Tips & Best Practices for Hospitality & Travel Professionals | RateGain Blog

Hotel teams sit on more data than ever, yet most still live inside a maze of CSV exports and color‑coded cells. The result is slow insights, slower decisions, and staff burnout. Stat check: Four in five hotels devote one – two full work‑days each week to producing or analyzing spreadsheets, while only 15 percent enjoy fully hands‑free reporting. These figures come from The State of Distribution 2025, an annual hotel technology benchmark, born from the collaboration betw...

In an industry where every click counts, Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) face mounting pressure to stay visible and competitive. With travelers relying more than ever on comparison shopping, metasearch platforms like Google Hotel Ads, Trivago, and Kayak have become essential gateways to bookings. These platforms don’t just showcase options — they shape purchase decisions. For OTAs, appearing on metasearch is no longer optional. It’s a fundamental part of the digital distribu...

The lines between streaming, shopping, and storytelling have blurred. Travelers aren’t just sitting back to watch — they’re actively searching, comparing, and buying across devices, including their smart TVs. What was once a passive viewing experience has transformed into a highly interactive, multi-purpose platform. As Connected TV (CTV) evolves from a passive streaming screen into a dynamic, interactive hub for live events, video podcasts, short-form content, and shopping e...

Google Ads has announced a major update to Search campaigns with the global beta rollout of AI Max, a powerful suite of targeting and creative enhancements that brings the best of Google AI directly into Search. Early tests show advertisers experience an average 14% more conversions or conversion value at a similar CPA or ROAS—with campaigns still using mostly exact or phrase match keywords seeing even greater uplifts of up to 27%. As Google introduces AI Max for Search...

As digital advertising continues to evolve, hoteliers must navigate increasingly complex ad scheduling challenges. Global travel audiences operate across multiple time zones, making it harder to ensure that ads appear at the right time for maximum engagement. With new advancements in automated bidding, time-based segmentation, and data-driven scheduling, hotels can no longer rely on a one-size-fits-all approach. Additionally, seasonal trends, local business hours, and dayl...

In the fast-paced digital landscape, engaging your audience within the first few seconds of a video is crucial. YouTube has launched an AI-powered hook generator to help content creators—including hoteliers—capture attention more effectively. Here’s what’s changing, what it means for the hospitality industry, and how hoteliers can leverage this tool for better video performance. What’s Changing YouTube’s new AI-powered hook generator is part of its ‘Inspiration’ su...

Are you a Meta-first advertiser who is eyeing Google Ads? Learn when, why, and how to diversify your PPC strategy for maximum growth in the hospitality space. For many hotel marketers, Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram) have long been the foundation for reaching travelers. With strong visual storytelling and advanced interest-based targeting, these platforms are ideal for inspiring wanderlust and driving direct bookings. But here’s the catch: as acquisition costs rise an...

For Online Travel Agencies (OTAs), last-minute cancellations and booking modifications are more than just minor inconveniences—they significantly impact revenue, pricing strategies, and operational efficiency. With travelers increasingly opting for flexible bookings and price-sensitive decisions, cancellations disrupt inventory management and lead to lost revenue if not handled effectively.  Traditional methods of managing these fluctuations often fall short, as manual upd...

Google has significantly increased the negative keyword limit for Performance Max (PMax) campaigns, raising the cap from 100 to 10,000 negative keywords per campaign. This change follows extensive feedback from advertisers who found the initial limit too restrictive. With this update, advertisers, including hoteliers, now have greater control over where their ads appear while still benefiting from PMax’s AI-driven optimization. What Does It Mean for Hoteliers? For hotel...