RHV Media

How do independently owned properties develop an identity?

What makes people return to the same property year in, year out?

The above questions have one answer, experience + marketing. In the hospitality sector, effective marketing can put smaller, independent properties on a level playing field with larger brands. The innovations in marketing technology in the last decade have made it critical that brands have expert guidance in the many platforms that put heads in beds.

One company that has established themselves as one of the leading firms in this environment is RHV Media - digital agency headquartered in Kansas City. RHV focuses on developing long term, profitable partnerships with their select clientele.

The brand mantra at RHV Media is “We’re NOT just another digital agency” – and their approach with clients reflects that. The co-founders, Clarke Henning & Scott Randolph, have over 40 years of combined experience in hospitality. This experience pays off for clients, as the team at RHV goes deeper than other, more general, ad agencies.

“That’s what really sets us apart from bigger agencies,” says co-founder Clarke Henning. “Our clients are working directly with us – the owners – people that really get the business. We’re not handing things off to interns.”

RHV Media aims to maximize return for their clients’ marketing dollars by understanding the specific property needs and applying the right mix of platforms and technologies. Their unique ability to analyze revenues, rates, and forecasts and translate those into marketing strategies has been one of the keys to their success.

Countering the Challenges caused by the Virus

After weathering COVID shutdowns and delivering record numbers in the following year, RHV Media helped clients address another problem – a tight labor market.

The nimble company pivoted from selling rooms to recruiting staff. As it turns out, the systems RHV Media has in place worked well in bringing in recruits for jobs at every level in the client organizations.

RHV Media’s background in IT enables it to assist smaller properties in streamlining their technology operations. With a deep rolodex of industry contacts, the company strives to find cost effective IT solutions when needed.

The buying journey for hospitality guests changes with technology. Marketers today have to consider organic search, the large hospitality portals (e.g. TripAdvisor), review sites, paid search marketing, social media advertising, community building and email marketing. RHV media builds strategies and campaigns that grab attention, book rooms, and create return guests.

During a particular collaboration, a two year old resort property approached RHV Media to gain a foothold in the industry. The firm revamped the website and set up a new booking engine to increase online conversion. When they applied their updated marketing strategy, the company doubled their online booking volume in less than 12 months. The next step was to use email and search engine marketing to attract direct bookings. Transferring bookings from the large travel portals to direct led to a 75% annual savings in commissions paid to the travel portals.

“We’ve got the expertise in these different marketing disciplines,” says co-founder Scott Randolph, “but I think the real reason for our success is our commitment to our clients – we treat their marketing dollar like it was our own – it’s a true partnership.”

Not content to rest on their laurels, RHV Media stays focused on being on the forefront of advances in marketing & technology in the future. As new platforms and advertising emerge, you can bet you’ll see their clients there.