Social, Search, and the Fight for Direct Bookings: A Conversation with Cendyn and HOSPITALITY X at ITB Berlin

Two perspectives are often better than one. At ITB Berlin, Simone Puorto spoke with Michael Bennett, CEO of Cendyn, and Otto Konstantin Lindner, Co-Founder of HOSPITALITY X, for a conversation that combined the technology angle with real operational experience. HOSPITALITY X runs eight hotels, all positioned as individual brands, and uses Cendyn to power their digital marketing. The result was a grounded discussion about where guests are actually coming from, how social media became a conversion channel, and what the shift to AI-driven search means for direct bookings.

Social media stopped being awareness and became conversion

The shift has been building for a while, but it is now significant enough to change how marketing budgets should be structured. Meta channels and TikTok are no longer just brand-building tools. They are genuine conversion channels, and the numbers back that up.

Michael connected this to a generational shift. Younger travellers are not browser-first. If a property is not on Instagram or TikTok, it simply does not exist for them. They want to see what a place looks like, feel it through people they trust, and then book directly in that environment. Give them the ability to transact on the channel they are already on, and they will.

Otto confirmed this from the operational side. At HOSPITALITY X, social media serves three purposes: building individual brand identity for each property, driving conversion, and recruiting staff. That last one surprised even him. Around 80 percent of their operational hires at one property came through Instagram, with young candidates connecting through influencer content rather than traditional job listings.

When advertising feels organic

The line between paid advertising and organic content has blurred considerably, and that is largely a good thing. In social environments, well-made video content feels like content, not an ad. Michael's point was direct: the days of Google search ads on the side of a page, clearly labelled and easy to ignore, are giving way to something more immersive. Conversion improves when the experience is immersive, and video is the format driving that.

Cendyn operates both a multi-channel DMP and a full-service digital marketing practice that extends to connected TV and programmatic delivery beyond mobile and desktop. For HOSPITALITY X, the approach shifts depending on where a property is in its lifecycle. A new hotel launching in the market starts with more paid activity to build awareness, then gradually shifts toward organic as direct booking segments develop and win-back campaigns take over.

The AI question nobody can answer with a three-year roadmap

Cendyn held advisory board meetings at ITB, and when their product leader showed a three-year AI roadmap, partners laughed. Not dismissively, but because the idea of predicting three years out in this environment struck everyone in the room as optimistic at best.

Michael's take was balanced. The near-term work, improving CRM capabilities, making email faster and more automated and better segmented, is clear and valuable. But optimising existing products is not enough. New channels need to be built, new ways to reach guests and convert them directly before OTAs, which are already investing heavily in AI, establish the same kind of dominance they did 25 years ago with online booking. His framing: it feels like the 90s all over again, and the window to build something new rather than just react is open right now.