Second Wave

What Second Wave does

Second Wave is the in-house marketing agency of Aimbridge Hospitality, one of the world's largest hotel management companies. The agency delivers integrated marketing services across four core disciplines — Branding (strategy, positioning, visual identity), Web Development (conversion-focused hotel websites with SEO and mobile-first design), Marketing (full-funnel digital campaigns, paid media, content, and account management), and Creative Production (collateral, templates, and campaigns aligned to brand standards). Its work spans luxury lifestyle, soft-brand, full-service, select-service, and resort properties operating under major flags including Marriott Autograph Collection, Hilton Curio/Tapestry/Canopy, Hyatt Unbound, and IHG voco.

The agency is organized into vertical-aligned VP Marketing roles covering Full Service, Select Service, and Resorts/Lifestyle/Luxury, supported by Directors in Digital Strategy, Web Development/SEO, Marketing Analytics, and Creative. Technical capabilities include a proprietary Paid Media Budget Planner Tool (winner of a 2025 HSMAI Adrian Award Best of Category), AI-assisted data insights for media and campaign optimization, SEO/site speed/mobile optimization, ADA compliance, and PR-driven brand launches. Distribution is exclusively internal — Second Wave delivers services to Aimbridge-owned and managed hotel properties across North America and the Caribbean, working alongside revenue management, sales, and operations teams rather than as a third-party vendor.

The business model is professional services revenue generated through service delivery to Aimbridge's portfolio; pricing is engagement-based with multi-year contracts and no public rate cards. The agency does not appear to sell externally to non-Aimbridge hotels. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the company has no external institutional investors, functioning as a captive marketing division within the parent organization.

Name

Second Wave

Legal name

Second Wave

Website

https://secondwavemarketing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Second Wave is the in-house marketing agency of Aimbridge Hospitality, providing integrated branding, web development, digital marketing, and creative production services to Aimbridge-owned hotel properties across North America and the Caribbean.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospitality Marketing Services

NAICS

Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Beachfront & Coastal Full-Service Hotels (THAGAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Destination Spa Resorts (THAGAMAA), Marina & Waterfront Full-Service Hotels (THAGAAAK)

Keywords

• Hospitality marketing services
• Hotel branding strategy
• Hotel web development
• Digital marketing campaigns
• Creative production agency

Headquarters

HQ city

San Clemente

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Integrated Marketing Agency Services: Second Wave operates as an in-house marketing agency for Aimbridge Hospitality, providing integrated marketing services including branding, web development, digital marketing, and creative production. Revenue is generated through service delivery to hotel properties owned or managed by Aimbridge, working alongside revenue management, sales, and operations teams to drive measurable performance outcomes including ADR, occupancy, and RevPAR improvements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Second Wave is an in-house marketing agency for Aimbridge Hospitality that delivers integrated marketing services to hotel properties, covering branding strategy and visual identity, conversion-focused website design and development, full-funnel digital marketing campaigns (paid media, SEO, content, social, metasearch), and creative production of marketing and sales collateral. Services align marketing, digital, branding, and creative production with hotel revenue management, sales, and operations teams.

Product overview

Second Wave is an award-winning hospitality marketing agency and in-house marketing agency for Aimbridge Hospitality. The company offers four integrated core services: Branding (strategy, positioning, visual identity), Web Development (conversion-focused website design), Marketing (full-funnel digital campaigns, paid media, content), and Creative Production (marketing materials, templates, collateral). A proprietary Paid Media Budget Planner Tool, which won a Best of Category award at the 2025 HSMAI Adrian Awards, complements the service portfolio. The integrated marketing model combines AI-powered data insights with collaboration alongside revenue management, sales, and operations teams. Second Wave works with major hotel brands including Marriott, Hilton, IHG, and Hyatt properties across soft brands, lifestyle, resort, and full-service segments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Second Wave Marketing: The company's primary brand operating as an award-winning hospitality marketing agency.

Products and services

• Branding Brand strategy, positioning, storytelling, and visual identity development for hotels and resorts. Uncovers the narrative at the core of a property and shapes it into something guests can feel, remember, and return to through research, strategy, and identity design.
• Web Development Hotel website design and development balancing user experience, technical performance, SEO, and brand expression. Includes SEO optimization, site speed optimization, mobile-first responsive design, proprietary CMS setup, ADA compliance, and data tracking to guide guests from discovery to booking.
• Marketing Full-funnel digital campaigns, content across owned channels, creative, and ongoing account management designed to drive demand and revenue-driven performance for hotels, including paid digital, email, SEO, and metasearch campaigns.
• Creative Production Full suite of marketing and sales materials, templates, campaigns, and collateral managed by a dedicated creative team, ensuring every touchpoint stays aligned and consistent with hotel brand standards.
• Paid Media Paid digital advertising services including Expedia TravelAds, Google Ads, social media advertising, and metasearch channels with focus on ROAS optimization and revenue growth for hotel portfolios.

Quantifiable outcome

• 165% increase in conversion rate and 182% increase in website visitors for a New York hotel website
• +10 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Aimbridge HospitalitycoreOthersSecond Wave is the in-house marketing agency of Aimbridge Hospitality, one of the world's largest hotel management companies. As an internal agency within Aimbridge Commercial, Second Wave operates as an integrated marketing function that combines AI-powered data insights with real-time collaboration alongside revenue management, sales, and operations teams to drive measurable results for hotel owners.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Miles Partnership: Hospitality marketing agency specializing in destination marketing organizations, hotels, and travel brands across digital, content, and branding services — directly comparable to Second Wave's integrated agency model for hotels and resorts.
• Tambourine: Digital marketing agency focused exclusively on hotels, resorts, and travel brands, offering website design, paid media, SEO, and creative — overlapping Second Wave's core hospitality marketing service stack.
• Leonardo (Leonardo Media): Hospitality technology company providing visual content management and digital media solutions for hotels — comparable to Second Wave's digital marketing infrastructure and content distribution work.
• Blue Magnet Interactive: Hotel-focused digital marketing agency providing SEO, paid media, web design, and content marketing for independent hotels and chains — directly competitive with Second Wave's web development and digital marketing offerings.
• HEBS Digital (NextGuest): Hospitality digital marketing and technology provider offering websites, SEO, paid media, and CRM for hotels — overlapping Second Wave's web development and marketing service portfolio for hotel clients.

Broad incumbents

• Sojern: Travel marketing platform offering programmatic advertising, metasearch, and data-driven campaigns for hotels and tourism boards — comparable to Second Wave's paid media and metasearch channel work at a much larger scale.
• MMGY Global: Large integrated marketing firm specializing in travel, tourism, and hospitality with global reach — operates broadly across the same industry as Second Wave but at significantly larger scale.

Emerging players

• Travel Tripper (Lighthouse): Hotel technology company offering booking engine, digital marketing, and metasearch services — partial overlap with Second Wave's paid media, OTA, and direct-booking optimization capabilities.
• The Hotels Network: Hotel-focused technology provider offering direct-booking tools, personalization, and conversion optimization — partial overlap with Second Wave's website conversion and direct-booking marketing work.
• Adara: Travel data co-op and audience platform powering data-driven marketing for hotels, airlines, and destinations — intersects with Second Wave's AI-powered data insights and audience targeting work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@secondwavemarketing
• Facebookfacebook.com/secondwavemarketing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/second-wave-marketing
• Instagraminstagram.com/secondwavemarketing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Second Wave