Promotions that Work

Promotions are a core lever for DMOs, events, and lodging suppliers to generate demand, drive urgency, or address soft-need periods. Within the Ripe ITA ecosystem, not all promotions are created equal—and not all systems support them in the same way. This guide outlines how promotions work, what’s possible, what’s risky, and how to deploy campaigns that convert while preserving supplier trust and operational efficiency.

Promotions at Ripe

Drive incremental production during soft periods
Create urgency around cornerstone events
Support DMO/event-driven campaigns
Provide value for travelers

Types of Promotions or Campaigns

Value-Add Promotions

A fast and effective strategy is to consider value-add promotions, which:

Highlight localized value using attraction tickets, local gift cards, or special exclusive event access
Preserve ADR and parity, which is a core concern of most lodging partners
Require NO supplier labor - hands-off for lodging partners for most campaigns
Often produce stronger traveler conversion

Lodging Supplier Discounting Promotions

Requires coordinated effort with lodging partners. It is important to consider community buy-in and timing when deciding what kind of campaign to launch. At Ripe, we cannot discount lodging without the participation and coordination of each participating lodging partner. This can take 2-3 months depending on how active/responsive your lodging stakeholders are or what brands they are affiliated with.

Does this Lodging Supplier Discount Promotion need to be fenced?

Affiliate-Fenced vs. Site-Wide Campaigns

DEFINITION: Destination-wide initiatives where Lodging Supplied Discounts are available to all distribution points.
Lodging suppliers must agree to participate through discounts.
Require 2.5–3 months lead time and active supplier coordination.
Value-adds can be used on top of these promotions to enhance the value.

Best Practices

Create a Landing Page for Every Major Campaign

A landing page is a dedicated page on your booking site designed to support a specific campaign, event, or promotion. It adds extra context to your promotion and allows you to:

Merchandise the promotion
Convert targeted traffic
Provide reporting clarity

Set an Annual Promotional Calendar

Planning promotions in advance leads to stronger results and fewer last-minute constraints. By setting an annual promotional calendar with your Ripe Client Success Manager, you can align campaigns with your destination’s goals, seasonal demand patterns, and key events.

Market Your Campaign

You have a great offer - flaunt it! Use your email distribution lists, social media, website, print, radio, billboards, etc. Get the word out in all of the ways that you do.

Know What Your Lodging Partners Want

Use the grid below to quickly determine whether a lodging discount or a value-add promotion is the best fit for your campaign.

Consider Following This Campaign Flow

Define Goal
Identify Eligible Properties
Select Promo Type
Merchandising
Build & QA
Reporting & Optimization

Common Pitfalls & How to Avoid Them

❌ Using discounts when a value-add would be more effective
❌ Running broad discounts during high-demand or sold-out periods
❌ Overcomplicating promotions for hotels to manage