Summer Travel Boom: How Hospitality Brands Can Use Mobile Ads to Fill Rooms

The hospitality industry is experiencing a powerful resurgence. After years of uncertainty, consumer confidence in travel has returned—bringing with it a surge in summer bookings, last-minute getaways, and destination-driven experiences. But as competition intensifies and traveler behaviors evolve, hospitality marketers must do more than offer great amenities; they must meet guests where decisions are being made—on their mobile devices.

Mobile advertising has become one of the most effective tools for attracting, converting, and retaining summer travelers. With the majority of hotel searches, trip planning, and bookings now taking place on smartphones, hospitality brands that prioritize mobile-first strategies are seeing stronger performance across the board.

This article explores how hospitality companies—hotels, resorts, vacation rentals, and travel platforms—can use mobile advertising to take advantage of the summer travel boom. From geofencing and retargeting to dynamic creative and in-app targeting, we’ll break down the tactics that help fill rooms and maximize return on ad spend during the most competitive season of the year.

Why Mobile Advertising Matters in Travel

Mobile-Driven Travel Behavior

Mobile usage has transformed how travelers discover, plan, and book accommodations:

• 74% of travelers use mobile devices to plan trips (Google Travel)

• 52% of mobile bookings occur within 48 hours of search

• 80% of last-minute hotel bookings are made on mobile

These figures illustrate the shift toward mobile-first behaviors, especially for short-lead travelers who book spontaneously while in transit or at their destination. Hospitality brands that invest in mobile advertising can meet users in moments of intent and influence booking decisions directly.

Understanding the 2024 Summer Travel Surge

According to the U.S. Travel Association, the 2024 summer season is expected to outpace previous years significantly.

High intent, high frequency, and mobile accessibility are converging to make summer 2024 a record-breaking season for hospitality marketers—if they are positioned to capitalize on mobile opportunities.

Key Mobile Advertising Strategies for Hospitality

As mobile behavior increasingly drives how travelers discover, plan, and book accommodations, hospitality brands must evolve their marketing approach. By leveraging targeted mobile advertising strategies, hotels, resorts, and vacation rental operators can engage high-intent audiences, reduce booking friction, and maximize occupancy during the peak summer season.

Below are seven proven mobile advertising strategies hospitality marketers can use to capture demand and drive direct bookings.

1. Geofencing to Target Travelers in Real Time

Geofencing allows hospitality brands to deliver mobile ads to users who enter a predefined physical area, such as an airport, event venue, highway rest stop, or even a competitor’s property. This hyper-targeted approach is ideal for reaching last-minute travelers who are already in-market and geographically close to your property.

For example, a coastal resort can set a virtual boundary around a nearby airport. When a traveler’s smartphone enters that area, they receive a mobile display ad offering a limited-time deal for nearby accommodations. This strategy works exceptionally well for capturing intent-rich audiences and converting spontaneous travelers into same-day or short-term guests.

By combining geographic relevance with immediate value, geofencing drives high engagement at a competitive cost per acquisition.

2. Dynamic Retargeting for Abandoned Booking Recovery

Many travelers browse hotel options, check rates, and leave without completing a reservation. Dynamic retargeting gives hospitality brands a second chance to capture those high-intent users by serving personalized mobile ads based on their previous on-site behavior.

This tactic allows brands to show prospective guests the exact room, rate, or package they previously viewed. Adding urgency through messaging like “Only 3 rooms left at this price” or offering a limited-time discount can significantly increase conversion rates. These ads should drive users back to a mobile-optimized landing page with minimal friction in the booking process.

Retargeting minimizes wasted traffic, improves marketing efficiency, and helps re-engage users at crucial points in the customer journey.

3. In-App Advertising on Travel and Lifestyle Platforms

In-app advertising within mobile applications like TripAdvisor, Google Maps, airline booking apps, or local weather platforms offers precise contextual targeting in high-relevance environments. Travelers are often already planning or navigating trips within these apps, making them ideal placements for hospitality advertisements.

Ads delivered in-app tend to have significantly higher engagement, often achieving double the click-through rates compared to traditional mobile web ads. Brands can leverage this channel to target users actively researching accommodations or currently visiting the area.

For hospitality marketers, in-app advertising offers the dual benefits of high intent and contextual alignment, helping boost both visibility and bookings.

4. Click-to-Call and Click-to-Text Mobile Campaigns

Mobile users with immediate intent to book often prefer direct communication. Click-to-call and click-to-text campaigns streamline the path to conversion by allowing users to contact the property instantly from an ad.

These ads are particularly effective for boutique hotels, short-term rental operators, or resorts that offer personalized concierge service or last-minute booking incentives. For example, a vacation rental with limited weekend availability can run a mobile search ad that invites nearby users to text for special rates or call for immediate booking.

When paired with geofencing or local targeting, these campaigns help convert near-term opportunities and walk-in traffic into confirmed reservations.

5. Location-Based Social Media Ads

Social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok offer robust geolocation tools that allow brands to target users within a specific radius of their property or destination. This type of advertising is particularly effective for reaching weekend travelers, local staycationers, and road-trippers.

Hospitality brands can use location-based social ads to:

• Promote last-minute offers to users within driving distance
• Showcase influencer or user-generated content featuring their property
• Retarget website visitors who abandoned a booking with exclusive seasonal promotions

Platforms like Facebook’s “Instant Experience” or TikTok’s lead forms make it easier for users to view room details and take action—all without leaving the app. These mobile-native experiences reduce drop-off and keep users engaged with your brand through every stage of the booking funnel.

6. Short-Form Video Ads for Mobile

Short-form video continues to dominate mobile content consumption, especially on platforms like YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and TikTok. For hospitality brands, video offers a high-impact way to tell stories, evoke emotion, and build desire for a travel experience.

Effective short-form content might include:

• Room walkthroughs or property tours
• Showcasing amenities such as pools, spas, or ocean views
• Highlighting local attractions, excursions, or culinary offerings

Videos should be vertical, attention-grabbing, and end with a clear call-to-action that links to a mobile-optimized booking page. These campaigns are particularly effective when paired with lookalike audience targeting, interest-based segmentation, or location filters on social platforms.

7. Weather-Triggered Mobile Campaigns

Contextual relevance is one of mobile advertising’s biggest advantages. Weather-triggered campaigns allow brands to serve ads based on real-time weather conditions in the user’s area—creating timely offers that align with user motivation.

For instance, a mountain lodge can activate mobile ads in southern cities like Atlanta and Miami only when temperatures exceed 85°F. The ad might read, “Escape the heat—cool off in the mountains this weekend.” This tactic taps into environmental discomfort and inspires immediate action.

Weather-based targeting can be executed programmatically across display, video, and social ad platforms. When used correctly, it enhances performance metrics by aligning message timing with consumer need.

Mobile Creative Best Practices for Hospitality Ads

Effective mobile ad creative should be designed with the user experience and travel mindset in mind.

Key Elements:

• Eye-catching visuals (rooms, pools, views, amenities)

• Strong CTA (“Book Now,” “See Summer Deals,” “Check Availability”)

• Simple, mobile-optimized landing pages with fast load times

• Use of urgency, exclusivity, or limited availability messaging

Example Ad Copy:

Headline: Summer Getaway Sale
Description: Save 20% on beachfront rooms. Book today—limited availability this weekend.
CTA: Book Direct and Save

Campaign Metrics and KPIs to Track

To measure success, hospitality marketers should track key mobile advertising performance indicators.

Case Study in Action: How Golden Nugget Leveraged Mobile Ads to Drive Bookings and Foot Traffic

One standout example of effective mobile advertising in the hospitality sector comes from Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino. Facing a competitive tourism market, the resort turned to Propellant Media to boost both hotel bookings and foot traffic to its on-site attractions—including the casino and Rush Lounge restaurant.

Objectives:

Golden Nugget’s goals were clear:

• Increase on-property visitation from high-intent travelers

• Drive direct hotel bookings

• Maximize ROI on ad spend through precise targeting

Strategy:

Propellant Media implemented an integrated digital campaign with a mobile-first focus:

• Geofencing: Specific boundaries were established around nearby tourist attractions, competing hotels, and entertainment venues. This allowed mobile ads to be delivered to travelers within proximity—targeting those most likely to convert.

• Programmatic Display & Audio Ads: Dynamic creatives were deployed across websites, mobile apps, and streaming platforms to keep Golden Nugget top-of-mind during the trip planning and arrival phases.

• Google Ads: A robust paid search campaign ensured visibility when users searched for casinos, hotel deals, or dining in the area.

• Retargeting: Custom creatives were served to previous website visitors, re-engaging them with timely offers and compelling reasons to book directly.

Results:

The campaign delivered strong performance metrics across all channels:

• Geofencing and programmatic ads drove walk-in traffic at an average cost of $35 per visitor—well below industry benchmarks.

• Google Ads campaigns yielded hotel bookings at an average cost of $86 per conversion.

• With average guest spend ranging from $700 to $800 per stay, the campaign achieved a Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) of 8.14, far exceeding expectations.

Takeaway:

Golden Nugget’s success highlights the value of mobile-first advertising for hospitality brands looking to capitalize on location-based intent. Through a combination of geofencing, retargeting, and performance-optimized search and display, the hotel increased both occupancy and on-site revenue—proving the bottom-line impact of a well-executed mobile advertising strategy.

Looking Ahead: Trends for Summer 2025 and Beyond

• AI-Enhanced Creative: Dynamic creative that adapts to location, audience, and time-of-day

• Voice Integration: Ads triggered through voice search or assistants for mobile bookings

• Cookieless Targeting: Increasing reliance on first-party data and contextual targeting

• 5G Expansion: Faster load times enabling richer mobile video and interactivity

Brands that future-proof their mobile strategies now will gain a competitive edge in summers to come.

Conclusion

The summer travel surge offers more than just a seasonal uptick in demand—it presents a pivotal opportunity for hospitality brands to capture high-intent, mobile-first consumers at every stage of the customer journey. As travelers rely more heavily on their smartphones to discover, plan, and book accommodations, mobile advertising has become a critical driver of bookings and brand loyalty.

Effective strategies—such as geofencing, dynamic retargeting, short-form video ads, and contextual targeting—allow hospitality marketers to deliver highly relevant, timely, and personalized messages that convert. But success requires more than execution. It demands alignment across creative, audience segmentation, and performance measurement.

By adopting a mobile-first mindset and leveraging data-driven advertising tactics, hospitality brands can fill rooms faster, reduce customer acquisition costs, and build deeper, longer-lasting relationships with today’s digitally connected travelers.

Ready to Maximize Bookings This Summer?
If you’re looking to fill more rooms, increase direct bookings, and drive higher ROI through mobile advertising, our team at Propellant Media is here to help. From geofencing and dynamic retargeting to full-funnel programmatic campaigns, we build strategies that deliver measurable results. Schedule a strategy session with our team to discover how mobile-first marketing can drive performance for your hospitality brand this season—and beyond.