The world has been ‘atwitter’ for quite a while now, and the thousands of people join Twitter by the day…and even more ‘tweet’ about their lives, their work, their passions and in some misguided cases, even their bowel movements. So just what IS Twitter, you ask?
In the simplest terms, Twitter is a social networking and microblogging service that allows to send and read others updates in the form of short text messages (140 characters max). It’s kind of like blogging by sms. So who’s doing it? Kids, Professionals, Marketers, Bloggers…and even President Elect Barack Obama, while he was on the campaign trail!
For most hoteliers and indeed most people Twitter is a tough one to relate to, unless you happen to be obsessed with Facebook and updated your status 50 times a day. But there is more to Twitter than meets the eye. At the very basic level, here’s what Twitter can allow you to do as hoteliers or hotel internet marketers:
Happy New Year everyone! 2009 is finally here…the 365 days ahead promise to be packed full of fun, innovation and competition (with plenty of mountains to climb for all). This may be the worst recession to hit since the 2nd World War, but I really think this is a much needed cleansing process…one that’ll force us to pause and rethink, remodel and rebuild better, stronger and more efficiently.
So what about New Year’s resolutions? Hmm… these have never been my cup o’tea – I think if you’re going to do something, it’s better to just do it! Why build a house of cards which is sure to come tumbling down a few days or weeks later?
In any case, one thing I DO want to achieve this year is make Hotel eMarketer THE definitive source for Hotel Internet Marketing best practices, ideas and collaboration. This site was born late last year and has so far mainly hosted my articles published offline in Hotelier Middle East Magazine, Hotelier India, etc. This year, the blog grows up and becomes…a Blog! 
The wonderful thing about technology, marketing and the internet is that despite years and years of tinkering, you’ve still just barely scratched the surface of what’s out there! So here’s to a year full of learning and sharing.
BR, JJ x
Just finished attending and speaking at the Revenue Management and Pricing Middle East Conference, which was held at the Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi and organized by Eyefortravel. The turn out was decent…about 50–60 professionals from Abu Dhabi and Dubai, mostly Revenue Managers and some Sales & Marketing managers, General Managers and Owners. The crunch seems to have had its effect elsewhere though – a source from Europe claimed that a similar event there had a dismal turnout, as hoteliers scurry to cut costs.
Some good presentations, especially a couple that touched on the big picture, trends and also challenged participants to prep for the future. Total Revenue Management emerges as a clear winner in terms of what hotels SHOULD be doing to prepare and fully yield their products. Technology challenges still remain the biggest hurdle to successful revenue management, CRM and distribution. I enjoyed Sarah Allen’s presentation on Generation Y – particularly some of the changes that are happening which are impacting our human capital strategies, and how, as an industry, we need to shift our mindsets into a new way of doing business to keep ahead of the competition. Another good trend overview was provided by Margaret Bowler from HRG (Grabbing a hold of the corporate segment opportunity).
As the world gets harder, better, faster, stronger in many respects, so do the ripple effects of world events. The recent attacks in Mumbai are a prime example - hotels the world over are now scrambling to take a re-look at their security measures. In terms of broader trends, the worrying shifts in climate pales in comparison to the economic downturn now upon us. Experts claim that this recession is the worst since World War II. The world has always gone through natural economic cycles where every decade or more we take a step back and reevaluate just where we’ve been going wrong…but with increasing interconnectedness, reliance on virtual financial models and technology, the house of cards has become ever so precariously balanced.
The great thing about tough times is that it separates the boys from the men! It’s a cleansing process so to speak…one that rids us of old inefficiencies and forces us to look at better, smarter ways of living and doing business.
I’ve been racking my brain for the last few weeks over what to write about. The interesting thing is that it’s not lack of choice that’s been the trouble…it’s too much of it! From the excitement caused by US underdog Barack Obama’s win and the promise of a brighter political future… to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer causing a buzz with his first-ever “holographic” interviews in the newsroom, there’s been plenty going on to keep techies and armchair futurists abuzz. And while CNN’s holograms weren’t really holograms when you cut to the chase…one development is very real…the advancing global recession that we’re slowly coming to grips with.
Hospitality media has been filled with reports about dropping profits margins, especially in hard hit areas and suggestions to hoteliers on how to best tackle the market situation, i.e. tough it out, work smart and dust off your selling shoes. What surprises me, though, is that while the hotel industry continues its distribution war with online 3rd parties with super-deep advertising pockets, it still continues to ignore its most lucrative booking distribution channel…its guests!
5 Future Developments that will revolutionize Online Hotel Marketing: “For tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today”, says a famous proverb…and what better fit to apply this than in the world of technology and marketing?
The breakneck speed of tech evolution is inspiring (and often scary) but the two keywords that will set winning developments apart from the ‘also ran’ are ‘love’ and ‘simplicity’. It doesn’t take a degree to understand that people adopt technologies that fuel their imagination & passions…and the rate of adoption is in close sync to the simplicity of its interface and operation. Great technology needs to adapt to the needs of the user and future breakthroughs will bear testament to this.
It is the year 2020. The past twelve years have been a flurry of development in the areas of design, nanotechnology, robotics, medicine, the internet, security and law. Contrary to popular opinion, the hotel industry has not been slow on the uptake. It’s been the decade of hospitality renaissance. A coming of age, an evolution of service as it should be…and a tribute to true personalization.
Here’s a look at the hotel guest experience in the year 2020 and how guests have helped the industry become truly magnificent:
Hotel eMarketing and Internet ‘e’volution – Creating an Online Culture at Hotels
Are you a hotel eMarketer looking for ways to better communicate, educate and develop the role at your property/ies? This article explores some of the issues surrounding these efforts, complemented by a dose of perspective and a generous helping of best practices, all garnished, hopefully, by your own ideas and experiences.
Hotels (and the hospitality industry in general) may not be the quickest adopters of technology and “e” trends…but the industry has no shortage of creative and talented people. Branding and marketing is also cutting edge in the industry, especially with the new trends in luxury and lifestyle branding.
So it’s quite dissapointing that hotels are yet to make a mark where viral marketing is concerned! Other industries have made their foray into this new and unpredicatable arena… and many have tried and failed…and then again, there have been some dazzling successes. But where are all the creative minds in hospitality when it comes to online viral marketing? Are hotels scared of the fickle, short-lived and volatile nature of viral marketing? Too risky an attempt at brand management? What do YOU think?
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Search Engines refer a significant percentage of web direct bookings for hotels, both through paid search and natural search. SEO / Search Engine Optimization obviously has the most bang for the buck, as well designed websites ensure great SEO results and produce much better long term results. A lot of hotel companies, especially independent properties and smaller chains also spend a great deal of money on Hotel website SEO, often outsourced to web design or SEO agencies.
I came across a great article by Brandt Dainow on 7 ways SEO consultants rip off their clients…a must read for anyone looking to hire out their SEO efforts. The gist of the matter is that most people don’t understand what SEO truly involves and the actual benefits and practices out there…therefore it is quite easy to exploit this ignorance and charge out large amounts of money for something absolutely useless.
