Le Bouganville
The impact of the ad campaigns was clear: requests increased so much that we had to open bookings right after the season ended.
Villasimius, Italy
40
Background
Le Bouganville is a 40-unit hospitality property in Villasimius, Sardinia, located on a hill facing the sea and about 900 meters from the town center.
When Massimo Nioi joined as General Manager in 2021, Le Bouganville was still operating with a traditional residence model: one- and two-bedroom apartments sold mainly by focusing on occupancy, with an average rate that was low compared to the property’s real potential.
“I presented a plan to reposition the property from a residence to a luxury hotel because I immediately saw there was untapped potential. The property was being marketed by an external provider, and the revenue strategy was based entirely on maximizing occupancy. There was a lot of confusion, but above all, the new hospitality models emerging around us were making our product obsolete. There were no complementary services, no experiences, and we were starting to see revenue losses”
The project launched by management became a full repositioning process: from renovating the rooms to introducing complementary services such as a restaurant, bar, beach, half-board, and experiential activities.
The challenge
To support its growth plan, Le Bouganville understood that it had to stop competing only on price and focusing exclusively on occupancy. Alongside the renovation of the units and the introduction of new services, Massimo Nioi also wanted to increase the property’s visibility and operational efficiency.
“When we turned to Smartness, the initial need was a new website and a new management software. Then we realized we also needed a differentiation strategy”
Smartness helped Le Bouganville implement a dedicated marketing strategy designed to:
- strengthen the direct booking channel
- reduce the relative weight of OTAs in the revenue mix
- attract the right guest segments
- increase the average booking value
The solutions
After the new website created with Smartsite, the implementation of the all-in-one property management software Smartpms, and the Smartcrs Central Reservation System, Le Bouganville activated Smartads Premium for the management of advertising campaigns.
The advertising work focused on two channels:
- Google Ads
Brand protection campaigns ensured that guests searching for Le Bouganville were directed to the official website and booking engine, rather than to third-party channels. - Meta Ads
Awareness and remarketing campaigns were used to support brand visibility, accompany users during the evaluation phase, and bring qualified traffic back to the website.
“The impact of the ad campaigns was clear: requests increased so much that we had to open bookings right after the season ended and dedicate one person to booking management.”
The results
After one year with Smartads, Le Bouganville recorded significant growth not only in revenue, but also in the quality of its distribution. The work carried out supported the property’s repositioning strengthened direct channels and made them more valuable within the sales mix
Revenue and ADR: higher-value growth
Total revenue increased by +38.2% in one year, while the overall average ADR grew by more than 30%.
This shows that growth was no longer driven only by higher volumes, but by selling at higher rates that were more consistent with the property’s new positioning.
Direct channel and OTAs: a healthier mix
The direct channel also grew significantly. Offline direct bookings increased by more than 54%, while bookings through the Booking Engine grew by almost 43%.
At the same time, the weight of OTAs in the revenue mix decreased by about 5 percentage points. Le Bouganville did not lose visibility on portals, but strengthened the channels that offer more control and better margins.
Advertising: performance and support for repositioning
The overall ROAS of the campaigns came close to 18x, with Google Ads exceeding 66x.
“Smartness guided and supported us throughout our growth journey. The impact is not only visible in revenue: technology is helping us increase operational efficiency and service quality. Because what you promise through marketing, you then have to deliver during the stay. That’s why we’re evolving the whole team. The property has changed completely. What it was worth before is not what it is worth today, and we know there is still much more potential ahead.”
Host in Italy
Having Smartchat Ultra and Smartpricing Ultra means I no longer have to worry about anything. Whether I’m available or not, the business keeps running.
H&Hotels Group
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