Hi, I'm Gonzalo 👋
Today's edition is a packed one. I've got an event we're preparing with a lot of love, this week's prompt, a data point from our hotels that will make you think, a sneak peek of what's coming, and a question from a hotelier that's useful for everyone. Let's go.
📅 We're getting together with Cloudbeds (June 30)
I'm telling you firsthand because I'm genuinely excited: on June 30 we're hosting an in-person event together with Cloudbeds, «The winning algorithm: AI, Revenue Management and direct sales».
It's a morning to understand how AI, revenue management and direct sales combine to make your hotel more profitable. Real cases, decision-makers, and good conversation.
- When: June 30.
- Where: Palacio Paz Hotel, Buenos Aires.
- Who it's for: owners, managers and revenue directors.
The event is free and seats are limited.
SAVE YOUR SPOT
⚡ This week's prompt
Replying to reviews takes time, and when you're in a hurry they come out cold or all the same. This prompt builds warm, personalized replies in your hotel's voice, in seconds. Copy it, paste the review and you're done:
«You are the guest relations manager of a hotel [describe your hotel in one line: e.g. boutique, beachfront, family-run]. I'm going to paste a guest review. Write a short reply (4 lines max), warm and human, that thanks them by name, mentions something specific from what they wrote and, if the review is negative, takes ownership with empathy without sounding like a template. Tone: friendly, professional, nothing robotic. Here's the review: [paste the review]»
A small bonus: replying well to your reviews doesn't just protect your reputation with guests. It also protects how AI sees you when someone asks it for a recommendation.
📊 The data point from WeSpeak hotels
Looking at the activity of the 700+ hotels using WeSpeak, there's a number that keeps repeating: around 67% of WhatsApp inquiries arrive outside business hours.
Think about it: two out of every three booking opportunities knock on the door when there's nobody on the other side. What's lost there isn't «an inquiry»: it's a direct booking, exactly the one that doesn't charge you a commission. The hotel that answers at that hour —even with an assistant— is playing a different game.
So the question isn't how many inquiries you receive. It's what happens to the ones that arrive after you've closed for the day. My suggestion for this week: look at your WhatsApp from the last two nights and count how many messages went unanswered until the next morning. That number, in bookings, is money walking out the door. And the good news is it's one of the easiest to recover.
🚀 Sneak peek: something new is coming (June 29)
The day before the event we're going to show you, for the first time, the features the team has been working on so your assistant sells even better. A preview:
- A faster conversation experience.
- The assistant's knowledge base, revamped.
- New optional add-ons for your plan.
All the details on 06/29. Keep an eye on your inbox 👀
Ask Gonzalo 📩
This week I heard from Belén, in La Paloma (Uruguay). She did the exercise I suggested in the last edition —asking ChatGPT— and discovered something:
«I don't show up if I ask generic questions… but if I search for 'accommodation near the beach, nature, we're 2 adults', there I am! I've been working on SEO with a consulting firm and they do a good job. What can I do to get AI to recommend me more?»
Belén, first of all: showing up in specific, conversational searches is no minor detail — it's the best news. Today people don't ask AI for a «hotel in La Paloma»; they talk to it like a friend: «I'm looking for something quiet, near the sea, for two, close to nature.» Showing up exactly there means you're on the right track.
Now, how do you get it to recommend you more often? AI doesn't make things up: it builds its answer from what the web says about you. So the game is to associate your place with the words people use to look for you. Three concrete moves:
- Your reviews are gold for AI. It reads the reviews and learns from them. If your guests mention «beach», «nature», «peace and quiet», «perfect for couples», the AI starts associating you with that. Ask them to share what they enjoyed, not just to leave 5 stars. And reply to all of them (with the prompt above it takes minutes).
- Describe yourself the way people search for you. On your website, your Google profile and every listing, use people's real language: «nature-surrounded accommodation in La Paloma, perfect for couples looking to unwind». Add an FAQ section that answers what guests actually ask.
- Show up where AI trusts. A complete, up-to-date Google profile, TripAdvisor, La Paloma tourism sites, and above all: get mentioned in third-party content (blogs, «where to stay in La Paloma» lists, local press). AI gives a lot of weight to independent sources, more than to your own website.
One key detail: SEO and «getting AI to recommend you» look alike, but they're not the same. Ask your team to also optimize for those long, conversational, attribute-based searches (beach, nature, couples), not just for isolated keywords.
And since you reopen on October 1, you have an advantage: use these months to collect reviews with that language, tidy up your information and gather mentions. You'll reopen much stronger. Thanks for writing, Belén 🙌
What did you think of this edition?
If you think this information could help someone else, forward this email to them. And if you have doubts or suggestions, I'd love to hear from you.
See you in the next edition!
