From Drive-By to Check-In: How to Turn Passing Traffic Into Motel Guests

Some guests plan weeks (or months) ahead. Others are just a few miles from your property right now, scanning Google Maps or typing “motels near me” into their phone before the next exit. These last-minute, on-the-road travelers are some of the most valuable guests you can attract.

Why? They have high intent, minimal price sensitivity and a quick decision window. If your motel is visible, convincing and easy to book online, you can win their business before they ever see the competition.

However, we’ve noticed most motels make tons of mistakes that prevent them from having these travelers book. Instead, this post will make sure your digital presence pulls them in using proven strategies.

Be the Motel They See First (Before Your Competitors)

When someone searches “motel near me” or “rooms available tonight,” the Google Map Pack is often where the choice is made. If your listing is incomplete or outdated, you may never even be considered. Do everything you can to optimize this piece of online real estate.

Practical move: Keep your Google Business Profile up-to-date with fresh photos, amenities and accurate hours. Post short updates about availability or specials and regularly collect new reviews that highlight safety, cleanliness and convenience.

Motel Impact: This is the digital version of being the biggest sign on the highway. Showing up polished in search results makes you the obvious first click.

Put Ads Exactly Where the Travelers Are

Geo-targeted mobile ads allow you to reach people still in their cars, already near your property and actively looking for a place to stay. These are high-intent leads that will take fast action if you reach them.

Practical move: Use Google or Facebook Ads to target a tight radius around your town or key highway exits. Focus your ad copy on immediacy (“Book a room tonight”) and link straight to a mobile-friendly booking page.

Motel Impact: You’re catching guests in real time, at the exact moment they’re making their lodging decision. Get this right and you’ll be the only option they consider.

Make Booking On a Phone as Easy as Amazon Prime

A road-weary traveler will not battle a complicated booking form. If it’s not fast and simple, they’ll find somewhere else to stay. This means you must optimize for mobile and eliminate any friction before they enter their credit card details.

Practical move: Test your site on a phone to ensure it loads in under three seconds. Add large tap-friendly “Book Now” buttons, strip down booking forms to essentials, and keep your phone number at the top of every page for one-tap calls.

Motel Impact: The easier it is to confirm a room on a small screen, the more “maybe” guests you turn into instant confirmations.

Social posts can be more than random photos: they can drive same-day reservations if used with purpose. The key? Be active, engaged and make an offer someone in the area can’t refuse.

Practical move: Post late-afternoon updates about room availability with a short-term promo code for direct booking. Use Facebook’s location targeting to boost that post to people already nearby.

Motel Impact: Creates urgency, boosts visibility with people in your area right now and fills rooms that might otherwise sit empty.

Bonus Play: Show Up in Highway Exit Searches

Travelers often search for hotels using the name or number of the exit they’re approaching. If your motel appears in those results, you can secure the booking before they even pass the ramp.

Practical move: Run Google Ads on phrases like “motel exit 42” or “place to stay near [exit name].” Include the exit in your ad headline and offer a same-day perk to make the choice obvious.

Motel Impact: You intercept intent at the exact decision point—when the guest is minutes away and ready to commit.

Bottom Line: Win Their Business Before Anyone Else

On-the-road guests are already primed to say yes. You just have to be the most visible and easiest option to book. With a strong Google presence, targeted ads and a friction-free site, you can capture more last-minute guests. While a one-off here or there may not seem like a big deal, these bookings add up and represent a ton of revenue every year. Now you might be thinking:

Sure, all of this sounds great, but I’m busy running the motel.

At Slamdot, we build digital marketing systems to win guests in these exact moments. From high-converting websites to strategic Google ads and SEO, we’re here to ensure guests see you as the can’t-miss option.

Example: We built the website for Wafloy Mountain Village, a retreat center located just outside of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. They needed a site that made it simple for groups to explore, plan and book their stay. And we can do the same for your motel.

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