Archive for December, 2009

Social media and the self-proclaimed expert

Saturday, December 26th, 2009

I came across this very interesting article on BusinessWeek, and it brings up a good point about social media’s popularity.  Overhype of the importance of Twitter and Facebook accounts, along with the self-proclaimed gurus out there who act like “snake oil salesmen,” to quote the article’s reference.

With so much instantaneous information on Twitter and Facebook, traditional marketing can suffer… promotions within the same company can collide, communication withing a company’s employees breaks down, and I think we’re in the process of bursting the bubble of too much information.   There was a cool Duran Duran song years ago about the media exploding with info overload, and with social media, we’re certainly reaching that point.

Social media also affect productivity of traditional 9-5 workers, who log on several times a day.  Some companies encourage social media as part of the job, but the lines are blurring as to what is part of a job’s scope, and what isn’t.

While my motto is that all good things are best in moderation, with Twitter and Facebook I have seen probably so many PR/Marketing/Communications/Advertising professionals with their main credential being their ability to Tweet amazingly fast, and their ability to have thousands of followers and several hundreds of fans on FB.   However, I hardly find good information through their tweets and their fan pages, plus I can’t find published articles or case studies, so I can’t help but question their “expertise.”

Who benefits from social media, and how are we contributing to a better society in the process?  Is the social media hype just breeding conceited wannabe professionals?

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | 1 Comment »

Joining the right collection of hotels

Friday, December 18th, 2009

Take your pick:  Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Preferred Hotels, Luxury Hotels of the World, Relais & Chateaux, Conde Nast Johansens and more.  There are several prestigious collections of properties that are designed to fit your hotel’s needs.

Is the expensive membership worth it from a PR perspective?  I vote yes only when you have done your research as to which hotel family will yield the most benefits.  It’s easy to fall into a box or category, but important to maintain the unique characteristics that make your hotel stand out.  Generally, most hotel collections require a set of standards to be met by your property.  Even if you meet them, sometimes down the road you might find that joining it wasn’t the right fit, and your membership did not yield the expected benefits.  In other cases, you might choose to spend the time to shop around until you find the right hotel collection.

From a PR standpoint, the branding acquired by joining a hotel collection membership can help with recruting additional press inquiries, tours, and other media initiatives. 

Remember, it is also up to you to get the benefits by joining a hotel family, so make sure you do your share of announcements and marketing about your membership to print/web/social media and guests, too.  It is important for you to do your share of the work  in order to get the word out to the right audience.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | 1 Comment »

The new retweet feature

Monday, December 14th, 2009

With the new retweet button on Twitter, I’ve noticed more and more messages going viral, and starting even conversations.   By just clicking on retweet, an updated is immediately viewed by all your followers.

For PR purposes, this is a helpful tool to share good quality information.  However, adding a brief comment to the tweet that helps your communication fit your followers is very effective.  Also remember when you retweet, it eats up some additional characters, so you need to adjust as needed to avoid sending a poor tweet.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | No Comments »

New Year’s resolution: luxury travel minus excess

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

Prevalent in the news is the topic of luxury, how it was defined just two or three years ago, and if it was just a fad of the early/mid 2000’s.  As we enter a new decade, with many lessons learned through the downturn, and a hope for a gradual yet steady economic recovery, I wonder how luxury will be redefined.

As a hospitality communications professional, I find that luxury is in the memories we create when traveling, and not so much in the amount of money we spend.  In 2004, for instance, hotels were all about comfort and pampering and ridiculous excess packages that left guests with a hefty bill at the end of a long celebrated weekend.

Do guests miss that excess now that they can’t afford it?  Should it be redefined as the trend shifts with the economy?  How will hotels adapt to the changing dynamic of luxury?  Somehow, even in affluence, all things in moderation make sense now. 

Somehow, I think in terms of hotel experiences that personalization, genuine service and thoughtfulness will go much further in offering luxury rather than over-the-top excess that can be viewed as fake and impersonal by guests.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | 1 Comment »

Guest loyalty programs in hotel survivor kits

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

Interesting article in the New York Times over the weekend, exploring how hotels are coming up with ways to brand themselves through guest loyalty programs.  A clever solution in these times, as hotels are starting to think outside the box to survive 2010.  

Is the loyalty program for branding, to build business, or maintain business?  Hopefully, it is creative and rewarding enough to do all of these, because hotels who serve the business traveler in particular will need it.

Choosing the right guests to introduce the loyalty program is another story.  Questions to ask often include:  What do my highest paying guests want?  Who is the hotel trying to attract?  Who is likely to return and stay?  Who is worth earning loyalty from? 

Starwood, Intercontinental, Hyatt and Kimpton seem to find that loyalty programs are the way to go as the industry is still in a slump.  Slashing rates is a no-no in 2010, so hotels will continue to throw in more amenities, and strive to personalize service in order to earn loyalty and repeat guests, especially with business travelers.  As business travelers are overall not very brand loyal, the economic downturn has presented a unique opportunity to explore this market segment, and shift its dynamic when it comes to booking a hotel.  This sounds logical as new, exciting loyalty programs sprout.

If you ask me, these loyalty programs must be outstanding to beat out competitors.  With business travel, traditionally at least, rate has usually been the deciding factor for a booking.  However, as most business travelers miss some luxuries in this economy, using loyalty points for upgrades and free breakfasts when applicable, is certainly a reason to be part of the program.

At the end of 2010, it will be really interesting to see how these programs have worked, and if indeed they have been able to succeed in maintaining a loyal guest base.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | No Comments »

Hotels: The death of the minibar!

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

I was just traveling this past week, and due to my flight connection schedule had to make an overnight in London’s Sheraton Heathrow.  The hotel was very old, and the rooms are dire need of renovation.  The price of my room was a bargain through Priceline, but as dingy as the room was, the digitized minibar was luxurious: fully stocked with premium snacks, alcoholic beverages, mineral water, etc. 

Nearly all minibars have become digitized to prevent guests from replacing items in the cooler with the grocery store equivelant at a fraction of the price.  I am wondering if the minibar is indeed something that will phase out with the downturn.  It’s not just $5 for a Kit Kat bar, it’s also the fee you pay on top of that that makes it truly outrageous.

However, I was still amazed how the minibar was so well taken care of compared to the condition of my room overall. 

Will the minibar really survive, especially if there are elegant gift shops in hotels that sell a larger variety of snacks, and hotel bars that might offer a better atmosphere for the price?

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | No Comments »