Think about your business goals as a travel marketer: you want your online visitors to book more trips, extend their trips, book more higher margin trips, add items to enhance or expand their trip—insurance, tickets, car rental, etc. And you have to do this while fighting tooth and nail with competitors, high bounce rates, fickle consumers... you name it. There simply is too much noise, too many pricing wars and so much competition in today's market to not get your online strategy right. So start by following a few crucial fundamentals, and truly put the customer at the heart of your marketing universe. READ MORE

The way traveler's access information and services has changed dramatically since the introduction of the mobile web. We live in a world where people are often more comfortable asking their computer for advice then actually having to speak with a real person. Today's consumers are less willing to take the word of strangers as fact. Guests want to make their own decisions by evaluating their options through independent research. This trend has penetrated the hospitality industry, having profound implications for the hotel concierge. READ MORE

Understanding what guests are saying about their stay at your hotel and what is influencing their perspective enables your marketing and operational executives to determine what steps need to be taken to ensure the best experience possible. Mining and analyzing online feedback and summarizing massive amounts of raw text via an intuitive dashboard alerts your executives to operational and marketing strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities per every hotel, region and brand. At a glance, these real-time summary views provide a strategic look at where you are now, where you need to be going, and what needs to be done to get there. READ MORE

Marriott International is committed to a sustainable future. Both in our hotels and beyond, we strive to take responsibility for the environmental impact of our business operations. As global travel increases, we want to lessen our impact on the natural environment while offering our communities an opportunity for a better and more sustainable future. We are investing in a portfolio of innovative conservation initiatives - In China, a water conservation project that helps protect the water source for more than 2 billion people, and in Brazil, a preservation initiative to help preserve and protect 1.4 million acres of rainforest. READ MORE

New legislation. Increased consumer demand. Additional marketing opportunities. With each passing day, businesses in the hospitality industry are offered countless reasons to strategically pursue new sustainability initiatives and incorporate them into their everyday operations. Yet for some, a hesitancy remains, resulting in missed opportunities to not just better the planet but improve their bottom lines and their brands' reputation. READ MORE