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GullySales

Hotels · Referral marketing

The decorator and the photographer see the wedding before you do.

Referral work for a hotel is the planner who recommends your hall, the company down the road whose auditors need rooms, and the guest who tells a colleague. Paying a travel agent a commission is normal here in a way it is not in most trades. GullySales sets up the arrangements and puts them in writing.

A 90-minute audit call and a written, scored report. Turnaround, reporting and term are agreed in writing after the audit.

A back alley between two brick yard walls with washing lines strung across it: sheets pegged out on the near line, the newest still swinging on one differently coloured peg, the next line along completely empty, a prop pole holding the line up and the back gate standing ajar

What referral marketing means

Referral marketing is asking an existing customer to recommend you to someone they know, usually with a reward for both sides. It differs from a loyalty scheme because it brings in a new customer rather than a repeat purchase. GullySales builds the ask and the reward into a point where a customer is already satisfied.

For hotels

Where it usually goes wrong, and what we would do.

  • “The wedding trade recommends the venue that is easy to work in”

    Planners, decorators, caterers and photographers all work inside your banquet hall. Loading access, a room to change in and a hall handed over on time decide whether they name you to the next family.

  • “The room referral nobody works is the company down the road”

    A factory with visiting auditors, a hospital with patients' families, a college at admission time. That is steady weekday occupancy and none of it arrives through a search.

  • “Agent commission is expected here, so write it down”

    Unlike most trades, paying for the booking is normal in this one. The trouble comes from an unwritten rate, so agree the percentage, the payment terms and who raises the invoice.

What we do

What we deliver for hotels.

Every deliverable, what it covers for you, and the result it is there to produce. Nothing here is an extra.

  1. A wedding trade list and a working relationship

    The planners, decorators, caterers and photographers active in your city, approached with what your hall gives them rather than what it costs the family.

    Result: Your venue is on the list a planner reads out.

  2. Outreach to the businesses around the property

    Factories, hospitals, colleges and offices within reach, approached directly with a rate and an invitation to inspect the rooms.

    Result: Weekday occupancy comes from neighbours rather than from a listing.

  3. Travel agent terms in writing

    The commission, the payment terms, the cancellation treatment and who raises the invoice, agreed before the first booking rather than after a dispute.

    Result: Agents keep sending bookings because payment is predictable.

  4. The referral ask at checkout

    A short request to a business guest for the name of a colleague who travels the same route, made at the desk rather than by email later.

    Result: One business traveller turns into an account.

  5. A forwardable page for the hall

    Photographs of a real function, the capacity in each layout, parking, kitchen and an indicative package, in a form a planner can send in one message.

    Result: A recommendation arrives with everything the family was going to ask.

  6. Referral source written on every booking

    Where each booking came from recorded on the folio, so you know which planner, agent or company is genuinely sending business.

    Result: You keep and thank the sources that work.

How the result is measured

  • Referrals received
  • Referral conversion rate
  • Cost per referred customer

Recorded as a baseline before work starts, so every later report has an honest comparison.

Who it is for

This is written for these hotels.

  • Business and transit hotels
  • Boutique and heritage properties
  • Resort and destination hotels
  • Budget and mid-market chains
  • Banquet and wedding-focused properties
  • Serviced apartments and long-stay properties

Not for

It is not the right fit if.

  • You want a guaranteed Google ranking or a guaranteed number of leads. Nobody honest can promise either.
  • You need enquiries by next week and have nobody to answer them.
  • You want posts and reach reported, not enquiries and orders.

How it works

From your first message to the first report.

No open-ended retainer. Each step has a point in time and something you receive.

  1. 01 · Day 1

    Free audit call

    90 minutes with whoever handles your enquiries: how they arrive, how fast they are answered, where they are lost.

  2. 02 · After the call

    Written, scored report

    Six areas scored, fixes ranked by return and cost. If you want our help, the scope, the fee and the reporting come with it, in writing.

  3. 03 · Before work starts

    Baseline recorded

    Enquiries by source, reply time, conversion and cost per order, written down so every later month has an honest comparison.

  4. 04 · Month 1

    The first fix goes live

    Usually the cheapest one on the report: reply time, a follow-up sequence or the marketing-to-sales handover.

  5. 05 · As agreed

    Report against the baseline

    What moved, what did not, and what changes next, in plain words. How often you get it is set in writing before work starts.

  6. 06 · At the end of the term

    Renew on the numbers

    The term ends and you decide whether to continue from the results. The length is agreed in writing before anything starts.

How the work runs for hotels

  1. 1

    Assess

    We look at your OTA ranking and reviews, your direct-booking website, your reply time to banquet and corporate enquiries, and where last month's bookings actually came from.

  2. 2

    Fix the OTA presence

    Photographs, descriptions and review replies brought up to date across every OTA listing you use.

  3. 3

    Build the direct channel

    A booking-ready website and a reason for a past guest to book directly next time instead of paying an OTA commission on your behalf.

  4. 4

    Bring bookings in

    Local and destination search, reviews from real guests, and quotes for banquets and corporate stays that go out the same day.

  5. 5

    Keep guests coming back

    A loyalty offer for repeat guests and corporate accounts, and a staycation push for weekends when local demand exists.

Proof

What happened when owners fixed this.

Real clients, the work we did, and the result as it was recorded. Where no number was recorded, none is claimed.

All case studies
  • Hotel Felicity Inn

    Situation
    A traveller compares three hotels on a phone and books one. The website was not built for that.
    What we did
    • The site rebuilt around booking
    • Photography and one look
    • Search work for destination searches
    • Content a traveller reads
    Result
    • Online bookings increased 35%
    • Organic traffic increased 50% within six months
    • Positive reviews on Google and TripAdvisor increased 30%
    Read the case study
  • Chord Road Hospital

    Situation
    Patients who knew the hospital trusted it. Patients who searched for a department or a treatment in the area did not find it.
    What we did
    • Website rebuilt around patient needs
    • Search visibility
    • Social media on a schedule
    • Review management
    Result
    • Organic traffic increased 60% within six months
    • Online appointment bookings increased 40%
    • Social following grew 45%, and engagement on it rose 70%
    Read the case study

Also worked with

Curtain Label · Difesa Security Services · Hands On CSR · Implevista · Kambar Group · Kalessi · Kerur Pain Clinic · LL Trust · Lucky Deals · Natural Gases · NavaShakthi Souhardha · NewCom Logistics · Proton Technical Services · SB Engineering · Shakthi Foundation · Shakthi Group · Urbanest · Insyde Studio · Venkateshwara Laser Tech · Vivara Studios

Why us

Why owners pick GullySales over an agency.

  • Marketing and sales, as one job

    Most agencies stop at the enquiry. We also fix what happens after it: the reply, the follow-up, the quote and the CRM.

  • The person on the first call does the work

    No account managers in between. You are never handed to someone you have not met.

  • A baseline before anything starts

    Your numbers are written down on day one, so every later report compares against something honest.

  • The fee in writing, split three ways

    Our time, your media spend and production on separate lines. You always see what goes to us.

  • No guarantees we cannot keep

    The term is agreed in writing and never a default twelve months. We never promise a ranking or a lead count, because nobody controls those.

  • One office, and we say so

    Nagarbhavi, Bengaluru. We work across India by call and WhatsApp and travel when a session needs to be in person.

#257, 3rd floor, Sri Nanjundeshwara Complex, Nagarbhavi 8th Block, Outer Ring Road. How we work.

The offer

Start with a free audit of how you sell.

It is useful on its own, whether or not you hire us.

What you receive

  • A 90-minute call with the person who will do the work
  • A written, scored report on the six places orders leak
  • Every fix ranked by what it returns and what it costs
  • The one thing to do first, and why
  • An honest line on whether you need outside help at all
  • If you do, the scope and the fee in writing

No invoice. No obligation. No sales script.

We call and WhatsApp on this number.

We use your details only to reply to this enquiry. See the privacy policy.

FAQ

Questions owners ask before they call.

Not here? More answers, or ask on WhatsApp.

Should we pay a planner for bringing us a wedding?
It is common in this trade, and the real question is whether the family knows. An undisclosed cut inside their quote causes trouble when it surfaces. Agree terms in writing and keep the arrangement one you would be happy to explain.
How do we approach a company for corporate bookings?
Through the admin or travel desk, with a site inspection and a reference stay rather than a rate card in an email. A travel desk signs an agreement after somebody has seen the rooms.
How soon would we see more direct bookings?
Fixing the OTA listing and review replies moves first, since the searches are already happening there. Building a direct-booking habit among repeat guests is slower, usually a season or two.
Do we need to advertise?
Most properties benefit first from a stronger OTA listing and reviews, which cost nothing extra in media. Advertising helps fill a known quiet season or push a specific banquet or staycation offer.
How much does it cost?
There is no price list, because the work differs by business. The fee is scoped in the free audit and put in writing before anything starts, split into our time, your media spend and production.
How long is the contract?
The term is agreed in writing after the audit, along with the fee and the reporting. It is never a default twelve months, and renewal is decided on the numbers against the baseline recorded at the start.
Who will actually do the work?
The person you meet on the audit call. We work from one office in Nagarbhavi, Bengaluru, with no account managers in between.
What do you need from us?
For the audit, last month's enquiries in any format and 90 minutes with whoever handles them. After that, access to the accounts the work touches, such as the website, Google Business Profile or CRM, and time for the review meetings.
What if we are not happy with the work?
Tell us and the plan changes. Everything is reported against the baseline, so a number that is not moving is visible to both sides. The term is in your written scope, and the refund and cancellation policy sets out the rest.

Your next practical step

Get a free audit of how you sell, and a scored report of where the work is.

90 minutes. A written, scored report. No invoice and no obligation.