Founded in Munich and creators of the “budget design” concept, Motel One has grown to become a leading European hotel brand. With more than 101 properties across 13 European countries - and more to come - the group focuses on delivering high-value stays that offer a unique combination of high-quality interiors, exclusive design, excellent service and outstanding city centre locations, all at attractive prices.
Motel One entered 2025 in a position of strength, with a strong brand, successful direct channel and a loyal customer base. But OTA pressure was growing. More aggressive ad campaigns and loyalty scheme promotions started to have an impact on direct booking revenue.
The Motel One team created a strategic action plan designed to support sustainable long-term growth of their direct business. The plan covers all stages of the guest booking journey, but performance marketing plays an important role.
“It's not a question of either performance or brand at Motel One. You need to put something in at the top - in guest hearts and minds - to have the chance to convert. But performance marketing is an integral part of our approach.”
Susan Schramm, Chief Marketing Officer, Motel One
Metasearch was identified as a growth opportunity. Motel One recognised the critical role this low funnel channel plays in driving high-intent traffic to the direct website. The team saw potential for better performance but knew that a more sophisticated approach would be difficult to scale across many hotels. Automation and more accessible reporting would be essential.
“Metasearch allows us to reach travellers at the moment they are actively searching for accommodation. At this stage, the intention to book is already high, making it an important channel for acquiring new customers.”
Max Brodersen, Director Digital Marketing, Motel One
Motel One needed a metasearch partner capable of delivering both reach and precision. Triptease Metasearch, with an automated bidding algorithm powered by guest and price parity insights, proved to be an ideal way to increase scale and efficiency.
Triptease and Motel One worked closely to build a metasearch programme that matched the group’s needs.
Triptease developed a tailored bidding approach for the Motel One portfolio. Instead of using generic tactics, the strategy was aligned with Motel One’s goals and booker profile. This enabled the brand to increase presence across metasearch without unnecessary spend.
With a large and growing portfolio to support, scalability was essential. Triptease’s automated bidding provides real-time adjustments that respond to market dynamics, ensuring each property receives the right level of visibility without heavy manual intervention.
Motel One had traditionally focused on the UK and DACH markets for metasearch. Triptease worked with the team to expand reach across additional countries to support new hotel openings in different countries and a goal of diversifying geographic demand.
Triptease expanded Motel One’s footprint by enabling visibility on additional metasearch channels like Tripadvisor, increasing exposure to potential guests at key decision moments—especially in markets where OTAs invest heavily in visibility.
Triptease provides a consolidated view of performance that allows Motel One to track results at both property and brand level. Centralised reporting helps the team understand where performance is strongest, where shifts occur and how metasearch contributes to direct revenue.
Close collaboration has been central to the success of the partnership between Triptease and Motel One. The working relationship makes it easier to test ideas, interpret data and refine strategy quickly. Susan Schramm highlighted the importance of this approach:
“We have a very agile and positive way of working together. Very responsive and dynamic. There's a lot of exchange and positive energy between the teams.”
Susan Schramm, Chief Marketing Officer, Motel One
Triptease Metasearch has delivered significant positive results for Motel One.
Motel One achieved a significant increase in metasearch impressions thanks to the Triptease bidding strategy and a broader presence across platforms - ensuring more potential guests saw the brand at the moment of comparison.
Switching to Triptease resulted in a triple-digit percentage increase in key metasearch conversion metrics, including bookings and revenue, showing how increased reach and optimized bidding translate into stronger performance.
Triptease’s automated strategy led to meaningful efficiency improvements, with high double-digit percentage decreases in cost-per-click and cost-per-conversion. This allowed Motel One to achieve more for every euro spent.
Centralized reporting gives Motel One clearer visibility into the drivers behind performance. The team can evaluate results more easily and identify new opportunities.
Despite the success achieved so far, the Motel One team is not standing still. Their long-term plan for direct booking growth will continue in 2026 and beyond, and performance marketing– including Triptease Metasearch–remains an important factor.