Hospitality needs to stop disrespecting marketing.
(I can already feel the eye-rolls coming from the hospitality leaders 🙄)
Too many hotels treat marketing like an afterthought, like one person can be an entire department. That mindset is broken and it’s costing properties real money.
In hospitality you would never expect your chef to also run the front desk, manage housekeeping, oversee banquets, handle the spa, pour the wine, and audit the books. Yet when it comes to marketing, many properties still think one person can cover every function. That’s unrealistic and it’s disrespectful.
Marketing is an ecosystem, not one job.
➤ Social media is a full-time role.
➤ PR is a full-time role.
➤ Paid media is a full-time role.
➤ Photography is a full-time role.
➤ Videography is a full-time role.
➤ SEO is a full-time role.
➤ Copywriting is a full-time role.
➤ Branding is a full-time role.
➤ CRM and email are full-time roles.
➤ Influencer partnerships are a full-time role.
➤ Event marketing is a full-time role.
➤ Strategy is a full-time role.
Each one requires specialized skills, specific tools, and years of experience. You can’t expect one human to master all of them and still compete today.
I’m not saying roles can’t be combined. Sometimes one strong person can cover two or three areas. But if you ask for multiple jobs in one seat, RESPECT THE SALARY. Don’t ask someone to do ten jobs for the same paycheck as the person next to them doing one. If you want someone to carry more responsibility, pay for it. Otherwise you’re burning people out and guaranteeing turnover.
Hotels that still run marketing with one person and zero budget are setting themselves up to lose. You lose relevance because your brand can’t keep up with the speed of content. You lose reach because you’re not investing in channels that matter. You lose direct bookings because your digital strategy is outdated. You lose employees because no one wants to be exhausted trying to be ten people at once.
You want ROI. You want higher occupancy. You want guest loyalty. You want brand recognition. Then treat marketing for what it is. It’s the lifeblood of your revenue engine. Without it you’re invisible.
Marketing is not a cost. It’s the most important investment to keep your property standing five years from now. Every guest you attract, every partnership you build, every dollar that hits your bottom line comes from the strategy, creativity, and execution of real marketing pros.
Leaders need to wake up. Stop hiring one junior person and calling it a team. Stop starving marketing of resources and then complaining about weak results. Hold marketing to the same seriousness as operations. Operations keeps the lights on, marketing brings the guests through the door.
Hospitality DESERVES better.
Marketing DESERVES respect.
The sooner the industry gets it, the sooner you’ll see real ROI!
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If you like the way I look at the world of hospitality, let’s chat: scott@mrscotteddy.com
