Apr
21
The tour continues
It's approaching Easter weekend and the west coast of Scotland is filling up with tourists. This week, we found first Oban and now Fort William basking in the sunshine and making the most of the people lucky enough to be on holiday.
Mark Sutherland-Fisher and I aren't on holiday of course. We're still doing our "Boswell & Johnsons" tour of the Highlands on behalf of Fusion.
Continue reading "Social Networking Marketing Workshop in Fort William"
Posted by HotelBlogger
Mar
21
I love these things!
What's the next objective you want to achieve with your hotel marketing?
Free one hour marketing coaching session for any UK based hotelier who contacts me using this QR code:
Posted by HotelBlogger
Mar
21
I've been following Groupon since Seth Godin first drew attention to it many months ago. I find it a fascinating concept, not so much because of the marketing power it appears to contain, but because of the incredible fees and discounts it seems to be able to bring to the market.
It all makes me wonder if you hoteliers are looking the other way while somebody else makes off with your margins?
Let's face it guys, you let the OTAs do it ten years ago. Now it looks like it's going to happen to you all over again.
Continue reading "Does Groupon and voucher promotion really work?"
Posted by HotelBlogger
Feb
28
I blogged about this on this very blog last year. People don't seem to be paying attention.
Google Maps and hotel price data - a warning
Basically, Google need live pricing data for this hotel pricing feature on Maps to work. The only places they can get this data in the right (XML) format is from Online Travel Agent websites, large hotel chains or hotels equipped with the "right" PMS systems.
Continue reading "Google Maps hotel price data - privately run hotels beware!"
Posted by HotelBlogger
Feb
25
This article popped in to my inbox this morning.
Hotel marketing article
Now I accept this is an excerpt. I note that the full version is available to the rest of us for about $1,000, but I really can't accept that travel agent websites outperformed hotel websites in terms of sales conversion, simply because hoteliers put their prices up.
Continue reading "Prices to Blame?"
Posted by HotelBlogger
Sep
22
General marketing discussions and issues blog can now be
found here.
Posted by HotelBlogger
Sep
2
Hotel websites are notorious for using big words where small ones will do. In trying to look or sound clever, luxurious or "high quality" they achieve precisely the opposite effect.
Because the website visitor isn't reading the words.
Up until now, it wasn't that your website visitor was stupid, it was just that their attention was the subject of challenges from all angles.
Now, however, it's getting serious. They really
are becoming stupid.
Continue reading "Is the internet making your online customers stupid?"
Posted by HotelBlogger
Aug
17
How fast can you get your hotel offer found on Google?
If you are looking for hotel deals (in an especially nice hotel!) in the Inverness area - the Kingsmills Hotel has a limited availability offer for the nights of Sunday 29th and Monday 30th August.
Check it out! You won't believe the value for this deal at this smashing luxury hotel.
August bank holiday deals at the Kingsmills Hotel Inverness
Posted by HotelBlogger
Aug
6
Changes to the way Google manages adwords bidding will change the online landscape for hotels.
The relaxation of brand related keyword bidding means that - yet again - the online travel agents will take ownership of the high ground.
Some industry professionals are recommending you mount your own Google Adwords campain based on keywords related to your own brand. Stating that it will work out cheaper than the cost of commission on OTA sourced room sales. Of course, their approach is slightly coloured by the fact that many of them actually
sell Adwords campaign management services.
Here's a few points for you to consider before you take the Adwords plunge. It may be that the OTA becomes your friend in all this turmoil...
Continue reading "Google Adwords for Hotels - Compete or Contribute?"
Posted by HotelBlogger
Aug
5
The previous blog caused a couple of derisory emails. So let me clarify a couple of things.
1. Online promotion and selling is a good thing to do. I am not anti-internet.
2. When it comes to marketing
per se and online marketing in particular - carelessness can be seen in a high percentage of hotels.
If you're going to use online social networking to promote your hotel business online, there is one fundamental thing you need to understand...
Continue reading "The Luxury Hotel Sales Process"
Posted by HotelBlogger
Aug
3
You've all seen the statistics:
"50% of bookings will be made online..."
"millions of hotel customers look at Tripadvisor every day..."
...blah, blah, blah.
Of course, online is good, online is a wonderful market opportunity for you.
Be careful though, because there is a danger that you might confuse "online" with "fully automated" and make a complete balls of selling your hotel.
Continue reading "Is online automation losing the sale for your hotel?"
Posted by HotelBlogger
Jul
26
"what's the point in wearing your lucky rocketship underpants if no one asks to see 'em?" - Calvin & Hobbes
Calvins' lucky rocketship underpants were very close to his heart. Of course, they were actually closer to his backside, but we'll not let that get in the way of today's post, will we?
He was very proud of them: They brought him luck and they had rocketships on them.
What really got on Calvin's &%$@s was the fact that nobody else showed any interest in them.
You go to all that effort...
Continue reading "Are you wearing your lucky rocketship underpants?"
Posted by HotelBlogger
Jul
22
Inspiration for today comes from my pal Jane - who delivered a nice presentation this morning on, er... presentation.
She mentioned something you might be familiar with - the fact that we've all sent a message using technology - an email, a text or a blog post - that has been misinterpreted by the recipient.
It struck me that the internet is indeed a "desensitised" medium. So you need to be careful what you say.
Continue reading "Customers can misinterpret what you say on the internet"
Posted by HotelBlogger
Jul
21
Do you work in hotel sales?
Do you want to know how to start increasing sales at your hotel?
Here's a tried and tested approach. I first learned it from a fascinating hotel sales guru in 1994. Before the Internet.
It is still every bit as valid today. And it still works.
It works for room sales, banqueting sales, restuarant sales, leisure club sales.
So if your general manager or regional sales manager is hammering you to improve your sales figures. This is what you do. In the order specified.
Continue reading "The secret of how to increase sales at your hotel"
Posted by HotelBlogger
Jul
16
Here's the thing.
"Marketing" on social media can generate a lot of heat but no light.
Before all the social media zealots get in touch to rip me limb from limb, let me explain what I mean...
Continue reading "Social Media - never mistake activity for results"
Posted by HotelBlogger
