How an AAA Four-Diamond Hotel in Lake Placid 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 stretches 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
The Challenge: 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," said 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.
The Solution: Curacity's Guest Acquisition Platform
Weibrecht recognized the need for a more sophisticated marketing and revenue optimization approach.
By partnering with Curacity, he leveraged our unique platform to distribute content about Mirror Lake Inn to the subscribers of AFAR, Travel + Leisure, and 40 of the world's best media brands.
Curacity content reaches millions of potential guests not with ads but with unique content that naturally drives demand by telling readers why they should travel in the first place.
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, from April 2023 to March 2024, 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," said 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."
The Results: A Surge in New, First-Time Guests
Curacity's proprietary attribution technology kicked in as newsletters deployed, matching newsletter subscriber data to hotel guest data and proving to Mirror Lake Inn how content catalyzes bookings.
The results have been impressive.
Overall, 738 bookings were inspired by Curacity content in the last 12 months, with 70% being new, first-time guests who discovered Mirror Lake Inn in a Curacity newsletter.
"It's been astonishing how much incremental traffic and bookings Curacity has produced,” said Weibrecht. “I can say that we've seen a significant increase in non-referred, first-time customers."
Looking Ahead: 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 said it best.
"I'd describe it as a win-win platform. Unlike many other marketing platforms, you only pay for conversions, not for clicks, impressions, or anything else. These are highly measurable results."
