Most hospitality marketing still operates on a simple assumption. If the product is good and the message is clear, demand will follow.
Entertain or Die 3.0 challenges that assumption head-on. This report argues that attention, not clarity, is now the primary constraint. And attention is no longer earned through information. It is earned through entertainment.
Here are five key takeaways that matter directly for hotel brands and hotel tech companies.
1. Most marketing is not just ineffective. It is invisible.
The report highlights a stark reality. Nearly 50% of ads are less engaging than watching cows graze, and the dominant emotional response is neutrality. In an industry where differentiation is already difficult, being ignored is more damaging than being misunderstood.
2. The platforms hotels rely on are built for entertainment, not messaging
Up to 80% of users on TikTok and a majority on Instagram and Facebook are there to be entertained. Yet most hotel content still looks like digital brochures. The mismatch is structural, not tactical.
3. Creators are outperforming brands at building demand
The report shows that creators deliver some of the strongest long-term ROI and are among the most effective drivers of future demand. This reframes the role of creators from media channels to strategic partners in brand building.
4. Entertainment is not a tactic. It is a growth driver
Among the most entertaining brands, 83% are growing and nearly half are achieving double-digit growth. The implication is clear. Attention compounds into preference, and preference drives revenue.
5. Demand is now shaped upstream, before the booking journey begins
The concept of “fandom mapping” is particularly relevant. People spend less than 1% of their time thinking about your brand. Winning attention means entering the cultural spaces your audience already cares about, long before they search for a hotel.
Why Entertainment matters In hospitality
Hotels and hotel tech companies are still heavily focused on conversion, distribution, and performance marketing. All important. But increasingly downstream.
What this report makes clear is that the real leverage is upstream. In attention, culture, and memorability.
The brands that win are not just visible. They are chosen.
Entertain or Die 3.0 provides a structured way to think about that shift, from how to identify relevant audiences, to how to create content that spreads, to how to measure impact beyond clicks and impressions.
For anyone responsible for growth, brand, or demand in hospitality, this is worth your time.
