The Hotel Investor Playbook The Marketing Playbook Every Small Hotel Owner Needs | Steph Weber E44
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Aug 12, 2025 Steph Weber, a branding strategist and founder of The Weber Co., shares her insights on marketing for small hotels. She reveals how to identify your property's unique selling points and leverage limited resources for maximum results. Steph emphasizes the significance of guest experience as a powerful marketing tool and the shift from merely filling rooms to building a memorable brand. With her real-world experience owning a micro-resort, she provides actionable strategies to stand out in a crowded market.
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From Idea To Purchase In Weeks
- Steph bought riverfront land in Kentucky within months of starting STRs while eight months pregnant and with a newborn arriving 20 days after purchase.
- She turned a Facebook connection into partners and closed the deal in December 2023, moving fast despite family demands.
Design Around Guest Emotions
- Steph targeted families visiting Lake Cumberland by researching why they travel and what they value in a trip.
- She used that human-first clarity to design experiences and rentals that match guests' emotional needs, not just amenities.
Build A Living Guest Avatar First
- Do market research and build a detailed avatar before acquisition to guide design, financing, and marketing.
- Name and flesh out a target guest (Steph used the “McCarthy family”) to keep decisions aligned across development and messaging.