Caravella

Caravella is a third-generation family-owned hotel in Cairns. The on-ground experience was genuinely strong — but little online reflected it.

Services

Trusted Advisor Retainer

Strategic Diagnosis Sprint

Industry

Tourism

Company Size

10 Employees

Timeline

6 Months

160

Direct booking volume increased year-on-year

160

Direct booking volume increased year-on-year

160

Direct booking volume increased year-on-year

140

Extra direct bookings in 3 months

140

Extra direct bookings in 3 months

140

Extra direct bookings in 3 months

March 12, 2026

How a family-run hotel rebuilt its identity and reclaimed the margin it was losing to OTAs

The challenge

A strong hospitality offering with little digital presence to match it — and margin quietly slipping away

The owner had no digital background and didn't know where to start. Social channels hadn't been touched in five years. The Google Business Profile sat dormant. With no clear identity online, the property read as just another mid-range hostel, indistinguishable from the party hostels nearby. The result was a large share of bookings — and margin — going to OTA commissions instead of direct guests. The owner knew something was off. He didn't have the map to see what, or how to fix it.

The approach

Part strategist, part translator — building the founder's understanding before building any systems.

I used AI as a working tool to audit the property's scattered digital presence, then translated the findings into terms the owner could act on with confidence — not to replace his judgement, but to strengthen it. Once aligned, we made a clear call: move away from generic budget positioning entirely. We rebuilt the brand around "Secret Garden" — an identity drawn from the family's own history with the property, its grounds, and three generations of hospitality. I then rebuilt their online presence and automated systems stage by stage, and devised and built a simple incentive system to reward guests who booked direct.

The Results

Direct booking volume increased 160% year-over-year within three months. Direct channel revenue share grew from 4.4% to 9.1%. Thirteen percentage points of margin recovered from OTA commissions. Brand positioning fully repositioned around the "Secret Garden" identity. The founder moved from avoiding the digital side of the business to actively managing it.

Direct booking volume increased 160% year-over-year within three months.

Direct channel revenue share grew from 4.4% to 9.1%.

Thirteen percentage points of margin recovered from OTA commissions.

Brand positioning fully repositioned around the "Secret Garden" identity

The owner moved from avoiding the digital side of the business to fully appreciating its importance.

I've been working with Marianne for about six months, and she's been helping me with a side of the business that I know nothing about...the growth that I've seen so far with Marianne has been amazing, and I highly recommend her services for anyone else out there looking for this kind of development in your business.