Motel One's growth levers in the hospitality market

In this episode of Kassenzone, Karo talks to Susan Schramm, CMO of Motel One, about the hotel chain's unique business model in the hospitality market. They explore how Motel One is growing through its clear positioning as a budget design pioneer and why its three pillars (good location, clear design, and reliable value for money) are essential.

Susan also shares her perspectives on the evolution of the Be One loyalty program, the critical importance of guest reviews, and reveals fascinating anecdotes from the daily operations of a hotel chain that has now surpassed one billion euros in revenue with over 100 hotels.

How does Motel One handle increasing margin pressure and the topic of dynamic pricing? What role do booking platforms play compared to direct bookings for international expansion? And how are artificial intelligence, LLMs, and agentic commerce changing marketing and the future of travel planning?

Overview of the conversation.

1. 3:12 Business model and the three pillars of budget design
2. 10:35 Booking channels, direct booking, and international expansion
3. 20:44 Margin pressure and the introduction of dynamic pricing
4. 23:49 Be One loyalty program and guest reviews
5. 39:23 Artificial intelligence, LLMs, and agentic commerce