August 5th, 2025

Read time: ~4 minutes

Welcome to our weekly chats navigating the future of hospitality!

Hospitality is changing faster than we have ever seen. Each week, I share insights and strategies to help you navigate the future of hospitality marketing, revenue management and the demands of the Modern Traveler.

Let’s craft the future of this industry together.

Ever wonder what goes on behind the curtain of Oasi’s content creation machine?

Today, I'm giving you an inside look at exactly what content styles we're testing right now and why.

The difference between hospitality brands seeing millions of views and the ones stuck in the stone age of social media comes down to exactly this…

The amount of content styles they are testing and their volume of consistent, high-quality content.

The modern traveler has ever-changing demands that the hospitality industry has to keep up with. And their demand for new, engaging content styles is no different.

Here's the thing that most operators (and honestly, most agencies) get wrong:

They find something that worked at some point and ride it into the ground.

Even if a certain content style crushed in 2021, there's zero guarantee it'll resonate today. The modern traveler is constantly evolving–they want more storytelling, less polish. More transparency, less corporate gloss.

But even that could all change tomorrow.

This is exactly why testing is an absolutely vital piece of your content strategy. It allows you to continue reaching millions of potential guests, long after content preferences have changed.

It is far too easy to spot the hotels, brands and agencies that lack content testing as a core piece of their strategy…

Just look at all the brands still posting static images. When is the last time you discovered a new Instagram account from a static image and not a video?

I’d wager that for most of you, it’s been years.

Luckily for you, Instagram just made testing easier than ever…

Recently, Instagram moved one of our favorite features out of beta: Trial Reels.

This is pure gold for testing new content styles, yet most people don't even know it exists.

Trial Reels let you post content without it showing up on your main feed or getting pushed to your current followers. Meaning you get pure data on what resonates with people who aren't already following you.

You can test different styles, see what hits, and experiment freely without feeling the need to make “100% polished content” for your main feed.

The best part? You can test up to 20 reels per day with this feature.

(I’m not saying you should be spending all day pumping out 20 different content tests, but it’s an amazingly high threshold for content nerds like us)

Here’s what we're testing right now.

While these are still in varying stages of testing, we are seeing some promising early results in the 10,000 - 100,000 view range so far.

1. Staff-Focused Content

At our larger hotel accounts, we're incorporating staff more into reels. While we are currently testing with interview-style content, recommendations and rankings of “things to do,” this opens up a range of future possibilities.

Why bring the staff into our content? It offers a dual benefit:

First, like I always preach, people connect with people… not businesses. This puts faces behind the property that guests can connect with to build a stronger relationship with the brand.

Secondly, it positions us as the local authority for travelers researching their trips. Offering more of a reason to follow and engage with the account outside of just them wanting to see more of the hotel.

2. Single Shot Content

These are exactly what they sound like: simple, easy-to-replicate shots where the main focus is onscreen text and captions.

Similar to the staff-focused content, the goal is to position ourselves as the local authority, focusing on recommendations and travel tips.

This helps us reach people who are researching trips and scouring social media to figure out what to do—and it just happens we have a hotel they can stay at too.

The clips are intentionally short enough that viewers watch them 2-3 times while reading the caption.

More watch time = algorithm love.

3. Tweaks to Our Proven Structure

We're also testing subtle adjustments to our proven viral content formula in our never ending pursuit of better engagement and more virality for our clients.

While our proven structure of aesthetic, cinematic content showcasing the hotel and guest experience crushes it, we are constantly adjusting to see where we could improve…

Perfect example: Our client has the sickest Airbnb I've ever seen—private lazy river, 20-person hot tub, backyard arcade, the works. It was Instagram gold that should've gone viral, but our reels saw mediocre results.

The problem?

We were starting with drone shots of the whole backyard instead of jumping straight to the action. We were losing viewers because we weren't cutting to the actual experience fast enough.

One simple change: Cut straight to the action first (ex: jumping into the lazy river or flying down the dueling waterslides).

One of our tests resulted in 881k views.

The lesson: Show the experience right off the bat, not just the property.

4. AI-Driven Content

With AI constantly improving, we'd be foolish not to test this.

Right now we're only testing AI content minimally through Trial Reels, but that's the beauty of the feature–you can experiment with new styles like this without needing polished content on your main feed while still seeing how audiences react.

AI video has the potential to become a huge content pillar, but it will take time to crack the code on "how"—plus the technology is improving at an insane pace every few months, constantly opening new possibilities.

While all these tests run in the background, our proven content structure provides consistent weekly content.

Testing should be at the forefront of any good content strategy, but you need a strong backbone of proven content styles to keep the account growing and driving bookings while you test.

If you're just getting into social media, this is the perfect content structure to use as your starting point…

We have been testing it for years and it has played a large role in us being able to drive 130M+ views across our accounts and client accounts:

Hero shots with location/audience clarity ("Couples treehouse getaway | Wimberley, TX")
Experience highlights with guiding on-screen text (so viewers know exactly what they're seeing)
Organic CTAs reminding them to share (asking them to book feels more transactional and results in lower engagement)

All in short, 10-20 second videos showcasing a wide variety of experiences, amenities and units.

If someone were to only ever come across one piece of your content, this structure ensures they know exactly what you offer and the experience that they can expect at your property.

The bottom line is this…

Content that worked last year might be dead today. Content that works today might be dead tomorrow.

The brands winning on social are the ones investing the most in it, but it's not just about throwing money at the problem. It's about spending those dollars the right way. And the right way means constantly testing and adapting to what's actually working now.

Exciting news for your hotel!

We’ve expanded the Oasi team to bring you the same strategies and expertise that fueled Onera’s success.

From boosting your social media presence and marketing strategies, to optimizing pricing and offering full-service property management, we’re ready to help your property attract the Modern Traveler and maximize your returns.

Fill out an inquiry here and let’s explore how we can work together.

See you guys next week!

-Ben Wolff

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