hoteltech.news August 28, 2026
Revenue & DistributionPublished August 27, 20261 min read

Digital marketing budget: what actually matters

JSBy Joan SanzCurated by Joan Sanz. · August 27, 2026 · Follow on LinkedIn
Voice reading · ~2 min

Most hotel marketing directors spend because they've always spent that way. They budget a round figure because that's what they did two years ago, or because head office demands it, or because it sounds reasonable. Then they're shocked when the numbers don't add up. This Hospitality Net resource cuts straight to the metrics that actually matter: customer acquisition cost, ROAS benchmarks, and the net comparison between direct bookingsDirect bookingA direct booking is one the guest makes through the hotel's own channels, with no middleman. It saves the OTA commission and gives the hotel the guest data to build loyalty. Winning direct is one of the industry's big... and OTAOTAAn online travel agency is a channel that sells accommodation and travel online in exchange for a commission. Booking.com and Expedia are the biggest. They bring volume and visibility, but charge commissions that eat... customers.

There's a mindset shift at play here. Stop thinking "how much do I spend on marketing" and start asking "how much does it cost me to bring a customer who actually leaves money in my till." It's the difference between a contacts budget and a results budget. ROAS isn't just a number to show in the board meeting. It's your compass. If you don't know what your expected return is per euro spent in each channel, you're flying blind.

What the analysis drives home is stark: a customer booking directly and a customer booking through an OTA don't generate the same net profitability, even if the room rate is identical. OTA commissionsComisiónCommission is the percentage a channel keeps for each booking it brings the hotel. It is the cost of selling through an OTA and usually runs from 15 to 25 percent, more in niche channels. Cutting dependence on high co... eat into your margin. The direct customer keeps it all. That means your acquisition budget needs to be different depending on where you want to pull them from, and so do your performance benchmarks. Spending the same on both channels is a textbook mistake.

Quick questions

How do I calculate the real cost of acquiring a hotel customer?
Divide total digital marketing spend by the number of new customers that spending brought in. But do it by channel. What it costs to acquire a direct booker is not the same as acquiring through OTA. That number is your baseline for everything else.
What is ROAS and why does it matter for my hotel?
ROAS is revenue return per euro spent. If you spend €100 on ads and get €500 in bookings, your ROAS is 5. It's the metric that tells you whether marketing is a cost center or a profit center. Without it, you're shooting in the dark.
Does a direct customer generate more margin than an OTA one?
Yes. The OTA customer pays commission to the platform, which cuts your net margin even though the sale price is the same. That's why budgeting equally for both channels makes no sense.
When should I review and adjust my marketing budget?
Once you have at least a quarter of data. You need enough volume to spot real patterns. Weekly changes are just noise. A quarter shows you actual trends and lets you adjust without wasting money.
How do I benchmark my ROAS against other hotels?
Benchmarks vary widely by segment, location, and season. The guide gives you industry references. What matters is that your internal ROAS stays consistent and improves each season, not that it matches your competitor's.

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