Why every hotel needs a blog
Your blog: the most powerful tool you're not using (Yet)
In a world where your potential guests are searching smarter and booking faster, your hotel’s blog isn’t just a “nice-to-have” – it’s a must have!. Whether you run a boutique hotel, a collection of serviced apartments, or a family-run B&B, your blog has the potential to drive direct bookings, boost your visibility, build brand love, and now more than ever – help you get found in AI-generated search results.
Let’s dive into why your hotel needs a blog, and how it can become one of the most powerful assets in your marketing strategy.
Dominate Local SEO (And Be Found First in AI Generative Search)
Search engines are evolving, and so are your guests. With the rise of AI-generated answers like Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE), your blog content plays a vital role in helping your hotel appear in AI-curated summaries that serve users before they even scroll to traditional results.
Here’s the magic:
Blogs that answer location-based questions ("Best romantic restaurants near Notting Hill", "Family-friendly things to do in Bath") are more likely to be pulled into AI search previews.
Google favours fresh, expert, helpful content – all things your blog can deliver better than your competitors.
💡 Top Tip: Optimise blog posts with structured headings, clear answers, FAQs, and a natural tone. Think: “If I were a guest, what would I Google before booking?” Then write exactly that.
Inspire and Convert with Storytelling
Your hotel website sells the room. But your blog sells the stay.
Use your blog to paint a picture of what is in and around your property. Tempt your guests with a weekend itinerary, share your chef’s secret breakfast spot in town, or highlight seasonal experiences like "Autumn walks with your dog from our doorstep".
The more a potential guest imagines themselves in your hotel, the closer they are to clicking “Book Now”.
Boost Your Website’s Visibility (And Your Bookings)
Every blog post is an opportunity to target new keywords, rank for long-tail keywords search phrases, and create internal links to your booking and service pages. Over time, your blog builds an ecosystem of content that works together to lift your domain authority.
Think of each blog post as another fishing line in the water – the more you have, the more likely you’ll catch a guest.
Position Yourself as the Local Expert
Your future guests, that you defined in your guest persona strategy, are looking for more than a room – they want an experience. When you offer authentic, helpful, local insights, you instantly build trust and establish your hotel as the authority in your area.
Post ideas include:
"5 Best Coffee Shops Near Our Hotel"
"Things To Do in [City] This Bank Holiday"
"Hidden Gems in [Neighbourhood] Only Locals Know"
This content should provide value – it drives bookings. When your blog becomes their go-to planning guide, your hotel becomes their go-to choice.
Create an Always-On, Evergreen Sales Funnel
Here’s what I love most about blogs: they work while you sleep.
A single well-written article like “Top Things to Do in [City] in Summer” can bring in hundreds of visits every month, year after year. That means more organic traffic, more time on site, and more opportunities to convert that visitor into a guest.
And with the power of AI tools, refreshing blog content is quicker than ever – no excuse not to keep things updated and relevant.
Engage Guests Before, During & After Their Stay
The guest journey doesn’t start at check-in – it starts online.
A blog lets you:
Nurture pre-booking interest: "What to Pack for a Winter Trip to [City]"
Enhance the stay: "Your Weekend Itinerary, Designed by Our Team"
Encourage repeat visits: "What’s New in [Destination] This Season"
It also gives you prime content for social media, newsletters, GMB posts and even WhatsApp messages to guests pre-arrival.
Fuel Your Entire Digital Marketing Strategy
One blog = endless repurposing opportunities.
Post it on your website
Add it to your next email newsletter
Share snippets across social media
Turn it into an Instagram carousel or a TikTok script
Great blog content acts as a content engine, fuelling your comms while keeping your brand voice strong and consistent.
Humanise Your Brand (Because People Book People)
Let’s be honest: most hotel websites feel the same.
A blog gives your brand a human voice – warm, helpful, knowledgeable. Share your story. Introduce your team. Celebrate guest reviews. Post behind-the-scenes moments.
This emotional connection builds loyalty. It’s the difference between a one-time booking and a returning guest who becomes your unofficial ambassador.
Extra Bonus: Use AI to Supercharge Your Hotel Blog
The future of blogging is not just about writing – it’s about using AI to come up with ideas, optimise, and scale.
Tools like ChatGPT, Surfer SEO and Jasper can help you - I am using them all in my day to day:
Generate content ideas based on keyword gaps
Optimise posts for on-page SEO
Refresh old content automatically
Write FAQs and schema markup to boost visibility
💡 Don’t replace your voice – enhance it. Use AI to save time, stay consistent, and move faster than your competitors but always humanise your posts. This should only give you a framework to help you.
Your Hotel Blog Is More Than Marketing – It’s a Booking Machine
If you want more direct bookings, stronger SEO, higher brand visibility, and better guest engagement… start your blog now.
And if you already have one? Perfect. Double down on strategy, quality, and frequency. Bring in AI to support, not replace, your voice. And make sure every post is created with your guest in mind – their questions, their dreams, their needs.
Your blog is your voice. Make it unforgettable.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why is a blog important for hotel marketing?
A blog helps improve your hotel's SEO, drives more organic traffic, builds trust with guests, and showcases your property as a local expert, increasing direct bookings.
2. How often should a hotel publish blog posts?
Aim to publish at least one to two quality blog posts per month to maintain SEO momentum, stay relevant in AI-driven search, and keep guests engaged.
3. What topics should hotels blog about?
Hotels should focus on local guides, events, insider tips, guest stories, seasonal activities, and property updates — anything that helps guests plan their stay.
4. Can a blog really increase direct bookings?
Yes! By answering guest questions early in their planning journey, building trust, and optimising posts with strong calls-to-action, a blog can significantly increase direct bookings.
5. How does AI search impact hotel blogging in 2025?
AI-generated search results prioritise helpful, authoritative, fresh content. Well-optimised blog posts are now more likely to be featured, boosting your visibility and click-through rates
Ready to Turn Your Hotel Blog into a Direct Booking Machine?
Quality content makes all the difference — and getting started is easier than you think.
At The Hotel Marketing Playbook, our blog post packages start from as little as £300, giving your hotel the SEO boost, storytelling power, and AI-ready visibility it needs to thrive.
Whether you need a one-off post or a full content strategy, we’re here to help you make your hotel blog your strongest marketing asset.