Why is my hotel’s website barely showing up in local search results even after investing in SEO?

Source: Dev.to

Issue

So I’m kinda losing my mind over here. I run a small boutique hotel and thought I was doing everything right — hired an SEO agency, optimized pages, added local keywords, the whole nine yards. But for some reason, my site is still buried in local search results like it’s in witness protection. I’m watching competitors pop up instantly while I’m sitting on page who‑knows‑what. Am I missing something obvious? Bad luck? Bad SEO? Google hates me? I’m seriously hoping someone here can point me in the right direction before I waste more time (and money).