Såstaholm hotell & konferens: 144% more conference leads, without raising the cost per lead

Såstaholm is a hotel and conference venue in Täby, just north of Stockholm. It hosts everything from one-day conferences to multi-day kick-offs with overnight stays.

Challenge

Conference bookings follow a clear rhythm. Companies plan kick-offs and conferences months ahead, and most bookings happen in a few short windows each year.

The challenge was to reach the right planners in those windows, when many venues compete for the same attention. At the same time, planners search in more varied and conversational ways. The setup had to match intent, not just specific search terms.

Solution

We built two layers on the same principle: strong signals and clear structure. Each layer does the job it does best.

Layer 1: Search campaigns that capture existing demand

  • Location-based ad groups: Built around where planners want to meet, such as Täby, Arlanda and northern Stockholm, so each search meets an ad written for that exact intent.
  • Tailored ads: Gives Google the strongest possible relevance signal.
  • Controlled scaling: Phrase and exact match came first, and the budget was scaled step by step as results held.
  • Broad match, once ready: Once learnings had stabilized, broad match was added for suitable keywords, letting Google’s AI match on intent rather than wording.

Layer 2: Performance Max that finds demand keywords miss

  • Timed to booking windows: Each campaign ran during one of the main booking windows, with an offer and messaging built for that window.
  • Dedicated landing pages: Each offer had its own page, so the page, the ads and the targeting all sent the same signal.
  • First-party audience signals: Audience signals were built on Såstaholm’s own customer data, giving the AI a clear picture of who to reach.
  • Several message types: Copy covered unique selling points, social proof and urgency, giving the AI more ways to match Såstaholm to the right planner.

Together, the two layers move the account from matching search terms to matching intent. Search keeps control where demand is known. Performance Max reaches planners whose searches look unrelated at first glance but signal a real need.

Key takeaways

  • 1

    Scale in steps, not leaps

    Starting with phrase and exact match, and scaling only as results held, let investment grow 140% while the cost per lead stayed flat.

  • 2

    Broad match works once the foundation is in place

    Added after learnings had stabilized, broad match converted at 26% lower cost than phrase and exact match.

  • 3

    Give the AI one consistent story

    When the landing page, ads and audience signals all point the same way, Performance Max can find planners that keywords miss.

Results

+144% Conference leads, at unchanged cost per lead
+189% Conference conversions, at 17% lower cost per conversion
+880% Conversions from Search, at 62% lower cost per conversion
+450% Performance Max leads in a single booking window, at 55% lower cost per lead

Compared with the same period the year before

“ What I really appreciate about working with Trickle is how they combine strategic thinking with a genuine understanding of our business. They’re proactive, challenge us in the right ways and, most importantly, deliver results that make a real difference.

Caroline Björkgren, på Winn Hotel Group Såstaholm hotell & konferens

Project team

  • Andreas Jallinder

    Andreas Jallinder

    Head of SEM

Sofia Sandelin

Contact Sofia

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