Mirror Lake Inn acquires net-new guests

Mirror Lake Inn uses Curacity to attract new, first-time guests.

As the operations manager of Mirror Lake Inn in Lake Placid, New York, Andrew Weibrecht wears many hats. Weibrecht's parents, Ed and Lisa, have run the property since 1976; before that, its history as a family-owned and operated business goes back to 1924.

While the property is a member of the prestigious Small Luxury Hotels of the World and has been honored with the AAA Four-Diamond "Exceptional" award for over three decades, make no mistake about it: Mirror Lake Inn is a small business where Weibrecht, based on business needs and the time of year, finds himself filling the shoes of guest services manager, outdoor guide, and designer.

This level of passion and dedication is how Mirror Lake Inn built its reputation. Still, in an era where digital presence is paramount, Weibrecht faced the challenges of driving demand to a seasonal destination to attract new, high-value guests.

Balancing Tradition with Modern Marketing

A search on Airbnb returned 70 accommodation options in Lake Placid, while Expedia's search results included over 300.

"Our biggest challenge as an unflagged, independent hotel has always been acquiring and converting first-time guests," says Weibrecht. "We have a loyal customer base and a strong referral business, but drawing potential guests away from flagged brands and OTAs is an uphill battle."

Mirror Lake Inn's accolades are unparalleled, but to ensure continued growth, it needed to reach a broader audience without compromising brand integrity. The status quo of giving in to OTAs and hoping for the best proved insufficient in capturing the attention of tech-savvy travelers who turn to online media for travel inspiration.

Net-New Guest Acquisition With Curacity

Weibrecht recognized the need for a more sophisticated approach to marketing and revenue optimization. 

Using Curacity to build a distributed brand presence, he helped the property reach the subscribers of Afar, Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, and many more of the world's best media outlets.

According to Weibrecht, getting started was a breeze. 

"Onboarding with Curacity was super simple. We provided the media assets and messaging about our property, and Curacity took care of the rest."

In the last 12 months, Curacity distributed content about Mirror Lake Inn in 80 newsletters, including three Afar newsletters, two Condé Nast Traveler newsletters, three Food & Wine newsletters, five Sherman's Travel newsletters, and three Travel + Leisure newsletters.

"Getting our message out to this audience has been transformative," says Weibrecht. "Every business has a finite amount of resources to contribute towards active marketing and branding. Curacity has allowed us to maximize our reach while maintaining a reasonable cost per new acquisition."

A Surge in New, First-Time Guests

Curacity VISTA began matching hotel guest data with newsletter engagement data, validating how authoritative editorial content catalyzes bookings.

The results have been impressive: 738 bookings were inspired by Curacity content over the last 12 months, with 70% of them new, first-time guests.

"It's been astonishing how much incremental traffic and bookings Curacity has produced,” says Weibrecht. “I can say that we've seen a significant increase in non-referred, first-time customers."

Sustained Growth and Continued Results

In today's saturated hospitality landscape, standing out in the media isn't a one-time thing. Hotels must constantly appear in top-tier media outlets to rise above the competition and get on the radar of potential travelers.

Weibrecht is a big believer in this. 

"We've made the strategic decision to reallocate much of our traditional advertising budget, such as print and TV, to Curacity due to their efficiency in acquiring new customers."

When asked how he'd describe Curacity to an industry colleague, Weibrecht says it best. 

"I'd describe it as a win-win platform. Unlike many other platforms, you only pay for conversions, not for clicks, impressions, or anything else. These are highly measurable results."