The Hotel Podcast from Aró

In this timely episode we delve into the way web search is evolving with the rise of AI and platforms such as Claude, Gemini and Perplexity. Aró Digital SEO specialist Devangana Rathore guides us through AI search and how websites, and the whole ecosystem which supports them, need to adapt to a new paradigm. The good news is that this is an evolution not a revolution and the fundamentals which hav...

In this episode, Alan Rowe , Managing Director and Co-Founder of Aró , joins Richard Blowes to unpack a different way of thinking about hotel tech and digital growth. Alan breaks down Aró’s partnership-led model, why it's getting more sustainable results for independent hotels and what true long-term collaboration with clients actually looks like in practice. The conversation also explores AI’...

Mario Ovsenjak took over as general manager (GM) of Comis Hotel and Golf Resort in the Isle of Man in June 2024, moving on from his previous role as GM of Manchester's Gotham Hotel. One of his first decisions was to upgrade Comis Hotel's digital strategy with a new website and booking engine from Aró Digital. With these now live for several months, we chat to Mario to discover more about t...

Eithne Cosgrove, director of Sales, Marketing & Revenue at Knock House Hotel, shares insights about our 26-year partnership, which began in May 1999. Recently, the hotel has experienced an increase in revenue of over 30%. She gives particular credit to our wonderful team members Susie Kilgannon & Nieves Pequeño Feijoo her account manager and SEO manger

In this video episode, Alan Rowe from Aró Digital sits down with Louis Murphy who is one of the owners of The Dunraven, a luxury 4* hotel in the beautiful Limerick village of Adare. Louis guides us through the history of this independent, family run hotel which has grown from 22 rooms to 90 including 24 suites. The Dunraven has been an Aró client for over 8 years and Alan and Louis discuss what ea...

For this timely episode, I chat with Aró Digital's new commercial director Ciara Clancy about last minute summer vacancies and her top tips for how hotels can fill them. Rather than simply reducing rates, there are are several different approaches which your property can take to drive occupancy even at this stage of the season. For example, have you considered partnering with local attractions...

In this episode Aró's managing director Alan Rowe chats with Jonas Treffers, the General Manager of Aloft Dublin City and Tenters Gastropub. Jonas explains why their location in Dublin's The Liberties is so important, what benefits their partnership with Aró brings them and how it has transformed their digital journey.

In this episode I am joined by Erica Hogarty from the Aró Digital design team and Brett O'Mahony from Studio Saol. They worked together, and with the team in the hotel, on the design for the stunning new website for Park Hotel Kenmare, a 5* country house hotel in Co. Kerry, Ireland. Brett guides us through the initial work Studio Saol did as the hotel updated their branding and briefed them on wha...

Alan Rowe, the MD of Aró Digital, chats with Paul Broderick who is the general manager of Pembroke Hotel Kilkenny. This beautiful property is an independent 4 star hotel based right in the middle of the city and won Ireland's boutique hotel of the year 2024 award. They discuss the history and future of this unique property, why they chose Aró as their digital strategy partner and what the benefits...

In this short episode we are joined by one of Aró's senior account managers, Ciara Keogh. She goes through the items hotels should be checking now to make sure their book direct strategy is in the best shape for 2025. This includes optimising your mobile site, checking rates for the year ahead and looking at your content calendar. We discuss these and several more - none of them are very time cons...

Karen Fleming is the accomplished Sales Director at the renowned Cashel Palace Hotel that is a member of Relais & Châteaux & Ireland's Blue Book. She has played a pivotal role in driving the hotel’s sales and marketing strategies, significantly contributing to its reputation for excellence and luxury. In this exclusive interview, Karen shares her insights with Lisa Leahy on leveraging digital inno...

Nestled amidst the rugged beauty of Connemara, Abbeyglen Castle Hotel is more than just a hotel; it’s a living, breathing narrative spun from the dedication and passion of its proprietors, Brian and Ronan Hughes. It's a testament to the enchanting allure of Ireland’s independent, family-run hospitality with a genuine charm that feels increasingly rare in today's world of corporate chains and stand...

Lucy Gaffney is the executive director of Business For Biodiversity Ireland, a government funded initiative to help businesses make a positive impact on nature. It's a multidisciplinary role involving science, finance and nature and she is a passionate advocate for businesses embracing biodiversity as a benefit for their brand and their balance sheet as well as the natural world. We discuss the ne...

For over 60 years, The Ardilaun Hotel has been a cherished gem in the heart of Galway, and it was an honour to sit down with John Ryan, the Managing Director and Owner, to delve into the unique essence of this family-run establishment. Our conversation unveiled a deep-seated commitment to preserving a legacy of warmth, quality, and an unwavering dedication to guests - a commitment that can only be...

In this episode of the Aró hotel podcast we are joined by Aró's head of digital marketing Jason Franz and hotel marketing expert Lisa Leahy. We discuss how hotels should be looking now to research and implement their best available rates (BAR) for the end of this year and into 2025 and even 2026. BAR is an intrinsic part of a hotel's direct booking strategy and Jason provides a comprehensive overv...

August is the prime time to gear up for December's celebrations. Whether it's Christmas, Twixmas, or New Year, starting early with your digital strategies can make all the difference. In this podcast with hotel marketing guru Lisa Leahy and Aró's senior account manager Ciara Clancy, we discuss how you can maximize bookings, engage guests, and create memorable experiences for the upcoming festive s...

In this episode we chat with Lisa Leahy and Seamus Crotty who bring their years of hotel marketing and management experience to bear on the challenge of filling your hotel rooms in the Autumn period. They discuss why you should be planning before the Summer for Autumn occupancy, and provide proven strategies to fill your hotel with profitable business. This podcast ties in with our 'Top Ten Tips f...

In this deep dive, we talk to Daniel Stewart from influencer marketing agency Tailify to better understand this oft maligned marketing channel. He explains what an influencer is (and that they prefer to be called creators); why you would work with one (or several) to leverage this valuable marketing vertical; and how hotels can use the content influencers create for multiple organic and paid socia...

Welcome to 2023. Although economic uncertainty is swirling around us, the consensus is that this year will be a rewarding one for the hospitality industry. Direct bookings are rising and people are looking for an escape from a long winter of bad news. As a luxury hotelier, how you shape your digital strategy will define your performance in 2023. Digital is here to stay and will always be a crucial...

Although picking the right agency to work with you on your book direct strategy is key, as we have mentioned in previous podcasts this works better as a partnership and that is certainly how we work with our clients. In this episode we talk about how we also partner with Google to keep increasing hotels’ online revenue. The worlds biggest search engine and advertising agency provides many tools wh...

What is a brand? A logo or a name? Although those are indeed an integral part, it’s so much more. It is everything that touches or gets in front of your target audience. It is an absolute reflection of what your customers should expect from you. Getting your branding right and delivering on its promise will drive differentiation, advocacy & loyalty, salience, and trust. In turn these help to promo...

At Aró in order to be five star by every measure and maximise online revenue for our luxury hotel clients, we follow the science and collect as much data as possible in order to make evidence based decisions about any changes we make to a hotel's book direct strategy. No strategy can exist in isolation – it has to reflect an up to date narrative and the values of the target audience. A recent Goog...

One of the key pillars of a revenue strategy is understanding your target markets. A great way to do this is to create different audience types for your ideal guests. Once you have identified your preferred audiences, you will find it easier to influence them in terms of moving them to direct booking, increasing your room rate and cross-selling/upselling. Contact us here: https://www.arodigitalstr...

The top 3 trends in online retail are #1 omnichannel strategies, #2 personalisation and #3 immediacy. A hotel Internet booking engine (IBE) is essentially a highly specialised version of a general ecommerce platform and these top three trends apply equally to hotel direct bookings as shopping for clothes. In this podcast I outline areas of synergy between our booking engine benefits and these top...

At Aró Digital we are focused on our customers' needs, data driven and dedicated to planning strategies for book direct success. That is why our clients survived and thrived during lockdown and are now reaping the benefits of the upswing in tourist numbers. In this episode, you can learn how we do it; and understand what we can offer luxury, independent hotels looking for outstanding online perfor...