Google Ads for Hotels & Tourism: What Works

TL;DR: Google Ads helps hotels and tourism businesses drive direct bookings instead of losing commissions to OTAs. Focus on Search campaigns with branded and destination keywords, write ads that compete with Booking.com and Expedia on value (not just price), and send traffic to landing pages with direct booking widgets. Tourism businesses that also optimize for AI search recommendations capture the growing number of travelers who ask AI assistants for trip planning help.

Hotels and tourism businesses have a unique challenge with digital marketing: online travel agencies (OTAs) like Booking.com, Expedia, and Airbnb dominate organic search results for most travel-related keywords. They also bid aggressively on Google Ads, including on your own hotel name.

Google Ads gives you a way to compete. Not by outspending the OTAs, but by targeting the right keywords, offering a direct booking advantage, and reaching travelers at the moment they're making decisions.

Why Hotels and Tourism Businesses Need Google Ads

When someone searches "hotel in Tofino" or "things to do in Whistler," the top results are usually dominated by OTAs and review sites. Without paid search, your business is buried.

Google Ads lets you:

• Appear at the top of search results for your own brand name (preventing OTAs from capturing those clicks).
• Target travelers searching for your destination or activity.
• Drive direct bookings that don't cost 15–25% in OTA commissions.

The math often works in your favor. If an OTA charges 20% commission on a $200 booking ($40), and a Google Ads click costs $3 with a 5% conversion rate, your cost per booking through ads is $60. But you own the customer relationship and avoid ongoing commission costs for repeat bookings.

The OTA Problem (And How Ads Help)

OTAs rank for almost every hotel and destination keyword. They bid on your brand name. And they have massive budgets.

You can't outspend them. But you can outvalue them. Travelers increasingly prefer booking directly with hotels because of better rates, loyalty perks, and cancellation flexibility. Your Google Ads should communicate this advantage clearly.

Campaign Types for Hotels and Tourism

Search Campaigns for Direct Bookings

Your primary campaign. Target people searching for your hotel name, your destination, and your type of accommodation or activity. These are the highest-intent searches.

Performance Max for Hotels

Google's hotel-specific ad formats within Performance Max show availability, rates, and booking links directly in search results. If you connect your hotel booking system to Google Hotel Center, you can compete directly with OTA listings in the hotel search module.

Display Retargeting for Trip Planners

Travel purchases often involve multiple research sessions. Retargeting campaigns show your ads to people who visited your website but didn't book. This is particularly effective for tourism since people often research over days or weeks before committing.

Keyword Strategy for Hospitality

Branded Keywords (Protect Your Name)

This is non-negotiable. OTAs bid on your hotel name. If you don't, a search for "Lindon House Hotel" might show Booking.com at the top instead of your own website.

Branded campaigns are cheap (usually $0.50–$1 per click) and protect your direct booking channel.

Destination Keywords

Target searches for your destination combined with your offering:

• "hotel in Tofino"
• "bed and breakfast Whistler"
• "fishing lodge Terrace BC"
• "golf resort Vancouver Island"

Activity and Experience Keywords

Tourism businesses beyond hotels should target activity-related searches:

• "whale watching tours Victoria"
• "wine tours Okanagan"
• "guided fishing BC"
• "spa resort British Columbia"

Seasonal Keywords

Adjust campaigns seasonally. "Summer cabin rental BC" peaks in spring. "Ski resort Whistler deals" peaks in fall. Pre-build these campaigns and activate them when demand rises.

Writing Ads That Compete with OTAs

Your ads need to give travelers a reason to book directly instead of through an OTA.

Effective hotel ad copy includes:

• "Book Direct and Save 10%" or "Best Rate Guaranteed on Our Site"
• "Free Cancellation | No Booking Fees"
• "Members Get Early Check-In and Late Checkout"
• Specific room details or seasonal packages
• Star ratings or review counts (via review extensions)

Tourism activity ads should highlight:

• "Small Group Tours | Max 12 People"
• "Local Guides with 20+ Years Experience"
• "Book Online | Instant Confirmation"
• Seasonal specials or package deals

Landing Pages for Hotel and Tourism Campaigns

Don't send ad traffic to your homepage. Each campaign theme needs its own landing page:

• Branded campaigns → booking page with your best direct booking offer.
• Destination campaigns → page highlighting your property with booking widget, photos, and guest reviews.
• Activity campaigns → page describing the experience, what's included, calendar/availability, and booking button.

Every landing page should have a clear booking path above the fold. Below the fold, include descriptive content about the property/experience, location details, FAQs, and testimonials. This dual structure serves both conversion and AI visibility goals.

Budget and Bidding Recommendations

Hotel and tourism CPCs typically range from $1–$5 depending on destination and competition. Branded keywords are the cheapest (under $1 usually). Destination and activity keywords cost more.

Starting budget recommendations:

• Branded campaigns: $10–$15/day (always on).
• Destination/activity campaigns: $30–$50/day (adjust seasonally).
• Retargeting: $10–$20/day.

Start with Maximize Conversions bidding. Move to Target CPA once you have 30+ monthly bookings tracked.

Measuring What Matters: Direct Bookings

Track completed bookings as your primary conversion, not page views or "time on site." If your booking system redirects to a confirmation page, place the conversion tag there.

If you use a third-party booking engine (like Cloudbeds, Little Hotelier, or Bookassist), verify that it supports Google Ads conversion tracking or implement it through Google Tag Manager.

Also track: phone calls (many hotel bookings still happen by phone), email inquiries, and booking engine revenue for ROAS calculations.

The AI Search Opportunity for Tourism

Here's the growing opportunity most hotels and tourism businesses haven't tapped yet. When travelers ask AI assistants for trip planning help, "Where should I stay in Tofino?", "What are the best fishing lodges in BC?", "Plan me a weekend in the Okanagan", the recommendations come from AI models, not Google Ads.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) positions your business to appear in those AI-generated travel recommendations. For tourism, this is especially powerful because travelers increasingly use AI tools for trip planning.

Combined with SEO and Google Ads, GEO creates a complete visibility strategy: paid search for immediate bookings, organic search for long-term traffic, and AI visibility for the growing number of AI-first travelers. More on our blog.

Get More Direct Bookings Starting Now

Google Ads for hotels and tourism is about capturing travelers at the moment of decision and giving them a better reason to book directly. Protect your brand, target your destination, compete on value instead of just price, and track real bookings.

Grow Wild Agency helps hotels and tourism businesses get more direct bookings through Google Ads, SEO, and AI visibility. Let's build your strategy.