In the rapidly evolving hospitality sector, establishing a distinctive online presence and maintaining optimal control over distribution costs are essential foundations for long-term success.
One independent hotel, Granville Hotel, exemplified this through a strategic and agile metasearch transformation—evolving from a Pay-Per-Stay (PPS) model to a performance-driven Pay-Per-Click (PPC) approach, and ultimately amplifying results with the integration of destination ads. The outcome: increased direct bookings, greater control over spend, and enhanced brand visibility in an increasingly competitive marketplace. The Pay-Per-Stay (PPS) model is no longer available, having been discontinued by Google following its initial rollout during the Covid period.
The hotel’s initial metasearch campaigns leveraged the Pay-Per-Stay (PPS) model on Google Hotel Ads—an accessible route that aligned spend with guest stays, minimising upfront costs and risk.
This model enabled the team to boost the hotel’s visibility in competitive markets and secure valuable new bookings, laying early groundwork for sustainable growth. However, as volume ramped up and acquisition costs accumulated, it soon became clear that escalating commissions were eroding margins and restricting the hotel’s ability to scale performance
With a focus on strategic growth and profitability, the hotel advanced to a Pay-Per-Click (PPC) model across leading metasearch platforms, including Tripadvisor, Google Hotel Ads, and Trivago. This approach empowered the team to invest in acquiring high-intent guests, enabling real-time bid optimisation, precise segmentation, and dynamic budget allocation.
By leveraging data and adapting to live demand and seasonality, the hotel optimised campaign performance, strengthened its direct booking channel, and created a strong foundation for long-term, sustainable success.
This move allowed the hotel to:
The impact was immediate and measurable. Gaining precision over audience targeting and dynamic budget management, the hotel began extracting greater value from every metasearch investment.
While the shift to PPC introduced a learning curve and demanded more hands-on optimisation, the rewards soon followed. With methodical campaign refinement, Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) rose markedly, and the team at Bookassist developed a deeper understanding of evolving guest preferences and seasonality trends—translating data-driven insight into smarter acquisition, stronger brand visibility, and scalable direct booking growth.
To drive the next phase of metasearch growth, the hotel strategically adopted destination ads—high-impact placements that reach travellers searching for hotels in a specific location before they have chosen a property. This powerful approach allowed the hotel to capture qualified demand higher in the funnel, increase brand visibility, and influence travellers at the critical research stage of their booking journey.
By appearing alongside OTAs and other hotels in popular searches for their destination, the hotel:
Initial results have been promising. Destination Ads generated a new stream of traffic that complemented existing metasearch campaigns. While the cost per lead was slightly higher, the long-term brand visibility and increase in direct search volume suggested stronger brand recognition and future booking potential.
Key Takeaways and Results
What began as a cautious PPS campaign matured into an expertly orchestrated, multi-dimensional marketing strategy—demonstrating the power of adaptability in today’s hospitality landscape. This hotel’s metasearch journey is a prime example of the industry’s shift away from high-commission, inflexible models toward intelligent, data-led performance strategies.
By progressing from PPS to PPC and integrating destination ads, the hotel not only reduced acquisition costs but also significantly amplified its brand presence throughout every critical stage of the guest’s booking journey. The focus on granular data analysis and proactive optimisation enabled the team to deliver stronger results, ensuring the brand stood out and delivered exceptional value across the entire customer journey.
Hotels looking to maximise their direct revenue should consider a similar path—starting with manageable risk, then building toward a fully optimised, multi-channel metasearch strategy with control, visibility, and profitability at its core.
This journey underscores an important lesson for independent hotels: metasearch isn’t just about being present — it’s about being strategic. The right mix of models and channels, backed by data and constant optimisation, can turn metasearch into one of the most profitable direct booking engines in a hotel’s digital marketing arsenal.
The Granville Hotel's success was achieved with our top-tier Scale package, providing the complete omni-channel visibility needed to dominate their market.
At Bookassist, we offer a full "Path to Success" ; with packages from Start, Grow, and Expand all the way to Scale, we have a solution designed to fit any hotel's budget and strategic goals.
If you’re not currently working with Bookassist, but would like to hear more about the value we could drive for your business, simply contact us and a member of the team will be in touch soon!