With the 2026 budget season fast approaching, the discussion about how much to invest in hotel marketing is back on the table and, honestly, it's still being treated with surprise, caution, and a certain "let's see what's left" attitude.
Except that marketing isn't what we have in excess. It's what sustains demand, positioning, and commercial independence.
If we look at sectors such as retail, premium consumption, fashion and lifestyle (all highly competitive), the average investment in marketing varies between 5% and 10% of gross revenue, and can exceed that level in more aggressive markets.
The Gartner CMO 2025 Spend Survey report indicates that projected marketing budgets for 2025 remain at 7.7% of revenue, exactly the same level observed in 2024.
HubSpot confirms that companies invest, on average, 9.1% of total revenue in marketing.
For its part, the US Small Business Administration recommends that small businesses invest between 7% and 8% of revenue to sustain real growth.
And what about the hotel industry?
Max Starkov, a digital specialist in hospitality and travel, asks:
Why are we still losing the distribution war?
The hotel industry is, indeed, a retail segment.
We sell hotel nights (a perishable and high-turnover product), as well as auxiliary services.
However, the global industry average invests less than 2.5% of room revenue in marketing, including the payroll of the Sales & Marketing team.
The forecast for global hotel revenues in 2025 is US$$ 443 billion.
If hotels invested 2.5% (which we know does not happen), we would have close to US$ 11 billion invested globally in hotel marketing.
Now consider:
- Expedia alone invested 54% of its revenue in sales and marketing in 2024.
- It was US$$ 6.9 billion, an increase of 12% compared to 2023.
- Adding up the major OTAs, the combined investment reached US$17.8 billion.
Conclusion: It's no mystery why we're losing the distribution war.
Underinvestment is the “killer” of the direct channel
The less the hotel invests:
- The lower the traffic, the better,
- lower brand authority,
- lower conversion rate on the site,
- greater dependence on OTAs.
The hotel industry tends to view investment in marketing as risky because it does not guarantee an immediate return.
But he doesn't hesitate to pay commissions of 18% to 30% to OTAs, because "it's guaranteed.".
It's not rational, it's fear.
And fear is a terrible distribution strategy.
The structural problem is that nobody “owns” the direct channel.
In over three decades in the market, it's extremely rare to see:
- Sales & Marketing Directors,
- Revenue Managers,
- Marketing Managers,
with part of their remuneration linked to direct reserves.
In other words: nobody is responsible for the direct channel.
If no one is responsible, no one invests.
If no one invests, the channel won't grow.
It's simple... and devastating.
So, how much should we invest?
If the hotel industry truly wants to reduce its dependence on OTAs, the minimum recommended level is:
4% to 6% of total revenue,
excluding payroll.
And this isn't just about media budget.
It's technology.
Priorities:
- CRM (relationship and repeat purchase)
- RMS (data-driven pricing decision)
- Intelligent chatbots and customer service automation
- ORM / Reputation Management
- Active messaging and real-time resolution
- Brand website with a UX focused on conversion, not decoration
Without this, we will continue to pay more than US$$ 75 billion a year in fees to intermediaries.
In other words:
If the hotel doesn't invest in marketing, it's not saving money.
It is transferring its revenue to OTAs.

