For hotels and restaurants, investing in digital marketing is no longer the main challenge. In 2026, the real differentiator is knowing whether that investment is actually generating revenue, bookings, and sustainable profitability, or if it is only producing clicks and interactions with no real business impact.
General managers, marketing directors, and business owners often receive reports full of metrics, but few provide a clear answer to a critical question: what is the real return on our advertising spend? This is where properly measuring ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) becomes essential.
From Digisap’s experience as a digital marketing agency and growth partner specialized in hospitality, gastronomy, and real estate across Colombia, Mexico, and the United States, we have seen that when ROAS is measured and interpreted correctly, marketing stops being an expense and becomes a true growth engine.
This article explains how to measure ROAS in digital campaigns for hospitality and gastronomy, which KPIs should support it, how to read dashboards correctly, and how to use this data to increase direct bookings, qualified leads, and profitability.
Key benefits of measuring ROAS correctly
Implementing proper ROAS measurement in hospitality and gastronomy delivers clear, measurable benefits:
- Better investment decisions, based on real revenue rather than vanity metrics.
- Increased direct bookings, by prioritizing the channels with the highest return.
- Budget optimization, reducing spend on underperforming platforms or campaigns.
- Greater control over growth, with predictable sales and occupancy.
- Reduced dependence on OTAs and intermediaries, by comparing their real cost versus direct acquisition.
Investing in specialized digital marketing is not an expense—it is a strategy to improve ROAS and long-term profitability.
How ROAS measurement works in digital campaigns
Investment and expected return (ROAS and ROI)
ROAS shows how much revenue is generated for every unit of advertising spend.
Example:
- Investment: $1,000
- Attributed revenue: $5,000
- ROAS: 5x
In hospitality and gastronomy, this calculation requires additional care due to:
- cancellations,
- no-shows,
- commissions,
- offline sales.
For this reason, ROAS must always be analyzed alongside ROI and net margin.
Key channels: SEO, SEM, social ads, and automation
Accurate ROAS measurement considers the full funnel:
- SEO and local GEO strategies to capture high-intent demand.
- SEM (Google Ads) to activate immediate bookings.
- Social ads (Meta, TikTok) to generate interest and support remarketing.
- Email and automation to increase repeat business and reduce acquisition costs.
Not all channels should be expected to deliver the same ROAS. The objective defines the acceptable return.
Technology and measurement: analytics and dashboards
To measure real ROAS, businesses must properly integrate:
- Google Analytics (GA4)
- Google Tag Manager
- Booking engines or POS systems
- CRM platforms
- Advertising platforms
An effective marketing dashboard should clearly show:
- investment versus revenue,
- ROAS by channel,
- bookings or leads generated,
- weekly and monthly trends.
Fewer metrics, better decisions.
Team, support, and implementation timelines
The right growth partner does more than deliver reports.
They support the business in:
- interpreting data,
- making strategic decisions,
- adjusting campaigns,
- scaling results over time.
At Digisap, we believe marketing should adapt to the business model—not the other way around.
Use cases and real examples
Boutique hotel
Before:
Platform-reported ROAS of 7x.
Reality:
After accounting for cancellations and commissions, real ROAS was 3.8x.
After optimization:
- Improved attribution.
- Funnel adjustments.
- Real ROAS above 5x.
- Higher share of direct bookings.
Restaurant with strong digital traffic
Before:
High engagement, low booking volume.
After:
- Measurement by time slot.
- Campaigns optimized for average ticket value.
- Sustained increase in weekday bookings.
- Improved ROAS by channel.
Real estate project with digital lead generation
Before:
High lead volume, low qualification.
After:
- Measurement of cost per qualified lead.
- Campaign optimization.
- Higher-quality leads and improved ROI.
Specialized digital marketing as a competitive advantage
A well-measured digital strategy allows hotels, restaurants, and real estate projects to:
- compete with large chains,
- position themselves in key tourism markets such as Medellín, Cartagena, Miami, or Orlando,
- attract international customers,
- scale revenue without proportional cost increases.
Proper ROAS measurement turns marketing into a strategic management tool, not just a promotional channel.
Ongoing support, measurement, and optimization with Digisap
At Digisap, we operate as a growth partner through a clear process:
- Initial business and market analysis.
- Definition of KPIs aligned with revenue and profitability.
- Implementation of SEO, paid media, content, and automation.
- Continuous testing and optimization.
- Clear reports and executive dashboards.
Our approach combines close support, agility, continuity, and a strong focus on real metrics such as ROAS, bookings, and qualified leads.
Want to measure and improve your ROAS?
If you manage a hotel, restaurant, or real estate project and want to make decisions based on real data, the next step is to evaluate your current measurement setup.
Learn more about our plans and request a personalized consultation at
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
What is ROAS and why is it critical in hospitality and gastronomy?
ROAS measures how much revenue is generated for each unit invested in digital marketing and helps evaluate real campaign profitability.
How often should ROAS be analyzed?
Weekly for active campaigns and monthly for strategic decision-making.
What is a healthy ROAS?
It depends on margins, but generally a ROAS below 3x requires adjustments, while a ROAS above 5x is considered healthy.
Can platform-reported ROAS be trusted?
It is useful for tactical optimization, but must be adjusted with real business data for strategic decisions.
Knowing how to measure ROAS in digital campaigns for hospitality and gastronomy is now a competitive advantage. It enables smarter investment, reduced dependence on intermediaries, and scalable growth with control and predictability.
Digital marketing stops being an expense when it is measured, understood, and optimized strategically. In that process, Digisap acts as a growth partner that supports, measures, and optimizes to drive real business results.
