Comments for Hospitality Marketing Blog http://hospitalitymarketingblog.com Where small luxury hotels go for hospitality marketing advice on how to acquire and retain profitable customers. Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:55:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 Comment on Don’t Be Fooled By “The New Normal” by Rich Paxton http://hospitalitymarketingblog.com/2010/08/dont-be-fooled-by-the-new-normal/comment-page-1/#comment-680 Rich Paxton Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:55:18 +0000 http://hospitalitymarketingblog.com/?p=303#comment-680 Madigan, You hit the nail right on the head with this statement: "People are looking for the best value they can get for their money – not necessarily the cheapest price." And I think you can argue that this is true anytime- good economy OR bad. Case in point: years ago I worked for a hotel located approx. 5 miles from a major amusement park, that was frequented by guests from all over the country. A competitor hotel located directly across the street from the park was famous (with good reason) for NEVER lowering their sky-high prices from June-September. My property found that through an advertising partnership with the park which enabled our visitors to get $10 off of each ticket, (and we even threw in a packet with park information and extra coupons for good measure), we could then demand the same prices as the hotel directly across the street from the park, with virtually no additional overhead for us. Certainly worked out more successfully than dropping rates to entice people to drive the extra 10 minutes down the road. Thanks for the post, will be checking back! Rich P. Madigan,
You hit the nail right on the head with this statement: “People are looking for the best value they can get for their money – not necessarily the cheapest price.” And I think you can argue that this is true anytime- good economy OR bad. Case in point: years ago I worked for a hotel located approx. 5 miles from a major amusement park, that was frequented by guests from all over the country. A competitor hotel located directly across the street from the park was famous (with good reason) for NEVER lowering their sky-high prices from June-September. My property found that through an advertising partnership with the park which enabled our visitors to get $10 off of each ticket, (and we even threw in a packet with park information and extra coupons for good measure), we could then demand the same prices as the hotel directly across the street from the park, with virtually no additional overhead for us. Certainly worked out more successfully than dropping rates to entice people to drive the extra 10 minutes down the road.
Thanks for the post, will be checking back!
Rich P.

]]> Comment on Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures…or Do They? by Madigan Pratt http://hospitalitymarketingblog.com/2010/08/desperate-times-call-for-desperate-measures-or-do-they/comment-page-1/#comment-667 Madigan Pratt Wed, 04 Aug 2010 19:25:40 +0000 http://hospitalitymarketingblog.com/?p=275#comment-667 As always - great points Joe. We are of like minds and you'll probably recognize a few of your/our ideas in the follow-up article I promised to write. Cheers! Madigan As always – great points Joe. We are of like minds and you’ll probably recognize a few of your/our ideas in the follow-up article I promised to write.
Cheers! Madigan

]]> Comment on Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures…or Do They? by Joe Buhler http://hospitalitymarketingblog.com/2010/08/desperate-times-call-for-desperate-measures-or-do-they/comment-page-1/#comment-666 Joe Buhler Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:21:28 +0000 http://hospitalitymarketingblog.com/?p=275#comment-666 Desperate measures? Not really an effective strategy at any time. I would suggest innovative measures instead, and at any time, especially before things gets desperate! Unfortunately innovative marketing seems to go out of many a hotel manager's window as soon as the headwinds start to blow strong. Price dumping works if you're Wal-Mart but hardly ever for a small business. Of course, to get rid of last minute unfilled inventory working with opaque price providers like Priceline could be useful. Again, it's how smart you are about discounting and how you make them work in your favor. A solid, permanent customer engagement strategy to create as many fans and advocates by providing excellent service should have priority. That can build the trust capital during good times and produce recommendations resulting in referral business when times are tough. Desperate measures? Not really an effective strategy at any time. I would suggest innovative measures instead, and at any time, especially before things gets desperate!
Unfortunately innovative marketing seems to go out of many a hotel manager’s window as soon as the headwinds start to blow strong. Price dumping works if you’re Wal-Mart but hardly ever for a small business. Of course, to get rid of last minute unfilled inventory working with opaque price providers like Priceline could be useful. Again, it’s how smart you are about discounting and how you make them work in your favor. A solid, permanent customer engagement strategy to create as many fans and advocates by providing excellent service should have priority. That can build the trust capital during good times and produce recommendations resulting in referral business when times are tough.

]]> Comment on Seven Secrets To Getting The Most Out of TripAdvisor by Daniel Edward Craig http://hospitalitymarketingblog.com/2010/02/seven-secrets-to-getting-the-most-out-of-tripadvisor/comment-page-1/#comment-656 Daniel Edward Craig Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:45:14 +0000 http://hospitalitymarketingblog.com/?p=207#comment-656 Hi Madigan, Some great tips, thank you. How are you enjoying your new role as the TripAdvisor mediator? Takes some of the heat off me ;) Curious to know what you think about the price of TripAdvisor Business Listings. I've stopped recommending clients to purchase them because I think they're overpriced (current discounted rate is $4800 per year for a property of 101 - 250 rooms) and haven't been generating significant direct traffic or conversions. TA would have to generate a lot of direct bookings to justify these rates. Better to channel toward cost-per-click & other internet marketing activiites. Your thoughts? Cheers, Daniel Edward Craig Hi Madigan,
Some great tips, thank you. How are you enjoying your new role as the TripAdvisor mediator? Takes some of the heat off me ;) Curious to know what you think about the price of TripAdvisor Business Listings. I’ve stopped recommending clients to purchase them because I think they’re overpriced (current discounted rate is $4800 per year for a property of 101 – 250 rooms) and haven’t been generating significant direct traffic or conversions. TA would have to generate a lot of direct bookings to justify these rates. Better to channel toward cost-per-click & other internet marketing activiites. Your thoughts?
Cheers,
Daniel Edward Craig

]]> Comment on Seven Secrets To Getting The Most Out of TripAdvisor by Madigan Pratt http://hospitalitymarketingblog.com/2010/02/seven-secrets-to-getting-the-most-out-of-tripadvisor/comment-page-1/#comment-651 Madigan Pratt Fri, 23 Jul 2010 18:19:51 +0000 http://hospitalitymarketingblog.com/?p=207#comment-651 Kate, I hear your frustration. I know many hotel marketing professionals sometimes think "Support at TripAdvisor" is nothing but a cruel joke being played on them. I have had many dealings with Support and can attest to the fact that it can be frustrating at times. While we don't always get what we want, I can say we have had a fair share of success in getting listings changed or negative reviews which were obvious fakes removed. It doesn't come easy, but it does take perseverance. I do hope this encourages you to keep trying as well as to look at possibly changing tactics to achieve better results. Kate, I hear your frustration. I know many hotel marketing professionals sometimes think “Support at TripAdvisor” is nothing but a cruel joke being played on them.

I have had many dealings with Support and can attest to the fact that it can be frustrating at times. While we don’t always get what we want, I can say we have had a fair share of success in getting listings changed or negative reviews which were obvious fakes removed.

It doesn’t come easy, but it does take perseverance. I do hope this encourages you to keep trying as well as to look at possibly changing tactics to achieve better results.

]]> Comment on Seven Secrets To Getting The Most Out of TripAdvisor by Dale at Hospitality Re-Defined http://hospitalitymarketingblog.com/2010/02/seven-secrets-to-getting-the-most-out-of-tripadvisor/comment-page-1/#comment-649 Dale at Hospitality Re-Defined Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:46:26 +0000 http://hospitalitymarketingblog.com/?p=207#comment-649 Some great suggestions here. Great article. Some great suggestions here. Great article.

]]> Comment on Seven Secrets To Getting The Most Out of TripAdvisor by Kate Kris http://hospitalitymarketingblog.com/2010/02/seven-secrets-to-getting-the-most-out-of-tripadvisor/comment-page-1/#comment-647 Kate Kris Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:01:51 +0000 http://hospitalitymarketingblog.com/?p=207#comment-647 Hi Madigan, I disagree with "If you are one of those hoteliers who don’t like TripAdvisor, perhaps you don’t like listening to what guests have to say. Or perhaps your “issues” with TripAdvisor prevent you from hearing the many valid comments that could help you improve your product and thus your ranking versus competitive hotels." Most lodging realizes the value of TA, but many of them have issues with bad reviews that competitors have posted and even more with TA not posting legit good reviews, even when the people posting have confirmed they are real people and its not the inn itself posting it. take the case in point of Brewster Inn in Maine, who happen to be good friends of ours, they have gotten more then 5 valid good reviews removed from TA and TA has done nothing about even with multiple complaints/emails etc and they were legitimate reviews. If this is something that happened infrequently it wouldn't be a big deal, but if you do a bit of digging and you don't have to dig far, there are lots of lodging properties out there that have had problems interacting with TA and although they know the value of it, they don't have to like something that isn't "really" helping them. You put a broad statement on that Hi Madigan, I disagree with “If you are one of those hoteliers who don’t like TripAdvisor, perhaps you don’t like listening to what guests have to say. Or perhaps your “issues” with TripAdvisor prevent you from hearing the many valid comments that could help you improve your product and thus your ranking versus competitive hotels.”

Most lodging realizes the value of TA, but many of them have issues with bad reviews that competitors have posted and even more with TA not posting legit good reviews, even when the people posting have confirmed they are real people and its not the inn itself posting it. take the case in point of Brewster Inn in Maine, who happen to be good friends of ours, they have gotten more then 5 valid good reviews removed from TA and TA has done nothing about even with multiple complaints/emails etc and they were legitimate reviews.

If this is something that happened infrequently it wouldn’t be a big deal, but if you do a bit of digging and you don’t have to dig far, there are lots of lodging properties out there that have had problems interacting with TA and although they know the value of it, they don’t have to like something that isn’t “really” helping them.

You put a broad statement on that

]]> Comment on TripAdvisor Reaches 20 Million Reviews by Madigan Pratt http://hospitalitymarketingblog.com/2008/10/tripadvisor-reaches-20-million-reviews/comment-page-1/#comment-639 Madigan Pratt Thu, 15 Jul 2010 22:46:05 +0000 http://www.madiganpratt.com/blog/index.php/2008/10/24/tripadvisor-reaches-20-million-reviews/#comment-639 CM, Can you give me more information? Hotel web site? Where TA lists you? Should be a simple fix via email or fax to Support. Madigan CM,
Can you give me more information? Hotel web site? Where TA lists you? Should be a simple fix via email or fax to Support.

Madigan

]]> Comment on Cornell Says, “Its Time For Hotels to Start Marketing” by Bill Todd http://hospitalitymarketingblog.com/2010/05/cornell-says-its-time-for-hotels-to-start-marketing/comment-page-1/#comment-610 Bill Todd Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:20:16 +0000 http://hospitalitymarketingblog.com/?p=250#comment-610 Here is a marketing action that is way overdo!. The U.S. based Airline Reporting Corporation has just launched a new electronic payment system for hotels and tour operators. I just saw a demo and my first question was ,why did our industry take so long to eliminate the mountain of unnecessary paperwork associated with FIT bookings. The Airline Reporting Corporation was the same team that 10 years ago converted the airline industry over to e-tickets from old fashioned paper. Yet it took us till 2010 to drag the wholesale and FIT bookings process plus the antiquated paper vouchers into the 21st century. Hats off to Starwood who is reported to have lobbied the ARC to take on the project. This one simple payment system will give our accounting teams back hundreds of hours each year. There is nothing more than a small token fee for hotels to pay- hopefully that will motivate the industry to get onboard as soon as possible. It's about time! Here is a marketing action that is way overdo!. The U.S. based Airline Reporting Corporation has just launched a new electronic payment system for hotels and tour operators. I just saw a demo and my first question was ,why did our industry take so long to eliminate the mountain of unnecessary paperwork associated with FIT bookings.
The Airline Reporting Corporation was the same team that 10 years ago converted the airline industry over to e-tickets from old fashioned paper. Yet it took us till 2010 to drag the wholesale and FIT bookings process plus the antiquated paper vouchers into the 21st century. Hats off to Starwood who is reported to have lobbied the ARC to take on the project. This one simple payment system will give our accounting teams back hundreds of hours each year. There is nothing more than a small token fee for hotels to pay- hopefully that will motivate the industry to get onboard as soon as possible. It’s about time!

]]> Comment on Twitter – Another Perspective by James Bennett, CHA http://hospitalitymarketingblog.com/2010/02/twitter-another-perspective/comment-page-1/#comment-561 James Bennett, CHA Fri, 28 May 2010 22:14:21 +0000 http://hospitalitymarketingblog.com/?p=197#comment-561 Great article, I appreciate your caution however, I have founnd that by the use of funnels or "feader" sites linking back to your GDS booking engine that Twitter is very trackable and can show a definite ROI! I quoted you in a BLOG I just wrote, you can find it here: http://tiny.cc/0fczg. Thanks again! James Great article, I appreciate your caution however, I have founnd that by the use of funnels or “feader” sites linking back to your GDS booking engine that Twitter is very trackable and can show a definite ROI! I quoted you in a BLOG I just wrote, you can find it here: http://tiny.cc/0fczg. Thanks again! James

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