The short answer: Hoi An's hotel market is dominated by OTAs and large booking platforms for generic searches. But independent properties with genuine local knowledge - specific neighbourhood guides, honest seasonal information, named staff - can outrank aggregators for the high-intent queries that convert to bookings.
Use the 40-point GBP Audit Checklist to score your Hoi An property against the signals that matter most for local search in Vietnam.
The Hoi An SEO Landscape in 2026
Hoi An is one of Southeast Asia's most searched hotel destinations, with monthly search volumes for accommodation-related queries running into the tens of thousands. The Old Town UNESCO listing drives consistent international interest year-round, with peak demand in February through August when central Vietnam's dry season aligns with European and Australian school holiday windows.
The competitive SEO landscape for Hoi An hotels breaks into three tiers. Booking.com, Agoda, and Expedia dominate the first page for generic searches like "hotels Hoi An" and "best guesthouses Hoi An." These are unwinnable for independent properties through direct SEO alone. The second tier - comparison sites and travel media - dominates for destination-level queries. The third tier, which is genuinely winnable, is the specific, intent-rich long-tail: "boutique hotel near Hoi An Old Town with pool," "guesthouse An Bang Beach walking distance," "family hotel Hoi An with rice paddy views."
Independent properties that publish specific, verifiable content about their exact location relative to landmarks, beaches, and transport can rank on the first page for these queries within 3–6 months on an established domain.
Local Search Signals That Matter
Google Business Profile is the highest-leverage local SEO asset for any Hoi An property. Properties appearing in the GBP 3-Pack for queries like "boutique hotel Hoi An Old Town" typically generate 15–25% of total enquiries from that listing alone, at zero incremental cost.
The GBP signals that carry the most weight in the Hoi An market: review volume (properties with 200+ reviews significantly outperform those with under 50), response rate (respond to every review within 24 hours), photo freshness (upload new photos of seasonal food, current room condition, and local events quarterly), and category accuracy (select "Boutique Hotel" or "Guesthouse" as primary category, not the generic "Hotel").
NAP consistency - having identical business name, address, and phone number across your GBP, Booking.com listing, TripAdvisor, and your own website - is frequently broken in the Hoi An market due to properties updating one platform without updating others. Run a NAP audit across all your listings annually.
Chinese, Korean, and Australian Markets
Hoi An's three largest international source markets in 2025–26 are Chinese, Korean, and Australian travellers, each with distinct search and booking behaviours.
Chinese travellers predominantly use Ctrip (Trip.com) and Weibo rather than Western OTAs. A complete Ctrip listing with Chinese-language description and high-quality photos is a higher priority than a perfectly optimised Booking.com listing for capturing this market. Reviews in Simplified Chinese on Google and Ctrip carry significant weight.
Korean travellers are heavily influenced by Naver Search and Korean travel blogs. A property that earns a mention on one mid-size Korean travel blog can see a sustained 20–30% increase in Korean bookings. Identify 3–5 Korean travel bloggers who cover central Vietnam and consider hosting a complimentary stay in exchange for genuine coverage.
Australian travellers, the most OTA-independent of the three segments, respond well to direct booking incentives and personal email communication. An Australian guest who books via Booking.com is highly convertible to a direct return visit if you follow up personally within 48 hours of checkout.
Building a Direct Booking Channel
The direct booking opportunity for Hoi An properties is larger than most operators realise. Average OTA commission in the market runs 17–21%. A property doing 500,000 USD annually in room revenue at 70% OTA dependency is paying approximately 60,000–74,000 USD per year in commission. Shifting 20 percentage points to direct recovers 17,000–21,000 USD annually - enough to fund a full digital marketing programme and more.
The fastest direct booking gains come from connecting Google free hotel booking links (available through compatible booking engines including Cloudbeds, Little Hotelier, and Beds24) and adding a clear direct booking incentive to your website: free airport transfer, early check-in, complimentary breakfast, or a room upgrade on availability. State these advantages explicitly on your booking page - most properties have them but don't communicate them.
Content Strategy for Hoi An Properties
The content that generates qualified direct traffic for Hoi An properties follows a specific pattern: specific, hyperlocal, and practically useful. Generic "things to do in Hoi An" articles compete with thousands of pieces from major travel media. Content that only a property in Hoi An could write - "How to Get from Da Nang Airport to Hoi An in 2026: Our Guests' Honest Guide," "Hoi An in July: What Our Staff Actually Recommend When It Rains," "An Bang Beach vs Cua Dai: Which Should You Choose?" - wins on long-tail queries and converts at 3–5× the rate of generic content.
Publish three pieces of this type of content and maintain them with annual updates. Each should include the current year in the title, specific prices (updated seasonally), and named recommendations from actual staff members. The named staff element is the hardest for aggregators to replicate and is a direct E-E-A-T signal.
The 90-Day Action Plan
Month one: Complete a full GBP audit using the 40-point checklist, fix all critical items, upload 20+ photos, and implement a systematic review request process via WhatsApp at guest checkout.
Month two: Publish one piece of hyperlocal content (the airport transfer guide is the highest-traffic opportunity), connect Google free booking links if your booking engine supports them, and run a NAP audit across all OTA listings.
Month three: Set up a post-stay email sequence for direct guests, create a direct booking incentive page, and begin a simple email capture on your website (one field, one clear benefit).
