Corporate Demand on the Upswing — Balancing Act for Revenue Managers
January 28, 2010 at 9:16 pm | In Uncategorized | Leave a CommentTags: hotel blog, hotel industry, hotel revenue management, hotel sales
It doesn’t take much to ignite optimism after the dismal year of 2009. There are now idications that cororate transient demand is creeping back up.
United and several other airlines are reporting an uptick in corporate travel for the quarter just passed.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/27/AR2010012703852.html
In addition, STR reported that for the week ending 1/23 overall demand increased by .9% — not exactilly a bubble but PKF predicted demand in Q1 would increase by 1.9% nationwide so we are getting there!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/27/AR2010012703852.html
The usually pessimistic corporate execs at the ALIS Conference in San Diego this week are even feeling cautiously optimisitc — but all site the short lead times for both corporate reservations and group business.
http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/articles.aspx?ArticleId=2603
Now comes the delicate balance of recovering fragile demand and beginning to nudge rates upward — Revenue Managers, you now have a tough balancing act this year.
Good luck — we are all depending on you!
Shoes for Connor — Shoes for Haiti
January 20, 2010 at 1:59 pm | In Events, Hotel Sales Training Issues, In the News, Information, Uncategorized | Leave a CommentTags: hotel blog, hotel industry, hotel revenue management, hotel sales, hotel sales issues, hotel training, hotel trends, motivation
The good thing about a relatively slow summer for buisness was the opportunity to launch the charity that we founded, Shoes for Connor that was inspired by a business trip to Africa. Log onto www.shoesforconnor.com to get the story behind this charity.
Now we have another another mission. We have already collected and sent 1200 pairs of shoes to needy parts of the world — this is an opporntunity for everyone to do a little more — dig into your closets and find those shoes that you are not wearing or your children have outgrown. Rally your hotel or company in an effort that everyone can assist with regardless of their means. We can provide suport in the way of flyers, a recorded presentation and distribution. If you want to help Soles4Souls reach their goal of 100,000 pairs of shoes for Haiti contact us at carol@carolveret.com. See below for more details.
Shoes for Connor – Shoes for Haiti!
We have all been deeply touched and troubled by the situation in Haiti following the earthquake. Following a news broadcast last week I logged onto Soles4Souls web site www.soles4souls.org and emailed Morgan Evans, our contact with them. See below her reply:
Hi Carol!
It is very sad what had happened the other day and we are committing to send 100,000 pairs over there. Thank you so much for your hard work with your past shoe drive! I also want to thank you for making an extra effort for more shoes to send to Haiti. We appreciate all that we can get during a time like this. Thanks again!
Sincerely,
Morgan Evans, Donor Program Specialist
Soles4Souls, Inc.
Remember Soles4Souls does not collect shoes. They rely on organizations like us to collect the shoes so that they can distribute them through their channels – they have responded to other disasters and gotten shoes where they are needed. As mentioned on their site, when the immediate needs of food, water and medicine are addressed there will still be a tremendous need to protect little feet from the debris left by the earthquake. People are becoming ill from cuts and abrasions left untreated — we can try to protect their feet!
If you have been thinking about getting organizations that you belong to involved in a shoe donation for Shoes for Connor now is the time to do it. Let’s help Soles4Souls reach their goal – contact me at carol@carolverret.com for info and support on how if we all dig a little deeper into our closets we can make a difference for all of the little Connors in Haiti!
www.shoesforconnor.com www.soles4souls.org
How the Recession has Changed the Sales Game
January 6, 2010 at 11:15 pm | In Hotel Sales Training Issues, In the News, Information, Uncategorized | Leave a CommentTags: hotel blog, hotel industry, hotel revenue management, hotel sales issues, hotel training, hotel trends, recovery for hotels
Think back to the sales processes that you were using in mid 2007.
Perhaps you were mining the database for new business — if you are doing that now you are getting a much lower return that you were then. Perhaps you were waiting for the phone to ring as it often did with inquiries and if you closed a percentage of them– you could make your goals. Perhaps you were making cold phone calls and now and again a live human would answer the phone — not anymore.
Maybe you were using ‘reader board’ reports for prospects having meetings at competing hotels — still not a bad idea. Maybe you were using Google searches to locate the web sites of security facilities that you couldn’t personally cold call — still not a bad idea but search has/is changing big time!
Than if you got a group booking, it had to be cleared with the Revenue Manager to make sure that it fit with the rate strategy — the higher the rate the better! You paid for information on an account on a platform like Hoovers — now you can find sites that give you that info for free. The client was often grateful to get the space and was ready, willing and able to plan coctail receptions, VIP dinners, restuarant dine arounds — remember those?
In the very short time period of the recession, the sales game changed. The verticals in the database became less prominant and strapped for cash — for example, if Financial was was your vertical market there was a long dry spell but it is is starting to show signs of life. Government per diem is beginning to look pretty good and now the entire comp set is competing for goverment transient and meetings.
Advanced search is the new Google tool as are Google maps and earth — Tweets are beginning to appear on search on results. Eighteen months ago Twitter wasn’t part of the game. Facebook pages are becoming the new web site and connecting with LinkedIn is the new way to contact a potential client. Social networks now have a section in the Marketing and Sales Plan!
The recession’s impact on the sales process has made some sales people uncomfortable but for those that embrace the changes — it makes sales fun!
PS. Where did those inquiries go and did you notice, no one is planning dine arounds or VIP dinners — YIKES!
Forget Resolutions It’s Time for Results
December 30, 2009 at 5:37 pm | In Uncategorized | Leave a CommentTags: hotel revenue management, hotel sales issues, hotel training, motivation
This subject line appeared on an email this morning from my favorite and essentiial guide for motivation, Tony Robbins.
It is estimated that most New Year’s Resolutions are abandoned or forgtotten by the end of February or March. This applies to business resolutions as well as the usual self improvemnt resolutions!
What makes Tony Robbins my motitivational guru is that he advocates massive action to change your life or your business world. Adjust your attitude, focus on your vision and goals and MOVE!
A bad plan executed well is infinitely better than a great plan executed poorly or not at all! You can always make adjustments, your past does not determine your future and keep your eyes on where you want to be not the things you are worried or frightened about!
In his little book, Notes From a Friend, Tony gives an example of a race car lesson. When you go into a skid don’t keep your focus on the wall you are about to hit but on the track where you want to be. Tony’s race car instructor would physically turn his head around to focus on the track and away from the wall!
When you do this, everything in your mind, body and reflexes adjust to take you where you are focused and want to be.
Happy New Year and remember resolutions are hollow without a massive plan of action!
Tony’s Notes From a Freind is a little book in small chapters that I refer to every morning when I need my attitude ramped up — it is avialable on Amazon! Well worth the $9.95.
Finally Good News! PKF Forecast Revised Upward-Demand to Increase in Q1
December 17, 2009 at 9:36 pm | In Hotel Sales Training Issues, In the News, Information, Uncategorized | Leave a CommentTags: hotel blog, hotel industry, hotel revenue management, hotel sales, hotel trends, recovery for hotels
Have you heard the good news? PKF just revised it’s demand forecast for 2010. Demand will increase by almost 2% in 2010 begining in Q1 2010.
While this won’t mean a great flood in demand it should be enough to change our midsets from ’survival mode’ to that of planning to optimize opportunities in this fragile but real first stage of recovery. Rates will still be under pressure but declining at a slower rate than in 2009. This should set the stage for real rate stabilization in 2010.
The increase in demand will be mitigated by new supply in the market. If your market has has seen the entry of new hotels, your results won’t be as impressive as in those markets that saw very little new supply come online.
Make no mistake — hotel sales and revenue management processes have seen changes during this recession. Use this quiet time during the holidays to reflect on how these processes have changed, how you can embrace them and prepare your sales and RM deprtments for 2010! Get training for your teams to make adjustments to this new approach to sales & RM. Yes, some things never change it is how we can conduct them faster and more efficeitnly to get the edge on the competition that will make the difference!
Happy Holidays — we have a lot to look forward to!
PS. CVCT has been selected by the AHLA to offer seminars to the state chapters on Power Selling, Revenue Management Game Changers and Social Networks as Sales Tools. Watch for them coming to your area!
Team Meetings, Training Programs — Is the Hotel Industry Hypocritical?
December 8, 2009 at 8:42 pm | In Hotel Sales Training Issues, In the News, Information | 1 CommentTags: hotel industry, hotel sales, hotel trends, recovery for hotels
According to STR, groups and meetings will be the last segment to recover. The AHLA and other travel groups have emphasised to companies and other organizations the benefits of having face to face meetings. We as an industry are trying to encourage a recovery in groups and meetings.
However, how many hotel companies are bringing in their teams for meetings and training programs? Many are citing the same reasons that our clients do for not having team meetings — cost being the primary consideration.
Yes, it has been the the toughest year in memory for the hotel industry but it has also been a tough year for our customers. If we as an industry cannot lead the way in demonstrating the effectiveness of meetings, how can we convince our customers to do so?
This may sound self serving but it is not intended to be that way. In times of difficulty, team meetings are a way of supporting the people that are out there in the trenches every day — making one more call, sending one more email, knowing full well that calls go unreturned and emails are often deleted without having been read.
The first part at least of 2010 is aticipated to be as diffcult as 2009 with a fragile recovery in group demand returning in the second half of the year. Let your team know that you support them, motivate them and give them tools to do their jobs!
Join us for the web cast marathon this Friday December 11. These are updates of the three most popular web casts of 09 — sign up for all three or jsut one or two.
http://www.hotel-online.com/News/PR2009_4th/Dec09_3WebCasts.html
Expedia now has study to confirm the Billboard effect!
November 19, 2009 at 9:44 pm | In Uncategorized | 1 CommentTags: hotel blog, hotel industry, hotel revenue management, hotel sales
As much as many hotels feel a love/hate relationship with Expedia, research results were published this week to prove what they have always maintained — that ‘for every reservation made on Expedia, another is made through the hotel web site.’ If ever there was an example of the OTA as travel search engine and the ‘electronic billboard effect’ this is it. The study and the corresponding graph illustrated the percentage increases in reservations to four hotels’ web sites when they appeared on Expedia and when they didn’t or were dark on Expedia. The increases in reservations to the hotel’s web site when they appeared on Expedia ranged from 7-26% — the 26% increase was for an independent hotel. Expedia is still the ‘Big Dog’ in the OTA space – like it or not.
This study was conducted by Cornell University and appeared in HotelMarketing.com on 11/12/09.
See the graph below.
I have always maintained that The OTAs and the internet in general levels the playing field for independent hotels — in this study they were the big winneers in the BillBoard effect!
Tweets to Appear on Search Engine Results
November 12, 2009 at 3:22 pm | In Uncategorized | 2 CommentsTags: hotel blog, hotel industry, hotel revenue management, hotel sales
Am I the only one that thinks this could be game changer?
While the dust up between Choice and Expedia was being heralded as ‘the story of the year’, a giddy Steve Ballmer anounced an agreement with Twitter to show Tweets in its search results on Bing. Google quickly and more quietly followed suit announcing it’s agreement with Twitter.
Think about this for minute. Given how much money and time is devoted to SEO, what will it mean for hotel and destination marketng on the web? Tweets are not controllable whether they come from satisfied or dissatisfied customers.
Will those hotels that push out promotions on Twitter move up the page rank more than those hotels that don’t engage Twitter?
While Google has not announced exactly how Tweets will appear or influence page ranking, you can bet that they will figure it out in time for spring and summer leisure travel. Are hotels going to wait and see or develop a proactive Twitter presence?
I wouldl love to hear your comments.
Hotel Sales Blog is Back
November 10, 2009 at 7:08 pm | In Hotel Sales Training Issues, Webcasts | 2 CommentsFinally, I think we have it fixed! Vicious spyders kept taking down the blog! Stay tuned for future posts!
Join us Friday for a web cast you can’t afford to miss. Habits of Higly Successful Hotel Sales People — 5 Habits You Need for 2010. http://www.carolverret.net/viral/oct3009html.html
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