Industries · Tourism & hospitality
SEO for tourism and hospitality : more direct bookings, less dependence
Hotels, holiday rentals, restaurants, beach clubs, golf and language schools and experience providers compete for travellers who search in many languages and decide on Google Maps, on booking platforms and, increasingly, by asking an AI assistant.
The search landscape
Competing with OTAs without fighting them
For searches like “hotel in Marbella” or “apartment in Nerja”, the first page is usually taken by online travel agencies, metasearch engines, Google's hotel module and its map. OTAs bring visibility and bookings, but they charge commission and keep the customer relationship.
The realistic strategy is not to replace them but to win the searches where travellers have already chosen or are close to choosing: your property's name, attribute searches (“adults-only hotel with spa in Marbella”, “restaurant with terrace in Puerto Banús”), experience and destination searches, and your Google Business Profile, which for restaurants and leisure is often the main shop window.
Two further variables matter more here than in other industries: seasonality, which means publishing months in advance, and language, because a large share of demand arrives in English, German, French, Dutch or Scandinavian languages.
- Brand searches: keep the booking from going to an OTA
- Google Business Profile and reviews as the shop window
- Destination and experience content in the traveller's language
The traveller's journey
From daydream to booking
Each stage has different searches and formats. A website that only talks about its rooms misses almost all of the journey.
- 01
Inspiration
“Where to go in October for good weather”, “things to do on the Costa del Sol with kids”. Destination content, lists, seasonal guides. AI assistants already answer many of these questions.
- 02
Comparison
“Best boutique hotels in Marbella”, “Michelin-starred restaurants in Málaga”. Third-party rankings, reviews, photos and the Google listing.
- 03
Decision
Searching your property's name, prices, availability, policies. This is where an OTA can intercept the booking if your site doesn't answer well.
- 04
Stay
“How to get there from the airport”, “parking”, “spa opening hours”. Practical content that reduces enquiries and improves the experience.
- 05
Afterwards
Reviews, photos, recommendations. What feeds the comparison stage for the next traveller.
Common challenges
What usually holds back direct bookings
Booking engines that don't get indexed
External engines on another domain, prices loaded by JavaScript and room pages with no original text.
Poorly handled languages
Language switchers that change the text without changing the URL, partial translations or versions without hreflang.
Unmanaged reviews
Unanswered reviews, Google listings with outdated hours, photos or categories, and duplicates.
Content published too late
The Christmas or summer season page goes live after travellers have already booked elsewhere.
Slow, highly visual websites
Hero videos, galleries and carousels that hurt the mobile experience, the device most people use to search at the destination.
Incomplete attribution
Bookings completed on an external engine without Analytics knowing which search they came from.
Our playbook
How we work with hospitality businesses
Brand, listing and booking engine audit
We start with what moves bookings soonest: what appears when someone searches your name, the state of your Google Business Profile, and whether the path from Google to the booking engine is fast and measurable.
We also review how your details appear on platforms and directories: a consistent name, address and phone number reinforces your business as an entity.
Activities
Outputs
- Prioritised list of quick wins
- Booking measurement plan
Technical foundations and languages
We make sure each language has its own URL, correct hreflang and genuinely localised content. We optimise speed and mobile Core Web Vitals, and add structured data for your business type (hotel, restaurant, event) where it provides useful information.
If the booking engine sits on another domain, we set up cross-domain measurement so attribution isn't lost.
Activities
Outputs
- Technical specification
- A fast, crawlable multilingual site
Product and experience pages
Every room, menu, package, event or experience deserves a page that answers what travellers need to know before booking: what's included, who it's for, real photos, FAQs and clear policies.
We also create attribute pages with real demand (spa, adults only, events, weddings, groups, pet friendly), but only if the property genuinely meets that criterion.
Activities
Outputs
- Pages published in priority languages
- Conversion improvements on the site
Destination content and seasonal calendar
We build destination and seasonal guides from your team's local knowledge: things to do, where to eat, getting around, events throughout the year. We publish as far ahead as each season requires and update every year rather than creating new pages.
This is the content AI assistants and travel media can cite, and a good basis for earning mentions on travel blogs and publications.
Activities
Outputs
- Annual calendar by market and language
- Published and updated guides
Reputation and continuous improvement
We set up a simple process to request and respond to reviews, update photos and posts on Google Business Profile and catch issues early. We track direct bookings, calls and enquiries by language and channel, and review the strategy every quarter.
Activities
Outputs
- Direct booking dashboard by channel
- Quarterly roadmap
By business type
Priorities by type of business
Hotels and accommodation
Brand searches, room and attribute pages, booking engine measurement and destination content to reach travellers before they choose an OTA.
Restaurants, bars and beach clubs
Google Business Profile is the main channel: categories, photos, menu, hours, reservations and reviews. The website should be fast, with the menu as text and in several languages.
Experiences, golf, schools and leisure
Complete activity pages, “things to do” searches, partnerships with accommodation providers and local media, and listings on the activity platforms your customers use.
Events and weddings
Decisions made far in advance after lots of comparison: galleries, packages, capacities, FAQs and content in the languages of couples marrying in Spain.
FAQ
Hospitality SEO: common questions
Should I stop working with OTAs?
Not necessarily. They are a useful distribution channel, especially for reaching travellers who don't know you. The aim of SEO is for people who have already found you, or who are looking for something only you offer, to book directly. The right balance depends on your margins and occupancy.
What should a restaurant optimise first?
Its Google Business Profile: the right primary category, reliable hours, current photos, menu, booking link and replies to reviews. Then a fast website with the menu as text (not just a PDF) and in your customers' languages. Our local SEO service covers this in detail.
How far in advance should seasonal content be published?
Early enough for Google to discover and index it before searches start, which for markets that book ahead usually means several months. That is why we prefer permanent pages updated every year: they keep their history and their links.
Is it worth translating the website into many languages?
Only into those that bring in business. We look at where your guests come from and how much search demand exists in each language. An unreviewed machine translation can look careless and rarely ranks well.
How do reviews affect rankings?
Google states that review count and rating, along with the business's responses, are part of what it considers in local results. They also influence the traveller's decision. We never recommend buying or incentivising reviews: it is prohibited and risky. We do help you build a legitimate process for asking for them.
How can I appear when someone asks ChatGPT where to stay?
Assistants combine information from websites, reviews and media. It helps to have clear pages about what sets you apart, consistent details across platforms and mentions in travel guides and publications. We explain more in how to appear in ChatGPT and AI Overviews.
Related
Recommended services for hospitality
Local SEO
Local SEO in Marbella, Málaga and the Costa del Sol: Google Business Profile, reviews, NAP, local landing pages and schema to rank in Google Maps.
International SEO
International and multilingual SEO: domain structure, hreflang, localisation and market-specific keyword research to grow from Spain into Europe and back.
Web development & CRO
SEO-first web development and CRO: architecture built on search research, Core Web Vitals, WCAG accessibility and A/B testing to turn visits into customers.
More direct bookings from Google and AI assistants
We review your listing, website, booking engine and brand searches, and propose a prioritised plan.