Picture a virtual universe (known in the business as "metaverses") where millions of real, adult consumers may spend hours a day. While there, they spend real money to stay at your virtual resort while they play golf, shop, dine, meet one another and sightsee. They live your brand. This is no fantasy; it's already happening, and some of the world's biggest brands - though very few in the world of travel and tourism - are taking full advantage. And, why not? Where else can you grab the attention of potentially your most valuable customers, for hours instead of seconds? How else can you reach consumers where they really want to be, in real time, while they're doing what they want to do? A newspaper advertisement glanced at quickly and thrown away? A tagline on the radio? A television commercial that is TIVOed away? READ MORE

Have you ever stood outside a restaurant looking at its menu, trying to decide whether to choose it or one of the half-dozen other restaurants on the same street? How would you react if the maitre d' suddenly came out and asked you how many seats you needed? A little affronted, perhaps? You might feel that he's coming on a bit strong. What about if instead he came out and covered up the prices on the menu, telling you that you have to come inside and sit down before you could see the prices? Seems ridiculous, doesn't it. Yet that's exactly what a surprising number of hotel sites still do online, insisting that prospects register in order to fully explore the hotel's offerings and prices. Nothing turns away potential customers faster. READ MORE

Today's travel and hospitality marketing environment is driven by a dynamic flow of information that grows more diverse and complex by the day. With interactive and Web-based tools delivering more power to guests in the reservation process than ever before, expectations around responsiveness and personalized service continue to increase. As a result, marketers face numerous operational challenges as they try to manage an unprecedented number of guest touch points and interactions. Complicating matters, most of these marketers have large numbers of guests and every guest presents different and dynamic needs. READ MORE

Recent statistics from the hospitality industry are grim. Occupancy declines range from a low of 9.8% in Europe to a high of 14.4% in Asia Pacific, average daily rate (ADR) declines range from 3.0% in the Middle East to 17.9% in Asia Pacific, and revenue per available room (RevPAR) declines range from 14.9% in the Middle East to 29.7% in Asia Pacific. What can your hotel do to buck this trend and recover-sooner rather than later? READ MORE

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has continued to become more and more important in hotels marketing initiatives. However, the SEO process is complex and difficult to understand for many executives. This article outlines the SEO process, the basics of an SEO plan and how to measure your efforts and subsequent success. Not all SEO companies are alike. In today's competitive marketplace an SEO plan is not merely a suggestion it's a requirement READ MORE