The best and worst of hotels revealed.

From room service to lip service - Cleanliness (80% of travelers concerned about bedbugs), quiet and customer service are the top three issues for travelers.

TripAdvisor®, the world's largest travel community, has announced the results of its hotel survey of more than 2,200 travelers worldwide. Ninety-two percent of respondents said they are planning to stay at a hotel or B&B in the next 12 months. Nineteen percent will stay at a hotel or B&B more than 10 times in the coming year, and 45 percent will stay between 2-4 times in the next 12 months.

The Good

When asked what makes a hotel great, 30 percent of respondents said location is the most important factor, while 29 percent cited comfortable beds, and 24 percent said hotel staff/great service. When asked what makes a hotel bed comfortable, 64 percent said it's the mattress, 11 percent noted the linens, and another 11 percent said it's the pillows.

The Bad

When asked what ruins a hotel stay, 54 percent said unclean rooms, 14 percent cited noisy hotel guests and 11 percent pointed to poor hotel staff/service.

The Ugly

Sixty-eight percent of travelers have experienced a dirty carpet at a hotel, 64 percent have dealt with non-working appliances, and 59 percent have waited as their room was not ready at check-in. Thirty-eight percent of travelers think the dirtiest part of a hotel is the carpet, 37 percent speculate it's the bedspread, 11 percent believe it's the television remote and another 11 percent think it's the bathroom.

Bummed about Bedbugs

Eighty percent of travelers said they are concerned about bed bugs when visiting a hotel. Eight percent of travelers surveyed said they have experienced bed bugs at a hotel.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words?

Seventy-eight percent of travelers said hotels are often "as advertised," 17 percent said they are rarely as advertised. Sixty-six percent of travelers said B&Bs are "as advertised," 20 percent said they are rarely so.

Hotel Decision Making

Forty-two percent of travelers (46 percent of U.S. respondents) said they typically stay at luxury brand hotels, 31 percent usually stay at economy hotels and 21 percent said their norm is boutique hotels. Six percent most frequently stay at B&Bs.

Thirty-two percent of travelers (37 percent of U.S. respondents) said they are brand loyal when it comes to hotels. When asked what price range they target when searching for hotels, 19 percent said under $300, 27 percent chose less than $200, 28 percent said less than $150, and 16 percent chose less than $100 per night. Two percent said they search for hotels at more than $500 per night. When asked what type of hotel promotion offers the greatest incentive to book, 73 percent of travelers said it is a reduced room rate.

"Your hotel experience can make or break your vacation and we've found that travelers don't ask for much. Cleanliness is the top travel requirement among TripAdvisor members and that doesn't seem like too much to ask," said Michele Perry, vice president of global communications for TripAdvisor.

Etiquette in the Age of Social Media.

By Chris Brogan.
Wednesday, 20th August 2008

I’m no Emily Post, but I have some things I want to share with you - Many come from my own experiences - Others come from thinking about how people might use the web in a less-than-polite way. In some cases, you might have a difference of opinion. Consider this a starting point, and not the final say. Please feel free to add your advice, disagree, and/or share your perspective. That’s why we’re all here.

Email Etiquette

Keep email as brief as possible. We all receive too many. Consider also removing excess people from follow up emails, if you started out with a huge CC list.
Upon sending an email, please allow up to 48 hours for a response. Yes, the web moves so very quickly, but not every email can be answered immediately.
Do NOT tweet, SMS, or otherwise send an immediate follow-up to say, “Did you get my email?” The answer is almost always yes. If it’s urgent, call.
If it’s urgent, use standard email, not Facebook email. We don’t all have super duper Facebook mobile apps.
Put the MOST IMPORTANT part at the top of the email, not the bottom. Again, we’re all doing a million things here. Make it easier.

Blogging Etiquette

If you’re blogging about someone else, link to them. It only takes a moment, and it’s how the Web was made to work.
If you read a great blog post, and don’t have time to comment, consider passing it along simply, using StumbleUpon, Delicious, Google Reader Shared Items, or Friendfeed, to name a few.
If you have time to comment, try to do better than “Great post.” If you can, add a few thoughts of your own, or recommend something the author didn’t cover.
If you leave a comment, in the name section, don’t put all kinds of attempted search words. Most blogs’ comment sections don’t get picked up by Google, so it just comes off seeming like you’re trying to game search.
It’s okay to comment about a post you wrote, and to leave a link, if it’s relevant. Just leaving a link to some random post you did- not so much.

Facebook Etiquette

Please don’t send every little app you try. If you’re not aware that you’re doing it, you probably still are. Be sure to click “no” or “skip” or whatever lets you not invite me to yet another little green patch, zombie biting experience, or buy my friends experience.
Don’t write obnoxious links back to your stuff on people’s walls. Use them to be human.
Starting multi-user messages in Facebook is tricky, because then almost every reply becomes a “reply all.” Think about that.
Consider who you tag in which photos. This shows up on the user’s profile as well, and can sometimes become a bit awkward.
Sending endless promotional emails via your group gets old quick. Be mindful of this.

Twitter Etiquette

Note: use Twitter however you want. These are just some serving suggestions.

Use an avatar. It lets us know you’re possibly human.
If you’re using Twitter only as a link feed, consider marking your “bio” section with that, so people can decide.
I’m personally not fond of long @ conversations. Not sure your take, but to me, something over 3 @ messages back and forth might be best suited in a DM or into email.
If you don’t have much to say, it’s okay not to say it.
An @ message at the beginning of a post shows up in replies. Further in, it doesn’t.
It’s okay to promote yourself. Just consider promoting some other folks, too. Mix it up a bit.

You’re not obligated to friend everyone back. Some people use Twitter differently.
Removing someone as a Twitter friend doesn’t (necessarily) reflect on how you feel on them as a person. It’s okay.
Don’t let other people tell you how to use Twitter. (Get it?)
Ultimately, your mileage may vary in all of these cases, but I wanted to get these thoughts out there, so that you could share your perspective, and so that we could talk about how the web and social media has changed the way we interact. What’s your take?

The Social Media 100 is a project by Chris Brogan dedicated to writing 100 useful blog posts in a row about the tools, techniques, and strategies behind using social media for your business, your organization, or your own personal interests. Swing by www.chrisbrogan.com for more posts in the series, and if you have topic ideas, feel free to share them, as this is a group project, and your opinion matters.

Tourism Wikis: The World According to the Crowd

By Vivian Wagner
LinuxInsider
Part of the ECT News Network
08/13/08 4:00 AM PT

As travelers become more Internet-savvy, they're turning increasingly to travel wikis and online travel communities for the most up-to-date, reliable information available. The appeal of a wiki is that it's constantly updated and provides varying points of view.


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It used to be that travelers looking for the hippest getaway, the coziest hotel, or the best restaurant had to rely solely on travel guidebooks, which were often out of date by the time they were published.

The Web, however, has spawned a new destination for those seeking travel information: travel wikis and online communities.

Created by travelers, for travelers, these sites offer travel stories, tips, observations and reviews, as well as networking opportunities for those who share a love of the open road.


All Things Wiki and Wonderful
One of the leading travel wikis is Wikitravel.org. Featuring information on more than 19,000 destinations, in 16 different languages, Wikitravel is a comprehensive wiki devoted to all things travel.

"Based on the belief that the best travel information is gained from other travelers rather than printed guidebooks that are only updated occasionally, Wikitravel is the ideal source for objective, up-to-the-minute travel information about locations around the world contributed by travelers who are currently there or have just been there," Joe Ewaskiw, public relations manager for Internet Brands, which acquired Wikitravel in 2006, told LinuxInsider. "With the explosion in popularity of smartphones and other portable devices, accessing Wikitravel on the go is easier than ever before."

The site has been garnering its fair share of awards, including a 2007 Webby Award for Best Travel Web site. It was also named one of Time Magazine's 50 Best Web sites of 2008.

Like other wikis, Wikitravel relies on its community of contributors to monitor and edit the site for accuracy, and there are community managers who oversee the site as a whole.

"We have community managers that monitor the site, but they really don't have to do a lot of policing because the community takes care of it," Ewaskiw told LinuxInsider.

While Wikitravel focuses on objective, factual, encyclopedic information about travel destinations, another travel site owned by Internet Brands, World66.com, offers opportunities for travelers to post reviews and more subjective observations about the places they go and the things they see.

"World66 is an outlet for travelers to share their opinions on travel destinations. Users contribute personal travel anecdotes, thoughts on accommodations, and share recommended travel routes and must-see sights," Ewaskiw told LinuxInsider. "A five-star rating system provides an instant summary of users' opinions on hotels and restaurants."

I Go, You Go, We All Go
Online, interactive travel communities -- different from wikis in that users cannot edit each other's posts -- are also becoming increasingly popular. Founded in 2000 and a part of Travelocity since 2006, IgoUgo.com is one of these communities where travelers go to learn about more than 8,000 destinations, read stories, see photos, and get to know their fellow travelers. The site currently has more than 500,000 registered members, and 2.5 million unique visitors come to the site each month.

"IgoUgo is an online travel community enabling passionate travelers to share their experiences and plan their trips," Michelle Doucette, IgoUgo's Content Manager, told LinuxInsider. "For eight years, IgoUgo has inspired passionate, opinionated, and truthful reviews from savvy travelers -- in short, our high-quality content is the real deal."

Both armchair travelers and those planning an imminent trip -- and everyone in between -- can find something of interest on IgoUgo.com.

"Even if you land on the site and read just a handful of IgoUgo travel journals or reviews -- or see just a few of the photos in our galleries -- it's hard not to come away inspired to go somewhere or do something," Doucette told LinuxInsider. "This passion for travel, coupled with practical tips and reviews, is why IgoUgo remains such a popular and fun resource for trip planning and sharing."

IgoUgo travelers can journal about their entire trip, including information about itineraries, reviews, photos, other details. And those readers wondering about the veracity of this content can rest assured that the site's editorial team is on the job, weeding out inaccurate, plagiarized, or other problematic information.

"In an online space that can be rife with marketing material, plagiarized content, and general junk reviews, IgoUgo reviews are trustworthy," Doucette told LinuxInsider. "Every piece of content submitted is reviewed and rated by an editorial team to ensure its integrity and to signal to trip planners which reviews are most useful."

Hybrid Travel Sites
Some sites, like Travellerspoint.com combine wiki and online community elements. Founded in 2002 as a place where travelers could track down old friends and travel mates, it has now grown into a more robust travel information site, attracting about 25,000 visitors each day.

"[It has ] become a full-fledged travel community, where travelers from every corner of the globe can share their experiences, photos and advice with other people that love to travel," Eric Daams, one of the founders of Travellerspoint, told LinuxInsider.

In addition to a travel community, where people can post information, observations, photos, and blogs, Travellerspoint also offers a travel wiki, which is a more encyclopedic travel reference for visitors. The site's wiki has a core group of 15 to 25 users who post regularly, and they monitor and edit the wiki's content.

"Because the travel wiki is part of our community, it's easier to find out more about the people writing the information," Daams told LinuxInsider. "In a way, the community provides accountability, so the information is more reliable."

Daams credits the popularity of sites like his to the fact that they offer free, up-to-date, and personal information about travel.

"Online travel guides in general, and wikis in particular, have the potential to be much more up-to-date than guide books," Daams told LinuxInsider. "It's a huge ordeal to update a guidebook; it's a pretty simple affair, on the other hand, to go online, click edit, and update any incorrect information. At their best, wikis are incredible sources of information from people who have been there and done that."

Don't Run From Complaining Customers.

Don't Run From Complaining Customers.

Don't Run From Complaining Customers.
By John Tschohl
Saturday, 12th April 2008

Solve their problems and you will build customer loyalty - “I am so sorry. Let me change your seat assignment and move you closer to the front of the plane, so you won’t have to walk so far. Can I take you down the jetway in a wheelchair? Is there anything else I can do to help you?”

I was shocked at this exchange between an airline agent and a passenger. Why? Because it is so rare that an employee of any business will actually apologize for a mistake, take responsibility for it, and correct it—all within a matter of one minute. And yet, that is exactly what should occur when attempting to provide the best possible service to a customer.

Let me give you an example of how not to handle a complaint. I recently had a problem with my Sprint cell phone. I wrote a letter to the company, saying that I planned to cancel a plan I’ve had for 10 years. What did that company do? Nothing. It never even acknowledged my letter. What was the result? I no longer will be a Sprint customer.

Too many companies run from problems; that’s why they lose customers. Then they spend millions of dollars on advertising to get new customers who they eventually will drive away when those customers’ complaints fall on deaf ears.

When a customer complains, you should be grateful. Why? Because that customer is giving you the opportunity to make things right and to retain her business. Research shows that only about 4 percent of customers will tell you when they have a problem. The other 96 percent simply won’t do business with you again. Instead, they quietly fume and take their business—and their money—elsewhere. They also will tell an average of 10 other people about the problem they had with your organization.

Handling customer complaints is a critical element in providing exceptional service. It’s also one aspect of any job that employees fear and, consequently, mishandle. The reason is twofold: They take complaints personally, and they haven’t been trained in how to deal with irate customers. In fact, many employees quit their jobs because they don’t like—and don’t know how—to deal with complaining customers. When employees are trained to deal with complaints, the organization wins on two fronts. It not only retains its customers, it retains its employees.

When handling complaints, employees can win customers’ loyalty by following these six steps:

1. Listen carefully and with interest to what the customer has to say. Don’t get defensive, either with your words or your body language. Remember that the customer is not attacking you personally; he is merely describing the problem and hoping you can solve it. Also, don’t let the conversation wander. The goal is to solve one specific problem, not to find more problems.

2. Put yourself in the customer’s place. Make responses that show you care about the customer’s problem. You might say, “I don’t blame you for being upset.” When you show empathy for a customer’s situation, you defuse the situation and have a calming influence on the customer. Never directly challenge the customer. Even if the customer is wrong and you’re right, don’t attempt to prove it. The goal is to solve the problem, not debate who is at fault.

3. Ask questions in a caring, concerned manner. The more information you have, the better armed you will be to solve the problem to the customer’s satisfaction.

4. Suggest one or more alternatives to address the customer’s concerns. Ask the customer what she feels would be an appropriate solution. Then make some suggestions on your own. Become a partner with the customer in solving the problem.

5. Apologize without blaming. Nothing defuses a potentially volatile situation better than a sincere apology. When a customer sees—and hears—that you are sorry for the problem he is experiencing, he will respond in a like manner. Don’t participate in fault-finding. It doesn’t help anyone to shift the blame to another person or department.

6. Solve the problem or find someone who can solve it. When complaints are solved quickly, it saves the organization money because, every time a complaint is moved up the ladder, it becomes more expensive to handle. Solve the problem and then work with the organization to make sure it doesn’t occur again.

John Tschohl is an international service strategist and speaker. Described by Time and Entrepreneur magazines as a customer service guru, he has written several books, including The Customer is Boss, Loyal For Life, e-Service, Achieving Excellence Through Customer Service, and Ca$hing In. John also has developed more than 26 customer service training programs that have been distributed and presented throughout the world. www.customer-service.com

Dynamic Packaging - The Next Battlefield

Dynamic Packaging sales will double by 2009. Online agencies are using it to increase customer loyalty & profit, if hotels sit back, they will be squeezed out of the packaging market.
Excerpts from - 2008 Dynamic Trends Report

Dynamic Packaging is now the next battlefield!
"The Dynamic Packaging market is growing. Hotels, Spas and Resorts need to learn from what happened after 9/11 when the online agencies took control of hotel bookings. Accommodations providers have been fighting to take back control of their inventories (Chains more successfully than Independents). Dynamic Packaging is now the next battlefield. Online agencies have been using dynamic packaging as a way of building increased customer loyalty and profit, if hoteliers sit back and wait they will be squeezed out of the packaging market."
Marc Zablatsky, President of iTravel Solutions

Trends that Impact Your Online Plans (Forrester Research)
Vacation Package Sales on the Web are forecast to reach $3.3billion by 2009. That is more than double the $1.6 billion booked in 2006. What is more disconcerting is that these bookers are the most brand loyal of all the online bookers. They are the most loyal to your hotel, but they currently have little opportunity to meet their vacation needs on your website.

The Major Hotel Brands are winning the Online Battle with Intermediary Websites.
BUT... Independent Hotels, Resorts & Spas are Still Losing the Battle. In 2006 the major hotel brands did 81.4% of their online bookings direct and only 18.6% through intermediary websites (Hilton does 90% direct and only 10% indirect). By contrast most Independents do less then 40% of their online bookings direct.
Online Intermediaries need hoteliers more than hoteliers need them (HeBS).
Hotels are the only major travel segment that still provides abnormally high profit margins to online intermediaries. Now is the time to start working with fewer third party intermediaries and at dramatically lower margins (target 15%-18%).

Avg. Revenue for Online Intermediaries per booking
Airline Reservations $10
Car Rental Reservations $5
Hotel Reservations $80 (ADR $200, 2 nights
20% markup)
A major STR/PWC study found that the hospitality industry lost over $1billion on profit leakage due to online intermediaries in the form of abnormally high markups

This report was researched & created for iTravel Solutions by Marc Zablatsky

For a full copy of the 5-page industry report go to www.iTravelSolutions.com/trends.cfm

CONTACT
Marc Zablatsky
President
iTravel Solutions
Email: Z@itravelsolutions.com


ORGANIZATION
iTravel Solutions
www.itravelsolutions.com
46 Birmingham Parkway
Boston, MA 02135
USA
Phone: 617-562-1300

Hyatt concierges go Travel 2.0

April 01, 2008

yatt’it, the new online travel community from Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, offers travelers an essential combination of credible, candid, fellow-traveler advice, lively discussion forums and direct-booking options. Designed for members of the Hyatt Gold Passport loyalty program, but rich in benefits for all travelers, yatt’it is the first travel site to offer expert insight and tips from Hyatt concierges in more than 40 destinations around the world along with advice from confirmed frequent travelers. Among the featured concierges will be Majda Azzoumi from Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress and Rich Esparza from Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport.

In addition, partnerships with well-trusted sources like Frommers.com and FlightStats.com will quickly establish yatt’it as the best online forum for worldwide travel tips.

“We are very excited that two Hyatt properties and concierges from Orlando will be featured on yatt’it as an authentic travel expert,” said Paul Tang, general manager of Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress and vice president / managing director for Global Hyatt Corporation. “We feel that travelers all around the world will benefit from her guidance before planning a trip to Orlando.”

Only Hyatt Gold Passport members can create profiles, post advice and book travel through yatt’it, but all travelers will benefit from the site’s extensive content, knowing that all advice has been provided by confirmed, well-seasoned business and leisure travelers in a forum open to honest comments and ratings.

“Hyatt has always made its guests’ needs a priority,” said Tom O’Toole, Chief Marketing Officer for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts. “With yatt’it, we are continuing that tradition by providing a community that offers the most relevant and authentic first-hand travel information from seasoned travelers and expert Hyatt concierges. This advice, coupled with our partnerships with Frommers.com and FlightStats.com, promises to make yatt’it a credible and trustworthy online resource for all travelers.

For destination research and at-a-glance overviews, Frommers.com provides direct links to its Fast Facts pages, along with entry-requirement information to assist first-time visitors. “We are excited to expand our long-standing relationship with Hyatt and provide trusted travel advice to yatt’it,” said Craig Schickler, Director, E-business Development, Wiley Publishing.

“We are pleased that Frommer’s was chosen as an expert resource for travel tips for this innovative new site. Frommer’s has created original content specifically for yatt’it based on its unique needs to ensure a great experience and high quality content for all of its members.”

A partnership with FlightStats.com offers real-time airport updates to help fliers avoid unpleasant surprises at the airport. From the yatt’it site, travelers can check essential information such as arrival and departure times for all airlines, estimated wait times for security checks at any airport, and weather or local transportation delays. yatt’it also offers users a mobile download feature at mobile.yattit.com, accessible anytime and anywhere in the world for travelers on the go.

“The partnership between yatt’it and FlightStats greatly improves the quality of travel for Hyatt guests by providing valuable information and timely data,” says Meara McLaughlin, Conducive Technology’s VP of Marketing. “Hyatt’s commitment to service makes the company an ideal partner for FlightStats, and we look forward to working with them on this innovative new project.”

Related Link: yatt’it


Article location: http://www.hotelmarketing.com/index.php/content/article/hyatt_concierges_go_travel_20/

Ending Meeting Madness

By Francine Cohen
Article source
http://www.hotelinteractive.com/index.asp?page_id=5000&article_id=10193

An email message just popped up outlining the details on the dreaded annual meeting which used to mean being cooped up in a bone dry, overheated, windowless boardroom where you struggled to keep your eyes open and your mind stimulated by more than a repetitive counting of the soundproofing tiles in the ceiling above your boss’s head. But this year’s meeting looks a whole lot more promising. What’s going on?

Welcome to the world of smarter meetings where meeting planners and their hotel conference department counterparts are working to create meeting and event environments that foster creativity and encourage open dialogue so that business objectives are met and even exceeded. Every element of the meeting experience, from furniture to décor, lighting, food, a/v and even architectural design is being touched in this new effort to create a memorable and productive experience. No longer are meeting planners forced to book their group at a hotel that only offers a standard meeting package. Now a number of hoteliers are offering supremely customized options that are tailored to the size, attendees, and purpose of every meeting. Successful meetings boil down to options and communication from the beginning of the sales process. Says Caryn Kaboudi, Director of Public Relations for Omni Hotels, “It really should be who is going to be there, what kind of people they are, what is your leader like, what works for him/her, understanding the customer and having the good old fashioned dialogue.”

A dialogue has been ongoing at Omni, where roughly 50 percent of their revenue comes from meetings. They realized that the day of sterile ballroom meeting environments is over and created a new brand wide meeting concept, dubbed Sensational Meetings. Designed to touch all the senses the introduction of this meeting program initially showcases three approaches: Energetic Meetings – where the environment created by vibrant, high-energy colors and stimulating flavors is favorable for brainstorming, planning and training; Challenging Meetings – a relaxed environment where lower lighting, green tea and soothing music is employed to mitigate the stressful points of discussion; and Recognition Meetings – where upbeat music, vibrant floral design, decadent champagne truffles and stimulating scent are put to use for meetings designed to honor past successes and build on them for the future. Kboudi notes, “Beyond coordinating dates, race, and space we want to partner with them to make meetings more successful. We think we are revolutionizing the meetings business.”

An environmentally conscious revolution is underway at boutique hotelier Kimpton. Kimpton Hotels leverages their boutique size to address every need of their clients while promoting their core beliefs of corporate responsibility and encouraging meeting partners to join in the effort. Great Meetings, Great Causes meetings are a natural extension of Kimpton’s EarthCare program. Great Meetings was created to allow businesses the opportunity to extend environmental responsibility into their meetings. Companies are offered a variety of options for conserving resources, reducing waste, recycling, making donations, and educating event attendees on the benefits of environmental responsibility. It all happens without a lot of fuss as organic foods and beverages are served on china, eliminating all paper products, decorations are made of eco-friendly materials, recycling bins are placed throughout the space and event materials are printed on recycled paper, using soy based inks. Jesse Suglia, Corporate Director of Hotel Sales Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, notes why so many companies are excited about this and comments, “They love it. Whether it is on the managed travel side or on the meetings side corporations are seeing the opportunity to reduce their impact on the planet. They are looking for solutions and it is seamless and integrates quickly.”

Integrating comfortable furnishings, soothing lighting, and great architectural design are how many hotels are upping the ante. At the Conrad Miami General Manager Robert Thrailkill notes, “Every one of our rooms has natural light for meetings – there are no air walls. Air walls make lousy meeting rooms.” The Conrad focuses on a serene environment by keeping extraneous furniture to a minimum and offering the best seat in town. Thrailkill boasts, “We built in buffets so we don’t roll anything into the room. And I’m the only one in this market place who can do a meeting for 150 people in ergonomic chairs.” In the competitive Chicago market the newly opened Hotel Sax has created an environment without right angles. Adam Kaplan, Director of Sales and Marketing, explains, “There are actually a couple of right angles, but we tried to zig where everyone else zags. We were starting from raw space which had never been developed and decided to design the space from the ground up to be inspiring for people who will appreciate it when they get together. It’s these spaces with the right environment, lighting and technology that people are really responding to. The technology is such that each room has a flat plasma or drop down HD projection screen and the colors and furniture and the sweeping angles of some of the rooms are meant to put you in a different perspective than you’d get in a traditional hotel meeting room.”

To catch up with attendees’ fine dining expectations meeting food is getting an overhaul and menus are designed to encourage day long productivity. Suglia remarks, “Attendees are becoming more sophisticated. They are looking for a culinary experience whether they are in a meeting room or our restaurants. The palate is important.” At Hotel Sax all F&B needs are met by the award winning in-house restaurant, Bin 36. Kaplan adds, “Food and catering – that’s an area where there’s quite a bit of flexibility. Bin 36 is known for their wines and cheese and their New American cuisine with French influences. It’s a fabulous selection of wines, cheeses, and entrees that have a unique feel to them and it can get decadent. It doesn’t necessarily feel like a hotel driven menu.” At Omni they relied on the experts at the Culinary Institute of America for guidance with their catering menus. Kboudi explains, “We sat down last fall with CIA and they helped us really understand the right ingredients to use at the right times and how to put those together. We already knew, for instance, that you don’t serve a lot of carbs at lunch if you wanted to brainstorm in the afternoon and that you shouldn’t keep running caffeine all day but CIA really offered the food sciences part of it. We are at the process now creating menus they’ve helped us develop. Every hotel will have some customization and pricing depending on how they procure food product.”

At Fairmont DC they know that sourcing local food products, like cheese from nearby farms, is important but it also goes well beyond the food. Bob Mikolitch, Director of Catering, puts a lot of emphasis on creating the right setting through green, creative décor to add to the success of a meeting. He explains, “Normally people are looking for the typical continental breakfast or break-out. We’ve all seen the boring break but here we create an attractive organic look. We use texture like a wicker mat, buckets of fresh grown grass, and large pieces of granite or river rock. We work with the Executive Chef at Fairmont to create a “green” break that is appealing to the senses. We try to equate green and eco as being healthier and hope that the meeting experience ends up leaving you feeling better than when you walked into the room.”

The best meetings at the Hilton Bella Harbor in Rockwall, Texas don’t even take place in a meeting room Here conference attendees focused on team building are invited to board The Sea Wolf, a 50-passenger, 40 x 25’ handmade wooden catamaran. The conference center’s exclusive “Sailing into the Future” executive training program includes: nautical assessment (common goals), raising the sails (plan execution), sail trim and steering (optimizing productivity), reading the wind (external factors) and docking the boat (project completion). Jennifer Wasserman, Hilton Bella Harbor’s Director of Sales and Marketing explains, “The boat seats up to 50 at a time. Part of the meeting is in a classroom, the other part is on the boat. When you are maneuvering a sailboat you have to rely on people to make that boat go. It is critical to show how important each person is in order to do that. The boat is a giant symbol for your business.”

A successful business can evidently happen on land or on the sea, just as long as it moves beyond the long accepted method of seating people around a boardroom table and boring them to death.

Wounded Wolves - The Journey Forward - By Dr. Rick Johnson

This is a story about finding your way. It's dedicated to any and all people that may have found themselves lost, confused, powerless, in a dead end career, going nowhere and those who may have lost sight of what they really want from life.
It's a story about 'Wounded Wolves' and making the journey forward. Forward to success, self esteem and pride. Maybe a few of you can relate to this as it's happening now. Or, maybe you were wounded once and remember the journey you had to make to create happiness and success in your life.

Being wounded can be a result of many things - a personal crisis, family life, a bad marriage, the way you were raised, poor life decisions, limited exposure to education and learning, and sometimes just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It can even be just a matter of heritage and the socialistic environment that you become accustomed to as a child.

If you find yourself in this type of situation, often times your attitude suffers, you can't seem to make anything work. You lack focus and you often become paranoid. Optimism doesn't exist. In fact, you become very pessimistic and may even create the self-fulfilling prophecy of failure.

You become disappointed, disappointed in life, disappointed with your job, disappointed with yourself. You begin to dislike what you have become, but you don't really know what to do. You don't know how to change. You may even begin to dislike yourself.

Okay Stop!!!

That's enough with the Doom and Gloom. This isn't about feeling sorry for you. This is about creating 'The Journey Forward.' My very first mentor that took me under his wing at the prime age of 18 years old when I was in the military said these five words to me that I still remember today.

'Never ever - ever give up!'

So.... Let's start there. No matter what situation you find yourself in, make a pledge right now that no matter how tough the journey seems, you are committed, and you will not give up. Your journey may be simply creating a better career path at your place of employment. It may be starting your own business or it may be as extreme as grabbing yourself by the bootstraps and pulling yourself out of personal devastation. It doesn't matter what circumstance you are in. You can create a path forward if you are committed and you pledge to 'Never - ever - ever - give up.'

Let's begin discussing your journey forward by reflecting on another journey.

A number of years ago a 10-year-old boy roamed the streets of Toledo, Ohio. He grew up on those streets learning life's lessons. Like many of us, he came from a broken home. His daddy left him and his four brothers and one sister when he was five. His dad died when he was nine. He was the youngest, the baby of the family. You can imagine that times were tough, feeding six hungry kids wasn't easy, especially without a father figure. In fact, he was on welfare during his entire adolescent period until he joined the military at age 17.

At the age of 10 he sold newspapers in downtown Toledo. He crafted his abilities, his drive, on those streets. He didn't have a plan, he didn't have anyone to show him the way. He only had himself, and he had a best friend, a black kid, named Louie Jones. They didn't have a normal paper route like most kids, delivering to the same house every day in nice, quiet neighborhoods. This young boy and his friend, Louie, did what was known as blue jacking and their territory happened to be skid row. They carried a canvas sack filled with the Toledo Blade. The bag weighed almost as much as they did. They went form bar to bar.

If they couldn't sell a newspaper, they'd shine shoes. If that didn't work, they'd dance to music on the jukebox hoping the drunks and semi-drunks on skid row would throw nickels and dimes at them. In fact, it wasn't Michael Jackson who invented the moonwalk, it was Louie Jones who first did it in a little bar called the Erie Café in Toledo, Ohio.

At the time the young man didn't realize what life should be like. He knew he was wounded but he just didn't know how badly. They say ignorance is bliss, well, this young man's ignorance was only of his surroundings. He was quite an entrepreneur and became more successful on the streets as he grew, but he was wounded and heading for trouble. He started his first business at the age of 15 selling used car parts. He would take orders by day and fill them by night.

You need hubcaps for a '57 Chevy, not a problem, a carburetor for a '55 Ford, you'll have it in two days.

The young man didn't realize how deep his wounds were even though at times he would crouch down and hide behind trash cans and cars as he walked home from school until the rest of the kids were gone so they didn't see him go into that condemned house where they lived on the city dump.

His wounds could have gone deeper but then a life-changing event occurred, he graduated from high school and, at the age of 17, he had no clue what to do with his life. But he did know what he didn't know. He knew that if he continued on the path he was on he would end up in deep trouble, maybe even prison. In fact a juvenile judge explained that to him with crystal clarity. He knew he needed something to change the direction he was headed in. Something to change the path he was on. He was offered the opportunity to join the military.

It was during the Vietnam Era and the military trained him in Jungle Survival, not a whole lot of different than the techniques he learned in street survival. Not a whole lot different then the techniques you must learn to be successful in business today. Those four years were filled with defining moments in his life. He had no idea what to do when his four years in the military were up.

As he left the military his wounds seemed to open a bit. Self-doubt started to creep in until he remembered those words from that old Sergeant.

'Son - if you want to really be successful in your life you have to want it so bad that it overcomes all the pain and guilt you have stored in your memory. And remember, Never - ever - ever - give up!'

Different Journeys

So What..... What does this journey have to do with you and your personal journey? In reality, nothing. Everybody's journey will be different. I only tell this story to let you know that you are not alone. Most people face some sort of crisis at some point in their life.

Let me share a few principles and guidelines that may help you if you find yourself in any type of difficult situation or you just want to accelerate your journey forward toward success as you define it.

I. Take Responsibility ---- for who you were, who you are, but more importantly - who you want to become. It really doesn't matter how or why you are in the current state you are in. You must take responsibility for it. Until you own it - you can't change it. So... the very first step is to look within and forgive yourself and relieve yourself of any guilt. People wont start respecting you until you respect yourself. Regardless of your situation, no one but you has the control over changing it. But, you have to want it so bad that it overcomes the pain and the guilt. Do something .... Your chance of winning the lottery is extremely remote. Don't create false dreams. Create productive dreams that have a better chance for success. The 'Law of Attraction' only works when you take action. Stop blaming other people or circumstance.

II. Avoid the Irrational Ghosts ---- Let go of your fears. Change is scary but if you create it, you can control it. Be a little bit of a maverick. Decide to take some calculated risk. Begin to look at all your options. Success principles, and there are hundreds of them, only work if you conquer your fears first.

III. The Time is Now ---- No change can occur until you do something. The beginning of your journey forward starts with you. You may have an angel looking over you but you must initiate success ---- no one can do it for you. Analyze your life, your career, your dreams and your realities. You need a clear purpose, a purpose that motivates you. Figure out exactly what you want to do with your life and call that your 'Destination.'

IV. Map the Journey ----- Nobody starts on a journey without some type of direction. You must go forward with focus, passion, and a sense of meaning. Begin by quantifying your goals. How will you measure success? What does succeeding mean to you? For some it's just a promotion to upper management. For others it means happiness and spiritual wealth and to others it may mean being the CEO. You define success for your life and only you can do that. Don't let anyone else set your standards for personal life achievements. Outline your purpose. Get off the path you are currently on. Every single one of us at some point in our lives feels stuck. Get unstuck. Start by investing in learning. Commit yourself to at least one hour a day of scheduled reading or other forms of education.

V. Write Down Your Goals ---- Write down at least three to five goals for your life, under each goal try to identify milestones along the way that can track your progress. And lastly, under each goal identify specific actions that you feel you must take to accomplish that goal. It's amazing how success rates multiply simply by defining goals and putting them in writing. List specific factors in your life that would allow you to generate the best methods in accomplishing your goals

VI. Execute ------- Some general once said, 'No plan survives contact with the enemy.' To me that means unless you begin to execute, you will never figure out what adjustments and changes are necessary to keep your journey on track to reach your destination. Remember, you're not alone. Many of us have been wounded in some form or fashion. Even the rich and famous in our society have wounds, some may be even deeper than ours. Begin executing by searching for a coach or mentor that can help you. Someone who has been there and done that. You will be amazed to find out how willing some people are to reach out and help you succeed if you are sincere, dedicated, hard working and willing.

It is Possible

This story is heartfelt because it is my personal journey. I am the young man who sold newspapers on skid row. I am the young man who has been inspired for a life time and whose heart holds treasured lessons and memories from the old Sergeant in the military. I Never-ever-ever gave up and I had to learn to forgive! I only reflect on it to let you know I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I wasn't a member of the 'Lucky Sperm' club. Although I have the academic credentials, I am not an academic. I didn't complete my formal education in life until I was over fifty years old. But more importantly, I was wounded once and found my way forward. You can too. It may not be easy but it's doable.

Remember...Success isn't a gift. It just doesn't happen. Like the Wolf --- you must learn to lick your wounds. They will heal. But if you are going to create a journey toward success, you have to plan for it. We all live 24 hours each day. What you do with that time determines your success. Ask yourself if you really have defined your destination. Ask yourself if you have defined the map for your journey. Create a self-imposed respect for time. Learn to multi task. Treat time as an investment.

If that ten-year-old kid from Toledo who was headed for trouble can make it, so can you. Be a Lead Wolf. Believe in yourself, work hard, be committed and 'Never - ever --- ever --- give up!'

Thanks for listening, I hope I've opened a door for you that never closes.

Dr. Eric 'Rick' Johnson (rick@ceostrategist.com) is the founder of CEO Strategist LLC. an experienced based firm specializing in Distribution. CEO Strategist LLC. works in an advisory capacity with distributor executives in board representation, executive coaching, team coaching and education and training to make the changes necessary to create or maintain competitive advantage. You can contact them by calling 352-750-0868, or visit www.ceostrategist.com for more information.

Contingency Hotel Revenue Management Strategies – "I Will not Cut Prices"

By Carol Verret
Saturday, 15th March 2008

“Everyone repeat after me: "I will not cut prices nor panic sell because it does not stimulate incremental demand and only serves to drive down prices." (Jeff Weinstein, Editor, Hotels Magazine, February 08) Jeff has given us the mantra that all GMs, Revenue Managers and Directors of Sales should repeat every morning.

While most analysts have continued to be bullish on revenue increases of at least 4% in 2008, that was before the employment numbers began to slide. PKF, in its January research article indicated that although the industry was well positioned to weather the storm, there was one caveat. “What will keep the economy buoyant, as well as the lodging industry, is the continued growth in employment.

Historically, we have seen a strong correlation between changes in employment and lodging demand,” Woodworth observed. Unfortunately, the assumption of a continuing employment growth turned out to be short lived as the latest two government indicators showed significantly slippage in this area.

The erosion in the economy has been relatively rapid. A survey of over 1600 meeting planners indicated that for only 37% of them were their meeting plans for 08 were unaffected by the economy. (MeetingNews on MiMegasite February 26, 2008)

Okay, disposable income upon which leisure travel is dependent is shaky , the continuing credit crunch is impacting corporate travel and now the meetings market, what is a revenue manager to do to stop the bleeding and stimulate demand if not cut rate?

Monitor Changes to Market Segment Activity Daily.

This should go without saying but many daily flash reports do not carry lines that compare daily activity year over year by market segment or month over month or YTD by market segment. Reports that include percentages of occupancy by market segment are a graphic way to detect downturns. This is an ‘early warning’ signal that will allow you to take action before the slippage becomes worse.

Manipulate the Rate Structure

Don’t lower it!

Closely monitor inventory and rate on the OTAs. Open discounts to more room types during periods of low demand. Participate in promotions with the OTAs until you reach the goals of the promotion. Close inventory to lower rated rooms when demand warrants it. Train the reservations staff to close each reservation by skillfully offering room type options at different price points if that’s what it takes to convert the call.

Evaluate Channel Distribution.

When the revenue management strategy was first developed last fall, what were some of the distribution channels that were not included due to high commissions, relatively low production, etc? A high commission on some revenue may be better than no commission on unsold rooms. Were the Opaque channels abandoned as requiring too deep a discount? A discount on an opaque channel is not a lower rate structure but a way to expose inventory to markets that you may not have exposed the hotel to in the past. In both of these scenarios, you control the inventory.

Dynamic Packaging.

Packaging options on the hotel website, distribution channels and channels such as TravelZoo provide an opportunity to expose your hotel, generate incremental revenue and ‘disguise’ the rate within the package. Packaging on the hotel’s web site is the cheapest and easiest way to generate incremental business but you have to drive your customers and potential customers to the site through effective SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and CRM initiatives.

Monitor the Hotel’s Online Presence.

Especially in difficult times it I more imperative than ever to monitor the hotel’s online presence. Pet peeve, make sure that the links work everywhere you are listed. I logged onto a CVB site recently and four of the seven hotels whose links I clicked didn’t work. You can’t have an online presence unless you are ‘present’. There are tools that can assist you in this that can make this process easy and give you the info to make good decisions. The Avalon Buzz Report among others makes monitoring your online presence and that of the competition easy. These reports can also expose opportunities to fill gaps in demand with ecommerce initiatives.

Correct Deficiencies.

If your hotel presence online monitoring tool uncovers areas where you are not in rate parity, correct immediately. As well, there may be some links on sites that were enabled years ago that no one was aware of and are therefore unattended. These can have erroneous information and rates. I discovered this with a simple search for an independent hotel client. The hotel was offering an NFL special on an obscure site that no one at the property was aware of.

Respond to Critical Online Reviews.

Respond with a measured response to any online review as to how the deficiency has been corrected and or how a situation surrounding a less than optimal guest experience occurred. Ensure that there are no areas of the hotel that you would not like to see in pictures or videos posted on TripAdvisor. One client took the response thing to a whole new level and even responded to positive reviews with a Thank You response!

Diligence and creativity are the hallmarks of crafting a contingency revenue management strategy and for many of you the time to implement a contingency plan is here. I suggest one more thing to implement at your stand up meeting each morning with the GM and DOS. Prior to analyzing the numbers and starting the day, repeat Jeff Weinstein’s mantra, in unison – “I will not cut prices!”

Carol Verret And Associates Consulting and Training offers training services and consulting in the areas of sales, revenue management and customer service primarily but not exclusively to the hospitality industry. To find out more about the company click on www.carolverret.com. To contact Carol send her an email at carol@carolverret.com or she can be reached by cell phone (303) 618-4065. Visit www.hotelsalesblog.com.

How To Provide Powerful Coaching To Your Staff.

By Bob Wall
Friday, 14th March 2008

Coaching is a conversation about performance, addressing what someone did well or providing information that will help improve performance.

That is all coaching is…a simple conversation. Some performance management systems are so complicated and bureaucratic that the simplicity and ease of coaching has gotten lost. But to be effective, coaching is a conversation that benefits from applying a simple structure that is easily committed to memory.

The following structure serves as a mental organizing device. As you approach the employee to offer praise or developmental feedback, the model serves to organize your thinking and your communication into a logical sequence. Once your thoughts are organized, you deliver coaching in a manner that is natural for you. You don’t want your coaching to be awkward or sound canned, like you’ve just been to a workshop.

A Structured Format For Coaching

1. Opening Statement
“I want to talk to you about (general area of performance.)”

2. Observation
“I’ve observed (describe performance or behavior).”

3. Impact
“The impact is (describe the impact on the job being done)”.

4. Request
“From now on, I’d like you to (describe improved performance or behavior).”

Write this model on a card, carry it in your pocket, and memorize it. As you will see, you will use this structure very flexibly but if you memorize it as written, you have a path to follow in formulating feedback.

Purposes of each step in the structure
The opening statement is used to get the employee’s attention. If you always begin coaching with this simple phrase, they will learn to pay attention because you have something important to say to them.

Step 2 is very important. You much provide specific, concrete examples so there is little chance of miscommunication. For example, “You did a lousy job of cleaning rooms today” is a harsh communication that provides no information to convey what you observed. “I noticed that there was dirt left in the corners, that you hadn’t vacuumed under the bed, and that the floor of the shower stalls were a bit sticky and needed better rinsing and drying” is much more specific.

The same principle applies to praise. “I noticed you did a great job with that tour this morning” sounds nice to hear but doesn’t describe what you liked. Far better to say, “I noticed that your mood was upbeat and welcoming. You introduced yourself to each guest as they got on the bus. And your comments during the tour were both informative and very entertaining.”

Step 3 links your observation to the job. You aren’t taking time out to provide coaching merely because you might be irritated. Instead, you want to tie your coaching to some aspect of the job that is important. For example, “One of our core values is impeccable cleanliness in every aspect of our resort” reminds people why you are concerned about their performance.

The same holds true of praise. “We promise our guests a level of service that is unparalleled in the industry for friendliness and efficiency” ties your praise for the tour direct to one of your organization’s core values.

Step 4 is used very flexibly. With praise, end with a simple “Thank you. I wanted you to know how much I appreciated how welcoming you were to our guests.”

In delivering developmental feedback you have a couple of options. You might go on to describe exactly what you want the person to do from now on. But a better strategy might be to describe the performance problem and why you consider it a problem. Then ask if the person agrees that this performance needs improvement. Follow that up by asking the person what they need to do to make the necessary improvements. If you get people involved in improving their work, they will be much more committed to following through with it than they might if you just demand that they do so.

Coaching for Emotional Intelligence

Coaching to develop someone’s EQ is much more delicate because the feedback can get so personal. You must earn the right to deliver this kind of feedback by taking time to get to know your employees and establishing relationships with them that are both personal and professional. Your employees will accept coaching more easily if they know you care about them as people and that you are committed to helping them be as successful as possible. Coaching on personal characteristics must be done within the framework of a supportive relationship.

You must also make a habit of delivering genuine, heartfelt praise on a regular basis. In a sense, your employees are not doing their jobs. They are doing parts of your job for you. As a manager, you are accountable to your boss for work done by other people. So when they are doing things right, if you don’t appreciate it, you’d better re-examine what it means to be in a leadership position. When your staff perform well, you look good. And if they perform poorly, your boss doesn’t have a problem with them…he or she has a problem with you.

Some managers act as if coaching would be a nice thing to do if they had the time. But if you are not coaching, you are not leading. Whenever something doesn’t go well in your area of responsibility, the only question to ask is “What am I doing – or failing to do – that is contributing to this situation? Often as not, you’ll find that you aren’t providing enough coaching.

EQ is very important in the hospitality business. It doesn’t matter how technically proficient your people are, if they can’t work together as a team and provide world-class service to your guests, you have a problem that must be addressed.

Suppose someone makes a suggestion in a staff meeting. You notice Ralph sigh, roll his eyes, and make a comment to a coworker. Immediately after the meeting call him aside and say, “I want to talk with you about something I observed in the meeting. When Betty made a suggestion to help us coordinate the various events happening every day, you got a look of scorn on your face, sighed audibly while rolling your eyes, and made a comment to your friend, Jack. One of our core cultural values is that we listen to each other with respect, even when we disagree. I don’t know if you noticed but Betty was embarrassed and the discussion of her suggestion came to a halt. No one else was willing to risk offering another suggestion.”

The first goal in coaching for EQ is to raise people’s awareness. Ralph may have been doing this kind of thing all his life and may not recognize the negative impact he has on other people. If so, you want him to start paying attention to his reactions during meetings and live up to your cultural value of listening.

Suppose you have one of your wait staff, Jim, who doesn’t handle complaints very well. One night you observe that a guest complains about her food being cold. Jim does exactly what he is supposed to do. He apologizes and takes the food back, promising to bring a hot dinner right away. But you also notice subtle nonverbal facial expressions that indicate that this is a real irritant and that he thinks the guest is being too demanding.

People are exquisitely sensitive to facial cues that convey emotion. Although the guest will get a hot meal, she may not feel good about how the interaction was handled. Call Jim aside and talk about it. Point out that he did the right things but that his facial expression looked like he was irritated and put out. People often have facial cues of which they are completely unaware. You might even need to imitate the expression you saw on Jim’s face and ask him how that might have made the guest feel about the service she was getting. Ask him to start observing himself much more carefully in situations like this and monitor any nonverbal expressions that convey irritation. The next time you see him handle a similar situation but with a smile on his face, call him aside a praise him for handling the situation with more grace.

Also look for opportunities to praise people for emotionally intelligent behaviors. I once led a management retreat in a hotel. When I arrived about 45 minutes before the event, I realized that the table arrangement had to be changed to encourage discussion and allow frequent movement into small groups. The people who had set the room had done so with obvious care and attention to detail. Every place setting was perfect; pens, writing materials and water and glasses on every table.

I hated to do it but the success of the meeting was at stake. I called my contact person from events planning and explained that the room needed to be entirely reset and that we were short on time. She replied that she would in about two minutes. In a few moments, she burst into the room with three people to help reset the room. She listened with genuine interest to what I needed and why I needed it. She assured me that the hotel wanted nothing more than to support our group in any way required. She quickly gave direction to break down the room, get rid of the tables and bring in rounds. All of this she did with grace, even going so far as to explaine to her helpers why the new arrangement would result in a better meeting.

She couldn’t have handled the situation better. Her work crew, however, needed a little coaching. They did exactly what was required, quickly and neatly. But the expressions on their faces and the occasionally slammed chair made clear to me that they did not appreciate having to set the room twice.

That is the hospitality industry captured in a single moment. I had made a last minute but essential request. My contact person handled the situation with grace and a commitment to serve. But her helpers needed coaching on doing whatever is required with a smile on their faces rather than giving into nonverbal petulance as they did what they had to do.

Your people are constantly interacting with each other and your guests. A good coach is constantly on the alert - providing praise where it is deserved and developmental coaching where it is required. Start watching your people carefully and you see that your people, except for new hires still being trained, know what to do and how to do it. The difference between a very good hotel and a great hotel lies in coaching people how to handle delicate moments with equanimity and the display of emotional intelligence. And coaching makes it so…

©2008 Bob Wall

For 28 years, Bob Wall has specialized in accelerating the development of leaders and teams in the workplace. Whether serving as an executive coach, doing an assessment of a corporation’s culture, providing customized team development and planning events, or delivering management and staff training, the common thread through his work is EQ, i.e., emotional intelligence…those personal characteristics and social abilities shown to be essential to success in the workplace. Recent research has demonstrated that no matter how intelligent and professionally trained people might be, if they lack the ability to work with and through other people, they are not likely to achieve their full potential, a finding with profound implications for those involved in leading and developing today’s companies.

His two most recent books provide a roadmap for leaders wanting to build corporate cultures that nurture EQ. Coaching For Emotional Intelligence (2007, AMACOM) provides leaders with a structured approach to coaching for performance and to develop their employees’ EQ. His latest book, the Second Edition of Working Relationships: Using Emotional Intelligence to Enhance Your Effectiveness With Others (2008, Davies-Black Publishing) provides an understanding of relationships in the workplace and offers readers a practical methodology for building teams and resolving conflict. Bob can be reached through his website, www.bobwallonline.com to learn more about his services and the use of the EQ Profile, an uncannily accurate assessment of EQ that Bob has used successfully in fifteen different countries.

Hilton launches personalized Web pages for business groups

Leading the newest generation of event planning online, Hilton, Conrad, Doubletree, Embassy Suites, Hampton Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Grand Vacations, Homewood Suites by Hilton and The Waldorf=Astoria Collection hotels enable planners to customize their own Web page for business groups, special events and sports trips at more than 2,400 hotels in North America.

Features of the Personalized Group Web Pages include:

- The ability for event planners to create their own Personalized Group Web Page online 24/7 at no cost for any event that includes guest rooms;
- Complete control placed in the hands of the event planner without depending on hotel input or involvement unless requested;
- A means for event planners to promote their events and display important event details for attendees/guests all in one place;
- The ability for event planners to select their own chosen color scheme, two photos, and event details such as maps and schedules;
- A booking mechanism that directly links to the group block, providing easier and more accurate hotel and rate information for attendees/guests.

“The launch of Personalized Group Web Pages underscores our philosophy of putting even more choice and control into our customers’ hands by uniting around-the-clock online event planning with creative customization,” said Bob Brooks, vice president – eSales for Hilton Hotels Corporation. “With event planners juggling their business, social and family lives, the Hilton Family of Hotels e-Events makes it easier for them to take control of their event booking at their convenience.”

After event planners use the booking method of their choice to secure the event with guest rooms, they have the opportunity to set up their own Personalized Group Web Page by visiting hiltonfamily.com/GroupPage or they can provide their hotel representative with the information they would like to include on the Personalized Group Web Page and the page will be created for the event planner.

With unprecedented efficiency, e-Events enables planners to book meeting rooms and/or guest rooms for business, social events, family reunions, weddings and amateur sporting events 24/7 and receive immediate online confirmation of their booking. The online booking tools cater to groups requiring 25 rooms or less at more than 2,400 participating Hilton, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Doubletree, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Grand Vacations, Homewood Suites by Hilton and The Waldorf=Astoria Collection hotels in North America.

A January 2007 study by PHoCusWright Group, which illustrates Hilton’s e-Events web page and alludes to Hilton Hotels as “An Industry Pioneer,” points out that “As the demographics of meeting professionals shift to younger, more technologically savvy individuals, there will be growing expectations for facilitated online interaction with suppliers to arrange and book group gatherings. These individuals are comfortable with self-service and are looking for 24/7 access and immediate results.”

How e-Events Works

Representing a first in the hotel industry, the Hilton Family of Hotels enables planners or organizers to book their next meeting or event online from start to finish, with no RFP and no waiting. Planners can book up to 25 guest rooms one year in advance, as well as meeting space, high speed Internet access, food and beverage, and audio/visual equipment online, 24/7. The planner receives instant confirmation of his or her event booking.

The company’s industry-leading technology, called OnQ, provides the infrastructure that links all Hilton Family hotels to a single-platform system, enabling planners to see availability across a wide variety of hotels.

Beginning in March 2007, the company’s small meetings service, called Hilton Direct (1-800-321-3232), began booking all sales calls made via phone on e-Events, underscoring the efficiency and functionality of the company’s online group bookings.

Event planners can earn Points & Miles® for qualifying events with the Hilton HHonors® Event Planner Program.

Guest List Manager (all-inclusive feature for event guest list management)

Offering an all-inclusive feature for guest list management, Guest List Manager enables planners to manage their room block, including instant, real-time online access 24/7 to their group reservation details and guest room info through their HHonors or Fast Reservations profile. Planners instantly can see who has booked guest rooms for their event, or they can reserve rooms on behalf of guests, and keep tabs on head counts. Online efficiency eliminates the need to call the hotel or wait for the hotel to upload rooming lists manually.

Related Link: Hilton Family: Personalized Group Web Page


Article location: http://www.hotelmarketing.com/index.php/content/article/hilton_launches_personalized_web_pages_for_business_groups

Web 2.0 Damage Control

By Jeff Schmitt

We've all survived bad customer service. An unhappy customer will tell eight or more people about a bad experience, and three-quarters will never buy from you again. Of course, only one in 10 unhappy customers will ever tell you about their experience.

Word of mouth can sink your business faster than you can counter. Still, many marketers sit back and watch the complaints roll in, believing they would tip them off to improper behaviors and emerging trends.

Today, there are few barriers to individuals sharing their thoughts with a large audiences. These opinions can be easily publicized across the Web, without being filtered for truth or merit. Everyone has a voice and an outlet. Exposure equals credibility.

This shift has tremendous ramifications for businesses. Imagine a prospective business partner or employee Googling your company. Do you know everything they will find on the first page of a search engine? Will they sift through your Web site pages and carefully orchestrated publicity? Or will they find an anonymous, brutally critical posting on a message board?

The Internet has forever changed publicity. It is no longer the volume of complaints bubbling below the surface that can derail your brand reputation. It only takes one disgruntled person with Internet savvy and writing ability. Any self-styled activist or emotional hypochondriac now has a means and a weapon.

It is an asymmetrical threat, the Web 2.0 equivalent of bad word of mouth, gossip and slander, often rolled into one. Depending on your search optimization, personal grievances can have equal footing with your publicity machine. It is a PR nightmare you cannot anticipate.

Think about these threats:

Watchdog sites: With any complaint, your goals are to soothe the customer, keep the business and encourage privacy. With sites like ripoffreport.com, the latter is near impossible. Here, any dirty laundry—a rude employee, an unsatisfactory resolution, a failure to live up to expectations—is there for the world to read, regardless of validity.
Online communities: These networks sprout up on what seems like a daily basis. While they foster bonds between people with similar experiences and interests, they can also reinforce prejudices and spread fabrications. Blog postings offer similar drawbacks.
Custom Web sites: Imagine having a site devoted specifically to trashing your organization. Look no further than wakeupwalmart.com. Imagine you are a sports executive and have a site publicizing every blunder you make. Ask Jerry Angelo of the Chicago Bears (who has the added ignominy of firejerry.com shirts and mugs selling on the net). From an outraged fan to a well-funded union, people can leverage Web sites to distribute their message and mobilize like-minded people.
YouTube: Want to become an Internet sensation? Have a staff member captured on camera or tape doing something embarrassing. See it get posted on YouTube. Have it jump mainstream to the late night talk shows. Watch it spread virally via e-mail. Have it picked up in the old guard press as a symbol of larger abuses. Can't happen? Ask AOL about the service agent who put a 20-minute full court press on a customer attempting to cancel his service.

Even worse, it isn't always outsiders who pose the biggest threat. Look at your own employees and partners. Today, sensitive documents can easily be scanned, downloaded and spread with a mouse click. And your employees often have rich lives outside the office. Do they mention you on their MySpace or Facebook profiles? Are you the subject of any of their blog rants?

What can you do? Very little. These revolutionary trends can't be reined in. However, there are some steps to anticipating and mitigating the damage:


Audit: Learn what people are saying about you. Use it as a learning tool, to help you better understand your customers and pinpoint your weaknesses. Audit the web regularly, as new sites, communities and postings can pop up every day.

Counsel: Review your privacy policies with legal. Make sure your employees understand your expectations. Of course, don't stray into heavy-handedness; you'll quickly become the subject of parodies or hard feelings that could discredit you beyond the corporate walls.

Awareness: You know that any jaded customer or employee can expose your embarrassing moments to the world. How do you react? Do you withdraw or become guarded? Or, do you fully commit to being honorable with everyone? Similarly, examine your operations. How do you resolve conflicts? How well do you follow up? How well do you consistently deliver your brand experience?

Be proactive: Escalate all issues. Review them. Follow up. It is no longer just about looking for trends, but being prepared. It is about anticipating any potential embarrassment and having a media-based disaster recovery plan.


Jeff Schmitt is a consultant from Dubuque. His e-mail is jschmittdbq@mchsi.com.

How To Be A Good Hotelier...

An Hotelier must be a diplomat, a democrat, an autocrat, an acrobat, and a doormat.

S/He must have the facility to entertain Prime Ministers, princes of industry, pickpockets, gamblers, bookmakers, pirates, philanthropists, popsies and prudes.

S/He must be on both sides of the political fence, and be able to jump that fence.

S/He should be, or have been, a footballer, golfer, bowler, tennis player, cricketer, darts player, sailor, pigeon fancier, motor racer and linguist, as well as have a good knowledge of any other sport involving dice, cards, horse racing and billiards.

This is most useful, as s/he has sometimes to settle arguments and squabbles. He must, therefore, be a qualified boxer, wrestler, weight-lifter, sprinter and peacemaker.

S/He must always look immaculate, when drinking with the ladies and gentlemen mentioned in the second paragraph, as well as bankers, swankers, theatricals, commercial travellers and company representatives - even though he has just made peace between any of the two, four, six or more of the aforementioned patrons.

To be successful, an hotelier must keep the bar full, the house full, the store rooms full, the wine cellar full, the customers full, and not get full himself.

S/He must have staff who are clean, honest, quick workers, quick thinkers, non-drinkers, mathematicians, technicians, and at all times on the boss's side, the customer's side, and stay on the outside of the bar.

To sum up: The hotelier must be outside, inside, offside, glorified, sanctified, crucified, stupefied, cross-eyed - and if s/he is not the strong, silent type, there is always suicide.

Published with permission of : Chateaux & Hotels de Charme www.ila-chateau.com

Article courtesy of Henry Togna
Owner of hotel “22 Jermyn Street” - St James's - London.

Defining the Role and Purpose of Training in Your Organization - By Terrence Donahue, National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation

Here is a scary statistic: 85 percent of training department heads have never read a copy of their own company's strategic plan or annual report.
It's not surprising, then, that many training departments have trouble aligning their objectives with those of their organizations-and that most training activities continue to hit the expense side of the ledger, rather than the investment side. The solution? Develop a training mission statement that both defines the role of training and establishes its worth to the organization.

If a senior executive in your organization asked you about the role and purpose of training in your company, what would you say? If you find yourself struggling for an answer, you might be in trouble. When an organization's leadership is confused about the purpose of training, there won't be a commitment to training in that organization's day-to-day activities-and your initiatives will have little chance of success. But that confusion doesn't always begin at the leadership level, it's often the result of a training department that is uncertain about itself.

Through the process of creating a training mission statement, you can erase that uncertainty and increase your value as a strategic business partner within your organization.

Step 1: Ask Role Definition Questions. Clarifying questions-like 'Why is training important to our company?' and 'What would happen over the next year if the training department were eliminated?' (see the end of this article for a complete list)-will provide the basis for the training department's mission statement. Ask these questions of as many key stakeholders-both inside and outside of the training department-as you can. The answers will help you define the scope of training objectives and provide a framework to ensure business decisions are informed, consistent and non-political.

Step 2: Summarize the Role Definition Answers. Based upon the answers to your role definition questions, write a one-paragraph description of the role of training in your company. While this won't be your final mission statement, it will help you narrow your focus to include only the objectives most important to your organization.

Step 3: Develop a Training Mission Statement. This statement describes the reason your company has a training department, and it must be aligned with the corporate mission. Your mission statement will have three components: Product (what you do), Market (whom you do it for) and Function (why you do it). For example: 'The mission of training at ABC Restaurant Corp. is to provide measurable performance improvement that leads to an improved dining experience and increased sales and profits in our restaurants. Our internal customers include all corporate departments and restaurant employees and managers. Our external customers are vendors, distributors and restaurant guests.'

Once you've developed your mission statement, you're ready to establish and prioritize training objectives, create departmental policies and implement a training strategic plan. But you're not quite finished, if you really want to keep the support of C- and V-level stakeholders (e.g. CFOs and Vice Presidents), there are four conversations you should have with them every year. They each start with the following questions:

1. What makes you pound the steering wheel on your way home from work?

2. What is your biggest concern, and how do you think I can help?

3. What does training do today that you would like it to continue doing two years from now?

4. What do you see as training's biggest miss over the last two years?

When you give these stakeholders a chance to voice their honest opinions about training, you gain political equity in the organization-without having to be political.

Role Definition Questions

1. Why is training important to our company?

2. What is the purpose of training in our company?

3. Why should we conduct training programs?

4. What are the internal and external markets (clients, customers and consumers) that we support?

5. Who should be trained?

6. When should training be provided?

7. To what level should they be trained?

8. What do we expect training to accomplish?

9. How should training programs be designed?

10. What are the limitations of training?

11. What would happen over the next year if the training department were eliminated?

12. What would happen over the next year if the training department doubled in size?

13. What responsibility do employees have for their own learning?

14. What responsibility do supervisors and managers have for learning?

15. What responsibility does senior executive leadership have for supporting a learning culture?

16. What responsibility does the training department have to its clients, customers and consumers?

17. What responsibility does the training department have to other departments in the company?

18. Is training considered an investment or an expense?

19. How will the effectiveness of training be measured?

20. How should continuous learning be viewed?

21. What must training do with regard to innovation to support the organizational mission?

22. What is [insert your name here]'s role as the one who leads the training function?





This article comes from Hotel News Resource
http://www.hotelnewsresource.com

The URL for this story is:
http://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article29212.html

20 Problem-Solving Success Tips.

By Jeanne Sawyer
Saturday, 23rd February 2008

Define the problem first. Explain what the problem is—what went wrong, what are the symptoms, what is the impact on your business. Write it down. Everyone who reads it should understand what the problem is and why it’s important. Caution: describe the problem, not what you will do to fix it.

Use your time for problems that are truly important. Just because a problem is there doesn’t mean you have to solve it. If you ask, “what will happen if I don’t solve this problem?” and the answer is, “not much,” then turn your attention to something more important.

Test your assumptions about everything. Check the facts first. Be sure that you and your team understand the problem the same way, and that you have data to confirm that the problem is important. Test the assumptions about proposed solutions to improve the chances your solution will actually solve the problem.

Measure. The key question to answer is, “How will you know when the problem is solved?” If you don’t measure, you won’t know for sure. Use measurements to learn and portray the truth—the real truth, not what you wish were true.

Measure the right things. A common measurement trap is to measure something because it’s “interesting.” If knowing a measurement won’t change anything (e.g., help you make a decision, verify an assumption or prove the problem is solved), then don’t waste your time measuring it.

Use your project management skills. Solving a big problem is a project: you’re far more likely to solve it successfully if you treat it like one. That means you’ll need to identify tasks, make and adjust assignments, and keep track of what is due when. Be sure to get appropriate management support for your project.

Look for solution owners rather than problem owners. Everyone participating in the situation owns the problem, like it or not—and nobody likes it. Avoid the finger-pointing trap by looking for solution owners, i.e., the people who can do something to help solve the problem. Helping with a solution is much more fun than being blamed for a problem, so you’re more likely to get the response you need.

Whatever you do, do it on purpose. Doing nothing is a wimpy way to decide not to solve the problem—and is quite likely to leave you making awkward explanations when the problem resurfaces.

Communicate. Don’t leave you key stakeholders guessing. Being human, we tend to be bad about keeping others informed about the progress we’re making, especially if there is little or no progress. You’re more likely to get support and understanding if you get the word out honestly about what is happening.

Avoid “bug mentality.” Fixing bugs fixes symptoms: like taking aspirin for a headache, it may provide relief but does nothing to prevent the next headache. It’s ok, and often necessary, to relieve the symptoms but you have to dig deeper if you’re going to prevent problems from occurring.

Identify and fix the right root causes. Complicated problems have multiple root causes, probably more than you can fix in a reasonable amount of time. Don’t waste time or money on causes that are either insignificant in impact or only peripheral causes of the problem you’re trying to fix.

Choose solutions that are effective—and implement the solution completely. Identifying the right root causes is necessary, but unless you then implement a solution, you still have a problem. Double-check to be sure your solution plan really will eliminate the causes you’ve identified, and then execute the plan. It’s easy to get distracted by other projects once you get to the implementation phase and never finish.

Reward prevention. Although it’s generally understood that it costs more to deal with crises than to prevent them, many companies do not recognize and reward those who push past the symptoms to the root causes, preventing future occurrences. If you want to focus on prevention, be sure to reward those who do it successfully.


Have the courage to say “no” when appropriate. If you believe the problem can’t be solved in the time-frame allowed or with the resources available, your best option is to say so right away. Accepting an assignment that you believe is impossible is setting yourself up for failure. Do, however, choose your strategy for how you refuse to take on the project: gather evidence, explain what it will take to accomplish the desired results, etc.

Meet your commitments. Do what you promise and don’t promise what you can’t deliver. Meeting commitments strengthens relationships and builds trust. You need both to solve messy problems. If the situation changes and you do have to change a commitment, let everyone know as soon right away so they can make appropriate changes to their own plans.

Everything necessary, nothing extraneous. Make sure you solve the problem completely, but don’t get sidetracked into doing other things that won’t make this problem go away. Put those extras aside to evaluate later as special projects.

Everyone necessary, no one extraneous. Make sure everybody who can contribute to the problem solving effort is appropriately involved. Only have the people on your team who will contribute actively to solving the problem. People who need to know what’s going on can be informed more efficiently in other ways.

Plan for things to go wrong. We’ve heard it before, and it’s still true: if something can go wrong, it will. Figure out what can get in the way of your problem solving effort and develop appropriate contingency plans.

Use completion criteria. Define what successful completion of each task entails. Specify when it is due and what standard must be met to avoid misunderstandings and delays. You don’t want to tell someone who has worked really hard to complete a task that they misunderstood and you wanted a sledge hammer rather than an ordinary hammer.

Acknowledge and thank everyone who helps. Solving an important problem deserves recognition, and nobody else is going to take care of this for you. Make sure management and key stakeholders know what you and your team have achieved. Remind them of the risks avoided. Thank everyone who participated in the project. It’s the polite thing to do, and encourages them to help you next time.

THE SAWYER PARTNERSHIP Solving Problems PermanentlySM

Consultant, coach, teacher and writer, Jeanne Sawyer specializes in solving messy, expensive, chronic problems—the kind that cause customers to make angry phone calls to executives or even to take their business elsewhere. Her pragmatic approach demonstrates measurable results.

As a consultant and coach, Jeanne has saved her clients millions of dollars and kept them off the front pages by leading them through problem solving projects on particularly complicated problems, helping them incorporate systematic methods into their business processes, and helping them build partnerships that get past the marketing jargon and really work.

jsawyer@SawyerPartnership.com
www.SawyerPartnership.com

Who's blogging? Virtually everyone

By Tom Haines, Globe Staff | February 17, 2008

Dispatches from a quick tour of the travel blogosphere:

At worldhum.com, there's wonder at whether North Korea's Ryugyong Hotel is the worst building in history. There's also talk of Robert Redford making a movie based on Bill Bryson's book "A Walk in the Woods," and a link to a video of Improv Everywhere's stunt in which 207 people freeze for five minutes in Grand Central Station.

On to gadling.com, where there's information and ideas about global migration - everybody, it can seem, is on the move - and updates on Hilton Head Island's annual Gullah celebrations as part of Black History Month.

No time to waste, as crankyflier.com is recapping the latest efforts to build Family Airlines, and weighing the news that United will charge for a second bag.

Too much detail? Then head to travelblogs.com where Sloan and Amy share thoughts on round-the-world travels they blogged about for a year at reasontowander.com.

It doesn't take long to get the lay of the land. In a few keystrokes, a reader can find advice on the best barbecue in Birmingham, Ala., or thoughts of a longtime wanderer about settling down on the Kansas prairie. You can get travel tips at traditional media blogs, or the latest on Paris and Perez Hilton at Sundance, for example, at jaunted.com.

Much like terrestrial travel, where you end up depends on what you hope to find.

For six years, I have been an occasional travel blog reader and a blogger on boston.com. As a reader, I look for the random and reflective, preferring an unexpected anecdote to another take on the latest trend. As a blogger, I post about incidents or observations that are often removed from the spotlight, yet connected to broader contexts. What of memories from African afternoons and Irish rock 'n' roll, for example? I hope the answer gives meaningful pause in a fast foray through the Web.

Joanna Kakissis, a journalist and blogger at worldhum .com, told me in a recent e-mail that she aims to stimulate two-way exchange.

"I try to find a way to reach out to the reader, either through a question or by stoking a debate," she wrote. "I want people to read and respond to my post."

That digital dialogue is now part of the mix at Globe-trotting, boston.com's catch-all travel blog. Readers can share their comments about several daily posts from more than a dozen writers on everything from book reviews to Logan Airport news, from trips with the kids to traveler reflections from Los Angeles, London, and more.

A few more to consider: National Geographic Traveler's Intelligent Travel blog has broad boundaries. The Washington Post's Travel Log also aims far and wide, while the Chicago Tribune's Midwest Getaways blog has a regional reach. USA Today's Today in the Sky blog tracks airline industry trends and breaking news. Crankyflier.com, the work of a self-proclaimed "airplane dork," adds insight to everything from the emergency landing of a 777 at Heathrow to US Airways' on-time performance.

Regardless of range, the best blogs quickly take you in and out of a topic or place. Audio and video can help. During one visit to World Hum, a post included a video clip of Claude Lelouch's 1976 short film "C'etait un Rendezvous." The footage of a car speeding through the streets of Paris at dawn had been resurrected in a video for "Open Your Eyes" by Snow Patrol - another world completely.

For sites like World Hum, a long-running independent operation bought last year by the Travel Channel, the blog is just one part of the mix. It serves as a daily update section of an online travel magazine that includes original stories, timely Q&As, book reviews, and more.

For other sites, the blog itself is the destination, and many inspire by their breadth. Independent travelers have for years been using blogs as a public version of the family vacation slideshow, in real time, on location.

Two men are posting their adventures during a round-the-world odyssey at Long Jaunt, a blog currently at boston.com/travel that is heavy with colorful photo galleries and cultural encounters. The ladies from lostgirlsworld.blogspot.com, "three twentysomething New Yorkers," are home again after a year on the road. But continued posts suggest they earned admirers online besides the ones they met in faraway lands. And they hope to spread the love. One recent post explained the basics of RSS feeds, and another offered a 10-step guide to setting up a blog.

A particularly profound example of where it all can lead is found at notesfromtheroad.com. The site is the work of Erik Gauger. It began nearly a decade ago as a place for him to entertain friends about his travels. In that it is Gauger's private posts about his travels it is a travel blog. But it has become much more: a broad library of his quickly but carefully crafted stories and compelling photos of people and places, from Panama's Kuna Yala territory to Texas Hill Country to the Oregon coast. In one series of dispatches, "Rise Up Sweet Island," Gauger chronicles the struggle between preservationists and developers on an island in the Bahamas.

Gauger wrote in an e-mail that he means for all of his entries to represent "the other Web." For a reader, it is rich reward to arrive at this unexpected frontier of the travel blogosphere.

Other examples of individual work can be found through travelblogs.com, which highlights independent blogs, including one featuring thoughts from a student studying in Mongolia, and another the musings of an American living in Benin. Clicking among dozens of such personal sites can of course be hit or miss. Dead end? There is always the "back" button. Or even logging back into the real world.

Tom Haines can be reached at thaines@globe.com.

So many sites. So little time.

Avalon Report press/news

Monitoring the ‘Reviewsphere’ is overwhelming: focus on key sites is the solution.

A recent survey conducted by Avalon Report (www.avalonreport.com) of 225 three and four diamond hotels showed over 90% of hoteliers think it is important to monitor reviews online, yet the majority of hotels monitor comments less than once every two weeks. Since 87% monitor reviews manually by surfing site to site, time impoverishment seems to play a major role in this lack of research. Many hotel professionals appear overwhelmed by the scope of the issue, commenting they are lost in the prioritization of endless sites and searches.

Gossip is not the challenge. Does Buzz = Buy?
There is no doubt that Web 2.0 has entered into the hotel landscape like a tidal wave of whispers. Hoteliers worry about traveler comments and web photos with unmatched paranoia. The level of anxiety differs from hotel to hotel and brand to brand, but the conclusions are frequently the same: word of mouth may soon trounce marketing dollars in the sales cycle and tuning into the reviewsphere is essential.

It is true that social networking sites as a whole provide endless places to post commentary regarding travel. Essential to an hotelier is whether all the gossip is translated into purchasing behavior. Recent studies indicate up to 88% of Trip Advisor visitors are influenced by content they read. The numbers for Facebook and MySpace are not so impressive.

The uniqueness of Trip Advisor is the relationship the site has forged with the public. It is a trusted research source for travel buyers and is rapidly becoming an essential stop in trip planning. Among networking sites, Trip Advisor holds a coveted place because it has successfully penetrated the buying cycle for consumers. In this sense, it differs from mega-networking sites such as MySpace.com and Facebook.com, sites whose goal is to connect its users. MySpace and Facebook are bridges to other travel sites, sites where purchasing decisions are made.

A 2007 study by ComScore focused on Google searches indicated consumers visit a travel site with surprising frequency before making a purchase on the same site, an average of 2.5 times over 29 days. In fact, the average consumer does 12 searches and visits numerous sites in comparing pricing, destination and other factors. Also true: travel is considered one of the most competitive sectors on the web in terms of comparison shopping. With customers visiting multiple times and taking 29 days on average to make a purchase, reviews on major sites such as Expedia, Priceline, Trip Advisor, Travelocity and Orbitz may be seen multiple times by a visitor in the buying cycle.

This argues for dynamic content, requiring frequent monitoring and encouragement. In this process, one cannot focus on Trip Advisor alone. Added to Trip Advisor should be the monitoring of key revenue generating sites. Revenue dollars produced by these sites are at risk from negative commentary. Each traveler review on a third party site rides the coat tails of the marketing dollars spent by that site, positively or negatively.

Buyers visiting third party sites are more likely to be shopping, not just networking. One might say these visitors become motivated by comments while visitors to social networking sites become interested. Thus, an unflattering comment on Expedia.com has the potential to stop a sale in a way that a negative photo or comment on Facebook may not. Monitoring a reputation online has value, but managing dynamic commentary within the buying cycle is essential to hotel performance.

Work smarter, not harder.
Often, discussion of the new dialogue between guests and hotels in the sphere of Web 2.0 is ruled by misunderstanding. Limiting the search is a start. Begin by knowing which third party sites generate revenue. For most hotels this involves Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, and Priceline. Add other sites that penetrate the sales cycle, such as TripAdvisor. Allow booking numbers and e-commerce production goals to determine your search emphasis because sites that produce revenue are critical to performance.

Automating your search may be the next step toward efficiency. Automated searches save hours of web surfing. Subscribe to a Web 2.0 service, making sure key sites are the focus and that all your results are viewed through a competitive lens for a reality check. In the final analysis, customers on key sites are comparing to other hotels, not just reading about your hotel.

Fight back.
Allowing negative comments to dominate any site in the reservations cycle is damaging. Fortunately, a hotel has weapons at its disposal to combat these perceptions.

1. Respond to comments where possible. On TripAdvisor.com, hotels are allowed to respond to customer comments. Hopefully, other sites will follow their lead in the future to create a consumer/supplier dialogue.
2. Use comments to improve service delivery. Obviously, the best way to combat bad comments is to prevent them from happening. This involves educating staff that every unhappy customer now has an Internet megaphone to use at your door. If negative comment cards are a concern, imagine posting all negative comments on the front desk—this is what the Internet allows. Open internal discussion of concerns is essential to prevention.
3. Encourage guest posting on sites. Although counter intuitive, encouraging participation liberates the majority of guests who have positive experiences to post on sites. Guests who book on third party sites may post on those sites. Other guests may be encouraged to post on critical open networking sites like TripAdvisor.com. Time after time, hotels that encourage posting find the positive outweighs the negative.
4. Do not allow stagnant content. Failing to respond to concerns on a site, where that is allowed, puts the hotel in a negative light. Having old content on a site, whether it is photography of a dated lobby, or a customer comment from 1 year ago as the most recent rating, makes a hotel look far less than dynamic. Updating photography, encouraging comments, and supporting traveler photos will make the hotel look “fresh” and active.

Being paranoid about customer “buzz” in the reviewsphere is pointless, like chasing clouds rather than following a clear path. Focusing on revenue generating and sales cycle sites is the key to sanity. Essentially, it is the difference between trying to listen to all the conversations in a crowded restaurant and talking to the person at your table.
Bottom line is- monitor where it matters.

Subscribe to the leading Web 2.0 solution- The Avalon BUZZ Report.