marketing as a revenue driver no an expense
Lotus Marketing | A LinkedIn Spotlight Series | August 25, 2025
Budget season is here. We asked top industry leaders how hotel marketers can position marketing as a proven revenue driver in 2026—not just a line item. Their insights are bold, strategic, and built for the future.
Future-proof with AI
Anil Aggarwal – CEO, Milestone Inc.
“In 2026, hotel marketers must adapt to how travelers discover, evaluate, and book—through AI Search Engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini.
Prioritize investments that boost visibility in these channels and personalize digital experiences to increase conversion. Automate content workflows and deploy AI Chat Agents to scale engagement on your websites.
The future of marketing is not just promotion—it’s intelligent, measurable, and revenue-generating. Budget accordingly to position marketing as a growth engine and to future-proof against all the changes.”
Budget Backwards
Holly Zoba, CHDM – Co-Founder, hotelBschool
“Start by aligning with ownership goals, not just hotel KPIs. Owners often focus on asset value, NOI, and long-term returns, so your marketing plan should speak their language.
Budgeting isn’t about justifying expenses. It’s about demonstrating measurable impact.
My top tip: budget backward. Start with revenue and profit goals, then outline how each department will meet those goals channel by channel, tactic by tactic.”
Elevate commercial teamwork
Dorothy Dowling – Managing Director, Horwath HTL
“The two biggest motivators in business are fear and greed—fear of losing ground and the drive to win more.
Underinvesting in marketing, sales, and revenue management is the fastest ticket to handing market share to your competitors.
The answer isn’t spending blindly; it’s being a good steward of the investment by focusing on what drives returns—maximizing our foundational platforms, listening to and acting on the voice of the customer, and elevating true commercial teamwork.”
Start speaking money
Sun Wong – Founder & CEO, C.M. Marketing Solutions
“Revenue is the aspirin for all headaches. While occupancy pays the bills, ADR pays the owner. To get owner buy-in, you must translate your efforts into the language of profit.
Invest in performance marketing. Its metrics provide a direct, measurable link between spend and profitable revenue, proving your value. Translate ROAS to incremental revenue that steals market share at higher ADR at lower acquisition cost.
Invest in Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), understanding that a decrease in site traffic is now a sign of a shifting landscape. With consumer confidence potentially further eroding in 2026, focus on creating value-based, experiential packages that drive a higher ADR.
These strategies will help you translate marketing into a true profit engine. Remember Jerry Maguire “Show me the money!”
Prioritize profit contribution
Cindy Estis Green – Co-Founder & CEO, Kalibri
“At Kalibri, our data has shown that hotels are paying 20% to 30% of guest-paid revenue for customer acquisition. Those focused on most profitable revenue outperform those simply targeting legacy top line revenue because they know it leads to higher asset values. Starting with the most profitable business mix enables the team to direct funds and staff resources to most efficiently convert those opportunities.
Key to success in profit-challenged times is right-sizing sales and marketing spending.
Many hotels lean on years of sales experience, but as consumers move online, digital opportunities are rising in value and hotels need to balance spending based on their most profitable opportunities.”
The takeaways
More than a line item, marketing is a revenue driver. What should hotels take forward?
1 – Future-proof with AI
2 – Budget backwards from revenue goals
3 – Elevate commercial teamwork
4 – Start speaking money
5 – Prioritize profit contribution
