Social Spoon is a done-for-you email marketing agency for independent and boutique hotels. I help past guests book again, directly, so you’re not paying Booking.com commission to reach people who already know you.
THE SECOND BOOKING
OTAs can introduce your hotel to new guests. But when a past guest returns through Booking.com, you pay commission on someone who already knows the place.
Email gives you a way to stay in touch and offer a direct route back. Start by finding out what your OTA bookings cost.
Run your own numbersAN ILLUSTRATIVE 20-ROOM HOTEL
£8,191a month in OTA commission
A worked example, not an industry average or a savings promise. Not all commission is avoidable.
Welcome: an introduction to the 18-room property, its Garden Suites and courtyard breakfast.
See the full journeyCase study
73%43%
30 percentage points less reliance on OTAs.
Over six months, I rebuilt the welcome sequence, split the list into relevant groups and gave subscribers first access to seasonal availability. No paid ads were used in this programme.
One hotel, six months. Your numbers will be different.
Your emails, planned, written, designed and sent every month. Nobody at reception has to remember the newsletter again.
02The emails that send themselves: a welcome, arrival details, a follow-up after checkout and a reason to return.
03I find the three places your direct bookings leak and write the first email I’d send your past guests. Free.
Meet Saijen
I’m Saijen. I run Social Spoon from Manchester, helping independent hotels turn guest interest into direct bookings.
I do the strategy, the writing and the build myself. You’ll know who’s responsible for the work, because you’ll be talking to him.
More about meTHE 90-DAY DIRECT REBOOKING BUILD
Past-guest emails that bring guests back direct, with every booking tracked. A campaign to your past guests in the first fortnight, then the journey that keeps them coming back.
73% 56% OTA share in 90 days. 43% by month six. Held for the next six.
Backed by a 3× guarantee. Three founding hotels at a reduced rate. Kickoff from December.
See the 90-Day Build01
The emails, the audience and what happens after someone clicks. Then we choose the gap worth fixing first.
02
In your hotel’s voice, using your existing platform where it fits. One person is responsible for getting it done: me.
03
Bookings where your system can track them, clicks and replies where it can’t. Opens alone don’t pay the bills.
Yes. The question is who receives them, why that message matters now, and what happens next. I’ll review what’s already working before recommending more emails.
Probably not. I start with what you have and only suggest a switch if it prevents us doing the agreed work.
You provide access, hotel updates, brand assets and approvals. I handle the agreed strategy, writing, design and build. We agree responsibilities before starting.
Then I check how you collect subscribers and what guest data you can use for marketing. A small list needs a realistic plan, not a big booking promise.
The 90-Day Direct Rebooking Build is open to three founding hotels at a reduced rate, with kickoff from December. Ongoing email management is quoted after a call. You’ll have the scope and price in writing before you commit.
On the 90-Day Direct Rebooking Build, yes. If tracked bookings don’t bring in at least 3× the fee in booking revenue within 90 days of the first send, I keep working for free until they do. Read the conditions
LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR HOTEL
Tell me what happens after checkout. That’s a good place to start.
Get your free Direct Booking Leak AuditI’ll tell you what I’d fix first, whether or not you hire me.
