Performance Max Just Got Smarter: What It Means for Hotel Marketers

In the highly competitive hospitality industry, digital marketing strategies need to be agile and data-driven. Google Ads is introducing new Performance Max updates that provide hotel commercial teams and marketers with more control over AI-driven campaigns, helping them attract high-value guests and optimize direct bookings.

With improved targeting, refined exclusions, and enhanced reporting, hotels can fine-tune their marketing efforts for better ROI. These updates empower hotels to make smarter decisions, ensuring their campaigns deliver maximum impact and drive sustainable growth.

More Control Over AI-Driven Campaigns

Hotel marketers can now fine-tune their campaigns with enhanced targeting and exclusion tools to align AI with specific booking goals. Key updates include:

1. Campaign-Level Negative Keywords: Prevent ads from appearing for irrelevant searches, ensuring budget is spent efficiently.
2. High-Value Customer Targeting: Identify and prioritize guests with higher predicted lifetime value using new customer acquisition goals with High Value Mode.
3. Improved Brand Exclusions: Control brand-specific exclusions separately for hotel search ads and metasearch campaigns, refining audience reach.
4. Page Category Targeting: Use “URL contains” rules to drive traffic to specific hotel service pages (e.g., spa, dining, event bookings).
5. Beta Features:
   • Demographic Exclusions: Target the right guest segments by excluding age groups that may not align with hotel offerings.
   • Device-Specific Targeting: Optimize budget allocation by prioritizing desktop, mobile, or tablet traffic based on guest booking behaviors.

Enhanced Search Insights & Reporting

Performance Max campaigns are becoming more transparent, helping hotel marketers optimize ad spend and strategy with:

1. Search Themes Usefulness Indicator: Understand the impact of search themes on campaign performance and adjust them accordingly.


Check out the search themes usefulness indicator to see if they are helping you improve your reach

2. Search Query Insights: Differentiate between keywordless AI-driven searches and those from added search themes, refining ad visibility.
3. Search Terms Insights: Identify which queries are driving bookings and tailor campaigns for better performance.


Use the new source column in search terms insights to see where your queries are coming from

Deeper Asset Group Reporting

New reporting tools help hotel marketers analyze and act on ad asset performance more effectively:

1. Performance Segmentation: Break down conversions by device, time, and location to optimize bidding strategies.
2. Improved Data Accessibility: Download and share performance reports for cross-team collaboration and strategic decision-making.

Why This Matters for Hotels

These updates give hotel commercial teams and marketers the ability to:

1. Steer AI-driven campaigns toward specific revenue goals.
2. Attract high-value guests through smarter targeting.
3. Leverage actionable data to improve conversion rates and ROI.

As hotel marketing continues to evolve, staying ahead of digital advertising trends will be crucial for long-term success. With these enhanced Performance Max features, hoteliers can unlock greater efficiencies and maximize their direct booking revenue. To boost hotel bookings with a risk-free solution, click below.