The Papaya Playa Project, a wellness-centered resort with offerings from oceanfront views to secluded rooftop pools, discovered its average daily rate wasn’t growing. With Expedia Group’s help, the resort found opportunities to increase their revenue.
How this resort’s stunning photos boosted its ADR
87 unique cabanas, casitas and villas
European Plan
VIP Access partner
50.3%
increase in ADR year-over-year
27.5%
increase in room nights year-over-year
The Problem
Nestled between the jungle and the Caribbean Sea is the Papaya Playa Project in Tulum, Mexico. The resort offers guests tons of amenities, from early morning meditation to evening entertainment. But some of this resort’s most alluring offerings are the 73 cabanas, casitas and villas with oceanfront views.
So, why wasn’t the resort seeing revenue flow in?
Amanda Hernandez, the Revenue Manager, decided to investigate. Working with her Expedia Group Market Manager, they noticed guests were staying more often in the lower-priced rooms, so while their booking rate looked healthy, the average daily rate (ADR) was declining.
That prompted them to review the resort’s competitor set, where they discovered their Content score was 70%.
When travelers are looking for a place to stay, they rely on amenities and photos to find the right fit. Content score helps a property ensure their listing is complete. What Amanda found was her listing had fewer photos — and fewer reservations — for rooms like the Casita Jungle with Pool, which had no ocean views.
With luxury hotels dotting the Caribbean shoreline, Amanda knew she needed to boost the visibility of the property’s more luxurious rooms.
“Expedia tells you how many photographs you need, ‘You already uploaded one of this view, you need one of this other view…’ We standardized everything we had on the hotel website and did the same on Expedia, and it was the best thing we could have done. All the room categories began to sell.”
Amanda Hernandez
Revenue Manager
Papaya Playa Project
The Solution
Amanda’s Market Manager recommended adding the resort’s wellness amenities and four to five unique photos per room. With more enticing views and amenities in the listing, the property’s Content score increased to 99%.
Amanda noticed all the room categories saw more reservations, especially the Casita Jungle with Pool room type — the room with the now coveted rooftop pool.
Amanda and the team analyze revenue changes, room nights and ADR over a full year using the Partner Reporting Suite in Partner Central. After adding the photos, the property saw a 50.3% increase in ADR year-over-year (YOY) and a 27.5% increase in room nights YOY.
“We know that we have a very good product, we believe in our product and we had some wonderful photographs that we weren't publishing” said Amanda.
The Future
Amanda and her team learned that including more information in their listing meant more travelers felt comfortable booking a pricier room and rate plan.
“Expedia has always been the channel for me — if not the strongest one on a global level — and where you can generate quite a lot of revenue if you do it right,” Amanda said.
Papaya Playa Project did not make changes to what they were offering, but instead just changed how they were offering it — by including more unique photos — to increase their revenue.
