Customer experience design (CSE) is the new black, although mostly viewed as a function of big data and digital marketing. This is misguided: customer experience design is neither new nor a function of the digital world. CSE is very much a part of the organization as a whole and should be directed by the marketing department to ensure that all customers experience the products and services delivered by the organization in the context of the brand. The greater the global understanding of the fundamental importance of understanding how customers experience the organization and what it does for them, the greater the importance of the marketing team to every aspect of the organization: rather than displace marketing, customer experience design is elevating the function. READ MORE

If you want to reach 80 percent of your global audience, you need to translate your hotel website into 12 or more languages. But website translation is merely one step of many. You have a lot more to consider on the marketing assets front. To establish and build your hotel brand in new markets worldwide, you need to consider tailoring elements as closely as possible to each audience's cultural expectations. These elements include your color schemes, your website, logo and tagline, marketing campaigns and, of course, the very words on the page. Look to expert guidance from localization experts when it comes to adapting each of these aspects to achieve a local feel in new regions and cultures. READ MORE

What is the difference between traditional media and social media? Many in the hospitality industry are asking that very question. It seems like everyday, there's a new revelation in this arena so what's a hotel, motel or resort to do? Public Relations Professional Susan Hartzler explains the difference between traditional media and social media and how they work together. In this article, you will gain a perspective on how to develop a strong marketing campaign that will brand your property on all the necessary platforms the potential guests use. READ MORE

Conventional marketing, within and beyond the hospitality industry, is anything but scientific. Expensive and prone to erroneous conclusions, existing information - about potential guests, and the ways in which to reach them - acts as a veneer of scientific legitimacy, to disguise decidedly unscientific results. There is, however, an alternative to this system: One that uses mobile technology to actively engage consumers, simultaneously transforming marketing into both an adventure (for individuals and families) and a science (for hotel executives). Reproducible by design, and filled with real-time intelligence about how people respond to a powerful incentive (money), hoteliers can now enjoy scientific, measurable data about their respective businesses. READ MORE

Existing forms of encryption are inadequate and far from impenetrable. These vulnerabilities are (or should be) a matter of the highest priority for hotel executives, lest hackers and cyber criminals access private financial data and personal information about individual guests. Discarding the status quo, and through the adoption of a more sophisticated and effective brand of encryption (or enhanced information rights management, E-IRM), hoteliers can guard against the global threats that confront businesses on a daily basis. This opportunity allows hotel executives to be at the forefront of a technological revolution, which protects sensitive materials and works as intended, period. READ MORE