The Papaya Playa Project, a wellness resort in Tulum with oceanfront views and secluded rooftop pools, discovered their average daily rate (ADR) was declining. See how adding stunning photos to their listing made a big impact.
How a Tulum resort’s stunning photos boosted its average daily rate
73 rooms
All-inclusive resort
VIP Access partner
50.3%
increase in average daily rate year-over-year
27.5%
increase in room nights year-over-year
Challenge: How to improve bookings and a declining ADR
The Papaya Playa Project in Tulum, Mexico, is home to 73 cabanas, casitas, and villas with oceanfront views. The wellness-centered property offers endless amenities and activities for guests, from early morning meditation to evening parties. So why wasn’t the resort seeing revenue flow in?
Amanda Hernandez, revenue manager at Papaya Playa Project, noticed their average daily rate (ADR) was declining. With the help of her Expedia Group market manager, she saw that while the booking rate was healthy, guests were reserving lower-priced rooms.
That prompted them to use tools within Partner Central to compare the resort’s performance to nearby competitors. They discovered their Content score was 70% — lower than their competitive set.
The resort’s listing had fewer photos — and fewer reservations — for rooms like the Casita Jungle with Pool, which had no ocean views. Amanda saw an opportunity to improve their listing to ensure the property, its rooms, and its amenities were fully represented.
“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
Solution: Add photos and optimize listings
With other luxury hotels nearby, Amanda needed to boost the visibility of the property — particularly its more luxurious rooms.
Amanda’s market manager recommended adding the resort’s wellness amenities and four to five unique photos per room type to the listing. These small changes increased the property’s Content score to 99%.
Even better, all room categories saw an increase in reservations, especially for the Casita Jungle with Pool room type — guests could now see its beautiful rooftop pool in the photos!
Amanda and team used the Partner Reporting Suite in Partner Central to analyze revenue and ADR changes. 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.
Future: Continue to showcase what the resort has to offer
Amanda and her team learned that including more information in their listing meant travelers felt more comfortable booking a pricier room and rate plan.
“We know we have a very good product,” said Amanda. “We had some wonderful photographs that we weren't publishing.”
Papaya Playa Project did not make changes to what they were offering, but instead changed how they were offering it — by including more unique photos and highlighting amenities — to increase their revenue.
Amanda and team plan to regularly evaluate their property information and photos to look for future areas of opportunity.
“Expedia has always been the channel for me — if not the strongest one on a global level — where you can generate a lot of revenue if you do it right,” Amanda said.
Information contained in this article may have changed since publication.
