Back in June, I was on a direct booking audit with an Accelerator client.

They owned Pioneertown Motel, a historic 19-room Western lodge built in 1946 for film crews (yep, actual Western film crews).

So I pulled up their Instagram and…

Their biggest Reel had 957K views (but nothing in it said you could stay there.)

It was Jason Momoa playing bass at Red Dog Saloon, their sister bar. Here's the Reel and a snippet of it below:

Getting that kind of virality — that’s the part most hospitality operators struggle with.

And, they already had it.

So the question was:

Why weren’t the 957,000 views turning into bookings?

So today, I’m sharing the 4 fixes we gave them.

All without touching the brand that earned the views.

But first…

Most hospitality operators think that if the content is beautiful enough, guests will find the Book Now button.

It makes sense because you’re selling the vibe.

And a one-of-one place like Pioneertown Motel has vibes to spare.

And it works: Almost every one of their posts clears 10K views.

But here's what we saw in the audit:

• Their most viral reel had no on-screen text (so strangers had no idea they were a motel)
• They had an Instagram bio with no CTA to book a stay
• Their booking link was hidden inside the menu of their website
• A rooms page with no room types

Without a clear Next Step at every step of the way, you lose a potential guest's attention after working so hard to get it.

So, here's the rule we gave the Pioneertown:

Every screen should invite a guest to go to the next one.

Here’s what that looks like:

Screen Fix 1: Your Reels should tell strangers what they're looking at.

Put on-screen text in the first frame that says what you are and where.

Why?

Because most people who see a Reel don't follow you yet. On Pioneertown’s, I'd guess 80%+ were non-followers.

After the audit, here's a Reel they posted with this piece of advice in mind:

The text is aspirational.

And, the background video does a lot of heavy lifting to show where the property is located with Joshua Tree's iconic desert landscape.

For future reels, we’d recommend Pioneertown Motel add in a reference to the property in the text itself.

So, we attract the biggest target audience possible — folks who aren't familiar with Joshua Tree or Pioneertown as destinations.

Screen Fix 2: Your Instagram bio should have a single Next Step.

Tom, our Chief of Staff, gave Pioneertown Motel a simple formula:

• A place people already search for (in this case, an incredibly popular BBQ restaurant in Pioneertown)
• A reason to come (walkable to Pappy & Harriet's with live music)
• "Book here" with arrows pointing at the link

Here's their bio now after the rewrite:

Screen Fix 3: Make your direct booking site’s “Book Now” button impossible to miss on mobile.

Typically 80%+ of your traffic is mobile, so check your website on your phone.

The button needs:

• A spot in the header that follows the guest down the page
• A brand color that stands out against the background

Today, Pioneertown has a bordered Book Now button in the top navigation for desktop and mobile.

Screen Fix 4: Let your Rooms page show the rooms.

Someone who taps "Rooms" is closer to booking than anyone on your home page.

So give that guest:

• Room types near the top
• Photos that show the whole room
• A link from each room to its own view in your booking engine (or the engine itself, if yours can't filter)

Here’s what Pioneertown’s Rooms page looks like now:

Remember: Every screen has to “hand” each guest over to the next one.

This week, walk your own booking path on your phone like a stranger would:

• Watch your top Reel on mute. Does it say you're a place to stay?
• Tap your bio. Does it tell you to book?
• Tap the link. Can you see Book Now without scrolling?
• Tap Rooms. Do you actually see rooms?

That way, the next time a Reel takes off, you know it’ll turn into bookings.

Ben Wolff
Founder, Oasi & Modern Hospitality Accelerator

P.S. If you've been getting views but not bookings and can't figure out why...

That's exactly what our direct booking audits inside the Accelerator are for (Pioneertown Motel's was one of them).

• We go through your Instagram, website and booking engine with you
• You leave with the first fix to make (for this team, their Book Now button)

Want our help for your property?

​Click here to fill out a 2-min form and grab a 30-min chat with my team.​