Dr. Wilkinson’s Backyard Resort & Mineral Springs is a 50-room wellness destination in Calistoga, California. Quirky, colorful, and rich in mid-century Americana charm, visitors are drawn to the resort by its fun atmosphere and unique mud bath experiences. Part of the Modus by PM Hotel Group, the hotel is one property in a portfolio of independent lifestyle hotels known for bold branding and creative storytelling. But despite all its unique attributes and a strong brand identity, the hotel was overly reliant on OTAs (60% of total revenue).
From 2019 to 2021, Dr. Wilkinson’s went through a major renovation which, along with a renewed surge in travel in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, became the impetus for an overhaul of their entire marketing strategy. The team wanted to decrease reliance on OTAs, bring more direct traffic, and improve conversion rates, particularly on mobile.
A few years down the line, and Dr. Wilkinson’s is in a very different place. In 2024:
Moh Baaghil, VP of Digital Strategy and eCommerce, spoke to Triptease about the key steps he’d recommend to hoteliers looking to replicate Dr. Wilkinson’s success, and how Triptease helped this major direct booking turnaround.
The Dr. Wilkinson’s team used a "FIRST" (Funnel-aware, Intent capture, Relevance, Smart spending, Testing) strategy to provide a framework for different initiatives across the guest booking journey.
This strategy translated into many different activities that combined to drive more direct bookings. Moh highlighted 5 key steps in the process:
Moh and the Dr. Wilkinson’s team chose Triptease Display Retargeting and Onsite Messages as part of a portfolio of complementary direct booking solutions that helped them tackle their goals.
Dr. Wilkinson’s had already built an impressive brand, and had put a lot of effort and spend into attracting guests higher up in the funnel. But they wanted a way to ensure that the guests who were visiting their website were returning to book direct, rather than being lost to OTAs or a competitor.
“If we're spending a lot of money at the top of the funnel to put new users in and inspire them to stay at our hotel, the last thing we want with all the dollars that we’ve spent, is for them to book through an OTA”.
Moh Baaghil
Triptease Retargeting played a vital role—automatically pulling in a guest’s abandoned search dates and best available rates, then retargeting them across the web using over 25 of the top ad display networks.
2024 Results
“What I really like about [Triptease Retargeting] is that it's really dynamic. It pulls that date range that they selected, and it pulls the best available rate and just spits it out. It's been a great campaign for us to re-engage users after they initially abandoned [their booking]”.
Moh Baaghil
It’s better if prospective guests book on their first website visit but sometimes a little extra help is needed. Triptease Onsite Personalization enables Dr. Wilkinson’s to surface timely, relevant offers that drive faster conversions.
In particular, customizable messages help the team to maintain demand at slower times of the week by highlighting key offers like the hotel’s ‘Weekday Remedy’—a promotion specially designed to appeal to audiences who might want a great value break in less busy times.
In 2024 the Weekday Remedy message alone helped to convert over $100,000 of direct bookings.
Moh sums up the success he’s achieved with Dr. Wilkinson’s perfectly, saying “You just have to find the right tool and the right tech stack to make it work”.
Moh has also implemented other Triptease products across the Modus by PM portfolio of hotels, with impressive results:
But for Dr. Wilkinson’s, Triptease Retargeting and Onsite Personalization have been the perfect additions to the other tools in its arsenal.
Looking for the perfect tools to complement your existing tech stack? Get in touch with our direct booking experts.