Advertising helps increase Canadian boutique hotel’s occupancy in a competitive market

Since 2020, we have had to pivot our hotel advertising to be successful. Through TravelAds, we’ve been able to leverage targeting tools to ensure our offerings are visible to those searching for our market.

DARREN SIMPSON, general manager, The burrard

Overview

The Burrard is a small, independent, boutique hotel that’s full of character. Converted from an old motor inn in the middle of downtown Vancouver, it promises to connect guests “like a local to the real deal Vancouver.” Despite its charm, the hotel struggled to stand out against major chain hotels in the area. The global pandemic made driving occupancy and maintaining cash flow even more challenging.

The Opportunity

With travel restrictions constantly shifting and demand decreasing, The Burrard needed to adjust its marketing focus to where it would deliver the greatest results. By launching a TravelAds Sponsored Listings campaign with us, the hotel was able to stand out from the competition and capture demand among those still looking to book.

The Solution

The Burrard strategically implemented TravelAds Sponsored Listings, our pay-per-click hotel advertising program, to drive occupancy despite a challenging time. The hotel worked closely with its digital media expert to evolve its campaign strategy in line with shifting traveler behaviors. The Burrard used TravelAds’ flexible and precise targeting tools to target last-minute domestic travelers with a short, 0-48 hour booking window. The targeting approach expanded to a 22+ day booking window in Q2 2021 and remains flexible to continually drive bookings as travel restrictions change.

The Results

The Burrard has now become one of the top-producing hotels in the Vancouver market. They used TravelAds to maintain their visibility, achieving a 4.5% CTR and increasing their impressions by 50%. As a result, the hotel was able to generate impressive revenues and grow its room night demand by almost 90% from H2 2020 to H1 2021.

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