In the not-so-distant past, hospitality marketing followed a predictable playbook: glossy brochures, seasonal campaigns, loyalty emails, and slow-moving strategies. But that world has changed.

The pandemic didn’t just pause travel, it rewired it. And artificial intelligence (AI) is now the engine powering its new direction.

Today’s travellers aren’t just booking rooms, they’re booking into their own stories. They’re crafting journeys that reflect their identities, moods, and aspirations. These decisions are made in micro-moments. On Instagram, in WhatsApp groups, during podcasts, or over brunch. Travelers expect brands to be present and relevant in these unexpected but emotionally charged spaces. Brands that can interpret these moments, personalise them, and act on them instantly are the ones that win.

How, Where, When, and Why People Make Travel Decisions in 2025

Travel planning has shifted from the desktop to the feed. Gone are the days when people sat down with a list of hotel options and neatly planned a trip from A to B. Today’s journeys begin with inspiration, often spontaneous, emotionally triggered, and socially influenced, because nearly everyone now carries a decision-making engine in their pocket. Our phones have become the lens through which we discover, desire, and decide. From a saved Instagram post to a location-tagged TikTok or a message in a WhatsApp group, these devices shape the narrative. The stories we’re fed, the ads we scroll past, the content we save, all of it quietly informs where we go next. And if brands aren’t listening to those moments, they’re missing the story before it’s even told.

How do people decide where to go?

• Through stories shared by friends and creators

• Through content from boutique hotels with breathtaking views

• Through memes about escaping burnout

• Through DMs and private group chats

Where are these decisions made?

• On the train, on the sofa, in between meetings, on the phone!

• In saved folders, podcast mentions, or Reddit threads

• Wherever emotion, desire, and digital discovery meet

When are travel decisions made?

• Not at a specific planning stage, but at any moment of emotional receptivity

• After seeing a reel that sparks nostalgia

• After reading a comment thread about hidden gems around the world

Why do people book?

• To reconnect with loved ones

• To restore balance and well-being

• To reward themselves

• To feel something different

In 2025, travel is more impulsive, emotionally charged, and socially informed than ever. And to win, marketers must stop thinking in terms of campaigns and start thinking in terms of conversations.

The Power of Social Listening in a Fractured Funnel

With this shift, traditional marketing funnels have fractured. People don’t follow a straight path from awareness to booking. Instead, they enter at any point, influenced by culture, content, and context… And now, surrounded by an endless stream of AI-generated noise.

Billions of people are online, billions of posts are shared every day, and AI tools churn out content at an unprecedented scale. In this whirlwind, it’s harder than ever to know what’s real, what resonates, and what actually matters to your audience.

This is where social listening becomes your filter, your amplifier, and your competitive edge.

At Rooted, we use Pulsar and Audiense - two of the most advanced social listening and audience intelligence tools in the market. Pulsar allows us to monitor digital conversations as they evolve in real time, uncovering the stories that matter most to your audience. Meanwhile, Audiense helps us understand who is behind those conversations by mapping out detailed audience segments, affinities, and online behaviour.

Together, these tools empower us to:

• Cut through the digital noise and hear what your audience is really saying

• Understand the emotional tone and trajectory of online chatter

• Pinpoint which experiences people are craving

• React to crises, cancellations, or bad PR instantly

At Rooted, we don’t just scan keywords, we listen for emotion and intention. We track not only what people are saying, but why they’re saying it, and use that to craft smarter, more meaningful engagements.

It’s not just about monitoring. It’s about clarity in the chaos. It’s about predicting, adapting, and storytelling in real time, all based on what your customers actually want, not what the algorithm assumes they might.

Owning Your Funnel in the Age of AI

In an age where AI-generated content floods every platform and algorithms evolve by the day, control is everything.

Hospitality brands can no longer afford to outsource their marketing pipelines to outdated agency models or play guessing games with budgets.

Rooted believes in empowering brands to own their entire funnel:

• Top of funnel: Social listening informs content strategy, creative direction, and platform targeting.

• Mid-funnel: AI-supported segmentation delivers relevant messaging to the right audience, at the right emotional moment.

• Bottom of funnel: Smart retargeting and behavioural tracking drive conversion, while live signals feed back into creative loops.

This is a living system, not a one-off campaign.

When you have ownership of your marketing ecosystem, you can:

• Pivot instantly when sentiment shifts

• Reinvest budget based on performance, not hunches

• Speak to travellers with relevance, not noise

From Static Content to Emotional Storytelling

It’s no longer enough to talk about features and room upgrades. Modern travellers expect brands to understand why they travel, and reflect that in tone, timing, and texture.

Emotion-led content wins. And social listening gives us the roadmap:

• When people post about missing nature, we surface wilderness escapes.

• When they discuss burnout, we spotlight retreats, slow travel, and digital detoxes.

• When nostalgia surges, we promote heritage and return-to-roots experiences.

With AI-enhanced emotional intelligence, Rooted helps brands stay ahead - not by reacting to trends, but by anticipating needs before they’re fully expressed.

Campaigns Are Dead. Systems Win.

Let’s be honest: seasonal campaigns with static creative are relics.

What works now is fluid, always-on, and deeply responsive. Rooted has moved beyond the old media planning cycle and into a space where creativity and performance are symbiotic.

Old way:

• Pre-scheduled campaigns

• Vanity metrics

• Content for content’s sake

New way:

• Always-listening, always-adapting funnels

• Performance insights informing creativity in real time

• Stories that are co-created with audience behaviour

Why Rooted?

Rooted isn’t just another AI marketing agency. We are specialists in emotional resonance, real-time responsiveness, and funnel autonomy. Our process blends:

• Live social listening: to detect emotional and cultural shifts as they happen

• Human-led intelligence: to interpret data through a creative, strategic lens

• Responsive campaign design: to ensure your brand never feels outdated

• Customised systems: built around your brand’s tone, goals, and values

We don’t just generate clicks. We build trust, curiosity, and connection.

What’s Next?

If AI can write content, make images, build websites, and optimise campaigns… What’s left?

The answer: context.

Brands that win in 2025 and beyond will be the ones who:

• Understand their audience better than algorithms do

• Move with culture, not behind it

• Show up where decisions are made, not just where ads can be placed

Rooted gives you the systems, strategy, and support to do just that.

Final Word

This isn’t just about using AI, it’s about being more conscious in the chaos. In a world saturated with content and automation, today’s clients have become more discerning and intentional. They know what they want… And they expect brands to know it too.

The challenge isn’t producing more. It’s tuning into the right conversations. Sifting through the noise to find the people who are actively seeking what you offer.

At Rooted, we help you do just that. We don’t just track trends - we decode them. We don’t just listen - we translate. So you can focus your energy on the audiences that matter, with clarity, purpose, and precision.

Ready to hear what really matters to your audience? Let’s talk.