May 5 2025

U.S. Travel Association: National Travel & Tourism Week

lm@lotusmarketinginc.com Experiences & Activations, Hotel Marketing CVB, Destination Marketing, DMO, Marketing Strategy, Tourism, Travel

At Lotus, we believe great hotel marketing starts with a deep understanding of place.

In celebration of National Travel & Tourism Week, we connected with top DMO and CVB leaders who are shaping how travelers connect with their destinations. We went behind brilliant destinations to see how they are driving hotel success. Get insights from:

Daniel Kuperschmid | San Diego Tourism Authority
Mike Pistana | Visit Bastrop
Marc Garcia | Visit Mesa
Mike Waterman | Visit Anaheim

The Power of Place: How San Diego Inspires Travelers

What makes a destination unforgettable? For San Diego, it’s a vibrant blend of nature, innovation, and sunny spirit.

We kicked off Behind brilliant destinations with Daniel Kuperschmid of the San Diego Tourism Authority, sharing how place drives powerful traveler connections.

What does a strong CVB-hotel partnership look like to you?

San Diego offers unrivaled experiences in nature, culture, and innovation. With 70 miles of pristine coastline, near-perfect weather, and more biodiversity than any other state in the continental U.S., it’s a haven for outdoor exploration. The city is home to iconic attractions like Balboa Park and the San Diego Zoo, trend-setting arts, and a dining scene that spans Michelin-star excellence and Cali-Baja flavor. This vibrancy is complemented by cutting-edge research—from wildlife conservation to space exploration—that sparks creativity and inspiration. Combined with its sunny, welcoming spirit, San Diego offers something for every traveler.
Can you share a recent win or campaign where collaboration made a measurable impact?

San Diego welcomes all travelers, and our sales and marketing efforts reflect this inclusivity. Whether you’re seeking sun and surf, family entertainment, extraordinary cuisine, cultural exploration, or inspiration within unique historical neighborhoods, the region offers something for everyone.
What do you wish more hotels understood about working with their DMO or CVB?

The power of place

Lean into your DMO and leverage your destination appeal (it’s insight-driven and your competitive advantage).

Collaboration in Action: Building Stronger Hotel Partnerships

Collaboration isn’t just a buzzword in Bastrop, it’s how real results happen.

Mike Pistana of Visit Bastrop talks about the power of strategic CVB-hotel partnerships and how local collaboration drives measurable wins for destinations.

What does a strong CVB-hotel partnership look like to you?

It starts with shared goals and open communication. A strong CVB-hotel partnership means we’re sitting at the same table, aligning on strategy, and not just sharing room night and revenue numbers. It’s a two-way street where we listen to hotel needs, bring them business they can act on, and collaborate on creative ways to drive demand and increase occupancy for themselves and the entire destination.
Can you share a recent win or campaign where collaboration made a measurable impact?

Visit Bastrop recently partnered with Texas Parks & Wildlife to support a two-week training event hosted at one of their state parks here in Bastrop. By coordinating catering through local restaurants and food trucks, we generated thousands of dollars in unexpected revenue for ten local businesses, providing a meaningful boost to their monthly income. It was a great example of community collaboration driving real economic impact.
What do you wish more hotels understood about working with their DMO or CVB?

I wish more hotels recognized that DMOs and CVBs are true strategic partners. We’re on the same team, working to drive measurable results—not just awareness. When a DMO is brought into the conversation early, whether by the hotel sales team or meeting broker, it allows for stronger alignment, greater collaboration, and ultimately, more impactful outcomes for the client, the hotel, and the destination as a whole.

Collaboration in action

Engaging your DMO early builds a partnership aligned around common goals to drive measurable results.

Evolving Trends: Meeting the Changing Needs of Travelers

Travel trends are evolving fast and destinations like Mesa are leading the way. Marc Garcia of Visit Mesa shares how understanding visitor behavior shapes smarter marketing and unforgettable experiences.

What travel trends are you seeing most clearly in your visitor data and behavior?
How is Mesa adapting its marketing and experience offerings to meet these changes?
What role does Visit Mesa play in guiding the future of destination marketing?

Evolving Traveler Trends

DMOs are adapting to traveler needs, sparking connection today—and fueling long-term investment for the future.

The Destination Advantage: Storytelling That Drives Success

Destination alignment isn’t just smart—it’s strategic. Mike Waterman of Visit Anaheim shares how destination-led content, global reach, and business intelligence can help hotels drive real results.

Why do you believe destination-led storytelling is essential for hotel success?

The way destination content is being consumed today is so different than it has been in the past. Consumers search destinations through social media and influencers. You must be able to convey your destination story through video and content both produced internally and through User Generated Content (UGC).
How can CVBs support hotels in telling that story?

We recently built a luxury section on our website focused just on our Luxury hotels and it looks and feels very different from our main website. We also “tell the destination story” through our tradeshow engagement (our booth) and multiple missions we do across the globe.
What’s one opportunity you think hotels often overlook in aligning with their destination?

As a DMO, we have several options for hotels. I think one of the biggest opportunities that some of our members overlook is our Business Intelligence (BI) offerings. We have a very talented team with access to very high-level and granular data that partners can request for owner meetings or presentations.

The Destination advantage

Your DMO has the right content, distribution channels, and business intelligence to help your hotel shine.

The Lotus Lens

Behind brilliant destinations: What we heard and what hotels should take forward.

This National Travel & Tourism Week, we had the privilege of sharing insights from destination leaders shaping how travelers connect with place and how those efforts fuel hotel success.

From family travel trends to innovative marketing partnerships, one message was clear:

When hotels and destinations work together, everyone wins.

Here are five key takeaways from this week’s conversations that hotel teams can apply now—whether you’re a GM, marketer, or above-property leader looking to unlock more from your DMO partnership.

1. Place Still Matters

From coastline to culture, travelers are choosing destinations that reflect their values and passions. Hotels can win by aligning with what makes their location distinct.

2. Collaboration Drives Results

The best DMO-hotel partnerships are built on shared goals, not just shared data. Don’t just report numbers—create momentum together.

3. Know Your Traveler

Data doesn’t just inform—it inspires. Destinations like Mesa are adapting in real-time. Hotels should too.

4. Storytelling Isn’t Optional

Destination-led content—especially visual and user-generated—is shaping traveler decisions. Hotels that don’t tell their story risk being forgotten.

5. local Alignment Is a Commercial Strategy

This isn’t fluff. When hotel teams partner with their local DMO or CVB, it becomes a force multiplier for sales, marketing, and revenue.

Thank you.

With gratitude to the leaders who made this possible—you are truly the visionaries behind brilliant destinations.