ThinkGrowth Day 2: Google Hotel Ads and the future of direct bookings

In this session, Cornell professor and innkeeper Chris Anderson shares results from a joint research project with ThinkReservations on how Google Hotel Ads impact demand and direct bookings for independent properties. He explains how OTAs dominate online travel, why price parity and above-the-fold visibility matter, and when it makes financial sense for hoteliers to lean into paid Google Hotel Ads (especially on mobile and during softer demand periods) versus relying on free listings alone.