How we helped Sandman Signature UK increase bookings by 65%

The Challenge

With ever-growing competition from local hotels and online travel agents such as Booking.com, The Sandman Hotel Group knew they had to ensure they were attracting as many users as possible and encouraging direct bookings through their website. 

The COVID-19 pandemic had a detrimental impact on the business and the hospitality sector as a whole, with all locations having to remain closed due to lockdown restrictions between 2020 and 2021. 

We maintained regular communication with the Sandman team throughout the pandemic and continued to run activity on a much smaller scale in order to maintain brand presence. 

Having become fully ingrained in the business, we knew how important it was to keep a digital presence so that once lockdown restrictions were lifted, Sandman was at the forefront of potential guests’ minds and we were in a strong position to start up our pre-COVID levels of PPC activity again. 

Goals

• Increase online bookings
• Boost visibility through targeted PPC advertising 
• Reduce reliance on third-party travel agents by increasing online visibility
• Maintain brand presence throughout lockdown closures while keeping costs low

Strategy

Paid Search

The campaign strategy required a multi-location approach, accounting for the distinct characteristics and unique selling propositions (USPs) of each hotel. Each property had its own audience profile, seasonal demand curve, and brand narrative. Campaigns were designed to respect these differences while maintaining a consistent overarching brand identity. This ensured that the marketing mix performed efficiently both at the individual hotel level and for the group as a whole.

Location-Specific Structure and Reporting

Clear segmentation was critical to maintain visibility and accountability. All campaigns were structured with separate reporting frameworks by hotel location to track performance accurately. This enabled precise measurement of key metrics such as cost per booking, conversion rate, and return on ad spend (ROAS) per property. Such granularity supported agile optimisation and data-driven budget reallocation across underperforming or high-potential markets.

Channel Mix and Execution

The media mix combined search, display, and video advertising tailored for each hotel location. Search campaigns captured high-intent users looking for accommodation in specific areas, while display and video campaigns focused on brand reinforcement and audience expansion. In addition, a consolidated brand-level campaign was implemented to build top-of-funnel awareness and strengthen recognition across all markets. This ensured visibility for the overarching hotel brand and improved engagement across remarketing pools.

Booking Strategy and Conversion Focus

A key commercial objective was to increase direct bookings through the hotel’s website and reduce reliance on third-party online travel agencies (OTAs) such as Booking.com. To achieve this, ad messaging, creative assets, and landing pages were optimised to emphasise direct booking benefits, including best rate guarantees, exclusive offers, and loyalty incentives. This approach maximised profit margins by lowering commission costs and maintaining full control over the customer relationship.

Paid Social

Paid social advertising was structured around a two-tier system: prospecting and remarketing. Prospecting campaigns targeted new audiences using interest-based and lookalike modelling to drive awareness and site traffic. Remarketing campaigns re-engaged users who had interacted with the site or brand, delivering tailored creative aligned with their browsing behaviour and the specific location of interest.