Digital Marketing General FAQ

Overview

This article consolidates frequently asked questions about Cloudbeds Digital Marketing (formerly Cloudbeds Amplify) across three topics: exporting reservations, attribution, and metasearch engines. Use this FAQ to understand how Digital Marketing appears in your Cloudbeds PMS and how to work with its data.

1. Digital Marketing Dashboard
2. Digital Marketing credits & Auto-refill
3. Exporting Digital Marketing Reservations
4. Digital Marketing Attribution
5. Metasearch Engines
6. Digital Marketing notifications and monthly report

⭐ Digital Marketing Dashboard

• Question: If I manage multiple properties, how will I see my reservation data?
• Answer: You will see reservation data (Bookings and Revenue) that is specific to the individual property you are viewing in its DMS dashboard.

⭐ Digital Marketing credits & Auto-refill

• Question: What does “Auto-refill credits” do?
• Answer: Some Digital Marketing campaigns (for example, Metasearch Ads, Hotel PMax, and Retargeting) use prepaid credits for ad spend. 
  
  When you add credits, you’ll see an option called Auto-refill credits. If this option is turned on, Cloudbeds will automatically purchase the selected credit package (for example, 100 credits) whenever your remaining balance falls below the threshold shown in the dropdown (for example, when the balance is less than 50). This helps keep campaigns running without interruption.

• Question: Is Auto-refill credits on or off by default when I add credits?
• Answer: Today, the Auto-refill credits checkbox is selected by default whenever you open the Add campaign credit panel to top up your Digital Marketing credits. This means that if you only want a one-time purchase, you should uncheck Auto-refill credits before clicking Continue or Save.

• Question: How do I turn off Auto-refill credits to avoid future automatic charges?

• Answer: In Cloudbeds PMS, click the Main Menu and go to Digital Marketing, then:

  1. Open the relevant tab (Metasearch, Hotel PMax, or Retargeting).
  2. Go to the Campaign Budget section and click the arrow or + Add credits button (label may vary by product).
  3. Uncheck the box labeled Auto-refill credits.
  4. Click Continue / Save to confirm your change.

  Once Auto-refill is turned off, your campaign will continue to run until the remaining credits are used. When the balance reaches 0%, the campaign will pause until you manually buy new credits and confirm the purchase again.

• Question: Will turning off Auto-refill credits cancel my Digital Marketing subscription?

• Answer: No. Auto-refill controls how credits are added, not whether you are subscribed to Digital Marketing. Turning Auto-refill off means:

  • Your subscription and campaigns remain active.
  • Your current credits are used as normal.
  • When credits run out, the campaign pauses instead of being automatically refilled.

  You can re-enable Auto-refill credits at any time by repeating the steps above and checking the Auto-refill box again.

• Question: How to be sure that Auto-refill is turned off?
• Answer: In the product dashboard, the Campaign Budget card will show the current Auto-refill status.

⭐ Exporting Digital Marketing Reservations

• Question: How can I export reservations attributed to Digital Marketing?

• Answer: Export reservations from the Main menu > Reservations using the steps below:

  1. Open Reservations and go to the Filter panel.
  2. Apply your date and status filters (Date booked, Check-in/Check-out, Stay date, Status, Room types).
  3. Under Reservation Source, select Direct.
  4. Click Apply.

  

  1. Click Export Reservations.
  2. Select the fields you want to include in your list (Origin field is mandatory).
  3. Click Export Reservations to download an Excel file.

  

  

  Now it’s time to edit your file:

  1. Open the report to create a filter for the Origin column.
  2. Filter to Digital Marketing (Cloudbeds Amplify). All reservations from this origin in the selected period will be listed.

  

  

    Digital Marketing–attributed reservations are not visible immediately in Cloudbeds PMS. The Origin field is updated monthly after processing and auditing.

⭐ Digital Marketing Attribution

• Question: How are bookings attributed to Digital Marketing in the dashboard?

• Answer: Bookings influenced by paid marketing channels (e.g., Metasearch, Google Ads/SEM, Retargeting) are attributed to Digital Marketing and displayed under the Ads source/channel in the Performance Dashboard.

  

• Question: Why can a booking be attributed to Digital Marketing even when the guest interacted with multiple channels before booking?

• Answer: Marketing attribution is notoriously complex—there are dozens of philosophies and models because, frankly, most bookings do not occur in a vacuum. It is rarely a "one-click-to-one-booking" journey.

  The Reality of Multi-Touch Journeys

  Google Analytics and our partner platforms use specific methodologies to assign value across the "funnel." In our data-driven, multi-touch model, we account for various touchpoints (Meta, PMAX, Organic, etc.) that contribute to a guest's decision.

  One could argue that a campaign wasn’t the first thing a user did, or the last thing they did, but that doesn't mean its influence was zero. We attribute a booking to the program if our campaign appears as a verified touchpoint in that journey.

  Example of guest touch points before making a booking:

  

  Highlighted are "Cloudbeds" campaign touch points along that journey.

• Question: Why can attribution numbers feel high, or differ from what other tools show?

• Answer:

  The "Blind Spots" in Data

  While some numbers may feel high, it's important to consider the data we cannot see:

  • Consent Management: If a user declines cookies via a banner, we are "blind" to their activity.
  • Offline Conversions: We cannot track users who click an ad but eventually book via a phone call, walk-in, or direct email.
  • View-Through Conversions (Retargeting Campaigns): Our partners report on users who saw an ad, didn't click, but later returned to the site to book. Google Analytics cannot "see" these because there was no click-source, yet the ad still played a role in the conversion. So we rely on partner reporting for attribution of 'view through' conversions.

  The truth of marketing campaign attribution usually sits somewhere in the middle. While a specific model might seem aggressive, it is balanced by the bookings we are unable to track due to privacy settings and offline behavior. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive view of how campaigns contribute to your overall revenue.

• Question: Are Cloudbeds Website or Free Booking Links bookings counted as Digital Marketing?
• Answer: No. Reservations generated solely from your Cloudbeds Website or from Google’s Free Booking Links are considered organic/free and are not attributed to paid Digital Marketing.

⭐ Metasearch Engines

• Question: What is a metasearch engine?
• Answer: Travelers use metasearch websites to compare flights, search for accommodations, and book trips. A metasearch engine is an online information retrieval tool that uses data from a web search engine (such as Google) to produce its own results for a specific service. In travel, metasearch engines let travelers compare hotel room rates from various OTAs and other booking sites in one place, searching availability and comparing prices across OTAs and hotel websites.

• Question: How does Cloudbeds support metasearch?
• Answer: Cloudbeds offers the metasearch service to boost your property's online visibility.

• Question: Why are competitive rates important for metasearch?
• Answer: Your pricing strategy matters, especially with metasearch. Advertising on metasearch engines gives you visibility comparable to major OTAs. With that exposure, ensure your direct rates are competitive with third-party channels. Without rate parity, ads are less effective, and the campaign will provide a lower return. Contact our Support Team to learn more about our Digital Marketing.

• Question: How is metasearch different from advertising on OTAs?
• Answer:
  • Search results: OTAs (e.g., Booking.com) show listings for properties on their platform, while metasearch results include listings from OTAs and various property direct websites.
  • Booking route: Metasearch allows travelers to book directly through your own website using your booking engine. Your booking engine should be modern, user-friendly, and inspire confidence so guests complete the booking. Booking engines, like the booking engine offered by Cloudbeds, should also be seamlessly integrated with your website. OTA bookings are made directly on the OTA’s website vs. your booking engine.
  • Control guest relationship: Metasearch helps you own the guest relationship because you receive their contact information directly.

⭐ Digital Marketing notifications and monthly report

• Question: What is the monthly Digital Marketing report?
• Answer: The monthly Digital Marketing report is a summary of your campaign performance for the month that just ended, including booked revenue, channel contribution, and performance trends compared to the previous period.
  
  The report is delivered by email and can also be accessed from a system notification in Cloudbeds PMS.

• Question: How do I enable or disable the monthly report notification?
• Answer: You can manage this setting from the Notifications panel in your Cloudbeds account:
  1. Click the Notifications icon in the top navigation bar.
  2. Select the Settings icon.
  3. Under Digital Marketing, select or clear Monthly Report.
  4. Click Save.

• Question: Where and when will I see the monthly report notification?
• Answer: The notification appears in the Notifications panel in Cloudbeds PMS at the beginning of each month, typically on the 3rd or 4th day, once the monthly report is available.
  
  It includes the reporting period and a comparison reference. Selecting the notification opens the Digital Marketing Overview page and summarizes the performance of the month that just ended.

• Question: Do I need to turn on comparison mode manually?
• Answer: No. When you open the report from the notification, comparison mode is already applied so you can review performance trends for the selected period immediately.

• Question: Does the monthly report replace the Digital Marketing dashboard?
• Answer: No. The monthly report provides a summary of your performance, while the Digital Marketing Overview page and the rest of the dashboard provide more detailed insights, comparisons, and filtering options for deeper analysis.

• Question: Why didn’t I receive the monthly report?
• Answer: Check the following:
  • The Monthly Report notification is enabled in your notification settings.
  • Your user has access to Digital Marketing features.
  • The previous month has ended and the report has been generated.
  • The notification period has passed; notifications are sent at the beginning of each month, typically on the 3rd or 4th day.