- Headline result: Organic sessions leading to direct bookings up 63%
- Industry
- Boutique hotels and resorts
- Market
- UK, Ireland, Malaysia and New Zealand (hospitality composite)
- Duration
- 5 months
- Type of client
- Hospitality and travel
- Services used
- Hotel SEO, Google Business Profile, content, booking engine tracking
- Evidence type
- Illustrative composite
Five-month results
Organic sessions leading to direct bookings up 63%
Share of rooms sold through travel agencies down from 68% to 51%
Direct online booking revenue up 38%
Google Maps and hotel listing views up 71%
Challenge context
The hotels ranked for their own names but lost every search like boutique hotel near a landmark or family resort with a pool to travel agencies. The booking engine sat on another domain and direct bookings were not tracked.
Starting point
- Room and experience pages with almost no text
- No pages for the reasons people visit: events, attractions, seasons
- Booking engine on a separate domain breaking analytics
- Hotel listings in Google with incomplete amenities and photos
Implementation phases
- Phase 1Traveller search research by property and season (Weeks 1-3)
- Phase 2Cross-domain booking tracking and Google hotel listing fixes (Weeks 2-5)
- Phase 3New experience, location and seasonal pages for each property (Weeks 4-16)
- Phase 4Review responses, local partnerships and link building (Weeks 6-22)
Use the framework, not just the headline number.
- Travellers search for experiences and places, not just hotel names.
- Track the booking engine properly or you cannot prove SEO is working.
- Every room sold direct keeps the commission in your business.
How this applies worldwide
Travellers everywhere search for places and experiences. Build pages around them, fix your Google hotel listing and track every direct booking.
Context and limitations
Illustrative composite built from common Axzora Solutions engagements across our markets (UK, Ireland, Malaysia and New Zealand (hospitality composite)). Figures are representative of this type of project; results vary with budget, competition, seasonality and how quickly recommendations are implemented.
Case study FAQs
Did the hotels stop using travel agencies?
No. Travel agencies still bring new guests. The aim was balance: more direct bookings from people already searching for the hotels' locations and experiences.
How was the booking engine tracked?
Cross-domain tracking in GA4 and the booking engine's own conversion events, checked against the property management system each week.
Can hotels worldwide use the same approach?
Yes. Travellers search for experiences and places everywhere. We research the searches, seasons and travel platforms that matter for your destination.
Want a similar rollout?
Share your current baseline and we will map a phased execution plan to your growth goals.
