We work on your site and Google profile so the traveler who searches Google or asks an AI can see the full price up front and book on your site instead of an OTA.
On October 25, 2026 we measured the websites of 10 independent places to stay in Miami Beach, Houston, San Antonio, Phoenix and the Los Angeles area. We checked six basics: meta description, a single main heading (H1), mobile layout, HTTPS, Google Analytics and structured business data.
4of 10
Pass all 6 basic checks Miss at least one
3 of 10have no tap-to-call phone link, so a guest on a phone has to copy the number.
5 of 10have no single main heading (H1): 4 have none and 1 has several.
4 of 10have no Google Analytics or Tag Manager, so they cannot tell which channel brings each booking.
9 of 10have no Meta pixel, so Instagram and Facebook ads cannot reach past visitors.
Source: North Blue Agency survey of 10 independent lodging websites in Miami, Houston, Los Angeles, San Antonio and Phoenix, October 2026.
01
Hotel marketing: what your site needs to win direct bookings
Hotel marketing starts where the guest decides: the room photos, the total price and a booking button that works on a phone. If that is clearer on Expedia than on your site, the booking goes there with a commission.
One page per room type, with real photos, beds, view, accessible features and what the rate includes.
Your booking engine one tap away on every page, and the total price with mandatory fees shown first.
A clear reason to book direct: breakfast, late checkout or parking the OTAs do not offer.
English and Spanish versions, with text or a short form for quick questions.
A Google Business Profile with fresh photos, amenities and replies to every review.
The plan
Hotel marketing in one plan
A new website and local SEO together. We work so travelers find you when they search and the booking closes on your site, and we track it every month.
What owners and general managers tell us
“Almost everything comes through the OTAs and we pay commission even on repeat visitors. Our website does nothing to get people to book direct.”
01
Area Survey
We review 20 to 30 places to stay in your area and class (website, Google profile, reviews, published prices, mobile speed) and show you where you stand.
02
Launch Route
A bilingual site with one page per room type and your booking engine connected, delivered in stages with dates.
03
Profile That Sells
Your Google Business Profile with categories, amenities, photos, posts and a reply to every review.
04
9-Signal Check
The nine basic local presence signals, measured before and after, scored from 0 to 9.
05
Plain Report
A monthly report in plain words: bookings from the site, messages and the searches you appear in, ending with next month’s decision.
If you leave it as is
In our survey, 6 of 10 sites missed at least one of the six basics. A traveler who cannot get a quick answer on your site goes back to the OTA and books there.
If you would rather start with one part
Essential site
Launch
From USD 2,000
For a small inn or B&B: a site of up to 6 pages, ready in 2 to 3 weeks.
Novo Tour: a travel agency that tripled its conversion
We rebuilt a travel agency’s website and gave it a WordPress panel to publish each trip with no developer. It replaced an expensive booking system. It is the same base we would use for your room types, rates and offers.
When a template falls short, we build it. Tools connected to your site or internal panels, so the front desk stops doing by hand what a system can do.
On the site
Book-direct comparison
Travelers compare on the OTAs and book there even when direct is better
Shows your direct rate next to the perks of booking on your site, like breakfast or late checkout, so the decision happens on your page.
On the site
Room accessibility sheets
Accessible features listed nowhere, with ADA risk
An editable module that describes the accessible features of each room type, in English and Spanish.
Off the site
Pre-arrival offers by WhatsApp or text
Transfers and upgrades no one offers in time
A few days before check-in, arrivals get transfer, upgrade or experience options and reply with one message.
Off the site
Occupancy and channel dashboard
Rates set without seeing every channel side by side
An internal panel with occupancy, average rate and direct versus OTA bookings, connected to your channel manager.
Already built
The Novo Tour package builder
For a travel agency we replaced an expensive booking system with a panel inside WordPress: each trip is added with a form and published with no developer involved. The same idea works for room types, seasonal rates and stay offers.
Since May 12, 2025, the FTC Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees covers short-term lodging, including motels, inns and vacation rentals as well as hotels: the total price with mandatory fees has to be shown more prominently than any other price information. Under the ADA, 28 CFR 36.302 asks that your reservation service, website included, identify and describe the accessible features of the building and each room.
02
Why direct bookings are worth the effort
According to SiteMinder booking data reported by a trade publication, based on more than 125 million bookings in 2024, a booking made direct averaged USD 519, over 60% above OTA bookings, and in the U.S. a property’s own website ranked third among channels by revenue. For Spanish-speaking travelers, a 2024 Airbnb survey found that visiting family is the top reason to travel for 61% of U.S. Latin and Hispanic travelers.
How we work with independent stays
We start with what is costing you direct bookings today and leave the heavy lifting for when there is data.
1
Diagnosis
In 2 business days we review your site, your Google profile, your booking engine and how a traveler finds you on a phone.
2
Rooms and languages
We define the pages you need, in which languages, and which book-direct perk goes up front.
3
Site and profile
We build or redesign the site, connect the engine and complete your Google Business Profile.
4
Monthly review
We count bookings from the site, messages and the searches you appear in, and decide the next step with numbers.
Questions before you hire us
The ones owners and general managers of boutique stays ask us.
How much does the plan cost?
Site That Sells + North Local combines a USD 4,500 to 6,500 site, paid once, with local SEO at USD 900 to 1,400 per month. The final number depends on room types, languages and integrations, and we confirm it after the diagnosis.
Can you connect a new site to my booking engine and PMS?
Yes. We work with what you already use, such as Cloudbeds, SiteMinder, Mews, Little Hotelier or SynXis, and test it before launch. If you need something of your own, like a book-direct comparison, we build it and quote it separately after the diagnosis.
What does the FTC fee rule mean for my site?
Since May 12, 2025, the total price with mandatory fees has to be the most prominent price you show. We lay out room and rate pages that way from the start.
When do I start seeing numbers?
The diagnosis takes 2 business days and the site dates are set in the Launch Route. We do not promise a ranking date: from the first month we track bookings from your site and you see them in the Plain Report.
Is there a minimum term, and what do you need from me?
The monthly plan has a 3-month minimum and the site is billed 50% up front and 50% on delivery. We need access to your site, Google profile and booking engine, plus real photos of each room type and common areas.
Should my site be in English and Spanish?
If part of your clientele speaks Spanish, yes: the plan includes a bilingual site when you need it, written in house.
Want to talk about your hotel?
Tell us how many rooms you have and which booking engine you use. We reply with a diagnosis and a plan with dates.
