How Hotels Can Work with Travel Influencers: Strategies & Trends

Influencer marketing has become an essential tool for hotels aiming to boost brand visibility, attract new guests, and showcase unique experiences. As the industry evolves, so do the ways hotels collaborate with influencers. While many still rely on traditional trade-only partnerships, emerging trends are creating new opportunities to maximize impact and return on investment.

Current Approaches to Influencer Collaborations

Trade-only stays or experiences—offering complimentary stays, dining, spa treatments, or media event invites in exchange for influencer posts—remain one of the most popular ways hotels collaborate with influencers. This approach is especially useful for those just starting out, as it still requires a budget, but not for direct influencer payments, making it easier to execute without complex payment processes and a cost-effective way to gain organic exposure.

However, influencer marketing is much more significant beyond the hospitality industry, and many influencers who work with hotels are also involved with other brands. Some hotels may have already encountered influencers requesting paid forms of collaboration but might be disregarding them. It's important to stay ahead of these trends because they're here to stay—especially for hotels that are selective about the influencers they work with.

Emerging Trends in Hotel-Influencer Partnerships

Instead of only offering free stays, more hotels are recognizing the value of investing in influencer partnerships and value the flexibility of being selective about the influencers they work with. Here are some of the emerging trends that hotel marketers should keep in mind and consider: 

1. Pay-for-Post Collaborations –  Paying influencers for posts ensures higher-quality content, allowing hotel marketers to be more selective on the influencers they partner with and greater commitment to brand messaging.
2. Content Creation Partnerships – Instead of reusing professional website photography, hotels should create social media-specific content. Influencer-generated visuals, aka User Generaged Content (UGC) —like photos, videos, and reels—offer a dynamic, guest-centered perspective that resonates more with potential visitors on social media. Many hotels now hire influencers not just for promotion but also for high-quality content they can repurpose across marketing channels.
3. Long-Term Brand Ambassadorships – Rather than one-off stays, hotels are establishing ongoing relationships with influencers who align with their brand. These long-term partnerships create more authentic storytelling, help build stronger audience trust, and expose the property to a similar set of audience multiple times to capture the attention of potential guests during their booking process.
4. Performance-Based Collaborations – Some hotels are experimenting with affiliate-style influencer partnerships, where influencers earn commissions for bookings generated through their unique links or promo codes. This is the primary way most online travel agencies (OTAs) are currently working with influencers, leveraging performance-based collaborations to drive bookings. This approach directly ties influencer efforts to measurable results.

Finding the Right Influencers for Your Hotel

With more hotels embrace influencer marketing, selecting the right partners is critical. Instead of focusing only on follower count, hotels should prioritize:

• Authenticity – Look for influencers who already create content that genuinely align with your brand values.
• Engagement Rates – Higher engagement often translates to more meaningful audience connections.
• Content Style – Ensure their content matches your hotel’s aesthetic and storytelling approach. Check out our blog on Types of influencers you need to showcase your hotel.
• Audience Demographics – Partner with influencers whose followers align with your target guests. And don't be afraid to try working with influencers outside of your current top markets—especially if your hotel is in a popular destination. Influencer marketing can be a cost-effective way to attract travelers already considering traveling to your city. 

As influencer marketing continues to evolve, hotels that adapt to emerging trends will see the most success. Whether through paid partnerships, long-term collaborations, or leveraging influencer-created content, hotels can create more strategic and effective influencer marketing campaigns. While trade-only stays remain a key strategy, hotels will eventually move beyond this model. Embracing new influencer marketing methods can turn partnerships into a powerful tool for driving bookings and increasing brand visibility. If you're looking to stretch your marketing budget and understand why influencer marketing is proving especially effective in today's travel climate, check out our latest blog Stretch Your Marketing Budget with Influencer Marketing in Today’s Travel Climate.

At Evolusen, we're helping hospitality brands navigate these changing influencer landscapes. Reach out today for a demo to chat about your influencer marketing strategy and how we can help your team!