Premier Inn Beats Europe’s Luxury Hotels on TikTok as Carden Park Surges Up Rankings

Premier Inn has beaten some of Europe’s most prestigious luxury hotels to become the continent’s most influential hotel brand on TikTok, according to new data from influencer marketing platform Kolsquare which reveals that videos on social media are changing the way hotels are marketed.

The UK hotel chain generated £2,890,902 in Earned Media Value (EMV) on TikTok during the first six months of 2026 from 89 pieces of creator content shared by 50 influencers.
Meanwhile, Cheshire resort Carden Park emerged as one of Europe’s biggest hotel success stories, soaring 82 places to take second position in the hotel and accommodation rankings.

The independently owned hotel generated £1,505,552 in EMV from just 21 pieces of TikTok content shared by 16 creators, achieving a 16.7% engagement rate.

The findings, compiled by influencer marketing platform Kolsquare, suggest hotels don’t need enormous influencer budgets, hundreds of creators or celebrity partnerships to compete effectively online.

Instead, TikTok is rewarding entertaining and relatable videos that capture experiences potential guests want to imagine themselves enjoying.
The research reveals a striking divide between the types of hotel content succeeding on Instagram and TikTok.

On Instagram, luxury properties continued to dominate, led by Hôtel Martinez in Cannes, which generated £10,551,544 in EMV from 2,233 pieces of content shared by 676 creators.
The five-star hotel achieved an 18.2% engagement rate and finished ahead of MSC Cruises, which generated £6,890,470, and P&O Cruises, which recorded £6,312,675.

Other luxury properties in Instagram’s hotel and accommodation Top 10 included Carlton Cannes, St. Regis Maldives, Hôtel Barrière Le Majestic, Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris and Bio-Hotel Stanglwirt.

TikTok produced a very different leaderboard.

Premier Inn and Carden Park took the top two positions ahead of MSC Cruises, last year’s category leader, which fell to third with £1,330,373 in EMV.

The contrast suggests that polished photographs, aspirational destinations, and carefully curated luxury experiences continue to perform strongly on Instagram, while TikTok is giving more accessible and individual hotel brands an opportunity to outperform established international names.

Carden Park generated more than £1.5 million in EMV from just 21 pieces of content, while ibis Hotels France entered the Top 10 with only four. By comparison, AIDA Cruises produced 390 pieces of creator content but ranked ninth in the category.

Quentin Bordage, CEO and founder of Kolsquare, says: “Hotels can no longer assume that the same influencer strategy will work on every platform. Instagram still rewards aspirational luxury imagery, while TikTok rewards authenticity, entertainment, and storytelling.

“The properties achieving the strongest results are creating platform-specific campaigns that reflect how people discover, consider, and ultimately choose where to stay. The success of hotels such as Carden Park also shows that individual properties can compete with international chains when creator content captures a mood or experience that people genuinely want to share.”