Hotel storytelling: how independent hotels win back bookings

Why does an independent hotel with a strong concept still fill most of its rooms through the same online travel agencies that make it look like every other listing? Hotel storytelling is often treated as a branding exercise, but for an independent property it can be the basis of a commercial plan that reduces OTA dependency and brings in guests who book for the concept itself.

That is the view of Bart Hilgers, an independent consultant who worked in sales for large hotel chains before starting his own consultancy. His approach, translating stories to strategies, works as a framework for any independent hotel that wants more control over its bookings.

Why independent hotels become dependent on OTAs

An independent hotel has the freedom to create its own concept, yet it often relies on parties it does not control: online travel agencies, chains with large loyalty programs, and real estate owners who expect green numbers on their spreadsheet. Hilgers calls this a paradox.

“It doesn't make sense, but independent hotels are very much dependent on OTAs, on big corporate chains, hotel chains with massive loyalty programs that you do not have as an independent.”

Bart Hilgers, 18:15

In his experience, many independent hotels get 60, 70 and sometimes even 80 percent of their business from OTAs, plus the commission they pay every year. The structural problem is the format. An OTA works because every hotel profile looks the same, so travelers can compare apples with apples. An independent hotel wants the opposite: it wants to stand out, and on an OTA it cannot tell its full story.

Hotel storytelling starts with the concept, not the channel

The first lesson is about mindset. A hotel can try to give guests what it thinks they want, or it can act like the chef who serves signature dishes that people travel for. In the second case the hotel becomes the destination itself, the reason someone plans a trip, rather than a room with a bed and a shower in a city they happen to visit.

He learned this early. His parents ran a restaurant in a museum in Gouda, where the menu was built around the ingredients shown in the still life paintings hanging one floor up. The same thinking drives boutique hotel branding built on an owner's story. Many owners, he says, still open the doors and wait for the right guests to find them. His alternative is to translate the story into a commercial strategy that has to match on five points:

• the right guest
• at the right time
• for the right price
• for the right product
• through the right channel

That means knowing which traveler will respect and appreciate the concept, the service and the product.

Define your corporate guest before you sign a contract

Hotel sales is different from selling a commodity, and corporate contracts show why. In Hilgers' example, a sales manager offers a company a rate of 150 euros in exchange for 500 room nights a year and is praised for the deal. By autumn the client has booked around 100 room nights. The hotel cannot invoice the missing 400, and if it withdraws the rate, the client goes to the competition. He calls such a contract a fake promise.

His advice is to look much closer at who the corporate guest actually is:

• Expats, bankers, lawyers and digital nomads all travel for work, but book through different channels.
• Each group has its own budget and its own booking pace.
• A hotel needs to find the product market fit between its experience and the needs of each traveler type.
• Travel managers, event agencies and travel management companies are clients, not guests, and need a client journey alongside the guest journey.

Give sales, marketing and revenue shared KPIs

A story only pays off if the whole organization delivers it. At large hotel companies, Hilgers saw sales, marketing, revenue management, operations and finance working on their own islands. A sales manager was judged on contracts signed, not on whether the business actually arrived. His alternative is to turn the story into company milestones, translate those into specific KPIs, and make the teams jointly responsible for each KPI through a shared action plan.

He calls this a holistic strategy, for a simple reason. If the very first guest from a new 500 room night contract checks in on a Monday morning and meets a grumpy receptionist, the whole contract can be lost.

“You need to understand with every stakeholder involved in your organization from owners to housekeeping teams to understand that the only way to get there as being an independent brand is by delivering exceptional service.”

Bart Hilgers, 26:28

That message is also meant for shareholders and investors. Hilgers compares a young independent hotel to a good red wine that takes time to ripen. A new property cannot expect to top every OTA list or rank first on Google from day one. Patient hospitality PR works on the same slow timeline.

What a healthy channel mix looks like

The aim is not to drop online travel agencies. In the strategy Hilgers designs with clients, the OTA delivers the last room nights needed to reach full occupancy and premium rates, while the bulk of the business comes from guests who chose the hotel on purpose.

A current project shows how that works. The client is a hotel brand built from the ground up on sustainability, with properties in Rotterdam and Brussels and a hotel of around 100 rooms planned in the center of Florence, close to the train station. The hotel is adding channels it did not use before, such as the GDS through which large companies book airlines and hotels, and it works with local partners in each destination that carry the same sustainability label, to grow its reach beyond plug and play on the OTAs.

How AI booking makes hotel storytelling more valuable

In Hilgers' view, AI affects hotels in two ways. The first is automation of reservations, guest service, chat during the stay and upselling, which he welcomes as long as it frees up staff for more personal service. The second is a shift in how people book. Instead of scrolling OTA lists, a traveler asks a personal AI assistant for three hotels that fit their plans, budget and wish to travel by train.

For independent hotels he sees this as an opening to compete with the chains again, by being found by the guests who appreciate their product and story.

“Make sure that you create a lot of content where you tell your story.”

Bart Hilgers, 37:35

In practice, hotel storytelling for AI search comes down to a few habits:

• Describe packages and experiences in detail, and show them with strong hotel room photography.
• Repeat the same story on the website, in blogs and on other channels.
• Back the story with guest reviews that prove the hotel delivers on its promise.

You can watch the full conversation with Bart Hilgers, or explore more episodes on direct bookings in the GoDirect series.

Frequently asked questions

Why are independent hotels so dependent on OTAs?

According to Bart Hilgers, independent hotels lack the loyalty programs of the big chains, so they lean on online travel agencies for volume. He sees many independents with 60, 70 or even 80 percent of their business coming through OTAs, plus commission, while the OTA format makes every hotel look the same.

Should an independent hotel stop using OTAs altogether?

No. In the strategy Bart describes, the OTA fills the last rooms so the hotel can reach full occupancy and premium rates. Most bookings should come from guests who chose the hotel for its concept and story, with the OTA topping up what is left.

How does a hotel reach corporate guests without an OTA?

Bart splits the corporate segment into real traveler types, such as expats, bankers, lawyers and digital nomads, each with their own channels, budgets and booking pace. For one client he added the GDS and partnered with local providers that share the same sustainability label.

Why does hotel storytelling matter more with AI booking?

Bart expects guests to ask AI assistants for a short list of hotels that fit their plans and budget, instead of scrolling OTA lists. Independents can benefit if they publish plenty of consistent content about their story, packages and experience, backed by reviews.