The Revination
July 2025
Explore Revinate’s monthly digest of hospitality’s latest insights and tips. As hoteliers, we know you’re flooded with information. The Revination simplifies that noise, making it easier for you to focus on what’s happening in hospitality, why it matters, and what action you can take today. We also share our perspective on industry trends and highlighting the strategies driving game-changing results for hotels like yours. Subscribe on LinkedIn.
Turn missed opportunities into your biggest wins
If you’re watching your abandonment rates climb and thinking about all the guests that could have completed their booking, you have a chance to stop the cycle and make your wishes a reality. That’s right — you can make up all that lost revenue.
The answer lies in creating an effective cart abandonment strategy. And if your hotel commits to it, you can truly take advantage of every guest that visits your website and enters your booking engine. It starts with understanding why guests leave, and how to reach them in the moment that matters.
This month, we’re sharing the tactics and tools to help you plug the leaks and turn cart abandonment into confirmed bookings.
Numbers that matter
The rise of short term rentals
The number hoteliers are talking about this month? 12%.
Vacation rentals have grown 12% since May 2024, according to the latest Skift Travel Health Index report. And that growth has been global, with Brazil leading the pack and Hong Kong rounding out the top five. This short-term rental acceleration far outpaces hotel bookings, which have slowed 2% since May, largely due to economic uncertainty and travelers’ hesitancy to spend more.
Short-term rentals are no stranger to a hotelier’s competition, but the spike in their demand over the last year should have you on your toes. With projections for end-of-year hotel performance leaving hoteliers feeling cautious, it’s time to develop a strategy that ensures you capture a larger market share. Convince guests there’s more value in booking with you over a short-term rental.
Why it matters for hoteliers
With the short-term rental market growing, by default, you’re losing guests — whether they’re bypassing your website completely or attempting to book with you and bailing out of the booking engine at the last minute.
So there’re two things for you to work on: Revisit your marketing strategy and implement an effective cart abandonment campaign.
Let’s start with the first. If you’re using the same old marketing tactics to target your guests and you see them failing (e.g., guests are choosing short-term rentals over your hotel), then it’s time to take another look at your strategy. Remember, guests can get a personalized experience at a short-term rental. You also provide that, so remind them.
Promote your amenities in a way that makes them feel special for each guest. As Sims Foster, Co-Founder of Foster Supply Hospitality, shared on the Hotel Moment podcast, don’t let short-term rentals steal your amenities. “To be blunt about it, what’s interesting is a lot of the short-term rentals basically copy and paste our amenities.”
Second, you need to make sure you’re recovering guests who leave you for a short-term rental. And the best way to do that is by developing an effective abandoned cart campaign. There’s enormous potential here to not only reclaim lost revenue, but also to get your brand back in front of potential guests and turn them into loyal direct bookers.
What’s Revinate’s take?
For starters, make sure you’re selling your brand and your amenities with gusto. From the messaging on your website to your guest communication, everything should be music to your guests’ ears — making them feel like your hotel is the obvious better choice. Use your existing guest data to personalize communication on all your channels: voice, email, web, and text. And don’t let your email marketing campaigns fall short. Infusing them with reasons to book for guests who have already expressed interest, or those who have booked in the past, is the proactive approach to take if you want more direct bookings.
And when it comes to tackling your cart abandonment recovery, your email campaigns are just as important, especially when they’re set to trigger at specific moments in the guest journey. For example, after a potential guest leaves your booking engine, you have a better chance at bringing them back to book when you’ve set up an automated email campaign to deliver to their inbox. Those emails are your golden opportunity to show guests what they’re missing and how you can make their stay special.
Trends that matter
Why Google’s latest hotel search updates matter for you
More than 80% of travelers begin their trip planning on Google — and now, Google is changing the game. Its latest update to hotel search brings AI-powered overviews, featured snippets, scrollable maps, and a mix of paid and organic placements, all designed to guide users faster toward a booking decision.
Why it matters for hoteliers
Google is no longer just listing options — it’s now recommending them. With AI Overviews summarizing your hotel’s strengths before users even visit your website, visibility now hinges on how well your content and reputation are managed.
This is a big deal for hoteliers. These AI-generated summaries pull from your website, reviews, and third-party platforms. If your content isn’t structured clearly or your reviews lack recent, relevant language, your property could get filtered out — even when you’re the best fit.
Here’s what to focus on now:
- Structure your content for clarity. Use scannable sections, bullet points, and detailed descriptions of amenities and experiences. Tap into guest feedback and survey data to understand what travelers actually care about and make sure that information is easy to find on your site.
- Get specific with guest reviews. Encourage guests to mention key differentiators like “pet-friendly,” “great for business travel,” or “rooftop views.” Analyzing review trends helps identify which attributes influence booking decisions and ensures the language travelers use is reflected in your online presence.
- Refresh your Google Business Profile. Use insights from your CRM and review data to update your listing with guest-centric language, accurate amenities, and current photos that reflect what people are really looking for.
- Optimize for mobile and speed. Make sure your website not only performs well technically, but also delivers the right message to the right traveler. Smart segmentation and personalized content strategies help make every visit count, especially in a world where AI is curating the first impression.
With AI deciding what’s shown to travelers, it’s not just about being listed; it’s about being chosen.
What’s Revinate’s take?
At Revinate, we believe the guest experience starts long before check-in. These Google updates highlight how today’s travelers rely on social proof and meaningful content to make decisions. That’s why we focus on helping hotels harness guest feedback and manage hotel guest data to build trust, stand out, and drive direct bookings — wherever the search begins.
Perspectives that matter
Discover the top do’s and don’ts of turning travel lookers into bookers. Learn what’s driving browsers away from your hotel and how to fix it.
There’s a difference between theory and reality — especially when you’re trying to hit your targets as quickly as possible. Check out these real numbers from real properties who successfully implemented cart abandonment strategies.
Access Revinate’s Direct Booking Mastery certification, a six-part educational program that enables hoteliers like you to drive direct revenue through proven, practical strategies.