Open instagram and scroll to any traditional hospitality property that comes to mind.

More often than not, you’ll see:

• Interior design shots
• A few clips of someone’s breakfast
• Actors doing yoga somewhere on the property
• Some friendly staff waving as people enter the hotel
• A few shots of the landscape or city surrounding the property

And worse, you’ll see minimal engagement and most likely no direct bookings coming from those posts.

This is Old Hospitality’s attempt at content—and it’s what we call brochure content.

You know… The type of content you stroll right past when you see it in a hotel lobby, grocery store or gas station.

Well today, I’m going to share the content principles we’ve used to drive 130m+ views across Instagram (and dominate other’s who still post brochure content).

Before we dig in, let’s talk about why will still see brochure content in 2026…

THE WRONG WAY

Brochure content used to work...

… In 2012.

Hospitality marketing was a captive-audience game for decades.

• Billboards
• Magazine spreads
• TV spots on the evening news

Before streaming services and social media, viewers were forced to watch 15 minutes of ads during their favorite shows.

You didn’t need an attention grabbing strategy—you already had it.

So, you could focus on ‘brand advertising’.

In the hospitality world, that means aesthetically pleasing imagery and aspirational copy.

But then social media came along and ruined it all.

In a world of TikTok and IG reels, if a viewer isn’t interested, they have an instant cure…

Just keep scrolling.

Meaning you have a few seconds to:

• Get them hooked
• Give them enough context to keep watching
• Convince them that they should take some form of action vs scrolling

The best way to do that?

Assume viewers will only view your content once.

But what does that mean?

And how do you build content that maximizes your chances of grabbing your ideal guest and keeping them hooked?

THE PLAY

This stat will shock you:

Only ~10-12% of your followers will see your content.

So most of your views aren’t coming from your followers. They’re coming from the discover page and recommended feeds.

That means the bulk of your audience on any given reel are strangers.

They have:

• No context for your property
• No familiarity with your amenities
• No sense of what makes you different from the other 15 properties they’ve scrolled past today

And to make matters worse: the algorithm is harsh.

If a viewer doesn’t engage with your content the first time, the system shows them less of you next time.

This is what “assume they see you once” actually means.

Every reel is a first impression. The algorithm decides whether you get a second shot based on how that first impression performs.

So your goal is to answer these three questions in every reel:

• What does it offer?
• Who is this property for?
• What does a stay actually look like?

Here’s 6 tips to create content that does this:

1. On-screen text from the first frame. “Romantic getaway in X location”
   ​
2. Two hooks in the first frame. Along with the written hook, making sure you have a visual hook that immediately grabs the watcher.
   ​
3. Multiple areas of the property in one reel. Unit, amenity, experience, host moment. The first reel a stranger sees has to do the work of three.
   ​
4. Your one-of-one features in every reel. The stargazing dome, the cliffside deck, the wood-fired sauna. Whatever makes your property a destination or experience belongs in every reel, not saved for special posts.
   ​
5. A clear CTA at the end. Your CTA should encourage engagement. Phrases like ‘share with a friend’, ‘bookmark for later’, etc. are some of our favorites. (Note: Notice we don’t use “book your stay”!)
   ​
6. Pull landscape and activity-only shots out of standalone posts. A reel of just the nearby hiking trail doesn’t answer the core three questions. Who is it for? What does it offer? What does a stay look like?

This will feel repetitive when you scroll your own feed.

It won’t feel repetitive to anyone else.

A small slice of your followers see any given reel.

The discover page viewer is seeing you for the first time—every time.

Build for the strangers, so they become guests.

THE PROOF

We’ve been creating content this way for years.

It works:

• 130M+ views across the accounts we manage
• $25m+ direct booking revenue from socials
• 75% direct booking average

Every view and dollar started with an Instagram reel.

THE TAKEAWAY

Ben Wolff

Founder, Oasi & Modern Hospitality Accelerator