We’re proud to share that GCommerce has been recognized by Mediaboom as one of the best hotel marketing agencies!
In their recent roundup, Mediaboom highlights agencies that deliver measurable results for hotels by boosting direct bookings, optimizing digital strategies, and helping properties stand out in an increasingly competitive market.
GCommerce was featured for our expertise in paid search, metasearch, social advertising, display, and web design, as well as our proprietary metasearch tool, Metadesk, which drives stronger performance for our hospitality partners.
Check out the full list and see why GCommerce continues to be a trusted partner for hotels.
As the cyber sale season draws near, hoteliers have a major opportunity to drive bookings and build momentum heading into the new year. Based on last year’s data and emerging trends for 2025, here are our top tips for getting the most out of your cyber season email campaigns.
Start early and end late
Don’t wait for Black Friday to start promoting your sale! Data from last year shows that starting cyber season efforts on the Friday or Saturday before Thanksgiving and extending sale efforts up to five days after Cyber Monday yields stronger results.
As more importance is placed on the cyber season, we’re seeing searches for sales on Cyber Monday grow year-over-year. Travel Tuesday is also showing upward growth, so make sure to take advantage of the entire cyber season.
Pro tip: Start building anticipation in the weeks leading up to the sale with sneak peeks, countdowns, and teaser content.
Double down on early access and last chance emails
Based on our 2024 campaign data, we found that early access emails had the highest click rates and drove the most revenue amongst our email clients that ran cyber sales. We also noted that last chance emails had the highest open rates. Include messaging like “exclusive” and “just for our subscribers” to encourage purchases on early access emails. In last-chance emails, instill a sense of urgency by using messaging like “limited time” and “this sale won’t last much longer.”
Our recommendation: Send early access emails 3-5 days before the general sale to reward loyal subscribers and drive early momentum.
Use smart subject lines
Subject line testing from last season revealed two key insights. First, subject lines that mixed lowercase and all caps performed best. Second, subject lines that did not include the exact offer percentage generated more purchases. Mystery and formatting both matter!
Try subject line trigger words like:
Priority Access STARTS NOW
VIP Perks Expiring SOON
An Important Update JUST FOR YOU
Optimize send times
According to recent trends, the best times to send emails are mid-week morning, particularly Tuesday through Thursday, between 9-11 AM (local time). These trends suggest users are more likely to engage after they’ve tackled Monday’s chaos, but before mid-week meetings and emails clutter their inboxes.
Reminder: Always A/B test timing with your specific audience to learn their behaviors and get the best results.
Use high-impact content
With more users choosing to shop exclusively online, cyber season emails compete for attention. To stand out, keep messaging short and skimmable. Too much content could risk losing attention. Use stunning images or subtle animation to encourage engagement. Include multiple clear call-to-action buttons for more opportunities for conversion. Build urgency through copy like “limited time only,” “only X days left,” or “ending soon”.
Capitalize on peak email engagement
Between October 15th and December 16th, inbox engagement is at its peak. Opt-in rates are 230% higher than other times of the year, and open rates are 24% higher. Use this window to grow your list and send high-converting content, including offers tied to next year, which perform better than standard deals.
Some ideas to capitalize on this time period include positioning offers as “2026 Pre-Sale,” “Plan Ahead & Save,” or “Book Now, Travel Later.”
Include key email types
With inbox competition at an all-time high during the cyber sale season, it’s important to make the most of your email marketing efforts. These email types can benefit your cyber sale campaign flow.
Pre-Sale/Early Access Emails to encourage subscribers to take advantage of the sale before the general public.
Abandoned Cart Reminders are a great way to encourage bookings when a user was very close to converting.
Gift Guides with themed experiences or packages can be personalized and target specific segments.
Last Chance/Final Hours Emails have been shown to encourage engagement and can entice users to book their trip.
Plan now, and win big this cyber season
The cyber season is no longer a one-day event. It’s a multi-week strategy that, when executed well, can drive significant revenue for hotels and resorts. The key? Get ahead, test everything, and make your guests feel like VIPs every step of the way.
If you’re ready to elevate your email strategy, GCommerce Solutions has the tools and insights to make this cyber season the best yet.
Meta-morph your ads: A guide to smarter Facebook advertising for hotels
If you’re running Meta (Facebook and Instagram) ad campaigns for your hotel or resort, you know the landscape is constantly changing. From evolving ad formats to the limits of customization, it can be tough to stay ahead.
That’s why we’ve broken down everything you need to know from our latest Meta Ads training—so you can build stronger, smarter campaigns with confidence.
Anatomy of a Facebook ad
Let’s start with the basics. Every Facebook ad is made up of:
Primary Text: Your main message (aka the body copy).
Headline: Short and punchy, appears under the image.
Description (optional): Adds context or urgency.
CTA Button: Tells users what to do next (Book Now, Learn More, etc.).
Display Link: Shows the destination domain.
Creative: A strong visual—image or video—is key.
Understanding how these parts work together is critical for conversions.
Know your ad types: Static, Video, Carousel & More
Meta offers a range of ad types, each with its own strengths. Here’s a quick rundown:
1. Static Ads
Use one strong image and a clear CTA.
Best for brand awareness or limited-time offers.
2. Image Video Ads
Turns still images into lightweight video formats.
Adds subtle motion, text, or music for more engagement.
3. Video Ads
Ideal for storytelling and emotional appeal.
Great for property fly-throughs, guest moments, or local attractions.
4. Carousel Ads
Swipeable experience with 2–10 images/videos.
Perfect for showing off room types, dining, amenities, or step-by-step narratives.
5. Collection Ads (Mobile Only)
Combines a cover image/video with scrollable product cards.
Great for dynamic mobile experiences, but limited customization.
6. Flex Ads
Upload multiple assets and let Meta auto-optimize combinations.
Delivers dynamic formats tailored to user behavior.
Pro tip: Always test a mix of formats to let the Meta algorithm find what works best for your audience.
The "Cans": What you can customize in Meta Ads
Meta offers surprising flexibility when it comes to ad creation. Here’s what’s within your control:
Ad image sizes:
Square (1080x1080): Great for feeds and carousels
Vertical (1080x1920): Used for Stories and Reels
Horizontal (1200x628): For right-column or desktop placements
Advantage+ Placements: Meta will optimize where your ad shows—Feed, Reels, Stories, or Right Column—based on performance.
Other editable features:
Order of carousel cards
Promo codes
Sitelinks
Countdown timers
Event promotion
Multiple headlines and primary text for A/B testing
While Meta offers flexibility, some things are off-limits:
Story CTA Buttons: You can’t change location, color, or wording.
Optimization Features: Meta may enable new features without notice. Always check your ads post-launch.
Ad Descriptions: Even if you write one, Meta might override it—or skip showing it entirely.
Collection Ad Placements: Facebook controls layout across placements automatically.
Image Size Glitches: Sometimes Meta will resize your ad incorrectly. It’s a known issue, and easily fixable.
GCommerce tips for Meta Ad success
Our final takeaways for a more effective Meta strategy:
Test different ad types. Don’t rely on just one format—mix it up to discover what clicks.
Give Meta room to optimize. Your best-performing ads might not follow strict brand rules.
Customize Story placements. Stories need tailored visuals, not recycled square content.
Experiment with copy length. Short doesn’t always win. Test long, medium, and short-form text.
Ready to Meta-morph your ads?
Running Meta campaigns is both an art and a science. With the right mix of ad types, a clear creative structure, and some room for testing, you’ll be set up to drive stronger engagement and direct bookings.
Need help crafting your next high-performing Meta campaign? Contact us to discover how we help hotels and resorts maximize their return on every ad dollar.
[Webinar recording] Maximize sales on Black Friday & Cyber Monday: 2025 strategies revealed
Get ahead of the competition with data-driven insights and proven strategies for Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2025. Whether you're a seasoned marketer or just getting started, this session will equip you with what you need to win big.
What we’ll cover:
🕵️ Black Friday & Cyber Monday 2024 recap Get the inside scoop on what performed best last year—and what fell short. Use real data and campaign insights to guide your strategy for 2025.
📈 Proven strategies for 2025 success We’ll break down the must-have tactics for this year’s Cyber Week: from campaign timing and creative to offer structure and budget tips that convert.
🚀 Expert-backed tactics you haven’t tried yet Hear directly from digital marketing pros who’ve helped hotels and resorts crush their Cyber Week goals. Expect actionable, insider advice.
🔄 Winning with an omnichannel approach Explore how to align your paid media, organic content, email, and metasearch efforts for a seamless and high-performing Cyber campaign.
As conversations around AI in hotel marketing grow louder, so do questions about how it’s been leveraged to enhance campaigns and performance.
One question that’s been brought up frequently is: “How are we powering Google Ads campaigns with AI?”
The truth is: we’ve been leveraging AI for years in Google Ads campaigns through bid strategies, audience targeting, campaign types, and a lot of other Google ad settings—The emergence of generative AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google’s own AI Mode continue to change how AI is perceived as well as where it is showcased. There’s nothing wrong with how AI is viewed today, thanks to tools like ChatGPT and Gemini—it’s just applied a bit differently within Google Ads.
Google Ads has been integrating AI and machine learning into campaign strategies long before AI became a buzzword. And with growing interest and evolving tools, it’s more important than ever to understand how this technology works in practice.
In this article, we’ll break down:
What “AI” means in Google Ads
What AI components are used in Google Ads to build or optimize campaigns
What’s on the horizon for Google Ads and AI
At GCommerce, we use AI tools with purpose, leveraging automation where it makes sense, while keeping strategic control in our expert, human hands.
Here’s how it all comes together.
What “AI” means in Google Ads
Before diving in, let’s define AI in the context of paid search.
No, we’re not handing over full control to a “robot” that runs your campaigns end-to-end (though Google does offer options that lean heavily on automation). In practice, AI in Google Ads typically refers to machine learning models running behind the scenes to:
Predict outcomes, like the likelihood of a conversion
Optimize ad delivery across channels
Adjust bids in real time
Assemble the best-performing creative combinations
If you’re using certain features—like Smart Bidding, broad match, or Performance Max you’re already tapping into AI. But the key isn’t just using AI. It’s using it strategically. These tools work best when paired with the right inputs and oversight so you’re getting smarter performance, not just automation for automation’s sake.
What AI components are used to build & optimize campaigns
AI-powered search campaign types & features we deploy
Several tools and campaign types can strategically be used on Google’s machine learning. Here are some examples where AI is already at work in Google campaigns:
Performance Max uses AI to target users across Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, and Discover. You provide the audience signals, keywords, and other data input, and Performance Max takes that data and uses it through machine learning to optimize and target towards the most relevant audiences based on what you’ve provided. Performance Max also allows for you to opt in with automated video asset creations. This works optimally with the best image assets. To learn more about Pmax, view our Pmax best practices guide here.
Responsive Search Ads (RSAs): Google’s AI & machine learning dynamically tests and serves combinations of up to 15 headlines and four descriptions that you provide. Google then takes those and makes an exponential number of combinations, serving up variations of ads based on what Google thinks will match best for your users.
Smart bidding strategies: Algorithms determine the optimal bid for each auction. Strategies like Max Clicks, Maximize Conversions, or Target ROAS use real-time data to automatically adjust bids based on user signals. Common bid strategies include:
Target CPA. Optimizes campaigns at a target cost per acquisition.
Target ROAS. Optimizes campaigns at a target return on ad spend.
Maximize Conversions. Optimizes campaigns for producing the most amount of conversions
Maximize Conversion Value. Optimizes campaigns for producing the most amount of revenue or conversion value.
If you’re familiar with these tools, then you’ve likely been using AI all along—just with less fanfare.
What control do we have over these AI-paid search campaign types & features?
AI in Google Ads isn’t “set-it-and-forget-it.” While automation handles the heavy lifting, we control the inputs that train and guide it:
AI System
What Google controls
What we control
Performance Max
Ad placement, creative combinations, targeting
Creative assets, audience signals, goals
RSAs
Ad rotation & matching
Headlines, descriptions, images, CTAs
Smart Bidding
Bid adjustments per auction
Strategy selection, goal setting, exclusions
Audience Targeting
Predictive modeling
Audience lists, exclusions, remarketing inputs
AI works best when it’s fed the right information. That’s where we come in, structuring, optimizing, and guiding campaigns to ensure AI works in your favor.
Other AI-enhanced tools we leverage for Paid Search:
Automatically Created Assets (ACA): Google’s AI can generate headlines and descriptions (optional; we often override with brand voice).
AI-powered recommendations: Google’s interface uses AI to suggest optimizations. We selectively apply them when they make sense.
Conversational AI (beta features): Tools that let us generate ads from landing page content or business descriptions, such as Dynamic Search Ads (DSAs).
What’s on the horizon for Google Ads and AI
As we look ahead, AI is going to play a bigger role in how ads show up in search results, especially with the rollout of Google’s new AI-powered search experience, often referred to as “AI Overviews” or “AI Mode.”
Google is planning on testing ads in AI Mode
Google has confirmed it’s pitching the idea of displaying ads within AI-generated search results. Instead of just showing traditional search ads as a list of blue links, Google is experimenting with blending ads directly into AI Mode-generated responses.
Google is getting ready to roll out AI Mode ads widely (before Q4): AI-curated search results with ads woven into the experience.
What will ads in Google AI Mode look like?
From what we’ve seen and heard so far, this is what ads in AI mode will look like:
Ads will still be text-based, much like current search ads. The format is likely to remain simple for now—more like standard ads than conversational answers. Here is a visual that Google has provided (image credit to theverge.com):
What about advertiser control for how ads appear in AI Mode?
At this stage, there’s still a lot we don’t know:
It’s unclear how much control advertisers will have over how or where their ads appear in AI answers.
Google has not yet shared whether we’ll have visibility into performance, specifically within AI results.
We’ll be watching this closely to understand where optimization and strategy can still play a role.
What do we know so far?
To be eligible for these new ad placements, advertisers must already be using one or more of these tools, which include:
Broad Match Keywords (on Search campaigns)
AI Max for Search (currently in beta)
Performance Max
In short, the more AI-driven your campaigns are now, the more likely your ads will be eligible to appear in Google’s AI Mode and search experiences as it continues to roll out.
Staying ahead of what’s next for AI in Paid Search
While much of this is still evolving, one thing is clear: Google is reshaping how search results and ads work together—and AI is at the center of it. At GCommerce, we’ll continue to test, adapt, and share what we learn to make sure your hotel campaigns stay ahead of the curve.
Subscribe to our newsletter for hotel marketing insights, trends in AI-powered advertising, and practical guidance on what’s next.
The ultimate hotel guide to seasonal paid search marketing
Seasonal paid search marketing is a great way to meet your hotel’s shifting objectives throughout the year. However, it can also be somewhat complex, making it tricky to ensure the best outcome for campaign performance through seasonal marketing.
If you’re interested in seasonal paid search but unsure where to start, this guide is for you. We’ll answer frequently asked questions about seasonal paid search advertising and provide advice to get you started with your hotel or property.
Should my hotel use seasonal paid search advertising?
Though seasonal paid search marketing can come with a number of benefits, a seasonal ad strategy doesn’t make sense for every hotel. An occasional ad copy refresh is always a good idea, but for some hotels, the time spent on consistent seasonal updates would be better used towards other optimizations.
Seasonally shifting demand drivers
Seasonal paid search advertising is best used when your hotel has shifting demand drivers. This could include seasonal draws such as skiing, yearly events in the area, or even amenities such as an outdoor pool. Weather and climate can also act as a seasonal demand driver. For example, tropical climates may be equally appealing year-round, but travel in a location with clear seasonal divides may see fluctuations with those weather changes.
Season-dependent hotel demand drivers
Certain hotel demand drivers can also provide a compelling reason to implement seasonal paid search advertising. Hotels prioritizing year-round outdoor adventures, for example, may want to call out the unique experiences available during each season. For a hotel located near a large arena or stadium, drawing more attention to location may be a smart move when the relevant sports are in-season. Even a shift in business mix could be a reason to add seasonal paid search advertising, gearing language more towards a business or leisure audience, depending on the month.
Booking trends don't always match demand drivers
Most hotels have slight differences in seasonal demand, but this isn’t always the result of a unique demand driver. Though booking volume often fluctuates, seasonal paid search marketing is most effective when the reasons for those bookings change. If guests are drawn to your hotel for somewhat consistent reasons throughout the year, a seasonal paid search marketing strategy may not be necessary for your hotel.
Does my hotel need seasonal paid search marketing all year?
Deciding when to run seasonal paid search advertising comes down to your hotel’s unique demand drivers. Depending on the reasons that your guests book, your hotel may benefit from seasonal ads for a few weeks, a few months, or the entire year.
Year-round messaging for year-round demand drivers
If your hotel has ever-changing demand drivers with unique draws across all seasons, you may find success with year-round seasonal rotation. Since features vary across winter, spring, summer, and autumn, it can be beneficial to call out shifting experiences throughout the year. Hotels based on outdoor adventures are a great example of this. Winter sports, spring hikes, summer water activities, and autumn colors all have a unique draw, so individual paid search advertising for every season may be beneficial.
Seasonal messaging for peak seasons
On the other hand, hotels with demand drivers falling into one “peak” season may only need seasonal paid search advertising during that period. Ski resorts, for example, may only need seasonal callouts during the snowy months. While spring, summer, and autumn have some unique features, tailored ads might not be necessary during those times since the main seasonal demand driver is contained to the winter months.
Maintain messaging during the off-season
However, it’s important to remember that demand drivers may not completely disappear during the off-season. Though paid search advertising is most effective when focusing on demand drivers from the current season, many guests plan their stay months in advance. Because of this, it’s smart to provide some level of visibility for all seasonal demand drivers throughout the year, regardless of how often your hotel rotates dedicated seasonal messaging.
Should my hotel simultaneously run evergreen paid search advertising?
The answer to this question once again relies on your hotel’s particular demand drivers, as well as your marketing objectives.
Performance considerations
Running simultaneous seasonal and evergreen messaging offers more to work with for paid search advertising platforms, which could help performance. A wider variety of ad copy creates more opportunities for a platform to tailor your hotel’s ads, optimizing paid search campaigns to reach your target guests. A higher number of assets could also mitigate ad fatigue, as the same copy is less likely to appear multiple times to the same user.
However, multiple paid search ads create more moving parts in an account, potentially increasing the time required for campaign management. Balancing multiple ads can complicate your hotel’s paid search marketing strategy, sometimes making it difficult to identify key optimization tactics or diagnose performance changes down the road.
Significance of demand drivers
Another factor in the decision to run evergreen ads is the significance of your hotel’s seasonal demand drivers. In cases where seasonal features are a core draw for your hotel, it may be beneficial to run seasonal ads exclusively. For example, if the vast majority of guests book to see a basketball team located near your hotel, abandoning evergreen ads during basketball season may be the right choice.
Conversely, if most guests book your hotel for a feature that’s available year-round, such as a downtown location or high-end service, then evergreen ads are an essential component of your paid search marketing that should not be removed. Seasonal ads are still a great way to call out additional benefits and experiences available throughout the year, but running these ads alongside evergreen messaging will ensure that seasonal callouts do not detract from the primary draws of your hotel.
How unique should seasonal paid search advertising be?
Whether seasonal paid search marketing is used alone or in tandem with evergreen ads, and regardless of how often this messaging is rotated, your hotel should aim to balance unique seasonal features with year-round benefits. Though the exact mix of these demand drivers will vary by hotel, seasonal paid search marketing should always incorporate messaging related to both types.
Multi-purpose messaging
Many features of a hotel stay the same year-round, and these can be repeated in paid search advertising throughout the year. As long as they call out a consistent benefit of the hotel, headlines and descriptions can be fully or partially re-used in evergreen ads and multiple seasonal ad variations.
Significance of changes
Even when features change seasonally, the significance of these changes affect how different each seasonal ad should be. Some hotels require complete paid search advertising overhauls to call out unique demand drivers, while other hotels only need small tweaks and slight wording changes to fit each season.
Structural separation
However, we do recommend structurally separating paid search advertising for each season, regardless of how similar messaging is between rotations. Creating individual ad variations keeps your paid search campaigns far more organized, making it faster and easier to implement seasonal changes, compare performance across time, and analyze the effectiveness of a seasonal paid search marketing strategy overall.
Seasonal paid search advertising examples
While seasonal paid search advertising should align with your hotel’s individual demand drivers, marketing goals, and brand voice, we know that’s easier said than done. Here are a few example ads to get you started.
Example 1: Hotel in an area known for skiing
This hotel only requires seasonal paid search advertising during the winter.
Example 2: Outdoor-focused hotel
These ads call out unique experiences available during each season.
Example 3: Downtown hotel in a city with four distinct seasons
These ads are a great example of re-using assets between seasons.
Should my hotel use paid search keywords seasonally?
Regardless of your paid search advertising strategy, it’s always a good idea to utilize keywords related to seasonal demand drivers. Targeting these keywords can boost awareness and visibility, potentially driving more bookings for your hotel.
Unlike ads, though, seasonal paid search keywords do not need to be rotated throughout the year. Even if a keyword has low volume when out of season, this will not actively harm your hotel due to the cost per click model on paid search, though seasonal keywords may not generate as many impressions, clicks, or bookings during the off-season, your hotel will only pay for what is generated, leaving no direct impact on overall account efficiency or optimization.
In fact, seasonally rotating keywords could actually cause problems on its own. Guests often plan for seasonal trips months in advance, with seasonal searches lingering through the off-season. Because of this, removing a seasonal keyword could cause your hotel to miss out on important searches and potential bookings, negatively impacting performance.
When should my hotel rotate seasonal paid search advertising?
Because seasonal demand drivers vary so widely, your hotel’s seasonal paid search schedule will depend on your particular circumstances. While most hotel seasons can be broadly divided into winter, spring, summer, and autumn, the exact dates and time periods will change based on the area your hotel serves.
When developing a seasonal paid search marketing schedule, keep your hotel’s marketing objectives in mind. Consider the following questions:
Do you want your hotel’s ads to focus on immediate bookings, only running seasonal ads for currently available experiences?
Or do you want to include a bit of lead-up before a season, making sure to account for the guest planning period?
Do you want your hotel’s ads to slowly transition, using a small period of overlap between seasons?
Or should your hotel’s ads change suddenly, with a clear distinction between seasons?
There’s no one right answer when it comes to a seasonal paid search advertising schedule. Don’t be afraid to experiment year over year or season over season, to identify what works best for your individual hotel.
Key takeaways on seasonal paid search marketing
Seasonal paid search marketing can be incredibly beneficial, but only if it’s used right. When making decisions about seasonal advertising, always consider your hotel’s individual circumstances.
What are the key demand drivers for your hotel?
What are your marketing objectives?
When and why do your guests book?
Your hotel is one of a kind, and your paid search advertising should be just as unique.
