B2B Marketing and Communications for Hospitality
Cayuga Hospitality empowers the overnight and extended stay industry by developing impactful brands, optimizing vacation rentals, and driving economic growth through DMO marketing and communications.
Meet Our Consultants
James Kuester
Interior and Experience Design
Don Farrell
Sales, Service & Leadership Training
Janet Eason
Marketing and Branding
Rick Blackburn
Sales Optimization & Growth Strategies
Simon Turner
Expert Witness, Asset Mgmt, Transactions
Susan Barry
Commercial Strategy
Charis Atwood
FF&E Project Planning and Management
Rebecca Lombardo
CMO, Marketing, Branding Strategist
Holleigh Alexander-Ramsey
Spa, Wellness, Recreation, & Branding
B2B Marketing & Communications Consulting
In the dynamic landscape of overnight and extended stay hospitality, success hinges on a cohesive and strategic approach that spans from individual property branding to the broader destination appeal. For owners and operators of hotels and vacation rentals, building a strong brand is the crucial first step in attracting guests and fostering loyalty. However, these individual efforts are amplified and contribute to a larger ecosystem driven by Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs). DMOs play a vital role in promoting the economic vitality of a region by attracting visitors, and a thriving collection of well-branded accommodations, including professionally managed vacation rentals, is a key ingredient in their success.
Creating a Great Hotel Brand
Every great brand starts with a compelling story. When you craft a narrative that resonates with guests and travelers, you don’t just capture their attention – you build lasting connections that drive revenue and turn first-time visitors into loyal, repeat customers.
Once brought to life, this narrative becomes the heartbeat of your brand—guiding its voice, shaping experiences, and leaving a lasting impression across every touchpoint.
Storytelling & Brand Voice
- Craft a compelling brand story. Highlight the hotel's history, local culture, or unique personality to resonate emotionally with guests.
- Personify the brand: Develop a consistent voice (friendly, luxurious, quirky) across all touchpoints—website, social, email, in-room materials.
- Guest-centric messaging: Shift focus from amenities to how the guest will feel—restored, connected, inspired.
Visual Identity
- Create a cohesive look (color palette, typography, logo) that is instantly recognizable across digital and physical spaces.
- Photography/Video: Invest in storytelling photography—show real moments, not just empty rooms.
- Utilize recognizable graphic design elements throughout social media, email and collateral.
Personalized Guest Journeys
- Pre-Stay Communication: Tailor pre-arrival emails with upsells (spa, local tours) that feel personalized.
- Guest Profiles & CRM: Create detailed guest profiles for hyper-personalized marketing—favorite wine, past stay dates, reason for travel.
- Loyalty Reimagined: Design a loyalty program that rewards experiences (sunset cocktails, local art tour) over points alone.
Community & Legal Integration
- Leverage Local Partnerships: Co-brand with local businesses, artists, or chefs to offer unique experiences guests can’t get elsewhere.
- Host Events: Invite both locals and guests to events that feel authentic and share-worthy—think wine tastings, rooftop yoga, or artist showcases.
- Social Impact Branding: Align with a meaningful cause (sustainability, local charities) that attracts values-driven travelers.
Social Media & UGC Strategy
- Branded Hashtag Campaigns: Encourage guests to share their experiences using a branded hashtag—reward or reshare the best ones.
- Influencer Collaborations: Partner with micro-influencers who align with your target audience.
- Instagrammable Moments: Design hotel spaces or signature items (cocktail, mural, lobby art) that beg to be photographed and shared.
Post-stay Engagement
- Thank-You Campaigns: Send personalized thank-you emails post-stay with a photo or moment from their visit.
- Memorable Follow-Up Offers: Offer exclusive packages based on their previous stay (romance package for couples, local adventure for families).
- Anniversary Marketing: Triggered campaigns on stay anniversaries to reignite the memory and prompt rebooking.
Website & Booking Experience
- Branded Booking Engine: Ensure the direct booking experience mirrors the hotel’s personality (copy tone, visuals, ease).
- Use Guest Stories: Feature real guest experiences or testimonials prominently on the website.
- Booking Experience: A consistent, easy, and memorable digital experience that reflects the brand’s core values.
B2B Vacation Rental Industry
Cayuga delivers strategic marketing and impactful brand messaging, driving revenue growth and transforming vacation rental performance. As experienced fractional CMOs, we provide the targeted guidance necessary to achieve measurable results.
Vacation Rental Support
- Maximize Marketing ROI: Cayuga implements robust tracking and analysis, identifying high-performing strategies and optimizing marketing spend for maximum returns.
- Target and Convert Ideal Guests: We collaborate with your digital marketing agency to craft compelling narratives and strategically target audiences, driving increased engagement and conversions.
- Optimize Team Performance: Empower your marketing team with industry best practices, streamlined SOPs, and data-driven insights through tailored training, technology utilization, and Airbnb listing optimization.
- Cultivate a Powerful Brand: Develop a clear brand identity and value proposition for guests and property owners, building a recognizable and trusted brand that fosters loyalty.
- Align Revenue and Marketing Strategies: Ensure seamless communication and alignment between revenue management and marketing, optimizing direct booking performance through cohesive strategies.
Destination Marketing Organization
Destination Marketing Organization (“DMO”) can be interchangeable with Convention & Visitors Bureau (“CVB”). Each are still very relevant in many markets.
DMOs are not-for-profit entities, usually supported by a percentage of the hotel occupancy tax. The main idea is to provide economic development for any particular destination.
How does it work?
A hospitality consultant works with DMOs or Sales & Marketing teams that need strategies, tactics, and talented personnel to compete against other destinations, selling unique offerings, experiences, and stories. DMOs can be assisted with the development and deliverance of sales training for your partners and stakeholders to better sell your destination, take care of clients, and in general to collaborate with the DMO.
Considerations for DMOs
It’s not unheard of that we’ll steer you through concepts such as building conference websites, mobile applications, and providing incentives after understanding your hotel, winery, activity or retail structure. In addition to the following aspects of your DMO, consider whether your needs are business-to-business, or if sales consulting for hospitality should also be addressed in conversation.
- Whether your DMO is partner-based or member-based
- Business/es that your partners/members are associated with
- Location/s of existing marketing or efforts to boost your region, increasing the travel and tourism dollars
- Targeted audience, such as leisure travelers, or whether you consider business travel
- Your DMO’s internal structure consisting of marketing, leisure and convention among others
- Various departments within DMOs can work directly with convention clients to promote and drive attendance. What digital assets does your team provide?
