The real headline is Ovolo betting on brand
Amid headlines about brand elevation and new openings, the note that jumped out at me was Ovolo betting on brand.
In a market that often chases inventory and cosmetic refreshes, doubling down on brand meaning is the smarter move.
The signal behind the noise
Travel discovery is shifting as AI and social search compress the funnel to a handful of options.
When choice narrows, the names that carry emotion and a clear promise will be shortlisted before price ever enters the chat.
As a filmmaker turned technologist, I think of brand as a repeatable scene the guest can picture before they book.
If the scene is vivid, your cost to acquire stays lower and your rate integrity stays higher.
Why this matters for the industry
The fight is no longer between hotels and online agencies, it is between forgettable and memorable.
Memorable brands attract direct traffic, convert faster, and earn the right to price for value rather than discounts.
Strong brand worlds also travel well across formats, from lobby rituals to short form video to in room content.
That coherence creates advocacy that media spend alone cannot buy.
AI trip planners will favor clear propositions guests understand and review data can validate.
Early experiments suggest this shift is underway, and the brands with distinct promises will benefit most. Here is a useful overview.
What to do next
Define a single sentence promise that every touchpoint can deliver without a brief.
Codify three rituals that make a stay unmistakably yours, then film them and ship them across your owned channels.
Measure brand search, direct share, and repeat stay rate as core health metrics.
If those climb, your brand investment is working even before the next occupancy report lands.
My takeaway
Ovolo is not just marketing, it is future proofing distribution while the rest of the field chases quick wins.
In a world where algorithms pick the shortlist, brand is the only story that gets you into the room.
Joshua Campbell
Director