Lodgify
Marketing

What is Retargeting?

Updated 2026-05-27

Retargeting is a digital marketing tactic that serves advertisements to individuals who have previously visited a website but left without completing a desired action, such as making a booking. For vacation rentals, this means reconnecting with potential guests who viewed a property, checked availability, or started the booking process.

By using a tracking pixel or cookie, the system anonymously follows these users across the internet and displays relevant ads on other websites, social media platforms, or search engines. The goal is to remind them of the property and entice them to return to the website to finalize their reservation.

Join the Lodgify newsletter

Once a month, get free templates, expert tips for hosts, industry news, webinar invitations, and more.

How it works

The process begins when a potential guest visits a vacation rental's direct booking website. A small, unobtrusive piece of code, often called a pixel (e.g., Meta Pixel, Google tag), is placed in the user's web browser.

This pixel tags the user as having visited the site, and can even record which specific properties they viewed or what dates they searched for. This process is anonymous and does not collect personally identifiable information.

Later, as the tagged user browses other sites or apps within an ad network (like the Google Display Network or Facebook's Audience Network), the network recognizes the pixel. It then serves targeted display or video ads for the specific property or brand the user previously engaged with, encouraging them to click and return to complete their booking.

Why it matters

For property managers, retargeting is a highly effective method to increase direct bookings and improve conversion rates. It focuses marketing spend on a warm audience that has already demonstrated interest, resulting in a higher return on investment than broad advertising.

By keeping a property top-of-mind during the guest's decision-making process, it helps capture bookings that might otherwise be lost to competitors or distractions, directly boosting revenue and occupancy.

Examples

  • A potential guest views 'The Alpine Chalet' on a direct booking website but leaves without booking. Later, while scrolling through Instagram, they see a video ad showcasing the chalet's hot tub and mountain views.
  • A user searches for a week-long stay in July on a property's booking engine but abandons the checkout page. The next day, while reading a travel blog, they see a banner ad that reads 'Still thinking about your July getaway? The Alpine Chalet is waiting.'
  • After browsing several properties on a multi-property vacation rental site, a user closes the tab. When they later use Google to search for 'best restaurants in the area,' a search ad appears at the top of the results for the rental site, reminding them to complete their booking.

Frequently asked questions

Is retargeting the same as remarketing?+
The terms are often used interchangeably, but there's a subtle distinction. Retargeting typically refers to serving display ads to anonymous website visitors across the web. Remarketing can be a broader term that also includes re-engaging past customers, often through email. However, in common marketing language, especially on platforms like Google Ads, the terms are functionally synonymous, both referring to advertising to past site visitors.
Does retargeting work for direct booking websites?+
Yes, retargeting is a primary marketing strategy for driving traffic back to a direct booking website. Since the goal is to convert visitors who left without booking, it directly supports the objective of increasing commission-free reservations. It helps property managers build their brand and reduce dependency on OTAs by recapturing the interest of potential guests who have already found their personal website, leading to higher profit margins.
What do I need to start a retargeting campaign?+
To begin, you need a direct booking website where you can install a tracking pixel. The most common are the Meta Pixel (for Facebook and Instagram) and the Google Ads tag. You will also need an account with the corresponding ad platform (e.g., Facebook Ads Manager, Google Ads) and a set budget for your campaign. Finally, you'll need to create the ad creative—the images, videos, and text that will be shown to your target audience.
Keep reading

Related terms

Marketing

Direct Booking

A reservation made directly with a property manager or host, bypassing third-party online travel agencies (OTAs) and their commissions.

Read
Reporting

Booking Conversion Rate

Booking conversion rate is a marketing metric that measures the percentage of potential guests who complete a booking after visiting a property's listing or…

Read
Technology

Booking Engine

A booking engine is a software application that allows guests to book and pay for reservations directly on a property's website.

Read
Marketing

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

The practice of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to a website from search engines' organic, or non-paid, results.

Read
Stay in the loop

Join the Lodgify newsletter.

Once a month, get free templates, expert tips for hosts, industry news, webinar invitations, and more — straight to your inbox.

One email a month. Unsubscribe anytime.