Everybody likes to be popular. Whether it is having lots of friends in high school or going to a bar "where everyone knows your name," we all like to feel a part of something larger. That is really what social networking is all about. You want to be a part of a group with common interests or a community that shares like ideas. The same sentiments above apply to hotel marketing principles. Everything that your hotel does on Facebook or Twitter needs to play into this paradigm which centers on the connections within the community. So, what do you, as an hotelier, need to do? READ MORE

While attending The LeWeb Conference in 2005, I became convinced that user generated content would revolutionize the web. But it was not until the last few years that the implications in the hotel industry started to become evident. In fact, until just this year, hotels were not making significant investments in this area. But with feedback from the social web now affecting all hotel departments, the case for investing in reputation management is stronger than ever. In my conversations with managers of small independent hotels to executives at some of the largest hospitality groups in the world, I have noticed a few major trends related to reputation management that are affecting the industry. READ MORE

Our guests are no longer Baby Boomers or Gen Xers or Gen Yers. Those monikers defined them by the year in which we were born. They were described by age. But no longer. Now, thanks to a myriad of converging forces, they can all become members of the same generation - one that is defined by choice. They can choose to be members of Generation C. The Gen C nickname had its genesis around 2004 when trend watchers began noticing a new type of consumer emerging - one that crossed age boundaries and defied traditional segmentation strategies. In this article, you'll read about five trends that helped form Gen C and what your hotel can do to take advantage of the opportunities it offers. READ MORE

As search engines consider social media channels on their Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs), it is important for hotels to have a strong presence on these channels and manage it well. The most common mistake that hoteliers make today is ignoring the importance of these channels with the concept that managing such channels takes too much time out of their busy lives. Although this may seem overwhelming, it's important to know that we are only at the beginning of the imminent social media explosion and the online activity in these channels is bound to increase. The question now asked is, should hoteliers care? And the answer to that question is absolutely YES READ MORE

You remember those days. Your hotel made it on the front page of the daily newspaper, or scored an awesome feature in a prestigious glossy travel publication. You ordered tons of hard copies and sent them along with personalized notes to your repeat guests. You laminated copies of the article to place in fancy frames all around the hotel, and your office. You added copies to your press kit and send off to media to generate more interest. It worked like a charm for new marketing and sales opportunities. Well, those golden days of print are gone. Yes, gone and disappeared for good. READ MORE