The booking journey is no longer linear

Some of hospitality’s best opportunities are hiding in places we’ve stopped looking.

Take the booking journey: guests may discover you on social, search for you later and now have a few more nudges between inspiration and “book now.” Then there’s the digital directory, which has a surprisingly direct line to ancillary revenue. We also look at leadership, where curiosity may be the most underrated tool in the toolbox. 🧰

Different corners of the business, same lesson: there’s money and momentum in paying attention.

And in your inbox tomorrow: A Mint Pillow Q&A with Mita Jash on why the pre-arrival experience deserves more than an email.

2027 has entered the chat. The 2027 hotel forecast is already throwing curveballs, with GDP growth looking healthier while rate growth faces a tougher road. And just to keep revenue managers on their toes, the Easter holiday moves into March while the World Cup leaves a very big June comp behind.

Where’s your guest experience leak? J.D. Power’s latest benchmark ranks guest rooms as the biggest driver of satisfaction, with value and staff service close behind. For indies, the useful bit is the hierarchy: when your budget gets tight, it’s worth knowing which parts of the stay matter most to guests.

Ozempic wants your wellness budget. Hotels are folding GLP-1 support into the guest experience, with nutrition and fitness guidance moving beyond the traditional wellness offering. Luxury hotels are even rethinking what goes in the minibar and where guests can keep their medication.

Make your hotel citable. Press releases have an edge in AI search because they package timely, specific information in a format machines can readily understand and connect to a credible source. But even if you’re not dispatching press releases, the guidance is sound: Spell out what makes the hotel distinctive, use the actual names and details guests search for and give AI enough substance to work with.

🦋 The Dolly effect. She came to Nashville as a songwriter and left behind a hospitality footprint that helped reshape Tennessee tourism. For those of us in the hotel business, Dolly Parton’s legacy is a pretty irresistible reminder: build something people feel connected to, then have the good sense to own a piece of it.

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Gran Hotel Margalida draws on the glamour of Mallorca’s golden era, bringing the spirit of the 1960s Riviera into a setting shaped by the Mediterranean. Nearly 20 feet of height gives the lobby a proper sense of arrival, while stone, jute, organic walls, and sculptural fiber lamps soften the scale. Upstairs, the 29 ethereal suites take their cues from private coastal apartments, with generous proportions and individually crafted furniture.

Why it matters: Margalida offers a lovely lesson in letting a destination shape the experience from the ground up. The Mediterranean is always present but never feels staged, while the architecture and material palette draw naturally from the landscape around it. The effect is a hotel that feels inseparable from its setting, giving the destination plenty of room to shine. (The Chalk Report)

Not a news flash: Guests find hotels on social long before they search for them on Google. However, new platform tools and AI are helping move that inspiration closer to an actual booking, so the feeds deserve a seat at the revenue table.

Why it matters: The shift from search-first discovery to social-first discovery opens up a different way to compete for attention before a guest has even decided where to go. Paid social can put a property in front of travelers earlier in the planning cycle, while Instagram Stories can use links to send viewers straight to the hotel website and TikTok can turn discovery into a direct path to booking. The tech is doing more of the heavy lifting, but the content still has to give someone a reason to stop scrolling. (Today’s Hotelier)

Remember when the guest directory was basically a binder that guests ignored? A mobile-first version puts answers where guests already are while creating an easy path to hotel services they might actually want to buy. The result is a more useful stay experience with a little more earning potential built in.

Why it matters: A guest can’t spend on something they don’t know the hotel offers. Digital directories keep those services visible and make it easier to take action in the moment, without requiring a call to the front desk. When a guest is ready to act, convenience is king. (Hotel Online)

Some of the best hotel decisions start with a simple question: What are we missing? Curiosity keeps leaders open to a different point of view and willing to challenge an assumption before it becomes conventional wisdom. For hoteliers, that can be a pretty useful habit.

Why it matters: Running an independent hotel leaves little room for autopilot; staying curious helps you understand what’s really happening with your team and your guests before jumping to a solution. “Curiosity is not a skill to master once,” says David Kong, founder and principal, DEI Advisors. “It is a discipline that transforms leaders who practice it every day.” (David Kong for Hotel Management)

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Mint Pillow is curated and written by Jennifer Glatt and edited by Bianca Prieto.