Paid social that generates direct bookings for Independent Hotels.

Evan O'Sullivan
The Founder

Before founding Better Connected I led digital marketing in-house for an Irish hotel.

Hospitality marketing is what I know best and the one I am most interested in.

I use paid social to put your property in front of the right people and create demand for the stay, rather than waiting for it to appear.

Better connected to you, your team, and your guests.

Watch

How are you generating demand?

A straightforward look at how paid social should be set up to drive direct bookings for independent hotels, and why most hotels are not getting that from it yet.

The Opportunity

Why Paid Social Works in Hospitality

Hospitality is naturally suited to paid social.
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Compared to most industries, advertising costs are relatively favourable. More importantly, the content fits the platform. Hotels are visual, aspirational, and easy to engage with, which makes efficient reach and attention easier to achieve than in less natural categories.
Paid social doesn’t only capture demand. It creates it.
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A guest scrolling through their feed wasn’t necessarily planning a trip. The right creative changes that. They see your property, connect with the experience, and you’re part of the decision before a search ever happens.
Most hotels running paid social aren't getting what they should from it.
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It isn't being used intentionally to generate demand and drive direct bookings. The creative is often on-brand but not built to stop the scroll. Campaigns run as an afterthought rather than a considered revenue asset. And when timing matters, there's no one close enough to respond.
The difference between average and strong performance on Meta isn't dramatic.
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It comes from marginal gains: campaigns adjusted for quieter periods, creative refreshed before key weekends, offers pushed at the right moment. Those gains only happen when someone is paying close attention to what is happening at the property, week to week.
When paid social is intentional and connected to your commercial priorities, you have a system designed to generate demand earlier in the decision making process and capture direct bookings.

The Real Value

Direct bookings compound in a way OTA bookings don't.

The guests who book direct are worth more long after their stay.

When a guest books through an OTA, the OTA owns the data. You rent the guest for a commission. When they book direct, you can remarket, build loyalty, and bring them back without paying to acquire them again.

That compounds over time. Gradually shifting more demand to direct builds an audience that belongs to your property. Not a platform.

Paid social done properly is how that shift happens.

Results

Numbers from a live hospitality account.

13.28x
Average return on ad spend
€0.21
Average cost per click
1.9M+
Impressions delivered
€5.4k
Total spend managed
Campaign results

Meta Ads Manager data. Oct–Dec 2025.

Who it's for

The hotels I work with tend to have a few things in common.

  1. Campaigns are running, but they're not connected to what's actually happening at the property.
  2. You want a hands-on partner who understands hotel commercial priorities, not a junior account manager.
  3. You're already investing in paid social but performance feels inconsistent across seasons.
  4. Your average room rate sits above €120, allowing for a stronger return on guest acquisition.
  5. You want a long term partner embedded in the business, not an agency you hear from once a month.
  6. You measure success by direct revenue growth, not clicks and impressions.

How it works

Simple from the start.

A conversation first

We speak and see if it is a good fit for both of us.

I get to know the property

I get familiar with your commercial calendar, your peak periods, your quieter stretches, and what a strong month looks like for you.

I take care of the channel

Creative, strategy, setup, targeting. You stay informed without being across every detail.

Creative that fits the property

We align on creative direction early so campaigns launch without back and forth.

Ongoing and attentive

Regular reviews, straightforward reporting, and I flag things before you have to ask.

If any of that resonates, let's talk.

30 minutes. No agenda.

Start the Conversation
Frequently Asked

Paid social works best where each booking carries enough value to support acquisition. In most cases, properties with room rates above €120 per night see the strongest results, because the margin allows campaigns to perform well.

Yes. In most cases I work alongside an internal team. My role is to ensure the paid campaigns align with the hotel's commercial priorities.

I manage everything personally. I work with a small number of hotels at a time so campaigns stay closely aligned with what's happening commercially at the property.

Paid social creates demand earlier in the decision process, bringing potential guests to the property before they begin actively searching and shifting more bookings onto the hotel's own booking engine. The clearest measure of success is growth in direct revenue over time, not just clicks or impressions.

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