notitur.com August 24, 2026

Marketing and CRO

Attribution

Attribution is how you split the credit for a booking across the different touchpoints a person hit before buying. If they saw an ad, then a metasearch site and finally came direct, deciding who gets the credit changes where you invest. A bad attribution model has you overpaying the last click and underpaying what actually created the sale.

Example A last click model hands all the credit to Google and hides the ad that started the booking.

Related terms

Marketing and CRO

Retargeting

Retargeting is showing ads again to people who visited your website but did not book. It follows the customer...

 Marketing and CRO

CPC

Cost per click is the model where you pay each time someone clicks your ad, not per booking. It is how Google...

 Distribution

Metasearch

A metasearch engine compares prices for the same hotel across several channels at once and sends the user to...

 Distribution

Billboard effect

The billboard effect is the phenomenon where showing up on an OTA also lifts the hotel's direct bookings....

FAQ

What is attribution in travel and hospitality?
Attribution is the process of assigning credit for a booking to the different touchpoints a customer interacted with before purchasing, such as an ad, a metasearch site, or a direct channel. For example, if a traveler saw an ad on social media, compared prices on Google Hotels, and then booked direct, attribution decides which channel gets the credit.
How is attribution calculated for a booking?
It is calculated using a model that distributes the booking value among the channels that influenced the customer's journey, based on rules like last click, first click, or linear attribution. In practice, if you use last click, all credit goes to the channel where the user clicked just before booking, even if they saw other channels earlier.
What is the purpose of attribution and why does it matter in hospitality?
It helps you understand which marketing channels actually drive bookings and optimize your spending, avoiding overpaying for channels that only capture the last click without generating initial interest. If a hotel uses the wrong attribution model, it might cut budget from ads that sparked the travel intent, losing future sales.

Explore the glossary

More terms with the letter ASee all terms

Notitur is an independent digest. It is not the official site of any brand mentioned. Content is editorial and produced with AI assistance and editorial review, and may contain errors. Verify anything important with the original source. This is not financial, legal or investment advice. Some links or blocks may be sponsored or affiliate. Trademarks belong to their owners. You can unsubscribe at any time with one click, and you can request access or deletion of your data at notitur.com/contact.

⚙ Admin