Immerse yourself in whispered tales and timeless beats, as the ambiance transports you to a bygone era reserved for top shelf A-listers. An air of intrigue awaits those who dare to discover this hard-to-find haven.
In the blue corner: Brad Brewer, tech whisperer and champion of structured data.
In the red corner: Sarah Stahl, content strategist and storytelling evangelist.
And in the middle? Cory Falter and Susan Tucker, refereeing the biggest hospitality debate of 2025… Agentic Search.
This wasn’t just another roundtable chat.
The InnSync Show turned into a digital duel, with code and creativity squaring off to answer one key question: How do hotels stay discoverable in a world ruled by AI search engines?
Welcome to the era of Agentic Hospitality, where websites aren’t just digital brochures, they’re conversational, data-rich experiences that talk back.
Agentic Search for Hospitality
AI Search Isn’t Coming. It’s Already Here.
Let’s get something straight: SEO isn’t dead. It just graduated.
Or as Sarah Stahl put it, “SEO has gone through puberty, it’s getting married, it’s about to start having some kids.”
We’ve grown into the Agentic era, where search engines are no longer typing-and-linking assistants; they’re full-blown concierges.
We’re no longer talking about static keyword stuffing.
We’re talking intent-matching, preference-learning, and conversational retrieval.
That means how you show up in AI-generated search results depends on more than a keyword; it depends on how your site talks to a bot… and whether it speaks in schema.
Brad Brewer made it clear: “A single webpage becomes both documentation and API. It becomes a presentation layer and a data layer, and that’s what’s changing today.”
Translation: your website isn’t just for humans anymore. It’s for the machines that introduce you to the humans.
Most Hotel Websites Are Flat. Literally and Figuratively.
If hotels were people, most of their websites would be that guy at the party talking about his thread count.
They list amenities. They show empty rooms. They avoid emotion like it’s a resort fee.
“Most hotel websites… all say the same thing,” said Cory Falter. “They’re all talking about the same features, amenities, thread counts. It’s all flat, and it can’t pair my personal preference to my choice.”
That’s a problem. Because ChatGPT and Gemini aren’t just scanning your metadata, they’re interpreting your brand.
And if your content can’t signal emotion, identity, or experience, you’re not even in the game.
The OTA Dependency Is a Trap
Hotels have gotten cozy with OTAs (Online Travel Agencies). Maybe too cozy.
Sarah says, “They haven’t really changed their M.O. in 20 years. It’s time for them to grow up and move out of their parents’ basement.”
Hotels that rely exclusively on OTAs are feeding their revenue, and their future discoverability, to third parties who don’t care about their booking, just a booking.
Worse, most of them don’t even know if they’re breaking even.
And while OTAs spike their fees, hotels keep assuming someone else will handle discoverability.
But Agentic search demands direct visibility, which requires investment in both data structures and brand clarity.
Code Without Emotion, or Emotion Without Code?
The heart of the debate came down to this: what matters more: storytelling or structure?
Brad says, “Without the code, how do you put your pretty pictures out in front of the user?” He even threw the gauntlet down: “I will build a blank website with data, and I will capture more traffic and bookings than your most beautiful webpage ever.”
Shots fired.
Sarah conceded a key point: “Out of 10 properties I audited, only one popped up in ChatGPT search. That one had consistent PR coverage for five years.” The others? Beautiful, yes. But invisible to bots. “They had all those creatives… but no structure.”
The conclusion: creative gets you remembered, but code gets you seen.
Deep FAQs, Not Fluffy Fillers
Let’s talk about one of the most powerful (and most overlooked) tools in your arsenal: FAQs.
No, not your “Are pets allowed?” boilerplate.
We’re talking about deep FAQs that answer hyper-specific, long-tail questions AI models are trained on.
Questions like:
“Can I charge my EV at this hotel in London?”
“How far is the glamping tent from the lake, and is fishing gear included?”
“Are there gluten-free options at the complimentary breakfast?”
Brad adds, “Google is creating those pages. If you don’t answer those questions, someone else (or something else) will.”
And with AI pulling answers from your site only 5% of the time, as per the MuckRock study Sarah cited, that one shot better count.
Your Website Is Still Home Base
Despite the rise of AI-native interfaces, the panel agreed: your website is still the home base.
Brad: “Every prompt is personalized. It knows who Cory, Susan, and Sarah are… But the transaction is still going to happen on brand.com.”
If you let third-party apps — including ChatGPT plugins and OTA integrations — own your user experience, you’re handing over your identity and your margin.
Instead, give users a reason to come to you:
Build conversational interfaces into your site
Integrate schema markup that machines can understand
Offer humanized content that people actually enjoy reading
Add video testimonials, team intros, and real-life storytelling
Susan adds, “Create content that doesn’t just say things, but does things.”
Both sides agreed on one thing: it’s not code or creative.
It’s code AND creative.
Structured data unlocks discovery. Human storytelling drives conversion.
As Sarah said, “We’re building for a couple years ahead based on what consumers are doing now.” And as Brad reminded us, “Teach your customer how to come and have a conversation with your homepage.”
AI is learning what humans want. It’s time hotels do the same.
The Best Advice for 2026
If you’re a hotelier wondering where to start, take this advice from the trio:
Sarah: “Start with basics. Structure, schema, storytelling. Stop being scared.”
Brad: “Make your website natural language search ready. Let it talk back.”
Susan: “Build helpful content. Be a resource, not just a reservation engine.”
And from Cory? Add more humanity. “AI is literally telling us: you need to be more human. Technology is saying that.”
Let that sink in.
Hotel Sellers, The Next 6 Months Could Change Everything
2025 has been a wild ride for hotel sales … and not the kind that ends with a room upgrade.
Between AI anxiety, ghosting clients, and email blitzes that fall flat, sellers are navigating a shifting landscape where the old playbook feels dated and dangerous.
So what’s actually working? What’s breaking? And more importantly, what’s next?
The result? A conversation that’s part therapy session, part strategy summit, and part tough love.
Hotel Sales Marketing Tips
First, the Buzz: What’s Lit Up in 2025
Hotel sales had some glow-up moments. Here’s what got people talking.
Buzz #1: AI is Here and It’s Already Sending Emails for You
The buzzword of the year is still AI—and not just the “vague headline on LinkedIn” kind. We’re talking real tools making real impact.
Nicole Quessenberry is seeing it firsthand, “ZoomInfo now has an AI feature where you can directly email clients from the platform… Google Gemini is great for searching live RFPs looking for hotels.”
But here’s the twist: most hotel sellers don’t know how to implement any of it.
“We get hit with ads and posts,” she said, “but no one really tells us how to actually use it.”
The takeaway? AI isn’t optional anymore. Sellers who lean into it (even just a little) are already moving faster and smarter than the ones waiting for a webinar to walk them through it.
Buzz #2.: Visibility is the New Pipeline
For Celeste Berke, the buzz hits differently. It’s about sellers finally realizing that existing isn’t the same as showing up.
“They think just because they’re with a big brand—Marriott, Hilton, whatever—that they’ll magically appear on a planner’s radar,” she said.
Spoiler: they don’t.
Using simple AI searches during training, Celeste shows hospitality sellers exactly how invisible they are. The reaction? Total deer-in-headlights energy. Many still rely on a dusty contact list and a few email blasts to carry them through the quarter.
No brand is strong enough to save a seller without presence.
In a world where planners shop like consumers, visibility = viability.
Buzz #3: Video: The Sales Tool Most Sellers Are Still Afraid Of
Susan Tucker brought the data to back up what marketing pros have been shouting into the void for years: get on camera.
“This year, we had clients really lean into video. And the numbers are ridiculous! Collectively across all our clients LinkedIn and YouTube channels, impressions are up 185% and engagement is up 54%.”
Not glossy brand videos.
Not drone shots of the rooftop pool.
Actual humans. Talking. About their space, their team, and their value.
It’s not just vanity metrics either. Celeste shared this, “A planner said, ‘I saw your video and it sparked me to reach out.’ That’s the direct impact of visibility.”
Even Nicole, relatively new to video, said, “Every time I send one, I get a response. Ghosting disappears when they can see you.”
Video that features a person is the bridge between real life and online.
Buzz #4: Warm Prospecting with Predictive Lead Scoring
Cory Falter’s buzz? It’s part ‘right now,’ part ‘finally happening.’
Predictive lead scoring isn’t new to other industries … but in hospitality, it’s just starting to turn heads.
“It blows sellers away when they see how much more efficiently they can spend their time,” Cory said.
Here’s how it works: platforms track digital breadcrumbs like link clicks, page views, and time on site.
That activity is scored and stacked in your CRM so sellers can start their day with a ranked list of opportunities, highest intent to lowest.
Translation? No more aimless prospecting. No more “just checking in” emails to people who haven’t even clicked.
Sellers know exactly who’s hot and who’s not.
“They no longer have to cold prospect or wonder if someone’s going to pick up the phone,” Cory said. “It’s right there. Ranked. Actionable.”
And here’s the kicker: this strategy has been used for years in SaaS and tech. Now that it’s finally finding its way into hotel sales, the sellers who embrace it will run circles around those still stalking reader boards.
Now for the Burn: What’s Still Broken
With all that buzz, there’s bound to be a few hangovers. And 2025 had no shortage.
Hangover #1: Outreach That Still Talks About the Ballroom
Celeste’s biggest frustration? Sellers who are sending cold emails packed with self-serving nonsense.
You think your need dates or happy hour are going to move the needle? They don’t. If your outreach is all about you, it’s hurting your brand.”
And yes, we’re still getting these emails.
One hotel seller thought “stacked chairs in the corner” were a selling point.
Hangover #2: Ghosting After the RFP
Nicole dropped a reality check that every seller can relate to: “I get an RFP, respond within 24 hours, and then… crickets. Weeks later—’we’re ready to move forward.’ No communication between. It’s wild.”
And what’s worse? They come back with redlines and a demand for concessions.
There’s no win here. It’s demoralizing and inefficient.
Hangover #3: Resistance to Change Will Wreck You
Blockbuster said no to Netflix. Now they’re a trivia question.
“That’s what happens when you resist change,” Susan said.
The marketing team is still begging sellers to try video. Sellers are still scared of LinkedIn.
Meanwhile, AI is literally rewriting RFPs, and planners are bypassing forms completely.
If your answer is still “this is how we’ve always done it,” you’re already behind.
Hangover #4: Hiding on LinkedIn Is Costing You Real Business
Let’s call it what it is: lurking. Cory called out hotel sellers who treat LinkedIn like a spectator sport.
“Most sellers post about MPI events on LinkedIn, but won’t actually show up in LinkedIn,” he said. “Meanwhile, their ideal prospects are active, sharing insights, asking for advice, engaging in real-time.”
The reality? LinkedIn is the new networking floor, and it’s open 24/7.
The people you’re hoping to run into at trade shows? They’re already out there, posting, watching, and shortlisting.
And the sellers who are building personal brands, sharing video, offering insights ... they’re not just getting noticed, they’re getting booked.
“It’s mind-blowing how few hotel sellers are actually showing up to the conversation,” Cory said.
Visibility isn’t a nice-to-have anymore. It’s sales survival.
The Bounce-Back: What’s Actually Working
Now, let's talk about what's actually working.
Direct Group Inquiries are the New Gold Rush
Forget the 30-field RFP form.
Cory Falter sees the shift in real time. “Planners—and non-professional planners—are skipping the RFP altogether. They’re submitting direct group inquiries through the website, and they’re converting at 30 to 50%.”
Compare that to 3-5% conversion rates from third-party leads?
It’s a no-brainer.
But most hotels aren’t even tracking this data, and many don’t realize those inquiries are coming from actual buying signals.
The Sellers Who Win Will Be Advisors, Not Order-Takers
Want to stand out? Don’t pitch the product. Solve the problem.
“Planners aren’t looking for square footage,” Celeste said. “They’re looking for someone to make them look good to their boss.”
That starts with being visible, being valuable, and showing up as someone worth listening to. You can’t automate trust.
Personal Brands are the Armor Against Obsolescence
Transactional sellers are being phased out. (Read that again.)
AI will handle your availability.
It’ll write your proposals.
It’ll predict who’s most likely to book.
If all you do is respond to RFPs, your job is on the chopping block.
The sellers who thrive in 2026 will be the ones with personal brands: those who show up online, share value, and build a reputation as a trusted expert in their space.
“LinkedIn is the biggest MPI event of the year,” Cory said. “And it happens every day. Yet most hotel sellers are completely MIA.”
So What Now? You’ve Got a Choice in Hotel Sales & Marketing
You can:
Keep sending feature-filled emails that get deleted.
Keep waiting for RFPs while competitors collect direct inquiries.
Keep lurking on LinkedIn while others build personal brands that book.
Or you can:
Send a 30-second video that gets a reply.
Use AI to work smarter, not harder.
Build visibility so you’re top of mind when the planner is ready.
The One-Word Non-Negotiables for Hotel Sales 2026
Let’s leave you with a few power words from our panel:
Nicole:Wow – “How can I wow my client, my content, and my own goals?”
Celeste:Journey – “Progress over perfection. Just start.”
Susan:Clarity – “Cut through the noise and make it make sense.”
Cory:Trust – “It’s the new currency. Lose it, and you’re done.”
2025 gave us buzz, burn, and bounce-back moments.
But what happens next is up to you.
Are you building trust, showing up, and adapting fast enough?
Because AI won’t wait. And neither will your buyers.
What Hit, What Missed & What’s Next
The only thing more overused than stock hotel lobby photos in 2025?
The word “AI.”
But before we pour one out for another year in hospitality tech, let’s rewind with some of the sharpest minds in the business.
The Buzz: More Self-Service and Way More Personal Branding
While the AI boom didn’t catch anyone off guard this year, its speed did.
Zoe Koumbouzi summed it up: “We’ve moved on at light speed within our industry… between AI tools and then giants like MEWS going on acquisition sprees.”
Jacki Brown, on the other hand, felt the excitement plateau. “Honestly, nothing really stood out to me this year,” she admitted.
And when Jacki, who lives and breathes hotel tech marketing, says that, you pay attention.
Instead, she championed the basics: “I like to go back to the fundamentals and make content that resonates.”
Susan Tucker highlighted a quiet revolution that’s gaining traction: empowering users with self-serve tools. ROI calculators, interactive pricing guides, and resource-rich web pages are giving buyers the clarity they crave.
“When a user comes, it’s so easy for them to make a decision to book a call,” she explained.
Meanwhile, LinkedIn became the unofficial conference room of the industry.
Zoe’s personal branding radar pinged big: “People are so much more active and there’s so much more storytelling. I absolutely love it.”
And Cory? Still buzzing about agentic search with tools like ChatGPT driving buyers through the entire funnel solo. “80+ percent of what was sales is now marketing,” he said.
Translation: if vendors don’t evolve, they’re invisible.
The Hangover: Content Without Soul, E-Blasts with Zero Flavor
If 2025 gave us a high, it also gave us a collective marketing migraine.
Zoe’s big grievance? Bland branding. “Nobody is standing out. Everybody’s still doing their marketing in blue.”
Jacki wasn’t far behind. What’s painfully boring? “AI-generated content,” she said. “It’s just a slog… and then when you read something that’s not AI-generated? It’s incredible.”
Her diagnosis? We’re drowning in dull.
Susan’s headache was delivered straight to her inbox.
“I’m tired of generic e-blasts,” she says. “If I see one more ‘Dear Valued Partner’… people are missing out on opportunities to have a human touch.”
Spoiler: your email shouldn’t sound like it was written by a polite robot with access to Shutterstock.
Cory echoed the theme of disconnect—this time between offline energy and online effort.
“Thousands of people spending six figures on their booth,” he said. “Then… no investment online.” No content, no proof, no trust.
Vendors: the trade-show handshake only works if it’s backed by a compelling digital presence. Otherwise, you’re just a blurry memory with a branded pen.
Big Wins, Better Strategy, and Fresh Tactics
Not everything was doom and deletion.
Jacki scored major wins for her clients by going back to the root: “Complete repositioning, new messaging, updated branding, updated product set… doubled site traffic by Q3.”
Proof that bold strategic changes still work in a sea of sameness.
Zoe took a personal and tactical pivot, moving into more of an advisory role: “I’ve coached myself, when I was in that position… helping in-house marketers who don’t have anyone else to bounce ideas off.”
And in 2025, that guidance proved gold.
Susan is cooking up confidence tools for sales teams: “Custom GPTs that they can share with prospects, resources so that they can do outreach that’s not just ‘checking in.’”
Translation: don’t pitch—serve.
And at Lure, Cory and Susan continued to refine their WINS Framework: four repeatable tactics to help vendors increase direct inquiries, qualify leads earlier, and arm buyers with exactly what they need.
Oh, and they’re launching Sales on Tap, a gamified sales training community that’s equal parts fun, smart, and bold.
Cheers to That: What’s Your Brand’s Drink of Choice?
When asked what cocktail best represented their brand, the answers didn’t disappoint.
Zoe and Jacki both went Espresso Martini—classy, buzzy, and ready to accelerate. “I help wake up your go-to-market strategy,” Jacki quipped.
Susan went with a Science & Soul Spritz—a fizzy blend of data-driven strategy and heart-centered storytelling. And she reminded us that Lucy’s Lounge, Lure’s cocktail-themed marketing guide, is still one of her favorite projects.
Cory? Four years sober and sipping on a crisp, brand-true Corona NA—a nod to his SoCal roots and no-nonsense clarity. “It has that distinctive Corona taste… and no hangover.”
Planning, Reflection & Connection
When asked how they’re wrapping up the year, no one said “coasting.” Jacki is deep in Q1 strategy mode. Zoe is reflecting on what worked (and what didn’t) in her whirlwind of a year. Susan’s making the rounds, reconnecting with clients to make sure support is personal—not just project-based.
As Cory said, “Bad habits are hard to break. But breaking them is exactly what 2026 demands.”
What’s Next? More Bold, Less Boring
Hospitality vendors are standing at a marketing crossroads. Will you keep blasting generic e-mails into the void? Or start building real, resonant content that connects?
Will you hope trade show charm is enough? Or back it up with a digital footprint that builds trust?
Will you outsource your voice to a robot? Or use AI with intention—not as a crutch?
If 2025 taught us anything, it’s that differentiation is currency. And fundamentals—those unsexy but essential elements like clarity, branding, and trust—are your edge.
Now’s the time to wake up your strategy… and maybe pour yourself a Science & Soul Spritz while you’re at it.
Sales on Tap offers hotel sellers a fresh, actionable path to visibility, influence, and consistent revenue results.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:Boulder, CO / Denver, CO — November 19, 2025 — Lure Agency, along with hospitality sales trainer Celeste Berke Knisely, today announced the launch of Sales on Tap, a modern social-selling and visibility-building community created for hotel group sales professionals.
Designed to meet the demands of today’s planner-driven, digital-first buying environment, Sales on Tap blends ongoing training, live coaching, and peer community support to help sellers attract more qualified group business, without relying on traditional cold outreach.
Record-low lead volume, weaker pipelines, declining RevPAR, and increasingly competitive RFPs are forcing hotel sellers to rethink how they show up. The industry has changed. Planners are researching differently, buying differently, and forming trust long before they ever submit an inquiry. Sellers who rely solely on traditional outreach risk being invisible in the very channels that now determine who makes the RFP short list.
Sales on Tap equips sellers with modern visibility-building skills that strengthen pipeline creation, increase win rates, guarantee more base business, fill need dates, and reduce reliance on third parties and their commissions. This program helps hotel sellers control their own demand, rather than waiting for demand to come to them.
“Hotel sellers don’t need more theory—they need modern, actionable skills that convert,” said Cory Falter, Partner at Lure Agency. “Sales on Tap is built for the way planners actually buy today.”
A New Model for Hospitality Sales Training
Unlike conventional workshops that fade the moment the facilitator leaves, Sales on Tap delivers a continuous learning ecosystem that evolves with the industry.
Members gain access to:
A guided QuickStart program that helps sellers confidently post, prospect, and build their online presence.
On-Demand Learning Modules covering topics from personal branding to understanding the latest tech tools (and how to use them).
Live monthly coaching focused on real-world hospitality sales scenarios.
Plug-and-play templates, prompts, and tools designed specifically for hotel group sales.
A supportive, accountable community that helps sellers stay consistent.
Always-updated strategies rooted in what’s working right now.
“Most sellers know what they should be doing, but they don’t have the structure or support to do it consistently,” said Celeste Berke Knisely. “Sales on Tap gives them both. It’s a space to practice, grow, and build momentum with strategies that work in today’s hospitality landscape.
Built for Individuals, Teams, and Management Companies
Sales on Tap supports:
Individual sellers wanting to build a trusted, credible digital presence.
Group sales teams seeking alignment, accountability, and better results.
Management companies looking for scalable sales enablement across properties.
As part of the launch, hotel sellers can join the Sales on Tap community at no cost and gain immediate access to the QuickStart program, a simple, high-impact way to start modernizing their sales approach.
Designed for the Modern Era of Hospitality Sales
“AI is accelerating decision-making, but it’s also raising the bar for human connection,” said Susan Tucker, Partner at Lure Agency. “Sales on Tap helps hotel sellers blend personal presence with modern tools so they stand out in a crowded digital landscape.”
Sales on Tap is now open to hotel sellers, DOSMs, and management companies ready to upgrade their approach and drive consistent results through modern visibility building.
About Sales on Tap
Sales on Tap is a modern social-selling community built specifically for hotel group sales professionals. Through guided programs, live coaching, and plug-and-play sales tools, the community helps sellers build visibility, create meaningful conversations, and attract more qualified group business—all without cold calling. Learn more at salesontap.community.
About Lure Agency
Led by hospitality veterans Cory FalterandSusan Tucker, Lure Agency blends the “Science & Soul” of modern marketing, pairing analytics, strategy, and repeatable systems with genuine storytelling and human connection. The agency specializes in helping hotels, resorts, and destination brands elevate visibility, strengthen sales enablement, and generate more group business through social selling and strategic content programs.
About Celeste Berke Knisely
Celeste Berke Knisely is a nationally recognized hospitality sales trainer celebrated for her energetic coaching style and modern, no-fluff approach to revenue generation. With deep experience across hotel brands, luxury resorts, and management groups, she equips sellers with the mindset, skills, and confidence to succeed in a changing buyer environment. As Co-Founder of Sales on Tap, she brings her signature blend of strategy, storytelling, and social-selling expertise to hotel sellers nationwide.
San Diego, CA & Boulder, CO — November 3, 2025 — Benchmark Global Sales, the powerhouse behind group business for Benchmark Resorts & Hotels, has partnered with Lure Agency to level up sales performance across its independent portfolio with one clear goal: drive more direct group revenue.
As group business rebounds and competition stiffens, Benchmark Global Sales is doubling down on modern sales strategies to help its properties outperform branded competitors without sacrificing identity or experience. The partnership with Lure Agency is focused on amplifying direct lead flow, increasing qualified conversions, and boosting profitability across the portfolio.
“Our sales teams aren’t just booking meetings, they’re building bottom lines,” said John MacMullen, Senior Director of Business Development at Benchmark Global Sales. “This partnership with Lure enhances our ability to deliver high-value results for owners, operators, and planners alike. It’s a win for everyone.”
Lure Agency brings its proven WINS Method™—a data-driven, conversion-focused approach that helps hospitality brands increase visibility, trust, and direct revenue. But in this partnership, the spotlight stays firmly on Benchmark’s sales teams: supporting their efforts with scalable marketing systems and strategic content designed to fuel real revenue results.
“Benchmark is doing more than filling calendars; they’re helping properties secure long-term management value by consistently driving group business,” said Cory Falter, Partner and CEO at Lure Agency. “We’re here to back them up with the tools and tactics that keep that pipeline warm and the bottom line growing.”
Why It Matters
For ownership groups and asset managers seeking consistent, measurable returns from their meeting and event space, Benchmark Global Sales, representing Benchmark Resorts & Hotels—Pyramid Global Hospitality’s independent collection, is now equipped with an even stronger go-to-market engine. The result: higher-quality leads, reduced friction in the buyer journey, and sharper storytelling around each property’s unique selling points.
This strategic alignment also strengthens Pyramid Global Hospitality’s ability to attract new management contracts by showcasing a proactive, performance-driven approach to growing group sales, especially in a time when direct revenue matters more than ever.
About Benchmark Global Sales / Benchmark Resorts & Hotels
Benchmark Global Sales is the meetings & events division of Benchmark Resorts & Hotels, the independent collection by Pyramid Global Hospitality. Representing more than 50 hand-picked resorts, hotels, and conference centers across North America and beyond, Benchmark delivers unforgettable group experiences with unmatched flexibility, personalization, and ROI for planners and ownership alike.
Founded in 2012, Lure Agency helps hospitality brands turn clicks into connections and connections into conversions. By blending science and soul, the agency bridges the gap between sales and marketing with strategies that drive measurable revenue and lasting relationships. Through its proprietary WINS Method™, Lure empowers hotels and hospitality vendors to attract the right buyers, build trust at scale, and win more business in an AI‑driven world. Learn more at lureagency.com
San Diego, CA & Boulder, CO — October 21, 2025 — Lure Agency, a pioneer in hospitality B2B marketing, proudly announces the official launch of its proprietary WINS Method™, a proven sales and marketing framework engineered for today’s decision-maker and tomorrow’s AI-driven buying journey.
With 80% of B2B buyers having already formed their decision before any sales interaction, conventional tactics like unsolicited emails and “just checking in” messages prove ineffective. The WINS Method™ meets the modern buyer where they are: informed, independent, and in control.
WINS stands for Website, Intel, Nurture, and Sell—four interconnected pillars that create a scalable, repeatable process for driving revenue and building trust in today’s cluttered digital world.
“AI isn’t replacing sales; it’s rewriting the rules. WINS is our answer to that shift,” said Susan Tucker, Partner and COO at Lure Agency. “It’s human-powered, AI-loved, and designed to help brands show up with trust, relevance, and consistency before the RFP ever hits the inbox.”
After years of working side by side with hospitality sales and marketing teams, Lure has simplified what actually works. WINS is built to cut the fluff, eliminate wasted effort, and fast-track results, whether you’re nurturing group leads or breaking into high-value accounts.
The framework breaks down like this:
Website – Your digital front door, optimized for engagement, education, and conversion.
Intel – Smart use of first-party and intent data to warm up cold leads and fuel strategy.
Nurture – Ongoing, high-value engagement rooted in Lure’s proprietary ROSS content framework (Roadblocks, Objections, Solutions, Stories).
Sell – Content-driven selling that builds trust before the first call and shortens the sales cycle.
The WINS Method™ has already been quietly powering results for brands like Stonewall Resort, ComOps, and Equinox Golf Resort & Spa, helping their teams easily move from cold contacts to warm conversions.
“We created WINS to help sales teams stop spinning their wheels and start closing the right deals,” said Cory Falter, Partner and CEO. “It’s about shifting from spray-and-pray to strategy-and-serve.”
Why Now?
With the rise of AI, agentic search, and leaner sales teams, B2B hospitality brands must evolve—or risk being left behind. WINS positions brands to not just be seen—but chosen—by humans and algorithms alike.
Flexible by design, the WINS Method™ can be implemented as a “done-with-you” blueprint for internal teams, or for you through Lure’s full-service execution for immediate traction.
Lure Agency invites hospitality leaders ready to evolve beyond outdated tactics to discover the power of the WINS Method™. To learn more or schedule a discovery call, visit lureagency.com.
About Lure Agency
Founded in 2012, Lure Agency helps hospitality brands turn clicks into connections and connections into conversions. By blending science and soul, the agency bridges the gap between sales and marketing with strategies that drive measurable revenue and lasting relationships. Through its proprietary WINS Method™, Lure empowers hotels and hospitality vendors to attract the right buyers, build trust at scale, and win more business in an AI‑driven world.
In this timely session, we are breaking down how AI, particularly agentic search, is radically reshaping B2B sales in the hospitality industry.
The core message? If AI can’t find you, trust you, or connect you to the right problem, you’re not just losing leads—you’re invisible.
Agentic Search for Hospitality
Here's a quick overview.
What is Agentic Search?
Agentic search is more than search, it’s decision-making.
AI now acts as a buyer’s assistant, evaluating not just products, but people, trust signals, and authority. It doesn’t just recommend based on features ... it curates based on E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
Are Robots Coming for Our Jobs?
Short answer: Yes. But only if we keep selling like robots.
The future belongs to human-first sellers; those who show up with presence, proof, and people skills. AI is doing 80% of the selling now, so your digital footprint has become your most valuable sales asset.
The Wake-Up Call for Hotels & Vendors
54% of meeting planners are already using AI to source venues (CVENT)
Traditional search is declining fast (Gartner predicts a collapse by 2026)
AI prefers experts, not order takers (those with case studies, video testimonials, and consistent content)
What You Need to Do (Now)
Here are five critical action steps:
Build a Personal Brand: Not just for influencers anymore. It’s your digital Rolodex.
Turn Case Studies into Content Gold: Bonus points for video and timestamped proof.
Create a Knowledge Hub: FAQs, resources, insights. Help the AI help you.
Publish Consistently: Stagnant websites get ignored. New content = relevance.
Align Sales and Marketing: 80% of the buyer’s journey happens before they talk to sales. Marketing must fuel the top of the funnel.
Live Demo: The AI Meeting Planner
Cory ran a live agentic search prompt using ChatGPT to source event venues in Denver.
The result? A shortlist of five venues, customized by price and features, generated in minutes.
The AI even recommended a final pick, showcasing how fast, smart, and efficient the buyer journey has become.
Why It Matters for Independents
The shift levels the playing field—but only for hotels and vendors willing to lean into transparency, content, and digital trust-building. Those who resist will fall behind.
Introducing: The WINS Method™
Lure Agency’s four-part system—Website, Intel, Nurture, Sell—helps hospitality professionals prepare for this new AI-forward sales environment by focusing on the full funnel, from digital visibility to human connection.
Bottom Line: AI isn’t just a trend, it’s the new gatekeeper. If you’re not visible, valuable, and verifiable online, you’re out of the game. But those who embrace agentic search, prioritize trust signals, and sell like humans will win in this new era of hospitality sales.
Your Sales Strategy Needs a System. Not a Hail Mary.
We’re not here to recycle tired hospitality marketing advice; we’re rewriting the entire playbook.
With the help of AI, today’s decision-makers have taken the entire sales process into their own hands. That means fewer are responding to outreach, they’re swiping left on emails sent out of context, and making buying decisions long before a salesperson enters the picture. If your strategy still relies on outdated tactics and wishful thinking, you’re playing a losing game.
Have you noticed the shift?
The old playbook doesn’t cut it anymore. That’s why we built The WINS Method™, a modern sales framework designed to meet today’s buyers where they are: in control, online, and already halfway to a decision.
We recently chatted about what this sales and marketing framework actually is, why it matters right now in hospitality, and what to ditch before you send your next “just checking in” email.
Spoiler: If it feels cringey, it probably is.
Let’s dive in.
What is the WINS Method™? A New Era for Hospitality Sales & Marketing
Outdated tactics such as check-in emails and RFP roulette are losing ground. Traditional cold outreach is annoying. And it’s ineffective.
It’s time to stop trying to build trust on quicksand. Your sales process needs to be built for 2025 … because, well, we’re already here.
The Issue? Sales Tactics are Stuck in a Bygone Era
The sales funnel in hospitality has collapsed into a messy, nonlinear maze.
Buyers are in control. They research in stealth mode, rely on peers and platforms, and don’t want a sales rep until they’re damn sure it’s worth their time.
So many people want to bypass all the other parts and pieces and get straight to the sell. But, it just doesn’t work that way.
Pushing for the sale without trust, relevance, or timing is like proposing marriage on the first date.
And the result? Low engagement. High churn.
Salespeople spinning their wheels on leads that were never warm to begin with.
The WINS Method™: What It Is and Why It Works
We’ve put together a modern B2B framework that is “AI-ready and human-friendly,” something that’s deceptively simple but incredibly strategic.
WINS stands for:
W: Website
I: Intel
N: Nurture
S: Sell
WINS is the framework we've used for our clients for the past 8-10 years. It is about understanding who your buyers are, showing up where they are, answering their questions openly and transparently, and building long-term relationships.
Now, it’s more important than ever before because of the rapid advancements in technology. Similar to how Google overtook the white pages, AI is now taking over Google.
Let’s unpack how each piece works.
Website: Your Digital Front Door (So Stop Leaving It a Mess)
Start with your home base. Always.
Right now, your website is more than an online brochure, it's your 24/7 sales rep.
If your website is not optimized to educate, engage, and convert, you’re not just leaving money on the table, you’re setting it on fire.
Here is a foundational starting point of modern "must-haves." We call it the Core Four:
Deep FAQs: not just the basics, but buyer journey questions from pre-search to final decision.
Humanized Team Pages: bios, headshots, and most importantly, video.
Social Proof: testimonials, reviews, and especially video reviews for trust signals that can’t be faked.
Easy Outreach: ditch long forms for frictionless contact options. Our recommendation is to have a “short form” that has no more than four fields.
Fun fact … A client recently added a short-form to their meetings page and in the first month had a 50% increase in direct inbound leads (the best kind!)
Don’t forget Video! It builds trust. It boosts SEO. And it’s how real humans prefer to engage. A quick walk-through, a welcome message, or a client success story can be the difference between a bounce and a booking. Start scrappy if you need to—authenticity beats polish every time.
Bottom line: If your website isn’t answering questions, showing faces, and inviting conversation, your buyers will keep scrolling to someone who is.
Ready for a quick gut check? Pull up your site and ask:
Would I trust this business with my time, money, or reputation based on what I see in 30 seconds?
If not, it’s time to clean up your digital front door and start selling smarter.
Intel: First-Party Data is Gold (So Stop Ignoring It)
Intel isn’t about big brother vibes. It’s about using the data you already have and utilizing tools to be smart, timely, and personal.
Let’s be clear: you don’t need a crystal ball, you simply need a CRM that’s not collecting digital dust.
First-party data
You probably have warm leads sitting quietly in your system right now, people who reached out two years ago, downloaded a guide, or clicked an email link. If they’re not being nurtured, you’re not just missing opportunities. You’re leaving doors wide open for your competitors.
Segmentation
Context is everything. Past clients, potential clients, vendors, partners—each one deserves tailored messaging. A one-size-fits-all campaign might save time, but it costs trust. Relevance, frequency, and timing win over lazy blasts every time.
Intent data
Your prospects are searching right now. Are you tracking what they’re looking for? Tools like Uplead, Leadfeeder, Clearbit, or even Google Search Console can show you which companies are browsing your site, what they’re reading, and what they’re ready to act on. Use it. Don’t snooze on it.
Bonus Tip: Don’t treat data like homework. Treat it like heat, something you can use to warm up cold leads, fire up conversions, and fuel smart strategy.
When you know what your prospects care about, you can meet them there before the RFP ever hits your inbox.
Nurture: Stay Top of Mind (Without Being Creepy)
If Intel is about knowing your people, Nurture is about showing up in the right way.
Nobody likes the “Just checking in!” email. It’s vague. It’s self-serving. And worst of all, it adds zero value. If that’s your go-to move, it’s time to level up.
Instead, deliver what your audience actually wants: content that solves problems, answers questions, and makes them feel seen.
That’s where the ROSS Framework comes in:
Roadblocks – Address the real barriers holding your buyers back.
Objections – Tackle the silent “yeah, but…” hesitations.
Solutions – Offer clear, practical answers to real-world challenges.
Stories – Share wins from clients, case studies, or even internal moments of growth.
Think Friends—but strategic. Show up regularly. Be familiar. Be helpful. Be someone they want in their inbox.
Pro tip: This isn’t about one-off email “blasts.” It’s about creating a rhythm. A monthly, high-value touchpoint can mean the difference between a ghosted list and a red-hot pipeline.
And don’t underestimate the power of ungated value. A free guide, a quick checklist, or a how-to video with zero strings attached? That’s not giving too much away. That’s building trust at scale.
Stay helpful. Stay human. Stay visible.
Sell: Use Content as Bait (The Good Kind)
By the time someone books a call, they should already be 80% sold. If you’re stuck explaining the basics on that first Zoom, your content didn’t do its job.
This is the payoff of the entire WINS Method™—where all your groundwork turns into closed business.
You’ve cleaned up your website. You’ve dug into the data. You’ve delivered real value consistently. Now it’s time to convert.
Here’s how:
Social Selling
This is the bridge between marketing and sales. Use content to spark genuine conversations on LinkedIn. Watch who engages, comment back, DM with purpose. Your goal isn’t a pitch—it’s a dialogue. That’s where trust forms fast.
Assignment Selling
Turn your best content into pre-call homework. Share it in automations, outbound messages, or even as a calendar reminder. Educated prospects come to the table ready to talk specifics—not generalities. You’re no longer selling. You’re guiding.
The result?
Fewer leads, but better ones. Shorter cycles. Higher win rates.
Everyone wins… or should we say WINS?
Why The WINS Method™ Works in an AI-Powered World
Ironically, AI is actually encouraging us to be more human.
The rise of Agentic Search means bots are starting to choose who shows up, not based on who pays the most, but on authority, trust, and relevance.
You want to be the content that’s being served. Trust signals. Authority. Adding relevant content now is how you get found later.
And don’t forget: prospects want Amazon-like buying experiences. Click, learn, decide. No waiting for demo calls. No hunting for answers. The brands that remove friction are the ones closing deals.
Sales teams are shrinking. AI is growing. Your prospects don’t have time to wait, and neither do you.
Being recognized by customers, search engines and AI isn’t about being trendy. It’s about being findable. Trustworthy. Human. The WINS Method™ sets you up to win in a world where AI is the gatekeeper and trust is the currency.
Because here’s the deal: you can’t be the best-kept secret in your space anymore. Both people AND machines are watching. So make sure they see your best side.
AI assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity are reshaping how meeting planners find and choose hotels. And if your hotel isn’t answering questions before they’re asked—you’re not invisible… you’re irrelevant.
This is bigger than SEO. Bigger than digital brochures.
We’re talking about a new sales era where AI makes decisions before you even know there’s a lead. If your hotel’s data, content, and trust signals aren’t ready, you’re not just missing the shortlist—you’re not in the conversation.
The hotels that win in this new game?
✅ Structured for AI
✅ Built for humans
✅ Fueled by proof, not fluff
Wait 12–24 months, and you’ll be playing catch-up in a world that already moved on.
We're diving in below.
Top 10 Takeaways Summary: Agentic Search & M&E Sales
Your Website Is Your New Sales Rep—Trained by AI. AI isn’t browsing; it’s scanning. If your M&E page can’t be easily read, parsed, and quoted by an agent, you’re off the list.
RFPs Are Getting Replaced by AI Shortlists. Agentic search filters, compares, and recommends venues instantly. Fewer RFPs, but hotter leads—and only for those who show up in AI responses.
Content That Answers Wins. FAQs, team bios, video tours, case studies—format your content like it’s talking to a planner through AI. Because it is.
AI Loves Trust: Be Transparent or Be Forgotten. Opaque pricing, outdated PDFs, or vague promises? AI skips you. Transparent, structured, and human content gets surfaced and selected.
Sales + Marketing Must Marry. Now. No more silos. AI needs sales insights (what clients ask) and marketing execution (how to present it). Unite or lose.
E-E-A-T Is Non-Negotiable. Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness—these are the signals AI uses to decide if you’re worth recommending. Build them or vanish.
Planners Aren’t Always Pros Anymore. Thanks to AI, anyone can plan an event. Your site and your content must guide non-planners just as effectively as seasoned pros.
Fresh Content = Visibility. AI doesn’t trust stale data. Update your meeting spaces, team bios, FAQs, and pricing regularly—or risk being dropped from results.
Independent vs. Branded? Doesn’t Matter—AI Judges the Info. A big brand name won’t save you if your content is thin. Independent hotels can win by being more specific, transparent, and helpful.
AI Can Book Direct—If You Let It. Frictionless booking experiences mean AI agents can recommend and execute. Make it easy for the agent, and you’ll capture more direct business.
The Strategic Importance of AI in Meetings & Events
Instead of manually browsing websites or relying on traditional channels, buyers can now ask an AI assistant for the best venues and get instant, curated answers.
This is disruptive because it collapses the research phase into a single conversation.
For example, a planner might ask an AI, “Suggest two venues in London with natural daylight for a summer party, close to a major transport hub.” The assistant can immediately return a short list of venues with key details, as shown below.
By providing a direct answer with locations and features, the AI spares the buyer from combing through multiple hotel websites. This “zero-click” search behavior means the decision-making journey often starts and ends with the AI’s recommendation, bypassing traditional discovery methods.
Major travel players are already integrating AI agent technology (OpenAI’s “Operator,” Google’s A2A protocol, etc.) into their platforms.
If hotels (especially those dependent on legacy request-for-proposal systems like Cvent or Convention Bureaus) fail to adapt, they risk becoming invisible.
Planners accustomed to sending RFPs and waiting days for replies will soon expect instant answers.
Indeed, AI agents can “instantly match planner requests with the best supplier profiles”by scanning RFP data. They can even autonomously navigate the web to compare options, complete bookings, and make payments on the user’s behalf. This threatens hotels that rely on slow, human-mediated lead channels.
A recent industry commentary warns that content “not structured for AI consumption may not even get surfaced” to travelers.
In short, hotels that don’t modernize their sales approach could “disappear from the booking journey altogether” as AI-driven agents favor properties with accessible, AI-ready information.
The New AI-Driven Buyer Journey
With AI assistants acting as de facto travel concierges, the buyer’s journey is faster and more data-driven than ever. Planners (or even untrained organizers) can ask an AI for venue suggestions, pricing estimates, or capacity info and trust the immediate, synthesized answers. This changes decision-making in several ways:
Smaller Consideration Set: Instead of reviewing ten proposals, a buyer might get two or three AI-vetted options and choose from those. The AI’s ability to filter by specific criteria (location, capacity, features, dates, etc.) means hotels either make that shortlist or miss the opportunity entirely.
Data-Trumped Brand Loyalty: Decisions may rely more on objective data (reviews, amenities, value) than on brand recognition or sales pitches. An AI will “filter, select, and book hotels on behalf of travelers… Simply put, hotels without well organized AI-driven discovery will not show up in the results”. Ad spend can’t easily buy visibility in this context – relevance, reputation, and data quality determine which hotels an AI recommends.
Accelerated Closing: An agentic AI can progress the buyer journey from inspiration to booking in a single session. One example: OpenAI’s agent can handle the entire trip planning query – it “analyzes options, compares reviews, finalizes the reservation and makes the payment”, all in one go. This eliminates many of the touchpoints where hotels traditionally influenced decisions (website content, sales calls, site visits). If the AI’s choice satisfies the buyer’s criteria, the process effectively ends there.
In summary, agentic search is a strategic disruptor because it reshapes how hotels are found and chosen. The power is shifting toward AI-driven intermediaries, and hotels must urgently adapt to remain visible when “travelers rely on AI-powered recommendations rather than traditional search engines."
The Tactical Landscape: Impacted Marketing & Sales Elements
The advent of AI-guided search will touch nearly every aspect of hotel marketing and sales. Key elements include:
Website Structure & SEO
Hotel websites must evolve from passive digital brochures to AI-readable data hubs.
Traditional SEO (keywords, meta tags) is now table stakes; the new goal is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). This means structuring web content so AI models can easily ingest and quote it.
Sites should featureFAQ sections, short paragraphs, bullet points, and direct answers to common questions.
Using schema markup (for location, amenities, reviews, event spaces, etc.) helps AI understand and trust the content. For example, implementing FAQ schemas or Q&A content allows generative search engines to pull direct answers about your property without needing a click.
In the meetings & events context, this might include Q&As like “What is the maximum capacity of your ballroom?” or “Do you offer on-site AV support?” answered in plain language on the site. Being “agentic search-ready” means your digital content is structured, up-to-date, and rich in detail so that an AI agent can confidently recommend your venue from its knowledge base.
If your information is locked in PDFs or spread across fragmented systems, an AI may overlook you in favor of a competitor whose data is readily accessible.
Content Creation & Format
In an AI-driven landscape, quality content is more critical than ever – not just for humans, but for the AI that reads it on their behalf.
Generative AI tools tend to prioritize“high-quality, credible content from trustworthy sources”.
Tactically, hotels should invest in content that is authentic, informative, and aligned with user queries. This includes maintaining robust FAQ pages, how-to guides, and blog posts that answer planners’ questions about hosting events at the hotel.
Content formats that are likely to surface in zero-click AI results include:
FAQs and Q&A Pages: Direct question-and-answer content is gold for chatbots. If a planner asks an assistant about a venue’s offerings, the AI will pull from any FAQ or Q&A style content on that venue. Hotels should “structure content around the prompt-response model used by AI chatbots”, using common questions as headings and clear answers in the text.
Video and Virtual Tours (with transcripts): Video content can be a rich source of information if the AI can parse it. Posting virtual tours or event highlight videos along with transcripts or detailed descriptions ensures the AI captures key details (e.g., a video showcasing the conference center’s layout should be accompanied by text noting the room dimensions and tech features). While the AI might not “play” the video, it will utilize the textual context. This can improve a hotel’s chances of being recommended with notes like “features a 3D virtual tour of the meeting space,” demonstrating transparency.
Team Bios and Expert Insights: Showcasing the sales and events team’s expertise can influence AI-driven results. If a user asks, “Does this hotel have an experienced events team?”, an AI might reference the team bio page. Profiles that highlight planners’ certifications (e.g., CMP – Certified Meeting Professional), years of experience, or notable events executed can be picked up as credibility signals. Moreover, thought leadership content (e.g. blog posts or LinkedIn articles by your events director) positions the hotel as an authority that an AI might “quote” or at least weigh favorably.
Interactive Planning Tools and Data: If your site offers interactive floor plans, space calculators, or instant quote generators, make sure to describe these features in text as well. An AI might inform a user, “Hotel X’s website includes an interactive planning tool for event layouts,” which can be a differentiator. Additionally, structured data feeds (like an events API or participation in platforms that feed AI, such as Google’s Hotel schema for meeting spaces) will ensure your up-to-the-minute inventory and specs are available for algorithmic matchmaking.
SEO & Paid Media Evolution: SEO isn’t dead, but it’s Transforming
Classic search rankings matter less if 60%+ of searches result in no clicks to websites.
Hotels need to optimize for the AI overview or answer, not just the blue link. This means monitoring how your property is described in AI-generated snippets and training content to influence that description.
As for paid media, the old game of bidding on keywords could give way to new models. Industry experts predict marketing spend will shift “from cost-per-click to cost-per-agentic-search”, essentially paying to be the chosen answer an AI provides.
Hotels and brands will likely need to collaborate with AI platform providers or travel sites integrating AI to ensure they remain in the consideration set (this could involve data partnerships or even sponsorships within AI results in the future).
In the short term, hotels should keep investing in authoritative content and technical SEO (site speed, schema, mobile usability) – these factors still influence whether Google’s AI (and others) deems your site a reliable source.
Also, social media and PR feed into AI visibility: positive news articles or viral social posts about your venue may be indexed as part of the AI’s corpus, contributing to its understanding of your reputation.
Social Proof & Reputation Signals
In agentic search, social proof becomes a deciding factor.
AI assistants will heavily incorporate reviews, ratings, and external testimonials into their recommendations. For example, an AI might say, “This hotel is rated 4.7/5 for events and is praised for its catering” if it has access to such data.
Hotels must cultivate a strong pipeline of recent, positive reviews on public platforms (Google Reviews, TripAdvisor, meeting planner forums) because “AI needs structured signals to support your claims” of quality.
Social proof extends beyond just star ratings:
Testimonials & Case Studies
While a human prospect might read a case study PDF on your site, an AI could ingest that content and cite the success story in summary. Having detailed case studies of past events (e.g., “How Hotel X hosted a 500-person international conference successfully”) not only demonstrates experience to human visitors but also feeds the AI concrete evidence of your capabilities (experience and trustworthiness).
Some innovative hotels (and chains like NH Hotels or Hilton’s EventReady program) have started publishing meeting/event case studies online as proof points, which could be referenced by AI assistants.
Consistency Across Channels
Ensure that your venue’s details (capacity, amenities, policies) are consistent wherever they appear. Discrepancies (like an outdated capacity on a CVB site or old photos on a Facebook page) can confuse AI models.
Being “agentic search-ready” means eliminating contradictory or stale information.
One practical step is to regularly audit third-party listings (Cvent, Destination Marketing Organization listings, etc.) so that any source an AI agent checks will reflect the same accurate data.
Brand-level vs. Independent Sites
There will be a nuanced interplay between brand umbrella sites and individual property sites.
Brand-level websites (for big chains) often have strong domain authority, which could help them rank in AI training data as authoritative. However, they sometimes lack localized, rich content.
Independent hotels have the freedom to create highly tailored content (detailed banquet menus, blog stories, client spotlights), which can give them an edge in specificity and authenticity. The key is to combine the best of both: leverage brand resources (if you are part of one) for global visibility, but localize your content to stand out. An independent hotel or smaller chain property must punch above its weight with content depth since they can’t rely on a household name.
Conversely, branded hotels must not get complacent; a generic brand page with minimal info won’t satisfy an AI seeking detailed answers. The brand’s corporate marketing teams should empower individual hotels to add more meeting-specific content.
In all cases, whether brand or indie, being “agentic search-ready” means your online presence is comprehensive, up-to-date, and easily digestible by AI – from the main site down to every digital touchpoint.
The Agentic Search Action Plan for Hotel Group Sales Teams
1. Reengineer the Sales Funnel for AI Discovery
To future-proof the Meetings & Events (M&E) sales funnel, hotels need to embed AI readiness at each stage:
Top of Funnel (Discovery)
Optimize content so that AI assistants find you first. This includes using AI-friendly keywords and phrases that planners might use in queries (e.g., “best hotel conference center in Chicago with 500 capacity”). Incorporate these naturally into your site’s Q&As and content. Also, supply structured data to channels that AI pulls from.
For instance, keep your Google Business Profile and Google’s hotel listing updated with attributes (many now include “business facilities” details). Similarly, ensure your Cvent profile (if you use one) is thoroughly filled; while a general AI like ChatGPT might not directly tap Cvent, specialized tools or plugins could.
Some hotels are even exploring AI plugins or integrations – for example, providing an API feed of their meeting space availability or using chatbot widgets that can interface with voice assistants.
The easier you make it for an AI to get answers about your venue, the more likely you’ll be recommended.
Mid Funnel (Consideration & Evaluation)
Collaborate across sales and marketing to provide AI with the content it needs to “sell” your venue. This means marketing teams should harvest FAQs from sales (what prospects usually ask) and publish those answers online.
Sales teams, in turn, can use AI tools to expedite proposals and responses.
For example, if an AI agent initiates an inquiry (some platforms might auto-generate an email or chat inquiry to a hotel), your team could deploy an AI assistant to instantly respond with a personalized proposal.
Hotels should also embrace tools that facilitate quick info sharing: interactive capacity charts, instant quote systems, and AI-driven RFP responders. If a planner’s AI says, “I can get you a quote from Hotel Y right now,” you need the back-end capability to produce that quote without human delay.
Sales and marketing must operate in lockstep, sharing data through a unified CRM that tracks not just human leads but also AI-initiated touchpoints. Marketing can nurture the AI’s “opinion” of your hotel by feeding it continual fresh content, while sales ensures any AI inquiries (which might come in 24/7) are handled promptly, potentially by an AI chatbot trained on your sales knowledge base.
Bottom of Funnel (Booking & Conversion)
Make the final steps AI-friendly and frictionless. This could include streamlining your direct booking process so an autonomous agent can navigate it.
As one tech commentator noted, the latest AI agents don’t even require API integration – they can “interact with sites just like a human”.
Test your online booking or RFP forms to ensure an automated tool could fill them (avoid captchas or unnecessary hoops).
Better yet, consider building a simple conversational booking interface.
For instance, some hotels are implementing chatbot booking flows for group inquiries, which an AI assistant could hook into.
Also, prepare for new metrics: instead of just measuring website conversion rates, you may need to monitor “AI referral” conversions (bookings that were clearly influenced or initiated by an AI source).
That feedback loop will inform how you continue to optimize content and offers for AI-driven shoppers.
2. Align Sales & Marketing Teams Around AI
The silos between sales and marketing must break down in an AI-driven world.
Marketing can no longer focus solely on branding and inbound attraction, leaving all client-specific communication to sales – because AI blurs those lines.
Every piece of information shared in the sales process might also need to live on your website or knowledge base.
For example, if sales managers often email clients a PDF of floor plans, marketing should turn that into an interactive web page or downloadable content online (so an AI can find it). Regular joint meetings should be instituted where sales shares the latest client questions or objections, and marketing strategizes how to address those through content (blog posts, FAQ updates, videos, etc.).
Additionally, train your sales team to leverage AI as well.
Just as planners use AI to research, sales can use AI to analyze leads and personalize outreach.
Salesforce reports that data-driven AI can transform sales processes in hospitality by identifying the best leads and suggesting tailored content.
If your salespeople use an AI tool to draft a follow-up email that includes links to relevant pages (which marketing created), you’re presenting a unified front to the AI-savvy customer.
Collaboration also extends to sharing success metrics: marketing might track how often the hotel is mentioned in AI platforms (e.g., appearing in Bing Chat answers), and sales might track the quality of AI-generated inquiries.
Together, they should iterate on strategies to improve those numbers. The bottom line: sales and marketing must co-create an “AI playbook” – mapping out likely AI queries and the hotel’s ideal responses – ensuring that whether an answer is given by a human or a bot, it’s accurate and compelling.
3. Content Creation with E-E-A-T and Conversational AI in Mind
Hotels should double down on content that demonstrates Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) – these are the qualities that both human users and AI ranking algorithms seek. When generating new content:
Emphasize real experiences – feature quotes from clients or staff, cite years of experience, and include specifics (names, dates, outcomes) to give content a first-hand feel. Google’s guidelines favor content written from personal experience, and AI models trained on those guidelines will too.
Attribute content to qualified authors. For instance, a blog post on “Tips for Planning a Successful Corporate Retreat” could be written by your Director of Events (with a bio stating her 15 years of event planning experience). Such bylines boost credibility. An AI scanning your site sees not just anonymous marketing copy, but advice from a professional, increasing the chances of your tips being recommended.
Maintain a conversational yet informative tone. Remember that AI outputs try to mimic a helpful human assistant. Content that is written in a natural, Q&A style is more likely to be directly used. Avoid marketing fluff and get to the facts in a friendly, advisory tone. For example, instead of a pure sales pitch about your ballroom, write a piece titled “How to Choose the Perfect Ballroom for Your Gala” and include your venue as a case example. This educational approach means even if the reader is an AI, the content is parsed as useful, not advertorial.
Use AI tools to augment your content creation, not replace it. AI can assist in generating outlines, doing research, or translating content into multiple languages for international events. Many hotels are already using AI for content – in one global survey, 31% of hotel chains use AI in content creation and another 27% plan to. However, always have human review to ensure nuance and accuracy (this maintains trust and distinctiveness). The goal is content that AI recognizes as high-quality, often because it’s original and human-validated – avoid the temptation to publish generic AI-written text (“AI slop” as it’s been called), which could harm your credibility.
4. Build Trust Through Social Proof and Expertise Showcases
In an AI-mediated world, trust signals have to be not only present, but highly visible and machine-recognizable.
Here’s how hotels can bolster trust:
Encourage and Curate Reviews
Actively solicit reviews from meeting planners and group clients on platforms likely to be data sources for AI (Google is a must, followed by Tripadvisor and industry-specific sites).
Then, integrate these into your site. For example, embed a widget or feed of recent reviews on your meetings page. This has a dual benefit: it reassures human visitors and signals to search engines and AI that your site contains third-party validated feedback.
As one marketing expert notes, a dedicated reviews page using known platforms’ widgets greatly boosts a site’s trust factor.
Showcase Media Mentions and Awards
If your hotel or events team has been featured in news articles, won industry awards (e.g., “Best Conference Hotel in X Region”), or even partnered with well-known organizations, highlight that.
Create a press & accolades section (as some resorts do) listing these mentions. AI models crawling your site will associate your property with those authoritative citations, enhancing your authoritativeness.
Likewise, any backlinks from reputable news or association sites improve your standing in traditional SEO and by extension AI training data.
Thought Leadership and Transparency
Have your experts speak up.
A robust strategy might include publishing thought pieces on LinkedIn or hospitality blogs, speaking on webinars/podcasts, or contributing to industry publications about trends (like sustainable events or hybrid meeting technology).
When AI combs the web, seeing your hotel’s associates quoted or your website linked in “expert tips” articles increases the confidence it has in your expertise.
Simultaneously, be transparent on potentially sensitive topics: publish clear information about pricing models (e.g., typical package rates, any extra fees), contract terms (cancellation policies), and what planners can expect in terms of service. If a question like “Does Hotel Z have hidden fees for events?” is posed, an AI that can find a transparent statement on your site will answer favorably (trustworthiness up!), rather than defaulting to generic or competitor info.
In fact, hotels that openly share such information are likely to be preferred by AI, as transparency aligns with trustworthiness in algorithmic eyes.
By executing these action plans, hotels can “rebuild their digital brand for AI” – making it easy for AI agents to crawl, interpret, and trust their information. The payoff is staying visible in the new AI-driven marketplace and even gaining an edge over slower-moving competitors. As one hospitality tech CEO observed, “Properties which embrace these changes now will gain a considerable strategic advantage in this era of AI-driven travel”.
E-E-A-T Evaluation for Agentic Search
To effectively appeal to both AI algorithms and discerning human planners, hotels must excel in E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness.
Below is how each pillar applies to meetings & events sales, and how hotels can measure up:
1. Experience (First-Hand Event Experience)
Hotels need to showcase real-world event experience to prove they “practice what they preach.” This could be through detailed case studies, testimonials, and media highlights:
Case Studies: Do you provide narratives of successful events held at your venue? For instance, a case study might describe how a tech company’s 3-day conference was executed, including objectives, how your team delivered, and the outcome (perhaps with quotes from the client). Such content demonstrates experience in action. Some hotel groups now publish case studies on their M&E microsites (e.g., NH Hotels’ “success stories” section shares how clients’ events were transformed at their properties). This not only aids human buyers but feeds AI concrete examples to reference.
Testimonials & Reviews: First-person testimonials from event planners or corporate clients serve as proof of experience. A planner’s quote like “The banquet team at Hotel X handled our 500-person gala flawlessly” is powerful. Featuring these on your site (and linking to their source for credibility) boosts E-E-A-T. AI will interpret multiple consistent testimonials as evidence of real outcomes, enhancing your profile.
Event Media & Photos: Show, don’t just tell. A gallery of past event setups, video snippets of a conference in your ballroom, or news articles about high-profile events you hosted (“Local news covered the charity ball at Hotel Y”) all add to the sense that this hotel has been there, done that. Experience is about track record – the more visibly you document yours, the more an AI (or a skeptical human) will trust that you can handle the next event.
In evaluating their Experience factor, hotels should ask: Are we visibly demonstrating our event capabilities through real examples? If the answer is no – it’s time to gather those stories and put them front and center.
2. Expertise (Knowledge and Skills in M&E)
Expertise is about showcasing deep knowledge and skill in event planning and hospitality. Hotels can boost perceived expertise through:
Visible Planner Profiles: Put the spotlight on your team’s credentials. Does your Director of Catering hold a CMP (Certified Meeting Professional) or has your AV manager produced events for 20+ years? Listing bios with qualifications, years in industry, specialties (e.g. “expert in South Asian weddings” or “specializes in pharmaceutical conferences”) signals that knowledgeable people are behind the scenes. Some hotels include a section like “Meet the Team” on their events page – this humanizes the sales process and instills confidence.
Educational Content & Thought Leadership: Are your hotel’s experts contributing tips, guides, or commentary that help planners? Examples might include a blog series like “Ask our Event Expert,” where your sales manager answers common planning questions, or publishing whitepapers on topics like event sustainability if that’s a niche you excel in. Providing valuable insights not found elsewhere establishes that your staff are experts, not just order-takers. An AI scanning the web might find, for instance, an article on MeetingsNet where your banquet chef discusses menu planning for dietary restrictions – this could make the AI more likely to recommend your venue for queries about culinary expertise at events.
Certifications and Partnerships: Highlight any special certifications (e.g., IACC certification for conference centers, or if your staff are certified in Pandemic Compliance Advisor training, etc.). Also, affiliations with industry associations (MPI, ILEA, PCMA) or roles like hosting industry workshops at your property underscore expertise. These are concrete signals of professional involvement. Remember, “Google is effectively asking about the reputation and credentials of the site’s authors” when evaluating expertise – so make those credentials and affiliations known.
In essence, a hotel demonstrates expertise by being the subject-matter expert about itself and its services. That means providing exhaustive detail on facilities and services (so the AI sees your site as the ultimate reference about your venue) and letting your skilled people do the talking whenever possible.
3. Authoritativeness (Credibility in the Industry)
Authoritativeness comes from external recognition and a strong reputation. It answers the question: “Does the broader community consider this hotel a credible authority for meetings and events?” Hotels can cultivate authoritativeness via:
Third-Party Accolades: Awards, rankings, and lists – being named “Top 10 Convention Hotels in Europe” by a credible publication or winning a meetings excellence award lends immediate authority. Make sure these are mentioned on your site (in an “Awards” section or press releases). Also, when such accolades occur, ensure they are publicized so they appear in industry news (AI crawlers will find those). A cited example in a hospitality SEO context: Zemi Beach House created a page listing all their press mentions and awards, which “demonstrates that this site is the true expert on the property” – thereby boosting its authority.
Media and Case Study Features: If your property or staff are quoted in industry publications (Skift, Meeting Professionals International blog, etc.), or if you have co-authored case studies with partners (like a convention bureau success story), these are gold for authoritativeness. They indicate the hotel’s voice is respected and referenced. For instance, if Meetings & Incentive Travel Magazine or a CVB site features a story on an event at your hotel, that’s a high-authority signal. Share these links on your media page.
Reputation in Data: AI doesn’t just look for human-written accolades; it also gauges patterns in data. A hotel consistently rated highly across multiple platforms gains authority in the eyes of algorithms. Additionally, consistent engagement and responsiveness can be a factor (e.g., responding to reviews shows active management). It’s been suggested that AI will favor “hotels that demonstrate their competence through data” – meaning quantifiable excellence like high ratings, many successful events (perhaps measured by volume of reviews or return clients), and so on.
To evaluate authoritativeness, hotels should audit their presence: Do we appear in credible sources outside our own website? If not, it’s worth investing in a PR push or strategic partnerships (perhaps hosting an industry meet-up or getting involved in local tourism boards) to build that external credibility. Remember, authoritativeness is partly earned by longevity and consistency – a history of doing great events that people talk about. AI will pick up on that “digital paper trail.”
4. Trustworthiness (Transparency and Reliability)
Trustworthiness is the foundation that ties everything together – without it, the other attributes fall flat. For hotels, trustworthiness in M&E sales means being transparent, reliable, and honest in all content and dealings:
Transparent Information: Make essential information easy to find and truthful. This includes clearly stating what spaces and services you have, being honest about any limitations (e.g., if your largest hall has some obstructed views, mention how you address it), and especially being upfront about pricing and policies. While many hotels have historically been coy with pricing for meetings (preferring “Contact us for a quote”), the AI era rewards openness. Consider providing indicative price ranges for common meeting packages or a sample “Day Meeting Package” price right on the site. Also outline standard contract terms (cancellation deadlines, attrition allowances) in plain language. A planner’s AI might be asked, “Does Hotel Z have flexible cancellation for events?” – if your policy is posted, the AI can affirm your flexibility, building trust before the sales manager even speaks to the client.
Up-to-Date and Accurate Content: Nothing erodes trust faster (for humans or AI) than outdated content. If your website’s meeting room floor plan shows a layout that changed after renovation, or lists amenities you no longer offer, it creates confusion. AI might cross-verify information and catch inconsistencies. As one AI hospitality article stressed, establishments must ensure their data is “reliable, up-to-date and well-structured, in order to avoid any errors or misunderstanding”. Regularly review and refresh your content. Update photos to current decor. Remove references to years (like “Upcoming in 2023…” now past). Show that the site is actively maintained – perhaps with a latest news or blog update in the last month – so AI knows the information is current.
Trust Signals on Site: Incorporate elements that give visitors (and AI) confidence. This could be security badges (if your booking engine is secure, display the icon), privacy policy and GDPR compliance notices, and clear contact information. An AI scanning your site can recognize if you have a detailed contact page with an address, phone, and names – all signals of a legitimate business. Trustworthiness is also enhanced by showing human touch: for instance, a note from the General Manager about the hotel’s commitment to successful events, or video testimonials from clients (real people vouching for you).
Consistent “Experience Delivery”: While harder for an AI to gauge directly, it will manifest through reviews and feedback – ensure that what you promise, you deliver. Trustworthiness in an AI’s eyes is basically absence of red flags. Negative signals like multiple recent 1-star reviews citing “misrepresented facilities” or a news article about a contract dispute will weigh heavily. Thus, operational excellence ties back into your digital reputation. Proactively manage issues, respond to feedback publicly, and demonstrate problem-solving. If something goes wrong and is mentioned online, a forthright response from the hotel can mitigate loss of trust (and even show the AI that the hotel addressed the issue).
To summarize E-E-A-T: A hotel that shows real event experience, leverages its team’s expertise in content, is recognized as an authority by the wider community, and maintains a trustworthy, transparent online presence will be well-regarded by both AI assistants and human clients. These factors are interdependent and all are needed to build a compelling profile. As Google’s quality raters would agree, and AI models trained on that philosophy would echo: a high E-E-A-T hotel site is far more likely to be recommended in response to a query about “the best place to hold an event.”
Bonus Considerations
Planner vs. Non-Planner: How AI Levels the Field
AI-generated search will impact professional event planners and casual or first-time planners differently – potentially disrupting the traditional planner value proposition.
A seasoned meeting planner might use AI as a power tool: to speed up venue research, generate initial budgets, or summarize venue options (like using ChatGPT to collate RFP responses into a comparable table). This makes them more efficient, but doesn’t replace their expertise.
In contrast, non-professional planners (novices) stand to gain a planning ally that guides them through tasks they might have hired a professional for in the past.
For example, an executive assistant tasked with organizing an offsite can ask an AI, “What steps do I need to plan a 2-day retreat?”, essentially getting a roadmap that a professional planner would normally provide. The AI can suggest venues, draft schedules, even create stakeholder presentations. This empowers those without planning experience to perform more like a pro.
From the hotel’s perspective, this means the gap between planners and non-planners narrows in terms of how informed their initial inquiry is.
Hotels may start receiving inquiries from individuals who, thanks to AI, have done considerable homework (they might say “Your hotel was recommended to me by an AI and I already have a draft agenda and budget”).
Hotels should be prepared to serve both: the pro planners who will appreciate deep-dive info and data (perhaps an AI or data portal integration just for them), and the lay planners who might need more hand-holding (even if AI got them to you, they may lean on your sales team for validation and final details).
Another consideration: planners might shift their role – focusing on higher-level design and client management, while delegating research and initial venue selection to AI.
The human touch remains vital (creativity, negotiation, on-site coordination), but AI will handle the grunt work. Professional planners who embrace AI will deliver faster outcomes, which hotels should welcome (faster turnarounds, more clarity).
Those who don’t use AI might actually diminish in influence over time.
In short, AI is like an equalizer: it raises the floor for novices and raises the ceiling for experts. Hotels should anticipate more DIY planners entering the fray with AI guidance, and adjust their sales approach to be ready to engage a very informed but possibly inexperienced customer.
It’s wise to create planning resources and checklists on your site as well – so whether it’s a planner or not, the AI might pull your guidance to assist them, positioning your hotel as extra helpful.
The Cost of Stale Content: Keep It Fresh or Be Forgotten
Content freshness is no longer just an SEO best practice – it’s crucial for AI relevance and user trust.
Hotels that don’t update content regularly risk multiple problems
Firstly, AI models (especially those like Google’s Gemini that “pull more live info”) prioritize up-to-date data.
If your brand’s main site or property page hasn’t been updated in a year, an AI might interpret that information as potentially outdated, and opt for a competitor’s site that had a recent update or a third-party source.
We’ve already seen that zero-click searches mean users might not visit your site to notice an update date; they’ll trust whatever the AI delivers. So if that AI has a cached or old understanding of your offerings, you might be left out of the consideration set due to outdated info.
Secondly, not updating means missing out on highlighting new features or improvements that could sway decisions.
Imagine a hotel that invested in new hybrid meeting technology or renovated meeting rooms but didn’t update their web content – an AI recommending venues for, say, “high-tech meeting facilities” won’t even know to include that hotel.
Meanwhile, a competitor that actively posts news (“We’ve just installed 1Gbps dedicated line in our conference center as of 2025”) will surface for queries about high-speed internet venues.
Brand sites are especially vulnerable they often have standardized content that isn’t frequently refreshed, and the hotel’s team might assume corporate is handling SEO/updates. But corporate content teams may not be focused on each hotel’s M&E specifics. As a result, independent competitors or more agile brands can leapfrog with timely content and blogs that catch AI attention (which favors recency for factual questions).
Additionally, stale content undermines trustworthiness.
Planners notice if a hotel’s latest “news” is from 2019; it raises the question if anything is being maintained. AI might even use the last-modified timestamps as a signal; for instance, some search engines favor recently updated pages for queries that imply up-to-date info is needed.
In the context of events (especially post-pandemic), policies and capacities have changed, so current info is crucial. If a hotel doesn’t update regularly, it might also accumulate inaccuracies – and an AI could inadvertently spread those (e.g., still mentioning a retired sales contact or an old capacity chart). This could lead to misinformed AI recommendations, which hurt both the guest experience and the hotel’s reputation when corrections come to light.
The remedy is straightforward: treat content as a living asset.
Hotels should implement a content review calendar (at least quarterly for key pages like event spaces, and immediately after any significant change in offerings). Brand-affiliated hotels should lobby their brand web team for more frequent updates or supplemental sections they can control.
Another idea is to use dynamic content feeds – for example, embedding your latest Instagram photos of events or a Twitter feed of announcements on your site can show activity.
At the very least, ensure your basic data (hours, capacities, offerings) are always current on all platforms.
AI thrives on fresh data; as one 2024 study noted, in Google searches a vast majority of AI Overview results led to zero-click because the answer was right there. You want that answer to include you, and accuracy is a must.
In short: update or fade out. The hotels that treat every month as an opportunity to refine their online info will stand out sharply against those frozen in time.
Direct Bookings vs. RFP Leads: The AI Impact
Agentic search has significant implications for whether bookings come to hotels directly or via traditional RFP channels:
On one hand, AI could increase direct bookings for meetings/events in cases where it connects the buyer straight to the hotel.
For example, if a prospective client asks an AI assistant to book a venue, and the AI can interface with the hotel’s website (remember, advanced agents can“navigate... and interact with sites just like a human”), the booking or inquiry might go directly through the hotel’s booking engine or chat, cutting out middlemen.
This scenario would be a big win for hotels, as it streamlines the process and avoids third-party commissions or fees.
Essentially, the AI acts as the new concierge, but one that can book on the hotel’s own site.
To capitalize on this, hotels must ensure their direct booking path for events is AI-friendly (as discussed, no login walls, easy navigation, maybe even an API or agent handoff).
If done right, one could envision a future where saying “Hey Google, book my meeting at Hotel X on June 10th” triggers a direct booking with Hotel X, not through an OTA.
On the other hand, the risk is that existing intermediaries (OTAs, meeting marketplaces like Cvent, or global distribution systems) will integrate AI faster and retain control of the booking flow.
We see early signs: Booking.com and other giants are integrating OpenAI’s tools, meaning an AI on their platform could recommend hotels (perhaps even contract meeting space one day) but route the transaction through the OTA.
If a corporate meeting planner uses, say, Cvent’s forthcoming AI assistant (and Cvent certainly has the data to build one), they might get recommendations and send RFPs via that platform without ever individually researching hotels.
In such cases, hotels might still get the lead through the third-party channel rather than direct. However, even within those platforms, AI will change the dynamic: Instead of receiving dozens of blind RFPs where the client is fishing broadly, hotels might see fewer, more targeted RFPs (because the AI filtered out unsuitable venues already). Those leads might be highly qualified but also potentially less negotiable if the AI provided comparative pricing up front.
For hotels slow to adapt, the outcome might be fewer direct inquiries and continued dependence on third parties, possibly worse if the AI prefers certain partners.
For example, if an AI finds that data from one platform (like an OTA) is more structured and reliable, it might lean on that source for info and bookings, sidelining direct channels. This reinforces the importance of hotels providing reliable data openly – to encourage AI to use direct info.
In summary, agentic search can both increase direct engagement and strengthen third-party intermediaries, depending on who seizes the advantage.
Hotels that embrace AI and make themselves easily bookable will likely enjoy more direct bookings (as AI finds no friction in completing the transaction).
Those that do not may see the AI simply hand off the user to an OTA or keep them within an AI-enabled RFP system, with the hotel paying the usual commission or fee for that lead. Also, the nature of RFP leads will change: expect more “one and done” decisions.
A planner might ask an AI for the best venue and only send an RFP to that single recommendation, rather than blast 10 hotels. So while the volume of RFP leads might drop, the ones you do get could be essentially yours to lose. That heightens the pressure to be the recommended choice from the start.
For now, hotels should play both sides: optimize for direct (make sure AI can execute a direct booking or inquiry) and maintain strong presence on key third-party channels (so that if the AI uses Cvent or similar, your profile there is rich and your response times are swift – perhaps even using AI to answer RFPs within minutes).
Ultimately, the goal is to guide the AI’s user toward your property through whichever path they prefer, but ideally capturing them directly by offering the path of least resistance. As the industry adapts, we could even see new commercial models (maybe paying for placement in AI results much like ads). But irrespective of channel, the hotels with robust content, competitive offerings, and strong reputations will get the booking. AI will simply expedite the match-making.
Sources:
Goldrich, M. (2025). The Emerging Disruption of Travel Search – Hotels Need to Act Now. LinkedInlinkedin.comlinkedin.com
Doppler, D. (2025). Generative search and AEO: The future of Hospitality. Quicktextquicktext.imquicktext.im
Let’s stop the busy work and start booking with purpose.
Cory Falter, president of Lure Agency and a die-hard ‘80s music fan, has been on the frontlines of hotel sales strategies long enough to spot a crisis when he sees one.
And right now, the group sales game? It’s broken.
In a recent conversation with Christine Malfair, a hospitality marketing veteran and founder of Malfair Marketing, the two tackled a growing problem plaguing hotel sales teams: dependence on third-party channels is draining profit, killing conversions, and leaving staff demoralized. Additionally, the current system fails to address the specific needs of corporate clients, who require tailored services and packages, such as flexible booking options and comprehensive meeting facilities.
“We’re obsessed with TripAdvisor reviews,” Falter says, “but we’re outsourcing the guest experience to people who don’t even know our brand.”
Relying heavily on third-party channels undermines the strategy of promoting direct bookings, which are crucial for increasing revenue and reducing costs.
Let’s unpack why the current system is failing and how a few smart moves can flip the script—from ghosted RFPs to booked-out calendars.
Let's Dive Into Effective Sales Strategies for Hotels
Ghosted, Commoditized, and Bleeding Margins in Group Bookings
If you’ve ever responded to 50+ RFPs and heard crickets, you’re not alone.
“I didn’t realize how bad it was,” Falter says. “Some hotels have responded to thousands of RFPs and closed maybe a dozen.”
Sound familiar?
You’re getting ghosted by planners.
You’re spending hours replying to RFPs with <5% conversion rates.
Your team is reactive, not proactive.
You’re measured on KPIs that are barely tied to profit.
Now pile on platform fees, commissions, and lost data, and it’s clear: the RFP-first model is a leaky boat—and hotels are bailing with a coffee mug. The current sales process is inefficient and needs significant improvement to meet contemporary consumer demands.
“They’ve never heard of attrition. They’re not using CVENT. They’re Googling ‘meeting space near me’ and hoping something makes sense,” Falter explains.
Meet Michelle—an executive assistant suddenly tasked with organizing a retreat. She’s stressed, overwhelmed, and armed with Google and maybe ChatGPT.
When she lands on your hotel’s website, what does she find?
An RFP form.
No contact info.
No FAQs.
No humans.
She bounces. And books somewhere else.
“Imagine being told to plan a multi-day event with zero experience and no guidance. That’s Michelle’s world,” says Cory. “And our websites are not helping potential guests who need more guidance.”
Build for Humans, Not Just Planners
Here’s the twist: most hotels already have the traffic. They just don’t have the right funnel.
Falter shares that some hotels are getting up to 70,000 monthly unique visitors, with 5-30% heading straight to the Meetings & Events page. That’s thousands of potential group inquiries. But they’re falling through the cracks because the site assumes everyone is a seasoned planner.
“People are on your site. They’re interested. They’re ready. And we’re blowing it by asking for 20 fields of information before we even say hello.”
Here’s what works:
Make it easy to raise a hand. Use a low-friction contact form: name, email, question. That’s it.
Show your team. A smiling face builds trust faster than a bullet-pointed spec sheet.
Create resources for non-planners. FAQs, simple video walkthroughs, clear CTAs.
Respond like a human. Use personalized video replies, not generic attachments.
Highlight your unfair advantage. Unlike brands, independent hotels can tailor their website and sales journey. Use that agility.
And don’t forget: direct group inquiries are commission-free. That’s margin you can reinvest into marketing, staff, or just keeping your salespeople sane.
The Bigger Opportunity: Reframing Revenue and Reclaiming Control with Direct Bookings
This isn’t just about group business. It’s a broader mindset shift from dependency to control. As Malfair points out:
“OTAs are a distribution lever—not a lifeline. And your website is your most underutilized salesperson.” Across both leisure and group segments, hotels are leaving money on the table—not because of lack of traffic, but lack of trust-building experiences.
From masked OTA emails to ghosted group leads, the cost of outsourcing guest acquisition is enormous:
OTA commission = $250 per $1,000 booking
Direct booking cost = $140 (including incentives)
Repeat guests from OTAs = only 20%
Database data loss from OTAs = 60-70% dead emails
That’s not a distribution strategy. That’s death by a thousand micro-fees.
“It’s not about blowing up the OTAs or RFP platforms,” Falter adds. “It’s about building a second engine—so you’re not flying on one.”
Want In?
Falter and the team at Lure Agency are rolling out Hotel Group Breakouts, a 4-session strategy series teaching sales and marketing teams how to implement this direct group strategy themselves. No smoke.
