Sales & Marketing
New projects, strategies and trends in hotel and resort operations. A look at the different facets of lodging operations, including sales & marketing, housekeeping, human resources, food & beverage, engineering & maintenance and revenue management.
How to Factor Generational Mindsets Into Hotel Sales
As hotel sales directors, do you take into account generational differences when planning a meeting or incentive? How much thought do you give to generational mix when selling a concept to a group? Here is a new method, with proven case histories, that can increase group business at your property by showing meeting planners how they can have a successful event at your hotel by creating generational functions....
Coast Hotels Looking to Expand in West
Shoppers who stay at the The Coast Bellevue Hotel in Bellevue, WA, can use their keycard as a discount pass for shopping at Macy’s department store. Hunters who stay at Alaska’s Coast International Inn have access to a walk-in freezer. Tourists ...
Behind Choice Hotels’ Marketing Power
Like most brand company conventions in this era of slow growth, last week’s Choice Hotels conference in Las Vegas was short on a lot of hard news. However, fascinating presentations by Choice executives Alexandra Jaritz and Pat Pacious pulled back the curtain on the company’s multi-layered, all-encompassing distribution and marketing efforts....
How Social Media Levels the Playing Field
Marketing intelligence can be gleaned from social media, a fact well documented. From recommendations to general opinions shared online, hotels gain great insight into the relevance and effectiveness of their marketing messages. ...
Caribbean Tourism Relaunches Regional Marketing Initiative
Perhaps, possibly, the Caribbean tourism industry is about to realize one of its long-term goals: to create a viable and sustainable platform to market the Caribbean brand as one entity to potential visitors from around the world. Last year, a joint venture between ...
The SEO Obsession
Many GMs, revenue managers and marketing directors at independent hotels are obsessed with search engine optimization (SEO) and in my opinion it’s almost entirely a waste of money and time. There’s a myth, perpetuated by digital agencies that make a lot of money ...
Timeshare Business Continues to Rebound
The mood was understandably festive as executives gathered in early April in Las Vegas to cut the ribbon on Holiday Inn Club Vacations’ newest property, the 640-unit Desert Club Resort just a few blocks east of The Strip. Holding the ribbon was Don Harrill, president & CEO of Orange Lake Resorts, the developer of Holiday Inn-branded timeshare properties. Despite the lingering stagnation in the economy, Orange Lake Resorts is enjoying strong success in finding the needed funding for expansion....
Meetings Business Bounces Back
It wasn’t that long ago meetings had a bad name to many people, including the federal government. That’s all changed in 2012. While the volume of meetings—especially at luxury venues—and the prices groups are willing to pay aren’t yet back to pre-recession levels, full recovery is very close. ...
Microtel Gets an Image Overhaul
Microtel, the 13-year-old economy brand, is getting an image facelift. The brand will now be known as Microtel Inns & Suites By Wyndham. The relaunch, as Wyndham is calling it, will be accompanied by new signage and a multi-channel marketing campaign that will leverage Microtel’s uniqueness as a pure new-construction brand. ...
Locals Help Drive Iron Horse’s Success
Most developers who venture into hospitality view the independent boutique hotel as their baby — the most draining, hand wringing and rewarding property in their portfolio. For the Iron Horse Hotel, it has been a particular labor of love because our hotel opened simultaneously with the worst credit crunch in U.S. history. That meant opening $7 million short, with no working capital and in a secondary market. ...
Marriott's Lasting Legacy
Don’t ask Bill Marriott about his retirement. He’s not retiring and has no plans to. Ever. “I’ve seen too many people retire, get bored and die,” he says. He then leans forward, for emphasis it seems, and adds, “That’s not what I plan on doing,” before letting out a hearty laugh. ...
Hotel Executives See Clear Path Ahead
The Americas Lodging Investors Summit, held each January on the West Coast, is a good early bellwether of industry sentiment for the year. Budgets are complete, plans are made, and executives are hungry to execute. To get a reading on the sentiment for 2012, Lodging Hospitality gathered a roundtable of industry leaders during this year’s ALIS to gauge future developments, challenges and opportunities for the lodging business....
La Quinta: A Record-Breaking Hotel Chain
While La Quinta executives talked passionately about growth, property performance and the brand’s dynamic corporate culture at its annual conference this week in New Orleans, the big news was of a lighter variety. On the second day of the conference, La Quinta attempted and succeeded at breaking the world’s record for human mattress dominos. ...
Starwood Allows 24-hour Check-in/Check-out
Starwood Hotels & Resorts is allowing really late checkouts for top-tier loyalty-program members. In fact, the company is replacing the familiar 3 p.m.-check-in, 11 a.m.-check-out standard with a rolling 24-hour program for its most frequent guests....
