Where boutique hotel owners turn beautiful properties into booked-out brands.
The Boutique Hotel Playbook
If you are tired of relying on OTAs, inconsistent marketing, or “hope and pray” referrals, this podcast walks you through the exact brand and guest experience systems that turn beautiful properties into profitable lifestyle destinations.
Listen to the Latest Episode
Each episode of The Boutique Hotel Playbook breaks down one strategic move you can make this week to strengthen your brand, elevate your guest experience, and increase direct bookings.
No fluff. No generic hospitality advice. Just practical brand strategy, revenue alignment, and positioning insights for boutique hotel owners who want to operate at a higher level.
Recent Episodes
Start with the episode that speaks to where you are right now. Branding, guest experience, direct booking growth, or repositioning your property.
The Boutique Hotel Playbook is Actionable Insights for Boutique Hotels!
Your boutique hotel is more than rooms — it’s a brand, a story, an experience. On the Boutique Hotel Playbook , Yanique DaCosta shares strategies to boost direct bookings, attract high-value guests, and turn stays into stories guests rave about. Learn how to build loyalty, design unforgettable guest journeys, and position your property as a lifestyle destination that stays booked solid.
If you’re serious about building a hotel brand that guests remember, rave about, and return to, it starts with an honest look at your current positioning.
👉 Click here to complete a short questionnaire and see if you qualify for a Deep Dive Call: https://hotels.theykmd.com/work-with-me-4289Most boutique hotel owners don’t fail because their property isn’t beautiful.They fail because they have no strategy.In this episode, a conversation with Yanique DaCosta and Scott Eddy, we unpack the uncomfortable truth about why so many independent hotels struggle with low occupancy, inconsistent direct bookings, and over-reliance on OTAs like Booking.com and Expedia.From a 20% occupancy cautionary tale…To the myth that “posting on Instagram” counts as marketing…To why your first year is the most important storytelling window you’ll ever have…This conversation dives deep into:• Why marketing is infrastructure, not decoration• The silent danger of “hope marketing”• Why pretty photos without positioning cost you bookings• How friction in your booking process kills conversions• Why boutique hotels must think like media companies• The discipline difference between thriving and struggling properties• How to build direct demand before OTAs control your margins• Why local loyalty matters just as much as international guestsYou’ll also learn:✔️ What to focus on in your first 90 days✔️ The correct order of content, influencers, and ads✔️ Why running ads too early helps you fail faster✔️ How to remove booking friction immediately✔️ What separates intentional brands from improvised onesIf you are opening a boutique hotel…Rebranding an independent property…Or trying to increase direct bookings without discounting…This episode is your wake-up call.The market will decide who you are.The question is: are you telling the right story?
Most Popular Episodes
New to the show? Check out some of our most popular episodes
Recent Episodes
3 Most Popular Episodes
3 Most Popular Episodes
Be a Guest on The Boutique Hotel Playbook
Are you a boutique hotel owner, hospitality operator, architect, marketer, hotel operations strategist, travel influencer or revenue expert with insights that could help independent properties grow?
This show highlights real strategies, real stories, and real lessons from operators building memorable properties around the world.
If you have experience worth sharing, we would love to hear from you.
“You deserve a brand that feels as elevated and intentional as the guest experience you’re creating.”
-Yanique DaCosta, MFA, LCAM
Yanique DaCosta is the Founder and Chief Creative Director of YKMD, a brand development and marketing agency specializing in luxury boutique hotels.
With over a decade of experience working with global brands and managing high-end properties, she understands both the emotional side of hospitality and the business mechanics behind direct bookings, positioning, and guest loyalty.
Hospitality runs in her blood. From growing up around her family’s hotel in Jamaica to managing luxury mixed-use properties in Florida, Yanique has seen firsthand how powerful brand clarity can be.
The Boutique Hotel Playbook exists to help owners shift from reactive operators to strategic brand leaders.
What Listeners Are Saying…
Boutique hotel owners and hospitality leaders are using these strategies to rethink branding, guest experience, and direct revenue.
August 26, 2026
Laborum magna nulla
Nulla Lorem mollit cupidatat irure. Voluptate exercitation incididunt aliquip deserunt. Nulla Lorem mollit cupidatat irure. Laborum magna nulla duis ullamco cillum dolor. Volup Nulla Lorem mollit cupidatat irure. Laborum magna nulla duis ullamco cillum dolor. Voluptate exercitation deserunt…
September 24, 2022
Look Behind the Scenes
Every Friday, I send a short email breaking down what we are seeing in the boutique hotel space.
Brand mistakes that quietly cost bookings.
Guest experience gaps that impact reviews.
Direct booking opportunities most properties overlook.
If you want honest insight without the noise, join the list.
Site by YKMD. Podcast produced by Yanique DaCosta