June 2015

HOTEL MARKETINGBENCHMARK

Compiled by Sebastien Felix @fleexit & Martin Soler @martinsoler

As the hotel marketing landscape adapts, changes and innovates with technology we thought it would be great to create a monthly review of what we’ve found on the market, how they compare with each other and to present some of those new technologies we think may be interesting for the future of hotel marketing.

This isn’t another article or magazine, we just wanted to create something that was easy to read and would keep hoteliers and hotel marketing people up to date with what is on the market and what is coming out next.

We wanted to create something to keep you up-to-date in the least time possible.

We hope you enjoy reading this as much as we enjoyed writing it.

- Sebastien Felix @fleexit and Martin Soler @martinsoler -

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INTRODUCTION

TOPINSPIRATION,TRENDS & TOOLS

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With BookingSuite came the less controversial InstaSite by Sabre and less hyped Vizlly by Leonardo all targeting the same market of hoteliers wanting a site they build themselves based on templates and promising lower costs plus faster delivery. Our verdict; while there is a market for such products expecting a hotel to build their own website is a hard sell since hotels typically lack the time and expertise to go out and build their own website. A serviced build with a manage it yourself solution would maybe be the perfect mix. But the promise of cheaper is rarely accomplished when platforms like Squarespace deliver amazing design for $16 a month.

BOOKING SUITE AND THE DIY WEBSITE#tools

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HOTELS AND THEIR NOT SO BIG DATA

Hotel’s have a data problem. Fragmentation of their data, silo’d into repositories they can’t access without prohibitive costs is slowing down the adoption of proper large scale data analytics. PMS data can’t be compared to reputation data that can’t be compared to OTA conversion data which in turn can’t be compared to website data to mention a few. Our verdict: Open APIs must become the norm on the hotel industry just like it is in other tech companies, APIs that charge based on data usage similar to Google Maps or other tech industry standards thus fueling proper Big Data analytics and servicing the guests creating unique experiences.

#opinion

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With the launch of the new Apple Watch, Starwood took the shift pretty fast and already proposed the SPG app dedicated wearables. The app offers everything that Starwood can offer: last minute bookings, check-ins and bookings information, integrated room key, hotel address notification and even direct contact with the hotel or concierge.

Our verdict: as usual, Starwood is trying to conserve their innovative asset and awareness by always offering the best of the technology. We are really curious about what wearables will bring to the future of hospitality and how the next generation of travellers will use it.

STARWOOD SPG ON THE APPLE WATCH#tech

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Mariott just launched its new content marketing campaign for one of its prestigious brand: the Autograph Collection Hotels. The campaign, entitled “The Individualists”, was created in partnership with the Variety magazine’s Actors on Actors video series. The aim behind this innovative content is to generate travelers about the unique concept of the hotel collection and provide fun but glassy content hosted by the famous platform Tumblr.Our verdict: we really appreciate the type of message sent by this type of content, high quality with a good use of videos. We will see the evolution and the real impact with the time.

CONTENT MARKETING BY MARIOTT#inspiration

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#CANNES2015 just finished and like almost every year, it made people dream of travelling in the luxury world. At this occasion, the Hyatt Martinez Cannes enjoyed the festival by taking amazing pictures via their Instagram account. Sun, cocktail and stars… everything to re-live this amazing event.Our verdict: pictures are the perfect support for this kind of event. We think hotels should take more advantage of this new media. We hope Hyatt will launch soon their SnapChat campaign (like Mariott did few weeks ago). More than any social platform we find Instagram’s visual and linear story telling to be a great platform for great hotels.

HYATT MARTINEZ LOVES #CANNES2015#inspiration

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Many hotels have an Instagram account. Pictures are indeed the best way to convey an emotion. And this emotion has the power to convert your potentiel lead into a real loyal customer.For hotels who already have a strong strategy via this channel, lot of them are asking: but how do I know who my followers are? Are they corresponding to my customers target?SocialRank has just released their last version, which include the possibility to analyse your Instagram account. Simple, isn’t it? Try it now, it is amazing!

ANALYSE YOUR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT#tools

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“It’s the best way to reach people when they’re near your business, whether that means walking distance or a few miles.” -Facebook

The new Facebook Ad feature called Local Awareness allows any brands to easily reach people around a business. In few minutes you can launch an ad and every one around the area can receive a notification via their Facebook profile.It is a powerful tool for restaurants inside resort particularly if you want to attract outside customers! More information on: https://www.facebook.com/business/a/local-awareness

REACH LOCAL PEOPLE WITH FACEBOOK#advertising

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About us

Martin SolerPassionate marketing guy with a focus on hospitality. Currently the Chief Marketing Officer of Snapshot.travel a hotel data and analytics platform. I was recently the SVP Sales and Marketing at an international hotel marketing company, prior to that I was a hotel GM and even before that a Marketing Manager in the off-line world of publishing, paper and all that. I’m reachable on twitter at @martinsoler or on my About.me/martinsoler page.

Sebastien FelixDriven by new technologies, always ready to try out the latest innovations. Formerly head of online marketing for a luxury hotel group then ran the e-commerce division of a hotel marketing agency where I created the first influencer marketing platform for hospitality. I am currently working on a new venture Influtravel.com that is coming soon. Reachable on Twitter at @fleexit or on my About.me/sebastien-felix page.

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