Many readers have ask which Hospitality Marketing Blog posts were the most widely read in 2009.  So, by popular request, here is a list of the Magnificent Seven.  Please enjoy the practical advice and marketing insights as you gear up for 2010.

1. Hotel Case Study – Prospering in difficult Times – Good news was hard to come by in hospitality marketing circles in 2009.  Here’s a story about a small luxury hotel on an island difficult to get to that offers inspiration and hope.  Very worthwhile.
2. 85% of Hoteliers Just Don’t Get It – Back in August I reported on a Market Metrics’ Research Report that found only 15% of hotels have policies or guidelines for how to manage user-generated reviews (aka TripAdvisor).  Can you imagine that?
3. The Media Are Killing Us – The most overused hospitality phrase for 2009 may well be (unfortunately) “The AIG Effect.”  One bad move by a major government bailout recipient created a media frenzy followed by a Congressional dog pile that literally destroyed the meetings and conventions business.  Government was trying to create jobs on one hand while simultaneously throwing tens of thousands of loyal hospitality employees out of work.  Go figure!
4. Are All Hoteliers Liars? – I like this one too.  Oyster.com, a new online hotel review site launched in July and called hoteliers and hospitality marketing professionals liars.  It sure created headlines, but couldn’t save a failed business plan.  They ended up letting most of their staff go some six months later – read No Pearl in this Oyster.  Just rewards.
5. Thinking Beyond Hospitality – Many found this story about John Wallis, Head of Marketing and Brand Strategy for Hyatt eye-opening.  His goal – to become a database driven company that’s in the hotel business. Revolutionary in hospitality marketing?  Yes, but it shouldn’t be.
6. Why I Hate TripAdvisor Sometimes – You gotta have fun when you can and it’s not often you have a chance to poke TripAdvisor in the eye.  Here’s what makes me mad about TripAdvisor – sometimes.
7. Marketing To Succeed In Difficult Times – A practical guide of proven strategies that have helped companies survive and even excel in past recessions.  Written back in February, 2009 there is still some good advice to help 2010 planning.

Thank you for reading and commenting on Hospitality Marketing Blog.  It has been a real pleasure for me to publish this blog and I look forward to continuing into 2010 and beyond.

Wishing you a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year.

Safe Travels – Madigan Pratt

PS – if you would like to receive a short email whenever a new article is posted simply subscribe on the right.

Last week’s post, “The Media Are Killing Us,” talked about how biased and sensationalized news reports on organizations conducting conferences hurts resorts and hotels.  This week I would like to focus on the human suffering it is causing.

Do you think reporters, so eager to create (even fabricate) “news,” ever think about the damage and human suffering their stories cause?  Probably not.

It seems appropriate to focus on it now that The St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort (scene of the infamous AIG Conference) has been turned over to Citigroup and ABC News’ story about the Social Security Administration’s recent Phoenix conference which now has Congress questioning whether it was prudent to hold the conference.

As a result of last week’s post, I received numerous emails from hospitality marketing professionals thanking me for speaking out.  One email stood out from all the rest.

It was from a meeting manager in Phoenix and started out -

“As an Independent On Site Meeting Manager for over 12 years I wanted to say thank you for your comment [on the ABC News story].  I have also been very active in signing petitions, writing Senators and informing others through every means possible.

I am currently in search of a permanent position as I can no longer support myself as a freelancer in this industry.”

Over the course of several email correspondences I learned she was very willing to relocate and in fact, recently had a telephone interview with a company in Charlotte, NC.  She was one of 650 applicants for the position and one of only 16 to be interviewed.  She wrote:

“I was not selected for a face-to-face interview but have been told they will be hiring more people for the position in the beginning of the year and they will consider me then.  I don’t think I can hold out.  Getting a job is like winning the lottery.”

Meetings Mean Business – they are directly responsible for more than 1 million jobs!  They benefit the companies conducting them, the hotels and resorts where they are held, and every individual involved in the planning and execution.  With unemployment expected to rise to over 10% this year, jobs are critically important.  Someone should tell Congress!

So get involved.  Speak out.  Express your outrage at how media is demonizing legitimate business meetings and events, and making it difficult if not impossible to find good paying jobs.

And by the way – if you have a job opening for a senior meeting planner, please send me an email at Madigan@MadiganPratt.com and I will forward it on to a real pro looking to hit the lottery.  Hopefully I can do one more story on this topic – one with a happy ending.

What do you think?  Leave a comment.  Safe travels – Madigan Pratt

The Social Security Administration recently held its first conference since 2001 which included 700 attendees at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix.   Perhaps you heard about it because of the brouhaha raised by ABC News when they offered a totally unflattering report. If not, you can read and see it here.

Just in case you think the media is unbiased, let it be known the ABC Report was filled with a full array of half truths intended to sensationalize the conference and embarrass the SSA.  In the process it is perpetuating the AIG effect that is devastating the meetings and conventions business, slashing revenues at resort hotels and causing lay offs of thousands of dedicated workers.  Shame on you ABC!

Here’s a few examples of what ABC reported and the truth of what went on:

• ABC Reported -  The SSA spent $700,000 for 700 people to attend a three day conference.  What they didn’t say was the SSA shopped around for the best price and was able to secure a room rate of $85 per night.  What would you expect for Phoenix in the summer?  They got a great deal!
• ABC Reported – Some of the government managers brought along relatives.  Imagine that! Husbands and wives going to a conference with their spouses.  Now that’s real news.
• ABC reported – There was a night excursion to a local casino.  What they didn’t say was SSA employees (and not the government) have to pick up their own entertainment expenses including trips to casinos.
• ABC reported – The conference included a performance by a motivational dance company. Isn’t increasing employee motivation and thus performance one reasons to have a conference?   What ABC didn’t say was most attendees sit in windowless conference rooms from 8m to 6pm.
• ABC interviewed someone from the watchdog Citizens Against Government Waste group who scoffed at  SSA claims the conference was put on as inexpensively as possible.  They claimed if the SSA wanted to do that it would have held a video conference!  I like what Steve Moore, president of the Greater Phoenix CVB had to say about that – “What’s next?  Thanksgiving online?”

Phoenix is a city with many resort hotels that have been hard hit by the current recession and huge drop off in meeting and convention business.  Several hotels have gone bankrupt and others are on the verge.

Biased and sensationalized reports like this are hurting every hotel and resort that receives even a tiny portion of their revenue from meetings and conventions.  In some cases reports like this are killing resorts and increasing unemployment.

If you are as incensed as I am about the way the media is piling on and demonizing meetings and conventions I encourage you to speak out.  Let the media know “Meetings Mean Business.”  They also mean jobs to a lot of low income individuals who really do need a job right now.

Leave a comment.  Let others know what you think.  Forward this link to others in the industry.  If you’re a blogger speak out!

Safe travels – Madigan Pratt