What we discuss in this episode
Hotel marketing in Poland – 15 years of experience and 1,000+ audits
Tomasz Chojnacki is one of the most experienced people in Poland’s hotel industry. The owner of Hotel Marketing Group, a trainer and lecturer who has worked for 15+ years with brands such as Profitroom, Mercedes‑Benz, Thomas Cook and Koleje Dolnośląskie. He has audited and worked with over a thousand hotels across Poland and stayed in nearly five hundred properties.
In this conversation, Tomasz shares knowledge about hotel and restaurant marketing, the most common HoReCa mistakes, and how AI is changing gastronomy and hospitality. If you’re looking for AI tools for gastronomy, this episode helps you understand where technology truly makes sense.
The first hotel and a communication lesson – the “rabbits” story
The first hotel Tomasz worked with was a small villa in Nałęczów – Willa Monika, now known as W Krainie Alicji. The owner, Ms. Zofia, stood out for her openness to tech and willingness to test new marketing solutions.
Tomasz also shares a warning about internal communication. In the same hotel, a staff member told kids too much about what happens to the rabbits being raised there. The result? A wave of negative reviews from the family.
These are basic mistakes that happen in the industry. Saying too much. You have to take care of communication not only externally – what the guest sees on the website or in social media – but also internally.
The most common marketing mistakes in hotels and restaurants
After years in HoReCa, Tomasz points to three core issues:
Combining marketing and sales roles – in many hotels, a “marketing & sales” person spends 80% on sales and only 20% on marketing. Marketing gets done half‑heartedly.
Lack of original visuals – the same stock photos appear in dozens of properties for SPA or romantic packages. Without professional, unique images, even the best agency can’t help.
No clear ownership of marketing – in restaurants, a waiter might make Instagram reels “on the side”. Nobody pays extra, so they burn out and stop. Without clear responsibility and reward, marketing becomes chaotic.
A similar reality of building a brand without huge budgets is covered by Daniel Radtke from Pardon To Tu.
Micro ad budgets – a band‑aid, not a solution
Tomasz is blunt about micro budgets: PLN 500–700 per month for ads is like fortune‑telling.
A micro budget does something, increases visibility and clicks, but it’s like reading tea leaves. We can’t really see anything because there’s no full analytics.
Why analytics is the foundation of effective marketing
A key theme is marketing analytics. Without proper measurement, even a big budget can be wasted.
A good analyst:
- connects tools – website + Google Tag Manager with special containers
- installs pixels for Meta, Google, TikTok, LinkedIn
- measures real conversions: calls, forms, online bookings
- breaks down traffic by sources and campaigns
Tomasz warns: a good analyst can cost PLN 300 per hour. For smaller properties, automated marketing tools can take over part of that work.
Keywords and SEO for hotels and restaurants
Tomasz explains how keywords evolved. A decade ago we searched “hotel Warsaw with pool”. Today we ask full questions expecting precise answers.
A success example: Pan Papuga in Gdańsk – a jungle‑vibe restaurant with graffiti, trees and parrots. Thanks to Google Ads focused on the keyword “birthday Gdańsk”, it now ranks at the top.
Hotel Max in Ustronie Morskie – a “with your pet” niche case
Tomasz describes Hotel Max, which chose the niche of stays with animals. Hotel Marketing Group was one of the first to promote this niche abroad.
The result: guests from Germany now arrive with pets; on summer weekends there can be 20–25 dogs and other animals in the hotel at once.
Types of online campaigns – what works
Tomasz walks through major campaign types:
Google Ads: search, display banners, Performance Max, remarketing, Google Hotel Ads.
Facebook Ads: awareness (cheapest), conversion, lead forms, calls and WhatsApp.
TikTok: with PLN 600 you can get 70,000–150,000 video views. TikTok is 4x cheaper than Google and 2x cheaper than Facebook.
The sales funnel – how marketing works like a good salesperson
He compares effective marketing to a salesperson: traffic acquisition, follow‑up via remarketing after 2 days, cross‑platform retargeting, and closing via a popup with a discount code.
AI in hotels and restaurants – what already works
Tomasz notes AI is already used for:
- replying to reviews
- editing photos
- creating content
In his view, AI can replace a cheap freelancer now, and in 3–5 years also the mid‑tier one. Practical usage is also covered by Szymon Czerwiński.
When does marketing start working?
Effects depend. Niche campaigns may show results in a month; competitive keywords require bigger budgets and time. Costs have risen: lead acquisition for weddings used to be PLN 75–180 and is now 1.5–2x higher.
Case studies – from crisis to the top
Hotel Kocierz: after 2 years of work on processes and training, it became one of the key resorts in the Beskids.
Manor House: by focusing on an эзoteric niche and content marketing, it drives 40–50k monthly website visitors.
Pałac Mortęgi: improved results year by year after marketing & sales work.
Key takeaways for restaurateurs and hoteliers
Analytics before budget – set up measurement first.
Look for niches – better to be #1 in a small category.
Invest in materials – photos/videos are foundational.
Define ownership – who does marketing and why.
Use AI – for reviews, photos, content.
Build a funnel – marketing is a process.
More practical talks are available in mysite talks.
