management: A Practical Guide for Independent Properties
Revenue management isn't just for Marriott. This guide explains the core principles, the key metrics (ADR, occupancy, RevPAR), and how to apply them practically at a small independent hotel — without enterprise software.
Hotel Loyalty Programs: How to Build One That Actually Brings Guests Back
You don't need a points system or an app to run a hotel loyalty program. Here's what actually makes guests come back — and how to build a simple repeat-booking system without enterprise software.
Hotel Rate Parity: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How to Work Around It
Rate parity rules stop you from undercutting OTAs on price—but there are legal ways to incentivise direct bookings. Here's what you can (and can't) do.
Hotel Metasearch: How to Use Google, TripAdvisor, and Trivago to Get More Bookings
Most independent hoteliers have heard of metasearch but don't understand how it works. Here's the honest truth about whether it's worth it for your property.
Hotel Online Reputation Management: How to Protect and Grow Your Rating
Your review score is your most important marketing asset. This guide covers how to proactively generate reviews, monitor your reputation, respond without sounding robotic, and handle unfair reviews.
Hotel Average Daily Rate (ADR): What It Is and How to Increase Yours
ADR is the metric that tells you whether you're actually pricing your hotel well — not just filling it. This guide explains what it is, what good looks like, and specific tactics to increase it without sacrificing occupancy.
Hotel RevPAR Explained: How to Calculate It and What to Do About It
RevPAR ties occupancy and ADR together into one metric. Here's what it means, how to calculate it, what good looks like, and the two levers you have to improve it.
Vacation Rental Marketing: How to Stand Out When Every Listing Looks the Same
Most vacation rental marketing is identical — nice photos, generic copy, hope for bookings. Here's how to build a brand that drives direct bookings instead of drowning in OTA fees.
Hotel Direct Bookings: How to Get Guests to Book With You (Not Booking.com)
Practical strategies to increase hotel direct bookings and reduce OTA commissions. Learn when direct booking makes sense — and when it doesn't.
Hotel Staff Training: How to Build a Great Team (Even With High Turnover)
Practical hotel staff training strategies for small properties dealing with high turnover and seasonal staff. What to teach, what to skip, and how to onboard fast.
Hotel Guest Feedback: How to Collect It, Read It, and Actually Use It
Most hotels collect guest feedback but never act on it. Here's a practical guide to gathering useful responses, spotting patterns, and turning criticism into improvements that matter.
Upselling in Hotels: How to Earn More Per Guest Without Being Pushy
Practical upselling techniques for independent hotels. From pre-arrival emails to local partnerships, learn what actually works without annoying your guests.
Hotel Occupancy Rate: What's Normal, What's Good, and How to Improve Yours
UK hotel occupancy benchmarks by property type and season, plus practical tactics to fill midweek gaps without sacrificing profit. When to chase high occupancy — and when not to.
Hotel Sustainability: Practical Changes That Actually Save Money (Not Just PR)
Forget greenwashing. These hotel sustainability measures reduce your operating costs while improving guest satisfaction — with honest upfront cost breakdowns and ROI timelines.
Google Hotel Ads: A Small Property Owner's Guide to Getting Started
Google Hotel Ads can drive direct bookings—or waste your budget. This practical guide explains how they work, what they cost, and when they're actually worth it for independent hotels.
Hotel Cancellation Policy: How to Write One That Protects You Without Scaring Guests Away
A practical guide to writing a hotel cancellation policy that balances protecting your revenue with keeping guests confident to book. Includes sample wording for flexible, moderate, and strict policies.
Hotel SEO: The Complete Guide to Getting Found on Google
A practical guide to hotel SEO for independent properties. Learn what actually moves the needle — from Google Business Profile to local search, technical fixes, and when to hire help.
How to Start a Glamping Business: A Realistic Look at What It Actually Takes
Thinking about starting a glamping site? Here's the honest truth about startup costs, planning permission, seasonal income, and all the bits nobody tells you before you invest.
Hotel Pricing Strategy: Dynamic Pricing, Seasonal Rates, and When Discounting Backfires
A practical guide to hotel pricing strategy for independent properties — covering dynamic pricing, seasonal rates, competitor analysis, and the real cost of discounting.
OTA Commission Rates Compared: Is Booking.com Worth the 15%?
Booking.com charges 15-18%, Airbnb takes 14-16%, Expedia wants 18-25%. But are OTA commission rates worth it? A realistic comparison of what you actually get for the fee — and when to push direct bookings instead.
Airbnb Photography Tips: How to Shoot Your Property With Just a Phone
Professional-looking property photos without the photographer's fee. Practical Airbnb photography tips for shooting with your phone — what works, what doesn't, and when to hire help.
Airbnb Listing Tips: How to Write a Description That Doesn't Sound Like Every Other One
Most Airbnb descriptions read like they were written by the same robot. Here's how to write copy that actually converts browsers into bookers — with real before/after examples.
Hotel Guest Complaints: What People Actually Complain About (and How to Fix It)
Analysis of real hotel guest complaints reveals the same issues everywhere: temperature, noise, cleanliness, WiFi, and parking. Here's what you can actually fix.
How to Respond to Negative Reviews (Without Making It Worse)
A practical guide to responding to bad reviews on Google, Airbnb, and TripAdvisor — with real examples of responses that help, and ones that make everything worse.
Hotel Guest Experience: Small Details That Turn a Good Stay Into a Great Review
The difference between a 4-star and 5-star review isn't luxury upgrades. It's the small, low-cost touches most hotels overlook. Here's what actually makes guests write glowing reviews.
Email Marketing for Hotels: The Emails That Actually Get Opened
Most hotel emails go straight to the bin. Here's how to write pre-arrival, welcome, and post-stay emails that guests actually read — with real subject line examples that work.
The Glamping Social Media Strategy That Fills Pitches (Without Feeling Salesy)
A practical social media playbook for glamping sites — from content types that actually work to hashtag strategy, posting cadence, and the metrics that matter.