Hospitality promotions can introduce a property to prospective guests and build a direct relationship with them. A well-structured hotel sweepstakes can capture email addresses for direct booking campaigns, encourage loyalty program enrollment, and generate guest content for social proof. Measure acquisition and booking economics using your own rates, margins, and distribution contracts.
Some ideas below rely on other systems. Revup provides entry forms, sweepstakes, photo and video contests, instant wins, quizzes, surveys (including NPS), and Shopify purchase sweepstakes. Point-of-sale or loyalty integrations, booking-based entry, and text-to-win require separate services or administration; they are not native Revup workflows.
This guide covers sweepstakes strategies purpose-built for hotels, resorts, and hospitality brands — from free-night giveaways and loyalty member promotions to seasonal travel contests, experience packages, and photo competitions. Each format is mapped to hospitality business goals, with prize strategies and compliance considerations for multi-state and international promotions.
Whether you're a boutique hotel looking to build your email list, a resort chain launching a loyalty enrollment campaign, or a major hospitality brand running a national sweepstakes to drive direct bookings, the frameworks in this guide apply. For the foundational legal requirements that govern all sweepstakes, see our step-by-step legal guide. For prize selection strategy across industries, see our sweepstakes prize ideas guide.
Why Sweepstakes Work for Hotels and Hospitality Brands
Hotels have a few structural advantages when it comes to sweepstakes.
Travel is inherently aspirational. People dream about vacations. They save screenshots of hotel rooms. They share resort photos. A free hotel stay taps into that desire in a way a gift card or electronics prize may not, and it gives people a reason to share the promotion.
Hotels own the fulfillment. Unlike retail brands that need to purchase and ship prizes, a hotel giving away complimentary nights fulfills from its own inventory. The property's cost for a room night is usually well below its retail value. Note that the official rules and tax reporting still use the prize's retail value, not your cost.
Loyalty programs create a natural sweepstakes audience. Hotel loyalty members already share contact details and booking history with you. A sweepstakes for this audience can help reactivate dormant members and reinforce the value of membership.
Seasonality creates natural promotion windows. Hotels have predictable high and low seasons. Sweepstakes can support shoulder-season demand, property launches, renovated rooms, and seasonal programming.
Stay Giveaways: Free Night Packages and Experience Bundles
The most straightforward hospitality sweepstakes format is the stay giveaway — a prize package built around complimentary hotel nights, often bundled with dining credits, spa services, or local experience add-ons. The prize is exactly what you sell, so it attracts people interested in staying with you.
Free Night Packages
The simplest version: win a 2-3 night stay at a specific property. This format works for individual hotels, boutique properties, and chains promoting a specific destination. Value the package at the rate a guest would pay for the same room and dates.
- Standard package: 2-3 complimentary nights in a standard or upgraded room, daily breakfast included
- Luxury package: 2-4 nights in a suite, daily breakfast, dinner credit, spa credit, airport transfer
- Extended stay package: 5-7 nights designed for a full vacation experience, all-inclusive or resort credit included
Experience Bundles
Experience bundles wrap the hotel stay into a larger travel experience. The hotel stay is the anchor, but the prize includes activities, dining, transportation, and other elements that create a complete trip. They remove the work of planning, so the winner gets a complete trip.
- Destination experience: Hotel stay + guided tours, cultural experiences, or adventure activities at the destination
- Culinary package: Hotel stay + cooking class, restaurant reservations, food tour, or private chef dinner
- Wellness retreat: Hotel stay + spa treatments, yoga sessions, wellness programming, healthy dining package
- Romance package: Hotel stay + couples spa, private dining, champagne, room upgrade, late checkout
- Family adventure: Hotel stay + theme park tickets, kids' club access, family activities, connecting rooms
If a package includes alcohol, such as champagne, a wine tasting, or a bar credit, limit entry to people 21 and older and check state rules. California bars alcohol (or anything redeemable for it) as a sweepstakes prize. See alcohol prize sweepstakes rules.
Blackout dates must be disclosed
If your stay giveaway prize has blackout dates (holidays, peak season weekends, special events), these must be disclosed in your official rules. Undisclosed date restrictions can mislead entrants and lead to complaints. Specify the booking window, any excluded dates, and whether the prize is subject to availability.
Loyalty Member Promotions: Points Sweepstakes and Member-Exclusive Draws
Loyalty-linked sweepstakes are common among hotel chains. These promotions target existing loyalty program members, or use sweepstakes as an incentive for new enrollment, and often award points, status upgrades, or member-exclusive experiences as prizes.
Points Sweepstakes
A common format in the hotel loyalty space: enter for a chance to win a large point balance. Points give the winner flexibility in how to redeem, and the sponsor's cost depends on how points are redeemed rather than their face value.
- Grand prize structure: A large point balance, sometimes with a VIP experience added
- Tiered structure: One grand prize plus many smaller point awards, so more members win something
- Entry mechanic: A free loyalty account plus a simple entry form, or entries earned through qualifying stays. Stay-based entries are purchase-linked, so offer a free entry method with equal odds
Member-Exclusive Draws
These sweepstakes are restricted to loyalty program members and serve a dual purpose: rewarding existing members and creating an incentive for non-members to enroll. Common formats include monthly member draws, anniversary promotions, and status-tier-exclusive sweepstakes.
- Monthly member draw: Every loyalty member who completes a stay during the month is entered. Because entry comes from a paid stay, include a free entry method with equal odds
- Enrollment incentive: New members who join (free) during the promotion period are entered into an exclusive sweepstakes
- Status-tier exclusive: Sweepstakes limited to top-tier members, with premium prizes such as suite upgrades for a year. Because status is earned through paid stays, have counsel review eligibility
Revup helps you configure entry forms, eligibility settings, and official-rules templates. Review the rules and handle registration and compliance obligations for your campaign.
Seasonal Travel Contests: Summer Getaways, Holiday Travel, and Spring Break
Seasonality is the heartbeat of the hospitality industry, and seasonal sweepstakes align your promotion calendar with the natural travel planning cycle. The key is timing: launch while travelers are still planning, well before the travel window.
Summer Getaway Promotions
Launch in April-May, targeting families and couples planning summer vacations. Prize packages should emphasize warm-weather experiences: beach resorts, pool access, outdoor activities, and family-friendly programming. Summer sweepstakes can be paired with early booking incentives, such as "book now for summer and get a sweepstakes entry." Booking-based entry is purchase-linked, so offer a free entry method with equal odds; Revup doesn't import bookings, so this runs through your booking system or separate administration.
An entry form that captures email and travel preferences gives your marketing team segmentation data for future campaigns.
Prize ideas for summer promotions:
- Beach resort package: 4-night oceanfront stay with daily breakfast, pool cabana, and water sports equipment rental
- Family adventure bundle: 3-night stay with kids' club enrollment, family activity passes, and a dining credit
- Couples escape: 2-night stay in an upgraded room with spa credits, sunset dinner, and late checkout
Holiday Travel Sweepstakes
Launch in October-November for winter holiday travel. These promotions tap into the emotional weight of holiday experiences — family reunions, year-end celebrations, New Year's Eve events. Prizes often include New Year's Eve packages, ski resort stays, or warm-weather escapes. Points giveaways fit this window, when members may be planning how to use their balances.
Some holiday sweepstakes add a charitable tie-in, such as "enter our sweepstakes and we'll donate $1 per entry to [charity]." Cause-linked promotions like this can trigger commercial co-venturer registration in some states, so check before announcing one.
Prize ideas for holiday promotions:
- New Year's Eve package: 2-night stay including the property's NYE gala, champagne toast, and brunch
- Ski resort getaway: 4-night stay with lift tickets, equipment rental, and apres-ski dining credit
- Winter sun escape: 3-night stay at a warm-weather property with airfare from a major U.S. hub
Spring Break and Shoulder Season
Spring break promotions target both college-age travelers and families with school-age children. Shoulder-season sweepstakes (September-October, March-April) serve a different strategic purpose: filling rooms during lower-demand periods. The prize uses inventory that might otherwise go unsold.
Shoulder-season promotions can also be paired with exclusive rate offers for all entrants — "enter our sweepstakes, and whether you win or not, enjoy 20% off shoulder-season stays." Measure whether entrants actually book at the offered rate.
Event-Based Promotions
Tie sweepstakes to major events in your market: music festivals, sporting events, conventions, cultural celebrations. The prize includes the event experience plus hotel accommodation. These promotions attract a specific audience and can reach people beyond your usual travel audience.
Event-based promotions suit hotels near convention centers, stadiums, concert venues, or cultural districts. Consider partnering with event organizers for co-branded promotions, and confirm you have permission to use event names and marks.
For ideas on running promotions around sporting events and live entertainment, see our guide to sports and entertainment promotions.
Align prize travel windows with your revenue goals
If your goal is filling shoulder-season inventory, restrict the prize travel dates to your low-demand period. If your goal is brand awareness, let the winner travel during any available dates. Your official rules must clearly state the valid travel period and any restrictions.
Experience Package Sweepstakes: VIP Upgrades and Destination Experiences
Experiences can make better stories than transactions. "I won a trip to Tokyo" is more likely to be shared than "I won hotel points."
VIP Upgrade Packages
These prizes transform a standard hotel stay into an extraordinary experience without requiring the brand to build anything new — just upgrade what already exists.
- Suite upgrade for a year: Winner receives an automatic suite upgrade on every stay for 12 months. High perceived value, manageable cost based on suite availability
- Presidential suite experience: One night in the property's top suite with butler service, private dining, champagne, and custom amenities
- VIP concierge package: Dedicated concierge for the winner's entire stay, handling restaurant reservations, event tickets, spa bookings, and transportation
- Behind-the-scenes experience: Kitchen tour with the executive chef, private wine tasting, rooftop access, or other exclusive property experiences
Destination Experience Packages
These combine hotel stays with curated destination programming, with the hotel as home base.
- Ultimate city escape: Airfare + 4-night stay + guided city tours + restaurant experiences + VIP attraction access
- Adventure getaway: Airfare + resort stay + adventure activities (snorkeling, hiking, zip-lining, safari) + photography package
- Cultural immersion: Airfare + boutique hotel stay + cooking classes + language lessons + local guide + market tours
- Theme park vacation: Airfare + hotel stay + multi-day park tickets + express passes + character dining experiences
Packages with airfare can push total prize value past $5,000, which triggers registration in New York and Florida. Factor filing fees and bonding into your promotion budget.
Photo and Video Travel Contests: Guest UGC Campaigns
Travelers often look at other guests' photos when choosing a hotel. A photo or video contest lets you collect this content, with permission, while engaging your audience.
Best Vacation Photo Contest
Ask guests to submit their best photos taken at your property or destination. Guests are already taking photos; the contest gives them a reason to share. The contest generates a library of authentic guest imagery that can fuel your social media, website, email campaigns, and advertising (with proper usage rights in your contest rules).
To maximize photo quality and usability, provide specific prompts rather than open-ended submissions. "Best sunset photo from our property," "Most creative poolside shot," or "Best family moment during your stay" produce more usable content than "submit your favorite vacation photo." Prompts also make judging more consistent if you're running a skill-based contest rather than a random drawing.
Structuring a photo contest effectively:
- Submission window: 4-6 weeks to give guests time to visit and photograph
- Judging criteria: If skill-based — creativity, composition, relevance to prompt, image quality
- Prize tiers: Grand prize (luxury stay or experience), runners-up (dining credits or spa treatments), honorable mentions (loyalty points or property merchandise)
- Display: Feature submissions in a gallery on your website or social media — this extends the promotion's reach and makes participants feel valued
Video Testimonial Contest
Ask guests to submit short videos (30-90 seconds) about their favorite hotel memory, travel tip, or destination recommendation. Video UGC is more challenging to collect than photos, so prize values should be proportionally higher. The resulting content can be used for social media, video ads, and website testimonials.
Video contests work best when you lower the production barrier. Smartphone videos are fine. Provide clear length guidelines, suggest topics, and show example submissions to set expectations. Some properties supply guests with simple video prompts at check-in or via the hotel app to encourage spontaneous filming during their stay.
Hashtag Campaign
Create a branded hashtag and encourage guests to post their stay experiences on social media for a chance to win. Ask entrants who post to enter to add #contest or #sweepstakes. Posting isn't consideration, but offering an entry form on your website for people who don't use social media is good practice; see our AMOE guide. Revup doesn't import hashtag posts as entries, so collect them yourself or link to an entry form.
Photo contests are contests, not sweepstakes
If you're judging photos on creativity, composition, or relevance, you're running a contest (skill-based), not a sweepstakes (chance-based). Contests have different legal requirements: you need genuine judging criteria and qualified judges, and a free AMOE generally isn't required. However, if you're randomly selecting a winner from all photo submissions, that is a sweepstakes — and standard sweepstakes rules apply.
UGC Rights and Usage
Any photo or video contest must address content rights in the official rules. At minimum, your rules should grant the sponsor a perpetual, royalty-free license to use submitted content for marketing purposes. Be explicit about where the content may appear (social media, website, advertising, print materials). Entrants must confirm they own the content and that any identifiable individuals in the content have given consent. For complete rules guidance, see our official rules template.
How to Structure a Hospitality Sweepstakes
The operational flow for a hospitality sweepstakes follows a consistent sequence. Whether you're running a simple free-night giveaway or a multi-property destination experience sweepstakes, these are the steps.
Hospitality Sweepstakes Process Flow
Define the business goal
Direct bookings? Loyalty enrollment? Email capture? Shoulder-season occupancy? Social engagement? Your goal determines every downstream decision — prize type, entry mechanic, audience targeting, and success metrics.
Design the prize package
Build the prize around your inventory and capabilities. Calculate the Approximate Retail Value (ARV). Determine blackout dates and travel window restrictions. Decide whether to include airfare, dining, and activities or limit to accommodations.
Draft official rules
Eligibility (age, geography, loyalty status), entry period, entry method, AMOE details, prize description with ARV, winner selection method, odds disclosure, notification timeline, and all required legal disclosures.
Handle state registration
Register in New York (30 days before the start) and Florida (7 days before) when total prize ARV is more than $5,000, with a bond or trust account. Rhode Island applies only to chance promotions run by Rhode Island retail establishments over $500; check whether your hotel counts.
Build entry experience
Landing page, entry form, confirmation email, and free entry method. Connect entries to your CRM or email platform; loyalty systems need a separate workflow. Test the entry flow on mobile.
Launch and promote
Email to loyalty members, social media posts, on-property signage, website banners, front desk mentions, booking confirmation inserts. Set a run time that fits your promotion channels and travel window.
Select and notify winner
Random drawing using a documented method. Notify winner via email and phone. Obtain affidavit of eligibility and liability release. Announce publicly (with winner consent). Fulfill prize within stated timeline.
Promotion Types by Hospitality Goal
Different business objectives call for different sweepstakes formats. This table maps common hospitality goals to promotion types that fit each.
| Business Goal | Best Promotion Format | Ideal Prize | Entry Mechanic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drive direct bookings | Booking-linked sweepstakes | Free stay package or points | Entry with direct booking plus a free entry form |
| Loyalty enrollment | Member-exclusive draw | Points + status upgrade | Enroll to enter |
| Reactivate dormant members | Points sweepstakes | Large point balance | Log in and enter |
| Shoulder-season occupancy | Seasonal travel contest | Shoulder-season stay package | Form entry, restricted travel dates |
| Email list building | Stay giveaway | 2-3 night experience package | Email opt-in form |
| Social media growth | Photo/hashtag contest | Luxury upgrade or VIP experience | Post with hashtag or enter through a form |
| New property launch | Grand opening sweepstakes | Inaugural stay package | RSVP or form entry |
| Guest satisfaction / NPS | Post-stay survey with a prize draw | Future stay credit or points | Complete survey to enter |
Prize Strategy for Hotels: Value, Fulfillment, and Blackout Dates
Hotel sweepstakes prizes are unique because the sponsor controls the inventory. This gives you pricing flexibility that most industries don't have — but it also creates fulfillment and disclosure obligations that are specific to travel prizes.
Prize Valuation
Your official rules must state the Approximate Retail Value (ARV) of every prize. For hotel stays, the ARV should reflect the publicly available rate for the room type and dates offered. Don't use inflated rack rates that no one actually pays; overstating ARV misleads entrants and inflates the value winners are taxed on. Use your best available rate (BAR) or the rate displayed on your website for the applicable travel period.
- Room nights: ARV based on the published rate for the specific room category during the valid travel window
- Dining credits: Face value of the credit
- Spa services: Published menu price for the included services
- Airfare: If included, use the average economy airfare for a round-trip between a major hub and the destination. Specify whether the prize covers economy, premium economy, or business class
- Activities and experiences: Published retail price at the time of rules drafting
Fulfillment Considerations
Travel prize fulfillment is more complex than shipping a product. Build these elements into your planning:
- Booking window: Give the winner a reasonable period to use the prize and state it in the rules. Very short windows create frustration and complaints
- Blackout dates: Clearly list any dates when the prize cannot be redeemed (holidays, special events, peak weekends). All blackout dates must appear in the official rules
- Subject to availability: If the prize is subject to room availability, state this explicitly. Provide a reasonable number of available dates so the restriction doesn't make the prize effectively impossible to redeem
- Companion policy: Specify how many guests are included. If only one room is provided, state whether a companion is included
- Transportation: If airfare is included, specify the origin requirement (e.g., "from any major U.S. gateway") and class of service. If airfare is not included, state clearly that the winner is responsible for transportation
- Tax responsibility: State that the winner is responsible for all applicable taxes; winners are taxed on the prize's fair market value. If a U.S. winner receives $2,000 or more in prizes in a calendar year, collect a W-9 and report the value in Box 3 of Form 1099-MISC. List what the travel prize includes and excludes so the ARV is clear. See our tax reporting guide for details
Never use inflated rack rates for ARV
Some hotels set ARV using their highest published rack rate — a rate that no actual guest pays. This overstates the prize value, can mislead entrants, and inflates the amount reported for the winner's taxes. Use the rate a real guest would pay if booking the same room type and dates through your website or reservation line.
Compliance for Hospitality Promotions
Hospitality sweepstakes carry compliance considerations beyond standard promotion law due to multi-state operations, international guest bases, and travel-specific regulations. Here are the areas that require attention.
Multi-State Registration
Hotels with properties in multiple states — or hotels promoting to a national audience — must evaluate state-by-state registration requirements based on total prize ARV. The key thresholds:
- New York: Registration and a bond or trust account when total prize ARV is more than $5,000; file 30 days before the start
- Florida: Registration and a bond or trust account when total prize ARV is more than $5,000; file 7 days before the start
- Rhode Island: A filing only for chance promotions run by Rhode Island retail establishments with prizes over $500; check whether your property counts as a retail establishment
Experience packages with airfare or multiple prizes can exceed $5,000 in total ARV. Build the New York and Florida filing deadlines into your launch plan. For complete details, see our guide to state registration and bonding requirements.
International Eligibility
Hotels serve international guests, which creates pressure to open sweepstakes to non-U.S. residents. Be cautious: international eligibility increases compliance complexity. Each country has its own promotion laws, many of which are more restrictive than U.S. law. In Canada, for example, prize promotions typically use a mathematical skill-testing question. The EU has country-by-country regulations that vary significantly.
Common approaches to international eligibility in hospitality sweepstakes:
- U.S. only: Simplest compliance. Limit to legal residents of the 50 U.S. states and D.C. This is appropriate for domestic hotel chains and properties targeting the U.S. travel market
- U.S. and Canada: Moderate complexity. Typically uses a skill-testing question for Canadian entrants and must meet Competition Act disclosure requirements. Appropriate for North American hotel brands
- Multi-country: High complexity. Each country requires separate legal analysis. Void the promotion in countries where compliance is impractical. Often requires country-specific versions of the official rules. Only recommended for global hotel brands with legal resources to manage multi-jurisdiction compliance
For most hotel sweepstakes, limiting eligibility to U.S. residents (or U.S. and Canada, with Canadian compliance handled properly) is the simplest approach. If you need global eligibility, engage legal counsel with international promotion law expertise.
Loyalty Program Terms
If your sweepstakes is linked to a loyalty program, ensure the promotion terms don't conflict with your loyalty program's existing terms and conditions. Points awarded as prizes must be consistent with the program's points issuance policies. If the promotion offers status upgrades, confirm that your loyalty program T&C permits promotional status grants.
Travel-Specific Disclosures
Travel prizes require additional disclosures beyond standard sweepstakes rules:
Travel Prize Disclosure Checklist
- Valid travel dates and booking window
- All blackout dates listed individually
- Whether the prize is subject to availability
- Number of guests included (winner only, winner + 1, etc.)
- Airfare details: included or not, class of service, origin restrictions
- Whether the winner must have a valid passport (for international prizes)
- Age requirement for travel (some prizes require the winner to be 21+)
- Any health or physical requirements for activity-based prizes
- Cancellation and rebooking policy
- Tax responsibility disclosure
Revup collects generated W-9 and affidavit documents through winner claim forms. Your organization remains responsible for tax reporting and filing.
Launch Checklist for Hospitality Sweepstakes
Use this checklist to ensure nothing falls through the cracks between promotion concept and launch day.
Hospitality Sweepstakes Launch Checklist
- Business goal defined and measurable KPIs established
- Prize package designed with full ARV calculated
- Blackout dates and travel window confirmed with operations team
- Official rules drafted with all travel-specific disclosures
- State registration filed (if total ARV exceeds thresholds)
- Entry landing page built and mobile-optimized
- Entry form connected to your CRM or email platform
- AMOE (alternative method of entry) set up and accessible
- Confirmation email and auto-responder configured
- Email promotion sequence scheduled (announcement, reminder, last chance)
- Social media creative and posting schedule prepared
- On-property signage and front desk scripts created
- Website banners and booking confirmation inserts placed
- Winner selection method documented (random drawing, RNG tool)
- Winner notification process and timeline defined
- Affidavit of eligibility and liability release templates prepared
- Tax reporting process confirmed for winners receiving $2,000 or more
- Prize fulfillment logistics coordinated with property operations
Promotion Channels for Hospitality Sweepstakes
Hotels have access to promotion channels that most other industries do not. In addition to standard digital marketing channels, you have physical touchpoints across your properties, direct guest communication channels, and partnership opportunities with travel platforms and destination marketing organizations.
On-Property Touchpoints
Your properties are promotion channels themselves. Guests who are physically at your hotel are already engaged with your brand — they're a high-intent audience. Use every appropriate touchpoint to promote your sweepstakes:
- Front desk and check-in: Staff mentions the promotion during check-in. QR code on the registration card or key card sleeve
- In-room collateral: Tent card on the desk or nightstand with QR code linking to the entry page
- Lobby and common areas: Digital signage, poster frames, or table displays in the lobby, restaurant, pool area, and fitness center
- Hotel app: Push notification and in-app banner for guests with the property app installed
- Wi-Fi login page: Sweepstakes promotion on the captive portal that guests see when connecting to hotel Wi-Fi
- Checkout folio: Promotion mention on the checkout email or printed folio
Digital Channels
Standard digital promotion channels apply to hospitality sweepstakes, but with hospitality-specific tactics:
- Loyalty program email: Members already know your brand and expect loyalty communications
- Booking confirmation emails: Add a sweepstakes promotion banner to booking confirmation and pre-arrival emails. Review the permitted content and actual engagement for these messages
- Social media: Instagram and TikTok suit aspirational travel content. Use property photography and video to showcase the prize experience
- Website: Homepage banner, dedicated landing page, pop-up or slide-in on booking pages. Avoid interrupting the booking flow — place the promotion where it captures attention without creating friction for guests ready to book
- Paid media: Retarget website visitors who viewed but didn't book with sweepstakes ads. The sweepstakes gives them a reason to re-engage even if they're not ready to book
For a comprehensive promotion playbook, see our guide on how to promote your sweepstakes.
Measuring Hospitality Promotion ROI
Hospitality sweepstakes generate value across multiple dimensions. Tracking only entry count misses the real business impact. Here are the metrics that matter and how to measure them.
Direct Booking Revenue
For booking-linked sweepstakes (entries earned through direct bookings), measure the incremental revenue generated during the promotion period versus the same period in prior years. Control for other variables (pricing changes, marketing spend, market conditions). The promotion's ROI is the incremental revenue minus total promotion costs (prize value, compliance, marketing spend).
Track direct booking revenue at three levels: revenue generated during the promotion period itself, revenue from promotion-acquired contacts in the 90 days following the promotion, and 12-month lifetime revenue from these contacts. Attribute later bookings only where your data links them to the promotion.
Loyalty Program Enrollment
For enrollment-incentive sweepstakes, track new loyalty signups during the promotion period. More importantly, track the downstream behavior of promotion-acquired members: booking frequency, average daily rate, ancillary spending, and retention rate compared to members acquired through other channels.
Segment promotion-acquired members in your loyalty database so you can compare their long-term behavior against organically acquired members. Key questions to answer: Do sweepstakes-acquired members book at the same frequency? Do they maintain active status? Do they engage with loyalty program communications? This data informs whether sweepstakes are a cost-effective acquisition channel for your loyalty program specifically, not just for generating short-term entry volume.
Email List Growth and Quality
Count new marketing opt-ins separately from entries. Use your sending and booking systems to measure later engagement and bookings over a defined period, and include costs and margins in the comparison.
Email quality depends heavily on prize alignment. Sweepstakes with highly relevant prizes (hotel stays, travel experiences) attract travelers who genuinely want to visit your properties. Generic prizes (electronics, cash) attract a broader audience but a lower percentage of potential guests. If your primary goal is email list quality for booking campaigns, always choose prizes that self-select for travelers interested in your property type and destination.
Cost Per Lead and Cost Per Acquisition
Calculate total promotion cost (prize ARV + compliance + marketing spend + operational costs) divided by total entries to get cost per lead. Then divide total promotion cost by the number of entrants who make a booking within 12 months to get cost per acquisition. Compare these figures to your cost per acquisition through OTAs, paid search, and other channels.
Use the actual commission and acquisition costs in your distribution agreements when comparing direct bookings with intermediary bookings. Attribute savings only where the evidence supports that the promotion changed the booking channel.
| Metric | What to Measure |
|---|---|
| Entry volume | Total unique entries |
| Email capture rate | Entries with new email opt-in |
| Loyalty enrollment | New members during promotion |
| Direct booking lift | Incremental bookings during promo |
| Cost per lead | Total cost / total entries |
| Cost per booking | Total cost / bookings from entrants |
| Social reach | Impressions from promotion content |
| UGC collected | Photos/videos submitted (if applicable) |
Long-Term Value Tracking
A key ROI metric for hospitality sweepstakes is the 12-month customer lifetime value of promotion-acquired guests. Tag all sweepstakes entrants in your CRM and loyalty system, then track their booking behavior, spending patterns, and retention over the following year. Much of the value may come from later bookings rather than the promotion period itself. For a deeper framework on measuring sweepstakes performance, see our sweepstakes ROI guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can we require loyalty membership to enter a hotel sweepstakes?
You can require participants to be loyalty members — or to enroll in your loyalty program as part of the entry process — as long as enrollment is free. If your loyalty program is free to join, requiring membership is not considered "consideration" (payment) under sweepstakes law. However, if your program has a paid tier, you cannot require paid membership for entry. You must provide a free entry path, which can include free loyalty enrollment. For more on the no-purchase-necessary requirement, see our guide to no-purchase-necessary law.
How do we handle sweepstakes for international hotel properties?
If your hotel is in another country but you're promoting to U.S. residents, U.S. sweepstakes law applies to U.S. entrants. The prize destination being international doesn't change the legal framework — what matters is where the entrants reside. If you want to include non-U.S. entrants, you'll need to comply with each country's promotion laws. Most brands limit eligibility to specific countries and engage local legal counsel for each included jurisdiction.
What's the best promotion length for a hotel sweepstakes?
Long enough to reach your audience through email and social media, but short enough to keep urgency. For seasonal promotions, end the entry period while travelers are still booking for the season. For ongoing loyalty programs, consider monthly or quarterly draws rather than one long continuous promotion.
Do we need separate official rules for each property if we're a hotel chain?
If the sweepstakes is one unified promotion with one prize pool, you need one set of official rules. If each property is running its own independent promotion with its own prizes, each needs its own rules. Chain-wide promotions are more efficient from a compliance standpoint, but the rules must clearly identify the sponsor entity, list all participating properties (if relevant to entry), and specify any property-specific restrictions. See our official rules template for the full framework.
Can we give sweepstakes entries as a bonus for booking direct instead of through an OTA?
Yes, as long as you provide a free alternative method of entry (AMOE) that gives non-purchasers an equal chance of winning. The booking creates a "purchase entry path," and the AMOE creates the legally required "free entry path." Both paths must have the same odds of winning. Free entrants can't be capped below bookers. Revup doesn't import bookings, so booking-based entries need a separate workflow. For details on purchase-linked promotions, see our guide on running a sweepstakes legally.
How should we value loyalty points for prize ARV purposes?
Use your loyalty program's published point value or the cash-equivalent redemption rate. If your program publishes that 1 point = $0.01, then 500,000 points has an ARV of $5,000. If your program doesn't publish a fixed value, use the average redemption value — the average dollar value of hotel stays redeemed per point over the last 12 months. Document your valuation methodology and keep it consistent across promotions.
What happens if the winner can't travel during the prize window?
Your official rules should address this. Standard approaches include: (1) offering a one-time extension of the travel window, (2) allowing prize transfer to an alternate winner, or (3) offering a cash equivalent at the sponsor's discretion. Do not promise flexibility in your rules that you're unable to deliver. If the travel window is firm, state that clearly. If you're willing to offer extensions, specify the terms under which you'll grant them.
Are hotel sweepstakes subject to state registration even if we're only promoting to our own loyalty members?
Yes. State registration requirements apply based on total prize ARV and the geographic reach of your promotion — not the entry mechanic. If your loyalty members include residents of New York or Florida, and your prize ARV exceeds the applicable thresholds, registration is required. Rhode Island requires a filing only for chance promotions run by Rhode Island retail establishments with prizes over $500. The fact that entry is limited to loyalty members does not create an exemption from state sweepstakes registration laws.
For more on hospitality industry promotion strategies, explore our sweepstakes by industry guide. For legal guidance on structuring your next promotion, start with our step-by-step legal compliance guide, check state rules on the sweepstakes law map, or browse our prize ideas guide.