Venue sourcing sets the initial blueprint in preparation for a meeting. It is arguably the most important process of meeting planning. From the beginning through its conclusion, it sets the stage for a successful event. However, planners are not only managing the site selection. They also can be managing the marketing, the registration and other logistics surrounding a program. READ MORE
HOTEL BUSINESS REVIEW
November FOCUS: Hotel Sales & Marketing
Hotel Sales & Marketing: The Biggest Challenges
This month's feature articles...
The retail industry long ago figured out how to build a sustainable, year-round customer base and continues to creatively adopt new techniques and technology to build on that base. We in the hotel industry can learn and borrow from their success. READ MORE
In 1991, Meeting Professionals International introduced the concept of Meeting ROI to their membership, with the goal to elevate "meetings as investments", including metrics to define and measure success. Well, here we are 20 plus years later and corporate and association planning teams are just starting to pay attention and take ROI seriously. What took so long, you ask? READ MORE
With so many hotels vying for potential guests' attention, it can be a challenge for your property to stand out in the digital landscape. With technology and consumer behaviour changing at an ever increasing speed, it is easy to lose out to your competitors without the proper resources and knowledge. Digital marketing is becoming increasingly complex, especially for hotels, who now have to think about how to compete for guests in new channels. They also need to be prepared for the emergence of a variety of tablet devices and digital communities that are constantly changing, while managing their core business day-to-day. This article will examine various opportunities for hotels to improve their digital marketing strategy. READ MORE
There's one lesson in hospitality marketing you don't want to learn the hard way. Operating and marketing in the new and social media spheres is absolutely essential in hospitality. It's no longer optional and for this reason alone: There's a good chance your greatest competition has a well-established social media presence and a strategy designed to take away business from you. Whether it's appealing to your customers through social networking or undercutting your prices through online distributors, unless you get in the game and get on board with new media, your marketing strategy will prove unsustainable. READ MORE
One size does not fit all when marketing across multiple generations. Personalization is paramount. For the DOSM marketing the next AAA package, you cannot afford to simply have one advertisement created and distributed to the masses. Rather, you should become familiar with your audience - know their demographics and psychographics - and then consider creating separate messages tailored for each generation you are targeting. READ MORE
Like it or hate it, social media is here to stay and is becoming one of the leading ways for companies to engage customers. You can put your head in the sand and hope that this “social media madness” will go away, but that is not going to happen any time soon. Instead, embrace the genre, find someone who is great at it, and start engaging. Social media is the perfect way to stay in touch with a guest once they have checked out and to motivate and inspire guests to come plan a stay with you in the future. And once you start the conversation, you may be pleasantly surprised at the results. READ MORE
It's the age-old question for a sales person…where do I invest my time to get the biggest return? While the local market sales effort is still high on the list, there are now many online efforts that must be addressed as well. It is imperative that hotels look at all of their online and offline sales and marketing initiatives and prioritize them. Then employ the 80/20 rule. Spend your time on the 20% of the accounts that give you 80% of your business. READ MORE
In general, hotel managers are not comfortable making strategic decisions in times of rapid and uncertain changes. Most decision-makers have some feel about the occurrence of future events that range from a high degree of confidence to a vague and ill-defined level of discomfort. Change can actually be segmented into two components - anticipated and unanticipated. If change consisted only of anticipated components, then there would be little if any risk involved for the hotel. It is the unanticipated component that is the source of risk. Not knowing what the future will hold that strikes fear into managers. The challenge, then, is to make sure that any risk the hotel takes is a calculated risk. While this sounds easier said than done, there are several techniques you can use to minimize risk. In this article, you'll learn the top three. READ MORE
Points based programs will always have a role in a hotel's overall loyalty marketing strategy, but the true value of the programs is in the behavioral rich transactional detail that can give marketers insight into the attitudes, preferences and opinions of their customers. Using this data to create strategic and tactical marketing programs is a must for success and differentiation. READ MORE
In today's fast-paced and technology-loaded business and personal environment we often forget that it is human beings who are experiencing our services. There are so many articles, websites, resources that help companies promote and market their services through technology. We hear all the time - Do you have an app for that? But there's no app to replace customer service in human interaction. As important as it is to be at the cutting-edge with the technology that supports and advances your business, in the end it's the PEOPLE, your customers, and what they experience that matters. Human interaction, feeling good and safe cannot be replaced with any app. READ MORE
- Sales & Marketing
- Business as (un)Usual: Why hotels can't afford to sell the traditional way anymore
Do you feel like the way you're selling lately isn't as effective as, say, two or three years ago? You're not alone. What's going on out there, and what can suppliers do about it? Shawna Suckow, CMP, a 20-year veteran planner and author of Planner Pet Peeves, sheds light on what planners are thinking these days, and why they're cutting themselves off from suppliers who use traditional marketing methods. It's not a numbers game anymore - suppliers have to use the tools that planners clearly respond to, and those tools have changed. READ MORE
Every minute of every day millions of people are online sharing all kinds of information, from family news to opinions on global issues to comments on where they stayed recently. In fact, travelers are talking about your hotel on an onslaught of travel sites such as TripAdvisor, Yelp, Expedia, Priceline and Travelocity and ever-prevalent social media channels like YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. With the growing importance of real time media, it is critical to keep in mind that what you say and what is said about your hotel can impact not just your reputation, but also your bottom line. READ MORE
Recent Features ...
October 2012
Hotel Conference Center Trends for 2013
September 2012
Best Practices on Maximizing Revenue Management
August 2012
Food & Beverage: The Biggest Challenges
July 2012
Hotel Spa: The Biggest Challenges
June 2012