Should hotels be on tiktok?
(From Someone Who Has to Explain This to Hotel Teams… A Lot)
Let me start with this, because I know someone needs to hear it: TikTok is not mandatory for every hotel.
There. I said it. We can all exhale.
That said… it is getting harder to ignore, especially if you care about discovery, relevance, and how travelers actually make decisions today. And as an agency that spends a truly concerning amount of time inside hotel social feeds, we see both sides of TikTok: the wins and the very real frustrations.
So let’s talk about it honestly. No hype. No “you must go viral.” No pretending TikTok is a silver bullet.
Just the real pros, the real cons, and how to think about TikTok strategically (without losing your sanity.)
Why TikTok Even Belongs in the Hotel Marketing Conversation
TikTok isn’t just a social platform anymore, think of it as a discovery engine where people aren’t only consuming entertainment, they’re planning trips. People are opening TikTok and typing things like:
“best hotels in Palm Springs”
“romantic weekend getaways near me”
“what to do in Denver with kids”
But we already knew that. That happened several years ago, but now thanks to a new integration with Booking.com, TikTok is starting to collapse parts of the traditional travel funnel into one place. In the U.S., users can now browse travel videos and book hotel rooms directly through the app via Booking.com’s inventory without ever opening a browser or leaving TikTok. A hotel’s photos, prices, amenities, reviews, and related TikTok content are presented on a dedicated landing page, and travelers can complete the booking right there in-app.
So that creates a problem for hoteliers because an OTA is now cannibalizing the very large percentage of travellers that start their search and discovery phase on social media.
This shift represents something more than a new feature, it’s social commerce meeting hospitality distribution, and it changes how hoteliers need to think about where and how demand is generated.
"But Ashley, what do we do?? How do we get our direct traffic back?" 😟😭
I know, I know. Don't panic.
The Pros (Why TikTok Can Work Really Well for Hotels)
1. Organic Reach Is Still on the Table
Unlike some platforms, TikTok still gives non-followers a real chance to discover your content. That matters because travelers don’t typically follow hotel brands before they travel but they do discover them when they’re planning. The Booking.com integration simply tightens the bridge between inspiration and action and you don’t need a massive following to show up in the right moment.
2. It Humanizes Your Brand (Fast)
On TikTok, overly polished marketing often reads as an ad and users scroll right past it. What performs instead are moments that feel human, unscripted, and real. The kind of moments guests actually experience when they’re on property.
Front desk banter during a slow check-in window. A bartender explaining why a cocktail is their favorite, not just what’s in it. A quick room tour shot on an iPhone with imperfect lighting. A “this is what a random Tuesday looks like here” moment. None of these are groundbreaking ideas. But they feel honest and honesty builds trust.
3. It Rewards Real Moments Over Big Budgets
Some of the best-performing hotel TikToks we’ve seen were filmed on phones, in under five minutes, with zero production polish. For hotels without massive content budgets, this is a huge advantage.
TikTok favors authenticity over aesthetics, storytelling over selling and personality over perfection.
4. It Influences the Planning Phase
TikTok content often reaches people before they’ve chosen where to stay. That’s key. Instagram tends to capture inspiration. TikTok captures consideration. If your property shows up when someone is actively dreaming, researching, or comparing destinations that’s powerful brand equity.
But with all of the good, there is some bad...
The Cons (And These Are Important)
1. TikTok Requires Consistency, Not Just Presence
This is a lot of property teams struggle. Posting once a month won’t do much. TikTok rewards momentum. That doesn’t mean daily posting but it does mean a consistent rhythm and willingness to experiment.
If your team can’t realistically support that, TikTok can go from “exciting” to “why are we even doing this” very quickly.
2. It’s Not a “Set It and Forget It” Platform
TikTok trends move quickly. Audio cycles change weekly. What worked last month may not work now. From an agency perspective, this requires:
active monitoring
creative flexibility
comfort with iteration
Hotels that need everything approved weeks in advance will feel friction here.
3. Brand Control Can Feel A Littlle.... Looser
TikTok doesn’t look like traditional hospitality marketing and that can be uncomfortable. Especially for ownership.
You have less control over:
how content is interpreted
what context it appears in
what comments or stitches show up
That doesn’t make it unsafe but it does mean brands need clearer guardrails and a slightly thicker skin.
4. TikTok Is Not a Direct Booking Machine
Let’s level-set: TikTok is top-of-funnel.
It builds awareness, desire, and familiarity. It supports bookings but rarely in a straight line, especially with the Booking.com integration. If you’re expecting immediate ROAS like paid search, you’ll be disappointed.
Where TikTok shines:
brand recall
repeat exposure
audience growth
stronger performance across other channels
The Summerside POV: When TikTok Actually Makes Sense for a Hotel
At Summerside, we don’t treat TikTok as a “must-have.” We treat it like a tool and it only works when the setup makes sense (and the budget).
TikTok works best for hotels when:
There’s a budget allocated for it
The team can commit to consistent posting (even modest consistency beats sporadic perfection)
The approval process is fast or flexible enough to not kill momentum
The hotel is comfortable showing real people and real moments, not just polished brand visuals
TikTok rewards volume, relevance, and timeliness. That means content needs to be created regularly, and approved quickly, so it can actually live while it’s still relevant.
Where TikTok struggles:
When content budget only exists for quarterly shoots
When every post requires multiple rounds of approvals
When timelines stretch weeks instead of days
When success is measured only by followers
From our perspective, TikTok is less about perfection and more about momentum. A steady stream of simple, authentic content will outperform the “one perfect video” every time.
The hotels that see the most success are the ones that:
plan for TikTok as an ongoing line item, not an add-on
trust their partners to move quickly
understand that consistency builds visibility long before it drives conversion
TikTok isn’t hard—but it is honest. If the budget, cadence, or approvals aren’t there, it’s better to wait than force it.
So… Should Every Hotel Be on TikTok?
No.
But every hotel marketer should understand TikTok.
Because even if you’re not posting, your guests are. Your destination is. Your competitors are. And your future travelers are absolutely consuming content there—whether your brand is part of that story or not.
TikTok isn’t replacing other platforms. It’s filling a gap: discovery, personality, and early influence.
And in hospitality, those moments matter more than we sometimes give them credit for.
About Ashley & Summerside Creative
Ashley O’Neal, CHDM is the Founder & CEO of Summerside Creative, a hospitality-focused social media and creative agency working with hotels, resorts, and restaurants across the U.S. With a background in hospitality marketing and nearly a decade of experience leading national digital strategy, Ashley brings a grounded, real-world perspective to modern hotel marketing balancing creativity, performance, and practicality.
If you’re a hotel marketer navigating where platforms like TikTok fit into your mix, Ashley shares ongoing insights from the agency side here and on LinkedIn.
https://summersidecreative.co/
