- Newsletter Marketing
Why Email Marketing Still Works Wonders for Hotels and Travel Agencies
In a world full of new-age marketing trends, AI tools, and viral reels, email marketing is not just alive—it’s quietly becoming one of the most powerful tools for hospitality brands. Hotels, boutique resorts, and travel agencies often ask: “Is email still worth it?”
In Brief
- Email marketing is still one of the highest ROI channels for hotels and travel brands.
- Highly targeted, personal, and cost-effective compared to most modern platforms.
- Success lies in crafting emotional, guest-centric journeys, not random blasts.
- Smart segmentation, authentic storytelling, and clean databases are the real keys to winning.
- In 2025 and beyond, AI and first-party data will make email even stronger for hospitality.
Let’s be honest—email marketing still wins
And if you’re not making email your best friend in your marketing plan yet, you’re missing out on an opportunity that is personal, profitable, and insanely scalable.
Why Email Works Better Than You Think (Especially in Hospitality)
Hospitality is personal. It’s emotional. It’s trust-driven.
Guests don’t just buy a room or a travel itinerary — they buy emotions, memories, and promises.
Social media is important, no doubt. But it’s often a flashy crowd with low attention spans.
Meanwhile, email lets you talk to your audience one-on-one, right in their most personal space—their inbox.
Unlike random ads scrolling past on Instagram, a hotel newsletter feels curated and selective.
Done right, it becomes like a handwritten letter from a friend, not a billboard on a busy street.
Stat Check:
- According to HubSpot (2024), email marketing for hospitality brands generates an ROI of $42 for every $1 spent
- Booking.com notes that repeat travellers are 72% more likely to book directly if nurtured through regular email engagement.
Email: Your Precision Marketing Weapon
Most “modern” marketing feels like a shotgun blast—noisy and messy.
Email is a sniper rifle.
You can target:
- Families looking for summer getaways
- Solo travellers craving wellness retreats
- Art lovers visiting boutique properties during festivals
- Repeat guests who stayed during the last Diwali season
And you can speak to them differently.
No other medium allows you to personalise your marketing as surgically as email.
Small but Mighty Insight:
Did you know emails that mention a guest’s past experience (“Hope you loved your stay with us in Jaipur!”) have 58% higher open rates?
- Update meta titles and descriptions to include new keywords.
- Refresh headers, subheaders, and alt texts with relevant, optimised phrases.
- Ensure the content is structured for readability using headings and bullet points.
Why Hotels and Travel Brands Abandon Email (And Why They Shouldn’t)
Some marketers feel email is “boring” compared to TikTok, Reels, or AI chatbots.
Some think “no one opens emails anymore.”
Here’s the truth:
- Most poorly crafted emails DO end up in spam.
- Most lazy newsletters with zero personalisation DO get ignored.
But well-crafted, permission-based, human emails? They perform like magic.
The real problem isn’t email marketing itself.
The real problem is bad email marketing:
- Outdated lists
- Generic messaging
- Zero storytelling
- Spammy subject lines
Data Drop:
According to Campaign Monitor, well-segmented email campaigns drive a 760% increase in revenue compared to non-targeted campaigns.
How Hospitality Brands Can Make Emails Work (and Win Big)
1. Craft experiences, not promotions
Instead of “20% off if you book now,” try:
“Imagine waking up to the gentle winds of Udaipur’s lakeside this monsoon. Let us reserve your spot before the rains arrive.”
Emotion sells far better than discounts.
2. Segment ruthlessly
Not all guests are the same.
- Families want different offers than solo travellers.
- Corporate groups want different messaging than honeymooners.
Create segments and talk directly to each segment’s dreams.
3. Build storytelling drip campaigns
Don’t send random emails. Build a mini-journey:
- Day 1: "Discover why autumn in Bhutan is magical."
- Day 5: "Our founder’s favourite trek trails (you’ll love #2!)."
- Day 10: "Ready to plan your journey? Let’s talk."
Emails that feel like an ongoing conversation perform way better than one-off blasts.
4. Maintain clean lists
A database full of junk contacts will hurt your domain reputation.
Prune inactive subscribers.
Respect GDPR and privacy norms—but stay proactive.
5. Make it personal and lightweight
Forget heavy HTML designs that scream “advertisement.”
Simple, clean, text-driven emails often feel more authentic and personal.
Bonus Trends: Email Marketing for Hotels in 2025
- AI Personalisation: Predict guest preferences based on past stays (e.g., sending spa offers to wellness travellers).
- Interactive Emails: Embedded forms inside emails for faster bookings.
- Visual Storytelling: Short videos and GIFs inside newsletters to create instant visual delight.
- First-Party Data Collection: Asking for preferences on booking confirmation pages to create smarter email flows.
Final Thoughts: Why Email Should Be Your Hospitality Secret Weapon
In an era flooded with noise, guests are craving sincerity.
They want personalised, relevant conversations — not shouting contests.
Email marketing offers hotels and travel brands the power to:
- Nurture relationships
- Build loyalty
- Drive direct revenue (and save OTA commissions!)
- Differentiate authentically
If you use it right, email isn’t old-fashioned.
It’s the single most reliable (and profitable) marketing channel you’ll ever have.
If you use it right, email isn’t old-fashioned.
At City & Talent, we help hotels, boutique brands, and travel companies unlock this power — not with spammy blasts, but with crafted storytelling journeys.
Want to see how a well-designed email campaign could double your direct bookings?
Let’s build it together. Reach out
About the Author
Kaustubh Latake
Kaustubh runs the show when it comes to Marketing at City & Talent. He’s all about turning businesses into brands people fall in love with — and keep coming back to. If your business has personality, he’ll make sure the world knows it.
