How much should an Irish pub or restaurant spend on marketing?

Most independent Irish venues we work with commit 3–6% of revenue, split between agency fees and ad spend. A single venue typically starts around €750/mo in fees plus €700–1,800/mo in Google and Meta spend, then scales once the covers justify it.

Can you help us take bookings direct instead of through OpenTable or Booking.com?

Yes, and it is usually the fastest margin gain available. We rebuild the direct reservation and room-booking journey on your own site, then send search and social demand there first so commission stops eating the difference.

Do you understand Irish seasonality and event trade?

Bank holiday weekends, festival weeks, All-Ireland and Six Nations match days, wedding season and the quiet January–February stretch all behave differently. We plan campaigns, offers and rates around your real demand curve rather than a flat annual budget.

How do you win both local regulars and Wild Atlantic Way visitors?

With two separate campaign tracks. Local trade is won through Google Business Profile accuracy, reviews and neighbourhood-level search; visitor trade is won through destination-intent search, trip-planning content and stronger listings on tourism platforms.

Can you market Sunday lunch, live music and private dining separately?

Yes. Those are the highest-margin bookings most Irish venues undermarket. Each gets its own landing page, offer and campaign so it can be measured and scaled on its own numbers.

How long before we see results?

Paid campaigns often move covers inside two to four weeks. Local SEO and review-led ranking gains typically build across three to six months. You get monthly reporting on bookings, revenue and channel mix throughout.

Ireland

Hospitality marketing for Irish pubs, restaurants and guesthouses

HMRA works with independent Irish pubs, restaurants, cafés, boutique hotels and guesthouses — growing local trade year-round and capturing high-value visitor demand without handing margin to the booking platforms.

Where we work in Ireland

Remote-first, region-aware

Remote-first, with calls in Irish business hours (IST/GMT) — same working day as our UK team. We work with operators nationwide, with campaigns built around your catchment rather than a national average.

Dublin & the east

Cork & the south

Galway & the west

Limerick & the mid-west

Kerry & the Wild Atlantic Way

Donegal & the north-west

Built for the Ireland market

What we do differently here

Own local and tourist search

Irish venues compete for two very different audiences. We build the Google Business Profile and local SEO foundation that wins nearby regulars, then layer visitor-intent search on top.

Direct over the OTAs

Booking.com, Expedia and OpenTable bring volume at a cost. We rebuild the direct booking journey so more of every room night and cover stays with you.

Season and event driven

Bank holidays, festivals, match days, wedding season and the quiet mid-winter weeks each need their own plan. We map campaigns and rates to your real demand curve.

Food, drink and functions

Sunday lunch, live music, private dining and Christmas parties are the highest-margin bookings most venues undermarket. We build the pages and campaigns that capture them early.

Services

The same six services, localised

Every engagement is built from these six areas, adapted to Ireland platforms, search behaviour and booking channels.

Website Design & Landing Pages

Sites that turn browsers into bookings, not just brochures.

Paid Advertising — Google & Meta

Reach hungry locals and weekend planners the week they're deciding.

Local SEO & Google Business Profile

Own the map pack for 'restaurant near me' in your town.

Social Media Management & Content

A feed that looks as good as the plates leaving your kitchen.

Revenue Management & Pricing Strategy

Charge the right price on the right night — and protect margin.

Online Ordering & Booking Setup

Fewer phone calls, fewer no-shows, more direct revenue.

Pricing in EUR

Ireland retainers

Starter

From €750/mo

One venue, foundations fixed: listings, local SEO and a single ad channel.

Ad spend billed separately, always in your own accounts

Enquire about Starter

Growth

From €1,850/mo

Google + Meta ads, social content, booking setup and quarterly revenue review.

Ad spend billed separately, always in your own accounts

Enquire about Growth

Full-Service

From €3,700/mo

Multi-venue or hotel operators who want the whole engine run for them.

Ad spend billed separately, always in your own accounts

Enquire about Full-Service

Prices are illustrative starting points shown in EUR and converted from our UK rate card for guidance. Final scope, currency and fees are confirmed after the audit. Taxes are not included.

Illustrative results

What this looks like in Ireland

Traditional pub with rooms

Dingle, County Kerry

Challenge. Strong summer visitor trade but very quiet from November to March, with most room nights arriving through OTAs at full commission.

What we did. Direct booking engine setup with best-rate messaging, off-season break packages, and destination-intent paid search aimed at Irish and UK weekend travellers.

+34%

direct room revenue in 6 months

City-centre restaurant

Dublin 2

Challenge. Heavy reliance on a reservation platform and near-empty Tuesday and Wednesday service despite strong weekend demand.

What we did. Rebuilt direct reservations, launched a midweek set-menu page, and ran tightly geo-fenced Google and Meta campaigns inside the surrounding postcodes.

+39%

midweek covers in 4 months

Boutique guesthouse

Galway city

Challenge. Undersold shoulder season and no visibility for the neighbourhood searches guests were actually using.

What we did. Local SEO and Business Profile rebuild, neighbourhood landing pages, and a review programme run at checkout.

2.6x

direct enquiries in 5 months

These are illustrative examples showing the kind of work we do and the outcomes it can produce — not verified claims from named clients. Results vary by venue, market and budget.

FAQs

Ireland hospitality marketing questions

How much should an Irish pub or restaurant spend on marketing?: Most independent Irish venues we work with commit 3–6% of revenue, split between agency fees and ad spend. A single venue typically starts around €750/mo in fees plus €700–1,800/mo in Google and Meta spend, then scales once the covers justify it.
Can you help us take bookings direct instead of through OpenTable or Booking.com?: Yes, and it is usually the fastest margin gain available. We rebuild the direct reservation and room-booking journey on your own site, then send search and social demand there first so commission stops eating the difference.
Do you understand Irish seasonality and event trade?: Bank holiday weekends, festival weeks, All-Ireland and Six Nations match days, wedding season and the quiet January–February stretch all behave differently. We plan campaigns, offers and rates around your real demand curve rather than a flat annual budget.
How do you win both local regulars and Wild Atlantic Way visitors?: With two separate campaign tracks. Local trade is won through Google Business Profile accuracy, reviews and neighbourhood-level search; visitor trade is won through destination-intent search, trip-planning content and stronger listings on tourism platforms.
Can you market Sunday lunch, live music and private dining separately?: Yes. Those are the highest-margin bookings most Irish venues undermarket. Each gets its own landing page, offer and campaign so it can be measured and scaled on its own numbers.
How long before we see results?: Paid campaigns often move covers inside two to four weeks. Local SEO and review-led ranking gains typically build across three to six months. You get monthly reporting on bookings, revenue and channel mix throughout.

Other markets

United Kingdom United States Australia New Zealand Canada Switzerland Singapore United Arab Emirates South Africa Scotland

Operating in Ireland?

Free Growth Audit for Ireland operators

We'll review your local search presence, booking journey and channel mix, then show you the changes most likely to add covers and room nights in Ireland.

Get a Free Ireland Growth Audit View Pricing