Category Archives: Social Media

by | April 13, 2015 · 9:13 am

Hospitality Industry Management Update: “Survey Finds Social Media Boosts Hotel Occupancy by 2x”

“The hospitality industry has experienced the impact social media can have on their business, both positive and negative,online engagement but these findings allow properties to quantify the impact of taking action on reviews—and make it easier to justify additional investments in social media engagement,” said Aurelia Setton, Medallia’s general manager for hospitality.

Hotel properties that actively engage with social media reviews grow occupancy at double the rate of properties that don’t, according to a study released by Medallia. The study examines customer and business data from more than 4,400 hotel properties worldwide to understand and quantify the impact of social media engagement on a company’s revenue growth, customer satisfaction, and social reputation.

Results Overview
The study found a direct relationship between responsiveness to social media reviews and occupancy rate. Properties that responded to more than 50 percent of social reviews grew occupancy rates by 6.4 percentage points, more than twice the rate of properties that largely ignored social media reviews. These socially engaged properties also outperformed the hospitality industry as a whole, which achieved a 4.3 percent occupancy growth rate during the same period.

For more: http://bit.ly/1cphmkq

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by | March 30, 2015 · 10:47 am

Hospitality Industry Management Update: “The Good, The Bad, and Especially – The Ugly. Why Responding to EVERY Review is Essential to Your Reputation”

“Address the comment, validate their frustration, apologize for their poor experience, and find a way to make it better.feedback This will, of course, depend on what the grievance is exactly, but it’s probably an easy fix, and your response to the issue will be there forever for all future guests to see.”

Feedback, constructive criticism, or maybe just plain old criticism. Are you shuddering at the thought? If you are, stop, because though it may be hard to take sometimes, it’s essential to the success and well-being of your hotel. That’s right, criticism whether good, bad, or even ugly, is a necessary tool for you and your management team to have and to use. Without feedback, you’ll never know what you’re doing well, and what you could do better. Listening to all comments and responding appropriately and in a timely manner is one of the best tactics for hotel reputation management.

Regardless of whether your hotel has received a positive or negative review, you must give equal attention to both. Don’t be arrogant. Mistakes are made everywhere in life, misunderstanding and miscommunication happens no matter what. Therefore, never turn up your nose at a grievance, large or small. Many potential guests will judge a hotel’s customer service based on how the hotel responded to previous guests comments and reviews. Therein lies the true value of responding to all comments – to show future guests you have responsive management, that you care about your guests and any issues that may arise.

From our very own experience, here’s a quick list of best practices when it comes to responding to reviews

For more: http://bit.ly/19qiItu

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by | March 11, 2015 · 10:15 am

Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “The Growing Risk of Cyber Liability” (Video)

In the last two years, significant data breaches have affected well-known companies such as Target,cyber liability Home Depot, JP Morgan Chase and eBay — just to name a few. The issue has become so prevalent that President Obama issued an executive order in February 2013 to strengthen the U.S. cyber security framework.

In today’s society, we’re experiencing a steady increase in the number of users who utilize the Internet and technology each and every day. As a result, businesses are looking more to technology in order to stay efficient in their business practices. While technology is convenient in many ways, it also exposes businesses to cyberattacks.

According to the Poneman Institute’s Cost of Cyber Crime Study, there was an 18% increase in the number of cyberattacks in 2013, and a report by Symantec on internet security found that 61% of small and midsize businesses experienced a cyberattack in 2013. Hackers are constantly looking to disrupt business operations; hence, it is more important than ever to prepare organizations for potential security breaches.

For more: http://bit.ly/1MtrBRm

And for more how to best protect your property from a cyber security attack, check out the video below from Petra’s own P3 Risk Management Team.

[vimeo https://vimeo.com/121258482 w=500&h=281]

Petra Risk Solutions’ Loss Control Manager, Marco Johnson, offers a P3 Hospitality Risk Report – ‘How to Help Protect Your Hotel’s Computer Network and Information Systems’. 

P3 (Petra Plus Process) is the Risk Management Division of Petra Risk Solutions – America ’s largest independent insurance brokerage devoted exclusively to the hospitality marketplace.

For more information on Petra and P3 visit petrarisksolutions.com or call 800.466.8951.

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by | March 10, 2015 · 10:13 am

Hospitality Industry Marketing Update: “Trends and Budgeting For 2015” (Infographic)

Click above to view the whole image!

Click above to view the whole image!

1. Mobile Presence

2. Local Presence

3. Social Presence

4. Content Marketing

5. User Experience

6. Paid Search Presence

7. ROI Analysis – Cross Channels

8. Understanding Your Customer Journey

For more: http://bit.ly/1Bnw44D

 

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by | March 9, 2015 · 9:27 am

Hospitality Industry Management Update: “Engaging Today’s Connected Travelers”

To improve the overall guest experience, hotels should leverage their unique position as a supplier, said Bernard Ellis, vice president of industry strategy at Infor Hospitality,Entertainment-620x330 a software provider. “You know more about your property than anybody else, so you can maximize that with things like early check-in and late checkout, room type, food and beverage—all based on looking at the guest’s past preferences,” Ellis said.

Hotels that establish meaningful relationships with guests can maximize revenue opportunities and increase customer satisfaction, travel industry experts said during the Digital Marketing Strategy Conference, which was hosted by Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International in Manhattan last week. Here are some best practices panelists shared for using technology to engage with guests before, during, and after their stays.

Before They Arrive
Google’s industry head for travel, Tiffany Miller, said that during the pre-booking period, consumers visit 18 travel-related sites. “You have two and a half weeks to inspire the traveler to book your property,” she added. To make an impact, marketers should take creative approaches, like using celebrities or YouTube stars to boost engagement or allowing consumers to spread the message through self-generated videos.

For more: http://bit.ly/1NACu5k

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by | February 26, 2015 · 11:59 am

Hospitality Industry Marketing Update: “5 Low-Cost, Content-Marketing Tips For Hotels”

Information on guestrooms, hotel amenities and features on property are still top of mind for guests arriving to the hotel. When figuring out a content marketing strategy for Hotel Josef and Hotel Maximilian, Amiraux found that guests do want to see information specifichotelmarketing to the properties…Sharing property information on social media is one way to market and showcase the “nuts and bolts” of a hotel. “Any of our social media is leading our guests to our website. We want our content there to be the best (high-res photos, videos, fresh content, etc.),” Amiraux said.

Hoteliers can connect with travelers on a deeper level—without adding much extra cost—by implementing content marketing as a permanent fixture within their marketing strategies, panelists said during a recent webinar.

During the webinar titled “Content marketing 101 for hotels,” hosted by Leonardo, two independent hoteliers discussed low-cost, effective ways to implement content marketing strategies for their respective hotels.

“Content marketing is wonderful because you have relevant content on the Internet that is drawing potential customers straight to your website,” said Adele Gutman, VP of sales, marketing and revenue for Library Hotel Collection. “It’s not that you’re selling to them. They’re finding you because they’re looking for that information.”

Gutman manages content marketing for the collection’s four Manhattan properties in New York City, and because her hotels don’t affiliate with a brand, the marketing budget tends to be smaller. “We have to be more creative,” she said.

For more: http://bit.ly/1ETuM0l

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by | January 20, 2015 · 8:18 am

Hospitality Industry Management Update: “International Travel: On the Move with the Millennial Traveler”

In 2014, more than 1 billion people, in all age groups, will have made a trip beyond the borders of their country. That is about one out of every seven people on the planet. Roughly 220 million, or about 20 percent of thoseinternational-millennial-travelers international travelers, were part of the millennial generation. By the year 2020, the number of millennial travelers is expected to increase by 47 percent to 320 million.

She is 27, single, and sells real estate in San Diego. She is paying off a college loan, shares a house with two roommates and gets to the beach as often as possible. He is 31, living in New York and working for an investment firm on Wall Street. If you were born roughly between 1982 and 2000 (the millennial), you are classified as a millennial or member of Generation Y.

The publishers of the Millennial Traveller report studied data collected from 7,600 young, international travelers between the age of 18-30. Millennials from more than 100 countries were surveyed and asked questions about their international travel preferences.

For more: http://bit.ly/1Bbhhbm

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by | December 8, 2014 · 10:06 am

Hospitality Industry Management Update: “Millennials Have Youth, Baby Boomers Have Time and Money”

A recent Preferred Hotel Group survey found boomers want unique interludes for themselves and for multigenerational family groups. Yet, they typically don’t want to sleep in the same room as their children or grandchildren.Boomers-620x330 Seeing this trend, Preferred created a family rate that allows boomers to book two rooms—one for themselves and another for family at a 50 percent discount, says Michelle Woodley, SVP of distribution and revenue management. Promoting this sort of accommodation, distinct from inventory of traditional rooms, drives incremental revenue for the properties.

Hotels are going sleek and techie to woo millennials. But it’s the baby boomers who have the promise to keep brands’ pulses racing throughout a long relationship. Forbes estimates brand-loyal boomers spend a none-too-paltry $157 billion on travel every year. “Millennials are getting the buzz, but boomers are still the most valuable customers,” says Richard Jones, COO of Hospitality Ventures Management Group. “They have time and money, and leisure travel is their most desired activity. Projections show by 2017, 50 percent of the population will be over 50, control 70 percent of U.S. disposable income, and inherit $15 trillion over 20 years. Hotels can be a beneficiary of that.”

For more: http://bit.ly/1CZKV7q

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by | December 4, 2014 · 9:01 am

Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “Use Mobile Apps to Get Out in Front of the Social Media Curve”

For several years, about half of all local search have been conducted using mobile technology. In the first quarter of 2014, searches on mobile devices surpassed desktop internet searches. mobile-apps-hotelThis suggests that mobile apps are not just a convenience anymore, they are necessary for hotels to remain in business. Customers now expect to find the information for which they search whenever they have to urge to access it

In order for hotels to grow their brand recognition and costumer preference, they need social media to establish a partnership with consumers. This is an ideal opportunity for the hotel industry to increase contact with customers, which aids in brand development based on decisions made according to demand and feedback. While almost all hotels now have websites and at least one social media channel, many have yet to adopt mobile technology. This puts them at risk for being left behind as customers seek lodging sites they can access while on the go. Ensuring that hotel businesses are not only optimized for search engines but also have mobile apps for android and non-android devices is important for brands to remain competitive.

For more: http://bit.ly/1BhklVO

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by | November 19, 2014 · 9:48 am

Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “How Tech Will Make Your Hotel Room Feel Like Home (Or Better)”

In the wireless Internet age, guests increasingly expect a personalized experience abroad as well as at home. That can be tough on hotels, as rapid changes in technology makeforbes it difficult and expensive for them to adapt. A few years ago, hotels equipped themselves to handle two mobile devices per guest. Now, guests may have three or more, and just when they thought they had needs covered, hotels have to build more robust networks.

When you receive your morning wake-up call at theWit hotel in Chicago, there’s no robotic voice intoning, “It’s time for your wakeup call.” Instead, you can be rousted by a very different message:

“Hey you dirty rat, this is Al Capone reminding you to get your rotten bones out of that sack. Now get moving—I’ve got an overdue Valentine’s Day gift for Elliot Ness I’ve still got to deliver! [Laughter and gun shots].”

Or perhaps you’d rather hear Muddy Waters. Or Ann Landers. The touchscreen next to the phones in all of the hotel’s 310 rooms lets you choose who will urge you to rise and shine. Touch that same screen to request extra pillows, get a toothbrush or order meals—without ever picking up the phone.

For more: http://onforb.es/1uwkOOA

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