Category Archives: Social Media

Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “In Marriott’s Newest Flagship, Tech is all Behind the Scenes and in Your Hand”

“…Research is showing that more hotel guests are starting to demand certain techie features.marriott-marquis-exterior Research company SmartBrief found that 45 percent of hotels guests travel with two mobile devices – 40 percent carry three. And with these devices, guests are demanding more charging options, mobile-based automated services like check-in/check-out, digital signage in the lobby, sophisticated meeting rooms, and customer service via social media…”

As technology continues to dictate our everyday lives, we seemingly anticipate our environment to respond in the same manner. There are numerous products designed to make our homes smarter, and even restaurants are using tablets to do away with traditional wait staff. In the travel and hospitality sector, some hotels are adapting to new tech trends by adding things like automated blinds, TVs embedded in bathroom mirrors, sophisticated radios with iPhone docks, iPads in lounges, or even a robotic luggage handler (it’s real, it’s called the Yobot, and it’s at the Yotel in New York City).

For more: http://bit.ly/1mobXr6

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Filed under Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Social Media, Technology

Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “Perch App Helps Hotels Track Competitors”

“…While Perch is geared toward small businesses in general, Evans says it has proven to be particularly beneficial to hotel owners and managers.perch Users can stay connected with the community by watching local hotels, restaurants, and venues to discover events and activities happening nearby…”

Social media offers hotel owners and managers a wealth of information at their fingertips, but being able to access it all can be a challenge. With so many outlets that allow guests to share pictures and thoughts about a hotel—Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, and Instagram, just to name a few—it’s virtually impossible for one individual to keep track of everything that’s posted online.

For more: http://bit.ly/VVryt4

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Filed under Hotel Industry, Hotel Restaurant, Management And Ownership, Social Media

Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “The Hotel TV Gets Smarter”

“…Travelers, in general, have grown accustomed to hotel rooms with really bad content and as a result they have grown used to bringing their own devicesHotel TV and bringing their own subscriptions…Access my own content’ is something that growing segments of travelers want, and we know it will continue to get both more pervasive and more elegant from a process standpoint…”

The hotel room TV is now starting to look like your mobile device.

A number of hotel TV manufacturers have developed the capability to let travelers stream content from their devices to the hotel TV. Some are even making it possible for the hotel TV to mirror exactly what is on your smartphone screen.

It’s just one way that manufacturers and content providers are trying to keep the hotel TV relevant at a time when people are used to watching anything they want when they want to on their iPads and smartphones

For more: http://usat.ly/1j0ordJ

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Filed under Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Social Media, Technology

Hospitality Industry Management Update: “Should You Use Internal or External PR Staff?”

“…But in certain situations, outside agencies can bring their own set of attributes, including: a fresh, “out-of-the-box” perspective;Meeting specialized expertise on such issues as brand/property marketing or positioning, big events, labor relations, financial communications and crisis work; digital/social media; specific media contacts; and arms-and-legs support for internal staff. Additionally, from a cost standpoint, you can turn the faucet on and off as needed…”

When tackling a public relations issue (positive or negative), be it at the property or at a corporate level, the factor to be weighed most carefully and objectively is the understanding as to what resources are at your disposal and how they should be utilized.

Generally speaking, the most important decision is whether to use internal PR staff (to the extent it exists) or an outside PR firm. There is no one right answer, but this large and potentially expensive decision does require several factors to be carefully considered.

For more: http://bit.ly/1lTAd9H

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Filed under Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Social Media

Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “How to Protect Your Online Presence”

“…Hoteliers can take a proactive approach to dealing with spammers by regularly checking their information is correct on major search engines like Google, Yahoo, and BingImage…Once hackers identify an easy target, they can install their own codes on the back-end of the hotel website. For instance, they may switch the booking widget so that it brings customers to a copy of the hotel’s website and then the booking is subsequently made through a third party…”

In January, spammers hijacked official website links for thousands of hotels listed within Google+ Local, rerouting visitors to third-party booking services. Since these listings feed results into Google Search, Maps, and Hotel Finder, Google worked quickly and quietly behind the scenes to correct the links. And despite the irritation of this hack, there are key takeaways for hoteliers that can help them protect their online presence.

For more: http://bit.ly/1jXwANU

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Filed under Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Social Media, Technology

Hospitality Industry Legal Update: “Lincoln City Hotel Sues for Defamation After Anonymous Person Posts Scathing TripAdvisor Review”

“…In March, the Oregon Court of Appeals for the first time took up the issue of whether Oregon business owners can sue people who post scathing reviews on Yelp, Angie’s List, Facebook or elsewhere.Image In its March ruling, the appeals court said the owners of an outdoor wedding venue could sue a wedding guest who posted a Google Review that included the statement that attending the event was ‘The worst experience of my life!’..”

Less than a month after an anonymous TripAdvisor.com user posted a very unflattering review of a Lincoln City hotel, the hotel has filed a $74,500 defamation lawsuit in an attempt to stop the reviewer from posting again and driving away business.

For more: http://bit.ly/Ty1L8Z

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Filed under Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Social Media

Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “Marriott Bids for Gen Y Business With AC Hotels”

“…Personalization will be key to success as the next generation will guard their privacy except with a handful of brands,Image and then they will expect the company to know and meet their expectations. ‘Loyalty, big data and digitiization. You combine all the those and the epicenter of that is where you get personalization,’ Jhunjhunwala said. The key operating word is ‘trust’…”

As hotels are learning it’s going to take more than free Wi-Fi, a Facebook account and extra sockets to please the millennial traveler, Marriott is bringing the AC brand to the United States with hopes of locking in the loyalty of the Gen Y business traveler.

It has so far approved plans for 33 hotels in the United States, with the first set to open in New Orleans in September, followed by Kansas City and Miami, said Callette Nielsen, brand vice president for AC Hotels by Marriott.

For more: http://cnb.cx/1lQmlsQ

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Filed under Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Social Media, Technology

Hospitality Industry Customer Service Update: “The Future of How Travelers Evaluate Hotels”

“…Currently, TrustYou’s Meta-Reviews have a broad reach, with more than 50 million monthly impressions from more than 120 intermediaries, OTAs, Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs), Convention & Visitors Bureaus (CVBs) and GDSs. As this number grows, more and more travelers are able to make more informed, Image smarter travel decisions in the shortest amount of time…”

Ten years ago, travelers had to base their booking decisions on traditional advertisements and marketing. This was the only available information to go off of when booking. Then, user-generated content came along and changed everything, introducing user-generated content to the travel industry. Travelers could turn to the opinions of their peers to get an inside look at what the hotel was really like.

For more: http://bit.ly/1lYA2Z1

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Filed under Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Social Media, Technology

Hospitality Industry Update: A Look Inside The Hotel Industry”

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by | April 4, 2014 · 8:08 am

Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “How to Protect Your Online Presence”

“…Starkov suggests that franchisees put pressure on the brands to gain access to their own listings so they can better manage their online reputation. Image ‘If there is no ownership of the listing and no responses from the property, even the positive reviews don’t sound credible,’ he says. ‘And negative reviews without a response sends a signal that the hotel doesn’t care’…”

In January, spammers hijacked official website links for thousands of hotels listed within Google+ Local, rerouting visitors to third-party booking services. Since these listings feed results into Google Search, Maps, and Hotel Finder, Google worked quickly and quietly behind the scenes to correct the links. And despite the irritation of this hack, there are key takeaways for hoteliers that can help them protect their online presence.

For more: http://www.lodgingmagazine.com/how-to-protect-your-online-presence/

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Filed under Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Social Media, Technology