The challenge
For a luxury travel brand, being listed on the major online travel agencies (OTAs) helps guests find you, but it comes at a clear cost: commissions that erode margins and a guest relationship that stays in the intermediary’s hands. The goal of this project was to rebalance that dynamic: grow direct bookings, strengthen the brand on international markets and lift monthly revenue, which started at around €5,000, to a far more solid level.
The strategy
We built a multi-channel strategy designed to reach people looking for a high-end stay and guide them to book on the official website, bypassing the OTAs. The operational core was the combined use of Google Performance Max and Meta Ads: the former to cover, on a continuous basis, the Google channels where travel decisions are made; the latter to keep the brand story consistently in front of an international audience.
These paid activities were supported by the consolidation of the brand’s organic presence, which fed a parallel acquisition channel that is stable over time and less dependent on media budget.
The results
- Monthly revenue tripled: from €5,000 to €16,000.
- Direct bookings: +142%, with less reliance on booking portals.
- Organic traffic: +163%.
- Peak ROAS of 10x on campaigns.
- A significant improvement in the property’s operating margin.
Why it worked
In the luxury segment, the value of a direct booking is not only the commission saved: it lies in control of the guest relationship, of the data and of the brand’s positioning. Working on performance campaigns and organic visibility at the same time made it possible to grow without trading margin for volume, which is the approach we apply to travel and hospitality projects that want to build a structured direct channel.