It’s not the interiors.
It’s not the amenities.
It’s not even the operations.
It’s the lack of a clear marketing strategy.
I see it all the time! A new hotel launches with breathtaking design and a world-class services and guests experiences…
but no dedicated marketing structure, no brand clarity, and no roadmap to build visibility and anticipation prior opening.
Fast-forward 9 months later?
Low awareness.
Stagnant ADR.
Rooms that should be full sitting empty.
The problem isn’t the product, it’s the direction.
The Most Common Pre-Opening Mistakes
• Trying to attract everyone instead of defining an ideal guest.
• Depending on promotions instead of building long-term value.
• Posting random UGC instead of intentional brand storytelling.
The result?
Noise without connection.
And connection is what drives direct bookings. Specially building the momentum throughout the months, so when the hotel opens the anticipation and excitement is already built.
So here are some common mistakes → Join the LinkedIn conversation
What Successful Openings Have in Common
They build strategic clarity before the doors open.
They align marketing with commercial goals.
They craft a clear value proposition that makes the property unforgettable.
They know exactly who they’re talking to and why it matters.
Because opening a hotel without a marketing roadmap
is like hosting a grand opening and forgetting to send the invitations.
What to include in your pre-opening marketing budget
Every GM and commercial leader dreams of opening with strong occupancy, premium ADR, and the press talking about their hotel as the next must-visit destination.
But many fall into the same trap: planning everything last minute or not budgeting for marketing at all.
After years leading global pre-openings and working with luxury resorts across multiple brands, here are the essential elements you should include in your marketing budget if you want to manage expectations and set your property up for a successful opening.
1. Positioning workshop
This is non-negotiable. You need absolute clarity on who you are as a brand and who your ideal guest is. And by that I don’t mean a geolocation like “travellers from the US and UK”.
I mean granular information such as:
• What they value
• What they dislike
• How they behave online
• What motivates their travel decisions
• Why they would choose your hotel over any other
• Which stories will resonate and why
Here is a free guide with 20 thought provoking questions to get you started.
But this exercise needs to begin 9 to 12 months before opening. Your leadership team should be in the same room, working through this foundational phase together. Everything that comes after must align with this clarity.
During my time as Director of Marketing for luxury resorts, I always partnered with dedicated hotel branding agencies. They not only facilitated positioning workshops but conducted competitor research and helped define brand foundations that shaped every strategic choice in the opening timeline.
Now this is part of what I love doing! And remember if you’re speaking to everyone, you’re speaking to no one.
2. Branding
Whether you are part of a global hotel group or an independent boutique property, you must invest in branding.
This includes all the visual assets that bring your brand to life across every touchpoint: website, social channels, sales decks, in-house communication, menus, signage, and printed collateral.
Consistency is how you build trust, recognition, and perceived value.
And yes, the first year can feel expensive. You are building from scratch.
You will need a budget for design, printing, materials, menus, paper stock, covers, and so on.
But once these are established, year 2 becomes significantly more affordable because your templates and brand standards are already in place.
Think of branding as an asset, not an expense.
3. Define your key guest experiences and map out the customer journey
Too many pre-openings design a beautiful guest experience on paper, only to change it once real guests arrive. And while adaptation is normal, the foundation must still be developed intentionally.
Your guest experiences should reflect your positioning and speak to your ideal guest.
Then map out the full customer journey, from discovery to post-stay advocacy.
Every touchpoint should reinforce your brand story, from the first impression to the moment they check out and beyond.
Remember: your experiences should adapt to your guests, not the other way around.
4. Define & update the Critical path
This is the backbone of any hotel opening.
The critical path defines who is responsible for what, by when, across every department. This is typically led by the Director of Operations or Resort Manager.
During my pre-opening experience, we had project meetings fortnightly, weekly, and even daily as we approached opening. Without a structured critical path, you risk delays, misalignment, and unnecessary stress during a time that is already high pressure.
And as you can imagine, all the marketing tactics will be highly impacted by any unexpected delays. So internal communications is key!
5. Photoshoot and videoshoot
Your brand imagery is a long-term investment and one of the biggest determinants of your brand perception.
For global hotel groups, we often had to work with brand-approved photographers, because they understood the brand vision and delivered consistent quality.
For boutique hotels, you have more freedom, but the rule is the same: choose based on quality, not price.
There is nothing worse than working with a cheap photographer and having to redo everything due to poor results a few months later.
From my experience, I recommend a staged approach during pre-opening:
Phase 1:
Mock-up room and any ready public spaces
Detail shots
Some staff-in-action photos to build anticipation
For example, here you can see how we built up suspense using the Chef’s creativity while designing one of the signature dishes for a new restaurant opening and developed the storytelling around that anticipation of the chef reveal and cuisine style.
Phase 2:
Further reveals and lifestyle content with or without models
Phase 3:
Three months before opening
Lifestyle imagery of rooms, public spaces, F&B, and experience touchpoints
Phase 4:
Once fully operational
Full hotel or resort shoot with and without models to complete the asset library
Strong visuals fuel PR, social media, your website, sales materials, and trade communication.
Without them, visibility becomes an uphill battle.
Remember: this is a critical phase when you are building TRUST, even though your full hotel is still under construction.
6. Public Relations
Depending on your location and target markets, you should invest in a PR agency with strong presence and relationships in the markets that matter most to you.
But here is something many hotels forget:
PR agencies are only as effective as the information you share with them. They need access, clarity, timely updates, and collaboration.
PR is a long-term visibility strategy. It takes months to build momentum and earn media presence.
Your budget should also include:
• Media events
• Media gifts
• Press stays
• Potential paid advertorials
• Opening event
And remember: PR retainer fees are separate from project-based activations. Do not be surprised when the budget grows; this is normal.
Always define clear KPIs, such as achieving a target share of voice (SOV) in your first three months.
7. Build your marketing team
One of the most common mistakes I see is opening a hotel with a minimal marketing team, unrealistic expectations, or no marketing team at all.
There is a fundamental difference between tactical tasks and strategic leadership. And that’s why I left this part for the last. Because you can’t successfully open a boutique hotel or luxury resort without having the clear strategic direction, someone who can connect all the dots and ensure everything is aligned with the commercial goals.
You need a team that can:
• Set the full strategy
• Align with revenue and sales
• Manage digital channels
• Build content
• Lead PR
• Oversee communications
• Maintain consistency across all touchpoints
Pre-opening is one of the toughest and most critical phases of a hotel and resort.
It either sets the foundations for long-term success or forces you into reactive tactics, discounting, and talking to everyone instead of the right guest.
And that is how ADR gets stuck.
A simple reflection
Opening a hotel is one of the most exciting moments in hospitality.
But excitement without structure quickly becomes chaos.
Clarity, preparation, and a strong marketing foundation are not optional. They are the difference between a successful launch and a silent one.
And if you are in pre-opening right now, this is your window to get it right. No second chances!
If you need support with your pre-opening
If you want to set your hotel opening up for success and avoid the costly mistakes so many properties make in their first year → Book a complimentary Clarity Call
We can explore the details of your project, identify your biggest opportunities, and discuss what it would look like if I supported you in building the strategy, structure, and systems your opening deserves.
