Hospitality marketing: more guests in your venue

Hospitality marketing is about the decision made just before the visit. People search on cuisine plus neighborhood, look at photos and recent reviews, and book from their phone. Your Google Business Profile often does more work here than your website.

Someone is standing in the center, is hungry, grabs their phone and types “restaurant nearby”. Within twenty seconds the choice is made, based on a photo, a rating and whether there is still room.

That is what hospitality marketing is about. Not about beautiful campaigns, but about being found the moment someone is hungry. Below you can read how that works and what it costs.

Hospitality marketing is everything you do to draw more guests to your venue and get them to return: being visible online the moment someone is hungry, making an impression with photos and reviews, and turning one-off guests into regulars. ROXTAR takes this on for hospitality businesses, from your Google Business Profile and reviews to reservations and return campaigns, from 495 euros per month. Last updated: September 2026.

Good hospitality marketing rests on a few pillars that reinforce each other:

• Local SEO and your Google Business Profile: make sure you appear at the top when someone nearby searches for a restaurant or cafe.
• Social media: share atmosphere shots and videos on Instagram and TikTok that make people hungry and lead straight to booking.
• Reviews: actively ask satisfied guests for a review, because the modern guest chooses on stars and recent experiences.
• Loyalty and repeat visits: turn one-off guests into regulars with return campaigns or a digital loyalty system.

For a hospitality business this is more important than your website. Most people choose in the map block at the top of Google and never click through.

What absolutely has to be in it

• Current opening hours, including exceptions around public holidays; nothing costs you more goodwill than a guest at a closed door
• Your menu, or a direct link to it
• Recent photos of dishes, interior and terrace
• A reservation button that works right away
• Your price level, so people know what to expect

Photos decide the choice

In hospitality, people choose visually. Replace your photos regularly, show dishes as they really arrive at the table, and make sure there are images of the moment your venue is at its best; a full terrace on a summer evening does more than an empty venue in the morning.

In almost no other industry are businesses reviewed so massively and so quickly. A 4.2 versus a 4.6 shows visibly in visits.

Keep asking consistently

A table tent with a QR code, a line on the bill, or simply in person at the end of a good evening. The number of reviews counts just as heavily as the average: a 4.4 with three hundred reviews inspires more trust than a 4.9 with twelve.

Responding really matters

In hospitality, people read the responses. An owner who replies calmly and personally to criticism, without getting into an argument, often wins more trust than the complaint cost. Standard answers under every review have the opposite effect.

What you should not do

Buying reviews or having staff write them. Platforms recognize that, and the damage of being caught is greater than the gain of ten fake reviews.

Every month around 150 hospitality entrepreneurs search for “reservation system restaurant”. The choice behind that directly affects your margin.

What platforms cost you

Reservation platforms deliver guests, but charge per cover or per month. For guests you already had, people who typed in your name, you then pay anyway. That is the silent cost many venues only notice late.

What your own reservation button delivers

A direct reservation option from your Google Business Profile and your website catches exactly that group. For venues with strong name recognition in their own city, that directly saves money.

The pragmatic route

Use both, but deliberately. Platforms for new guests and busy periods, your own channel for people who already know you. Measure which share comes in through which channel, and you see what you pay in commission for guests you would have had for free.

Two groups you reach in different ways, and of which most venues serve only one.

The passer-by

Searches on location and on the moment: “lunch nearby”, “restaurant open on Monday”. Here you win with findability, current information and appealing photos. Your Business Profile does most of the work.

The regular

Already knows you and only needs a reason. A new menu, a seasonal dish, a wine evening. Here email or social does work, not to convince, but to remind.

Why that second group carries your business

A regular comes several times a year and brings others along. The cost of getting them to return is a fraction of what a new guest costs. Yet most venues spend their attention almost entirely on acquisition.

At ROXTAR the rates are as follows:

What does SEO cost per month?

From 495 euros per month. For a single venue in one city you stay close to that amount: you focus on a limited number of searches in a small area. If you have multiple locations or a broader concept with event spaces and catering, it rises.

What does a website cost?

From 1,495 euros for a starter website. Many hospitality businesses do fine at the lower end: a fast site with your menu, opening hours and a reservation button. It gets more expensive with connections to a reservation or point-of-sale system.

Where your budget delivers most

For most venues the order is: first get your Google Business Profile in order, then collect reviews consistently, and only then advertise. The first two mainly cost attention and deliver immediately visible results.

What is the most important thing for a hospitality business online?

Your Google Business Profile, with current opening hours, recent photos and a working reservation button. Most guests choose in the map block at the top of Google and never visit your website.

How many reviews do I need?

More than your competitor down the street, and recent. The number weighs just as heavily as the average: a 4.4 with three hundred reviews looks more reliable than a 4.9 with twelve. So keep asking consistently, even if you already have many.

Should I put my menu online?

Yes, and as readable text, not as a PDF or image. Search engines read a PDF less well, and guests looking on their phone drop off at a menu they have to zoom in on.

Are reservation platforms worth it?

For new guests, often yes. The problem arises when guests who already knew your name also book through the platform: then you pay commission for visits you would have had anyway. So always have your own reservation option alongside it.

Does social media work for hospitality?

For existing guests and showing your venue, definitely. For new guests, search traffic is more effective, because there people actively search the moment they want to eat. See social as the channel that brings people back, not the one that brings them in.

How do I deal with a bad review?

Respond calmly, personally and without arguing, with a concrete offer to make it right. Future guests mainly read how you respond; that weighs more heavily than the complaint itself.

How do I make my restaurant more findable on Google?

Start with your Google Business Profile: correct opening hours, fresh photos of your dishes and interior, and your menu in it. That block largely determines who walks in. Then make sure your website loads fast on mobile and that booking takes no more than two taps. Recent reviews do the rest.

What is online marketing for hospitality?

Online marketing for hospitality is everything you do online to draw guests to your venue or online order. The core is local findability, a strong Google Business Profile with photos and reviews, and a presence on social media. That way you are found the moment someone is hungry or looking for a place to meet.

How does online marketing for hospitality work?

Online marketing for hospitality works by being visible the moment someone is hungry or looking for a place. We create an attractive Google Business Profile with photos and reviews, ensure local findability and deploy social media. Then we measure what brings in guests and orders, from reservations to online orders.

Would you like a new or better website alongside your marketing? Then take a look at website design.