Why Hotel Sales Should Care About Google+ and Search

February 6, 2012 at 11:07 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment
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Google has flexed its most formidable muscle, Search, to promote and some would say force hotels to have a Business page on Google+. Those companies and organizations that have a Google+ page will be given first preference in Search results. Not only that, there is a real revenue Issue as follows below.

An active Google+ page will be given preference in appearance on Search. The most popular travel Search is ‘hotels (X)’. If a meeeting or travel planner is trying to get an idea of the hotels in a given market, those htoels with an active presence on Google+ will be gieven first preference in the sort on Search.

In addition, the hotel’s links, web sie and interaction with it’s circle will appear. This is very compelling as it allows instant interaction with the hotel and the hotel’s web site. They will have an opportunity to gather information, and send an instant RFP if there is one on the web site — all of that right there in one location – one platform!

Here’s how it works. Next to each entry on the results section of the Search page, there are two arrows. If you don’t have a Google+ page, when you mouse over the arrow it will show the map and the hotel’s Google Places page. If you do have a Google+ page, the arrows will show the hotel’s web site.

What does this mean? The Google Places page if a customer clicks on it will show a widget that asks for dates and will show rate results in a drop down that will have all of the OTAs listed first with the web site link at the very bottom.

The advantageof the Google+ search showing the web site is that the customer can click on the site, interact with it and make a reservation right there using the hotel’s web site booking engine.

25-35% commission on all reservations made using the OTAs on the Google Places page verus 0% commission using the hote web site booking engine? No brainer!

There is a lot more to this development — keep checking back for the latest on the Google+ issue

5 Simple Hotel Sales Resolutions for 2012

December 19, 2011 at 4:20 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
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We all have things we meant to do, wanted to do but didn’t doin 2011. Here are 5 resolutions for 2012 that are easy to keep:
1. Get supremely organized (my personal resolution!)Will this be the year that you (and me) finally do this?
2. Set goals for your activty so you can achieve your revenue goals. I love Google calendar for this as I can color code every type of activity to ensure everything is done!
3. Develop and implement a social media system to ensure that you are maxmizing opportunities. There are a few on the group Linkedin Strategies – my favorite is 7 Steps to Make LinkedIn work.
4. Prospect like crazy! Set a goal to identify X number of new prospects each week and stick with it!
5. Celebrate success – both yours and that of others! Don’t let pride get in the way of asking others how they do things well in areas you want to improve on. Find a mentor!

Let us know through your comments what resolutions you would add.

The Dilemma of Attracting Corporate Transient for Independent and Boutique Hotels

December 1, 2011 at 7:17 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
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Especially in urban settings, boutique hotels struggle with mid week corporate at this time of year when leisure mid week is non existent.

The large franchises have not only their frequent guest programs but also national accounts that feed many of their hotels at reduced rates. Then there are the large consortia that won’t even issue an RFP to a smaller hotel!

These are usually large companies with a volume of business travel. Faced with trying to steal share from these which entails more effort than the results are worth, what strategies can smaller independent and boutique hotels deploy?

Look at the flip side of the typical source of corporate travel for the franchise hotels.

Unmanaged coporate travel by small and medium sized businesses that book their own travel account for 56% of all corporate travel according to a research study by Forrester and Best Western.

Think about it. These small to meduium sized companies don’t have enough volume to negotiate significant discounts like the big guys. But they like everyone else would like a place where they are appreciated and can get issues addressed.

What about a full court press blitz, eblasts, direct mail, sales calls, reception, for every small to medium sized business in the market. Let them know that ‘their small business is big business to you!’ and you will give them the name and contact info of a live human at the hotel that they can contact if they have an issue!

I worked with a hotel once that had no major demand generators within 3 miles of the hotel — only small to medium sized businesses.

We went afer them. After about six months, we were driving a higher ADR than the comp set, getting roughly the same occupancy levels mid week as the franchises and had a stunning REVPAR!

Also, sign up for Expdia’s VIP program that caters to these unmanagaged business travelers.

(I’ve got to get a grip on the length of my titles!)

The Clients You Want versus The Clients You Get!

May 25, 2011 at 11:43 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments
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If you don’t know what the customers you want look like, market segment, demand periods, rate sensitivity, etc. you will have to keep settling for the inquiries that come in over the phone – even if they are ‘shopping’ you and all the other hotels in your market. You know they are shopping so desperation sets in and you go lower and throw in more value adds to get the business. Why? Because you have no other prospects to work because you don’t know where to look for the clients you want!

It has never been easier to prospect than it is today. The power of Search on search engines and social media bring you a universe of prospects. However none of these will help you unless you can sort through the multitude of prospects to locate the ones that are appropriate for your hotel.

Develop a ‘filter’ based on your current ‘good accounts’ — those that you want more of. What is the DNA of your current good accounts by market segment and/or seasonality?

Where does the booking originate geographically? Who are they demographically in terms of verticals or industry, what is the position of the person that books the business and the people that attend the meeting or function? Last of all, fiscally how rate sensitve are they, how do they pay the bill.

Without a filter to sort through the universe of prospects, your prospecting efforts will be like a scatter shot approach hoping a duck flies through versus a shot gun approach that focuses on a specific target.

If you don’t figure this out, you are doomed to wait by the phone for an inquiry, a bureau lead — kind of like waiting for a date to call!

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