How an Independent Hotel Increased Booking Actions by 60% in One Year

The Challenge

This independent hotel in Green River, Utah, was not getting the bookings it needed to succeed. Located in a small, pass-through town off I-70 between Grand Junction, CO, and Arches National Park, makes it far less than a destination. It’s a freeway exit, a pit stop for travelers going to the national parks out West.

With limited town tourist appeal, tough local competition (eleven other hotels in town), and no national brand support, this hotel needed every advantage it could get to capture drive-by traffic and convert it into booked rooms.

To make matters worse, a handful of negative reviews, including complaints from non-guests who were upset that they couldn’t use the hotel’s facilities, were hurting their online reputation and making it even more difficult to earn trust.

Marketing Issues

• Low organic visibility in Google Search and Maps
• Poor online reputation caused by unfair public reviews
• Limited access to direct booking data due to a third-party booking system
• Competing against chain hotels with more resources and brand name recognition

The Strategy

We didn’t throw money at ads or chase gimmicks. Instead, we focused on what works for a local business: helping people find them online and trust them when they do.

• We made sure the hotel showed up in search. That meant improving their appearance on Google when someone searches for hotels in or near Green River.
• We helped build trust.By highlighting the best aspects of the hotel and making it easier for satisfied guests to leave positive reviews, we began to shift the online reputation.
• We wrote helpful content. Simple, useful blog posts about the area, travel tips, and nearby attractions helped bring in more traffic and gave people a reason to choose First Choice over the competition.
• We improved their presence on Google Maps. More accurate listings, updated information, and the right kind of activity helped them appear more frequently when travelers searched nearby.

No complicated tools. Just a steady, smart approach to helping more people find — and book — with them.

The Results

Since we do not have access to full booking data, we built a measurement model based on verified “booking actions” (such as clicks to reserve or check availability)  to evaluate success through actual user behavior on the website.

March 2024 vs. March 2025 Performance:

• Event Count (Booking Actions):
  From 206 to 337 (+63.6%)
• Total Users Taking Action:
  From 152 to 241 (+58.6%)
• Top Converting Actions on Site:
  • Book Now: an increase of 30% over the previous year
  • Reservations: 70% rise from the previous year
  • Check Availability: doubled from the previous year
  • Book Online Now: doubled from the previous year

Real-World Impact

• 60%+ increase in high-intent user actions
• Consistently higher engagement compared to the same period last year
• Greater visibility in Maps and organic results against larger hotel chains
• Strengthened brand authority and improved public perception despite early reputation challenges

Even in a rural town surrounded by national competitors,  First Choice Inns found a way to stand out. With no gimmicks, no paid ads, and no fancy booking platform, we helped them capture more direct traffic, drive more high-intent booking actions, and turn a freeway exit hotel into a reliable, profitable stop for travelers.

You don’t need to be the biggest name in town. You just need to show up where it matters and prove you’re worth the stay.