Hotels are facing rising customer acquisition costs as new digital marketing regulations and privacy rules reshape how they attract and convert guests online.

A recent report from hotel technology firm Cendyn finds that hotel cost per acquisition (CPA) is being pushed up by a combination of higher media prices, stricter compliance obligations and reduced visibility of guest behaviour across digital channels.

Regulatory changes reshape hotel digital marketing

The report indicates that hotel digital marketing now operates in a more regulated environment, where data privacy and transparency rules directly affect performance.

In key markets, including Europe and North America, hotels must obtain clearer consent from website visitors before using their data for tracking and advertising.

When guests decline tracking, their bookings may still occur but are no longer fully visible in platforms such as analytics and advertising dashboards. This erodes the quality of the data used to optimise hotel digital marketing campaigns and automated bidding strategies.

Campaigns can appear weaker than they actually are, encouraging hotels to pull back spend or change tactics based on incomplete information.

Cendyn’s analysis suggests that this shift is contributing to higher hotel CPA, as marketers pay more for clicks and impressions without receiving the same level of measurable conversions.

In effect, hotels are working in a landscape where demand for travel remains present but is harder to track accurately, complicating decisions about budget allocation and channel mix.

Loss of tracking signals pushes up hotel CPA

The move towards a privacy-first, “clickless” world has significant implications for hotel advertising.

In the past, third-party cookies and detailed user signals allowed hotel marketers to follow potential guests across devices and channels, refining targeting and measuring the full journey from search to booking.

As those tools are restricted, the number of reliable signals going into automated systems declines. Paid search, social media campaigns and metasearch advertising still drive traffic, but the resulting bookings may not be fully captured.

For hotel revenue teams, this makes it more difficult to judge which elements of their digital marketing strategy are driving profitable direct bookings and which are inflating acquisition costs.

The report points to the growing importance of first-party data in hotel marketing. By encouraging guests to sign up for loyalty programmes, newsletters or accounts, hotels can build their own permission-based databases.

This first-party data can then support more targeted email marketing, personalised offers and remarketing efforts that rely less on third-party cookies and more on consented information.

Search engine optimisation (SEO) for hotels also becomes more critical in this context. Strong organic visibility can reduce dependence on paid clicks and help offset the impact of rising media costs.

Content that clearly explains a hotel’s location, facilities and policies, and that answers common traveller questions, can support both brand trust and search performance.

Price transparency and parity issues hit performance

Alongside privacy regulations, new rules on price transparency are changing how hotel rates must be displayed online.

In some markets, legislation requires hotels and intermediaries to show the full cost of a stay upfront, including taxes and mandatory fees that were previously added later in the booking process.

The Cendyn report warns that inconsistent application of these rules can create price parity problems.

If a hotel’s official website presents a different total price to that shown on online travel agencies or metasearch platforms, this can confuse guests and lead algorithms to reduce that hotel’s visibility.

Properties that appear more expensive than nearby competitors may see lower click-through rates, further increasing their effective cost per booking.

For hotel digital marketing teams, compliance with pricing and disclosure rules is now closely linked to performance. Maintaining accurate, synchronised rates and fee information across all channels is essential to protect both conversion rates and brand credibility.

The report outlines several steps hoteliers can take to navigate this environment while managing higher acquisition costs:

• review consent tools and privacy notices to make sure they are clear, compliant and user-friendly
• strengthen first-party data collection through loyalty schemes, direct sign-ups and guest communication
• monitor price parity and ensure that taxes, fees and surcharges are displayed consistently across channels
• invest in SEO and content so that hotel websites attract more organic traffic and reduce reliance on paid clicks
• regularly audit tracking and analytics configurations to capture as much compliant, high-quality data as possible

As digital rules tighten, hotel cost per acquisition is likely to remain under pressure.

The Cendyn findings suggest that success in hotel digital marketing now depends as much on compliance, data quality and transparent pricing as it does on creative campaigns or aggressive bidding.

Hotels that integrate legal requirements into their core marketing strategy may be better positioned to control acquisition costs while maintaining trust with guests in a more regulated online marketplace.