Hotel social media marketing: How to promote your property, grow visibility and drive direct bookings

Due to the changing booking behavior of travelers, social media has become one of the bigger influences in their decision-making process. Today’s guests don’t just rely on Google or OTAs. They scroll through Instagram, watch TikTok videos, read comments, and look at tagged photos to see what a stay really looks like. You can think of this content as online reviews, which is exactly why your property should be visible on social media as well.

Social media gives independent hotels extra visibility without requiring a big advertising budget. But like any marketing channel, success depends on having a clear plan. Posting randomly without direction usually leads to wasted time and little impact.

This guide breaks down how independent hotels can use social media effectively, from choosing the right platforms to creating content that drives direct bookings.

What is social media marketing for hotels?

Social media marketing is a form of digital marketing that uses platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn to promote your hotel.

Social media has become an essential tool for any business looking to connect with their audience in real time. It offers a powerful way to tell your story, showcase your brand and reach potential customers where they spend much of their time online.

For hotels, social media marketing involves:

• Strategically creating and sharing content

• Engaging with guests and potential customers

• Running advertisements

• Building a community

The goal is to increase brand awareness, drive direct bookings, and foster guest loyalty.

Organic vs. paid social media for hotels

Not all social media marketing works the same way. There are two main approaches: organic and paid. Each plays a different role in a hotel’s overall strategy. Organic social media focuses on building a community and engaging with your audience through regular, unpaid content. Paid social media, on the other hand, involves allocating money to promote your posts or run targeted advertising campaigns.

Understanding how they compare helps you make smarter decisions about how to allocate time, creativity and budget.

The most successful hotel marketing strategies don’t choose between paid and organic, but combine both:

• Use organic posts to test what content resonates (which photos or messages get the most engagement).

• Then, boost or promote your top-performing content to reach a larger, targeted audience.

• Keep organic content flowing to maintain authenticity and engagement, while running paid campaigns during key periods like holidays, off-season or last-minute promos.

Influencer marketing and user-generated content (UGC)

Influencer marketing can be a powerful way to increase brand awareness and reach new audiences through digital word-of-mouth. Influencers present your hotel in an authentic way that resonates especially with younger travelers, who often trust creator recommendations more than traditional advertising.

That said, influencer marketing isn’t limited to large accounts. User-generated content (UGC) from everyday guests can be just as impactful, even if they don’t have thousands of followers.

People tend to trust recommendations from relatable peers, and even a single tagged photo or review can influence others who are considering a trip.

You can encourage UGC by:

• Inviting guests to tag your hotel or use a branded hashtag

• Mentioning this in booking confirmations or pre-arrival emails

• Reposting guest content (with permission) to your own channels

This not only increases visibility but also helps create a sense of community and shared experience around your brand.

Why independent hotels should leverage social media

Leveraging social media is essential for modern hotels looking to build a strong, direct connection with their audience. There are a lot of advantages to using social media as part of your marketing strategy:

• Boost visibility and performance organically: Social media is a cost-effective way to boost visibility. With consistent posting and smart content, you can increase reach, improve SEO and attract new guests, all without a big ad budget.

• Drive more direct bookings: Use social media to drive more direct bookings by connecting personally with potential guests. Engaging content, quick responses and clear booking links help move people from interest to reservation without relying on OTAs or paying commission fees.

• Foster a sense of community and guest loyalty: Turn your social channels into a digital extension of your guest experience. By interacting regularly, highlighting returning guests, and featuring your team, you build a sense of community that encourages loyalty and repeat visits.

• Encourage word-of-mouth and guest advocacy: Encourage word-of-mouth by creating emotional connections. Guests who feel part of your brand are more likely to post about their stay, leave reviews and recommend you, giving you powerful, organic promotion.

• Share your personal story to strengthen your brand: Use your platforms to spotlight your hotel’s personality, staff, rooms and local partnerships. This kind of storytelling sets you apart and appeals to travelers looking for connection and experience, not just a room.

Social media is a powerful tool for connecting with guests, building loyalty and driving direct bookings. When used well, it helps your hotel stand out, stay top-of-mind and turn online engagement into real results.

How to use social media marketing for your hotel

To turn these platforms into effective marketing tools, you need more than just an active presence, you need a focused strategy.

Leveraging social media successfully means using the right channels, targeting the right people, and crafting content that reflects your brand and speaks to your ideal guest. This subchapter outlines a practical framework to help you do exactly that, from identifying your audience to creating content that converts.

Step 1: Define your target audience

Understanding who you want to reach is the foundation of any social media strategy. Start by identifying three key types of target audiences:

• Demographic target groups are based on traits like location, age, travel behavior, interests and social connections. These help you connect with potential guests who fit your typical customer profile.

• Custom audiences include people who have already shown interest in your hotel such as past guests, website visitors or newsletter subscribers. These are warm leads who are more likely to convert.

• Lookalike audiences allow you to target new people who resemble your existing customers in behavior and preferences. This is a great way to expand your reach to likely future guests. Tailoring your content and messaging to these groups ensures that your posts and ads resonate with the right audience, increasing both engagement and conversions.

Step 2: Choose the right social media channels

Not all platforms serve the same purpose. Choosing the right ones based on your goals and audience behavior will make your efforts more effective:

No matter which platforms you choose, ensure your messaging and branding are consistent across channels. Guests should recognize your voice and visual identity, whether they find you on Instagram or Facebook.

Step 3: Set clear social media goals

Each platform serves different purposes, but your overall strategy should be guided by one or more key objectives:

• Awareness: Focus on content that introduces your brand to new audiences, such as unique selling points, local partnerships or behind-the-scenes looks.

• Engagement: Post interactive content that sparks conversation like guest polls,comment prompts or user-generated content. It’s also a good opportunity to listen to feedback and strengthen relationships.

• Conversion: Create content that encourages bookings, such as limited-time offers, package deals or direct links to your website or booking engine.

Each of these goals plays a vital role: awareness draws in new audiences, engagement builds relationships and conversion turns interest into bookings. A balanced strategy keeps all three in play to support long-term growth.

Step 4: Develop your tone of voice

The way you communicate on social media should feel like a natural extension of your hotel’s personality. Whether you want to come across as luxurious and refined, cozy and friendly or adventurous and playful, your tone of voice should remain consistent.

This builds brand recognizability and makes your content feel authentic. Guests should instantly know it’s your hotel speaking regardless of the platform or type of post.

Step 5: Create a content plan and calendar

A content calendar helps maintain consistency, which is critical for visibility and engagement. Plan ahead based on themes relevant to your hotel’s offering and audience interests. Include a healthy mix of content types, such as:

• Posts about your hotel: highlighting rooms, amenities or packages.

• Posts about your staff: introducing team members, sharing behind-the-scenes moments or showing internal events.

• Posts about your surroundings: featuring local hotspots, seasonal attractions or nearby activities and events.

Don’t forget to leave space for topical content, such as current events, last-minute promotions or holiday specials. Personalizing your calendar with your hotel's unique voice and story will make your feed feel more human and engaging.

Timing also plays a crucial role. Using the platform analytics, find out when your audience is most active. Early mornings, evenings and weekends tend to work well for travel content. Use platform insights to adjust your posting schedule based on performance.

Step 6: Track your performance with data and analytics

Monitoring your social media performance is key to improving your strategy over time. Key metrics to watch are:

• Reach

• Engagement

• Follower growth

• Click-throughs to your website

Analyze which types of content perform best with your audience and use that data to refine your calendar and messaging. Over time, this will help you focus your efforts on the platforms and content that deliver the best results for your goals whether that’s engagement, awareness or bookings.

Turn your social media presence into hotel bookings

For independent hotels, social media marketing is a powerful way to build visibility, awareness and guest connections. But visibility alone doesn’t guarantee bookings. Travelers still have to be convinced to book your hotel.

To turn online interest into real revenue, you need a few key elements working together:

• Strong online presence: Visibility wherever travelers research and compare hotels, from social media and Google to OTAs

• Optimized dynamic pricing: Competitive, profitable rates that are always in line with the market

• Smart distribution: Strategic presence on the right channels to minimize commission costs

• Seamless direct bookings: A frictionless reservation process on your website with flexible payment options

Lighthouse helps independent hotels maximize online visibility and revenue with one intuitive platform – powered by the best data in the hospitality industry.

Ready to turn social media engagement into more direct bookings? Request a free demo or find out more about our software for independent hotels here.

If you want to know more about promoting your hotel or B&B online, be sure to check out our full guide on hotel digital marketing.