From curiosity to conversion: Lead nurturing that drives direct bookings
November 5, 2025
What if lead nurturing was about building genuine relationships instead of just sending more emails?
In this latest episode of Hotel Moment, Brenna Turpin explores why lead nurturing is more than automated follow-ups, it's the bridge between guest curiosity and direct bookings. With hotels seeing up to 50% higher conversion rates through nurture workflows, discover how human connection, storytelling, and strategic timing convert warm leads. Learn from JC Thompson's insights on emotional connection over scripted sales, The Ranch at Rock Creek's storytelling success, and how Evermore Resort generated 36% of monthly revenue through outbound call nurturing.
In this episode of Hotel Moment, Brenna Turpin, Marketing Coordinator at Revinate, challenges the conventional view of lead nurturing as simply automated emails and phone calls. Instead, she reveals how effective lead nurturing serves as "the bridge between a potential guest's curiosity and your hotel's next direct booking — a multi-channel effort that builds trust and value at every stage of the guest journey.”
What you'll learn:
- Why lead nurturing goes beyond automated follow-ups to building trust before guests click "book now"
- JC Thompson's insights on human emotional connection vs. criteria-driven sales training and QA scorecards
- How executive coaching and one-on-one agent engagement drives revenue better than secret shops
- Why hotels using automated nurture workflows see up to 50% higher conversion rates on direct booking campaigns
- The Ranch at Rock Creek's storytelling approach: showcasing experiences (horseback riding, fly fishing, culinary events) without discounts
- The power of triggered sends: how warm/cold lead classification triggers automated emails within one hour to create urgency
- Holiday strategy shift: why hotels engaging leads early with inspiring content see 8x more engagement than last-minute discount promotions
- Travel Tuesday opportunity: hotel bookings jumped 28% last year — how to warm up databases before big sales hit
- Evermore Resort's remarkable results: 36% of total monthly revenue from outbound call center nurturing and 92% reduction in call abandonment
- The omnichannel approach: combining automated email flows with agent-led outbound call strategies
- How personalization breeds trust and trust drives bookings through data-driven nurture campaigns
- Practical frameworks for measuring ROI beyond open rates and building sustainable direct booking engines
Learn why JC Thompson emphasizes "the customer wants a human connection" and discover how properties like The Ranch at Rock Creek and Evermore Resort prove that storytelling, timing, and genuine engagement convert warm leads far more effectively than price slashing ever could.
Sign up for the Direct Booking Mastery Certification here.
If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Instructions on how to do this are here.
Connect with Brenna Turpin here:
Follow the podcast here:
Episode Highlights:
[01:32] Replace rigid QA metrics with one-on-one coaching to drive conversions - JC Thompson shares how strict QA scoring creates “human robots” instead of genuine hospitality. His coaching model replaces secret shops with hands-on leadership training, where managers review data and coach agents one-on-one. Evermore Resort used this approach to reduce call abandonment by 92% and generate 36% of monthly revenue through authentic, relationship-driven conversations.
[02:58] Implement triggered urgency emails within one hour of failed calls - The Ranch at Rock Creek built a “triggered send” system that automatically emails guests one hour after a failed booking call — timed while interest is still high. By classifying leads as warm or cold and tailoring the message, they drove higher click-throughs and repeat stays without discounts. Urgency plus personalization keeps guests engaged and ready to book.
[04:12] Use storytelling and brand immersion instead of discounts to drive 8x more engagement - Instead of flash sales, The Ranch at Rock Creek leaned into storytelling — inviting guests to imagine experiences like fly fishing and horseback riding. Hotels that use experience-led campaigns see up to eight times more engagement than discount blasts. Emotional storytelling builds brand value and long-term loyalty that price cuts can’t match.
[05:30] Segment and personalize your lead database to build trust and drive direct bookings - Lead nurturing works when every message feels personal. Segment leads by intent, purpose, and engagement, then tailor communication around real guest interests. Evermore Resort proved this by personalizing follow-ups with abandoned bookers, converting them into high-value stays that made up 36% of monthly revenue.
[06:42] Extend lead nurturing beyond email with proactive outbound calls - Evermore also integrated voice with digital touchpoints — training agents to follow up on high-intent leads through outbound calls. That human connection turned interest into confirmed bookings and dropped call abandonment by 92%. Voice-driven nurturing transforms data into dialogue, driving both trust and conversion.
[08:00]Build segmented campaigns before peak seasons to capture top-of-mind positioning - Don’t wait for Black Friday or Travel Tuesday. Warm up your database early with inspiring, segmented campaigns that tell your brand story. Hotels that engage leads in advance see up to eight times more engagement and book from strength — not from discount-driven competition.
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
01:32 - Human connection over criteria-driven sales
02:58 - What active lead nurturing looks like
04:30 - The Ranch at Rock Creek success story
05:45 - Holiday strategies beyond discounting
06:30 - Evermore Resort: 36% revenue from outbound nurturing
07:07 - Direct Booking Mastery Certification
01:32 - Human connection over criteria-driven sales
02:58 - What active lead nurturing looks like
04:30 - The Ranch at Rock Creek success story
05:45 - Holiday strategies beyond discounting
06:30 - Evermore Resort: 36% revenue from outbound nurturing
07:07 - Direct Booking Mastery Certification
If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review it on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Instructions on how to do this are here.
Hotel Moment Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
Previous guests include: Shannon Knapp, CEO of Leading Hotels of the World (LHW), Patrick Norton of Brittain Resorts & Hotels, Shawn Jereb of Montage International, Carlo Del Mistro, Chief Digital Officer of Ennismore, Jason Pirock of Springboard Hospitality, and many more.
Are you a hospitality industry leader with insights to share? We're always looking for innovative voices to join our conversation about the future of hospitality technology.
If you'd like to be a guest on an upcoming episode of Hotel Moment, we'd love to hear from you! Our podcast reaches thousands of hospitality professionals worldwide, and we're particularly interested in perspectives on:
- Innovation in hospitality technology
- Guest experience transformation
- Revenue optimization strategies
- Emerging industry trends
Check out the three most downloaded episodes: