2014 Trends and Action Items for Accommodations Marketers

2014 Industry TrendsHospitality and Accommodations

Amy Hinote, VRM Intel

2014 Industry Trends

1. Multiple Screens/Devices (Smartphones, Tablets, etc.)

2. Big Data/Cloud Technology

3. Marketing Automation/Integrated Platforms

4. Metasearch/OTA’s/Distribution

5. Social Media/Reviews/Online Reputation Management

6. Google (Recent Developments)

7. Guest Services

8. Emerging Markets

Multiple Screens/Devices(Smartphones, Tablets, etc.)

In the U.S.:56% own a

smartphone.

42% own a tablet.

Pew Research Center


In the U.S.:56% own a

smartphone.

42% own a tablet.

Pew Research Center


Globally:22% own a

smartphone.6% own a

tablet.

Gartner

Considerations for Hoteliers and Vacation Rental Managers:

• How guests research and book their stays• How guests use devices when on property• How hoteliers and vacation rental managers

communicate with guests

Considerations for Hoteliers and Managers:

1. How guests research and book their stays:

Affluent travelers move across devices for all types of travel activities, from research to booking and check-in. Convenience is the top reason that affluent travelers book on smartphones. Many affluents also book last minute with their smartphones.--Google’s “Traveler’s Road to Decision 2013”


How guests research and book their stays:


1. How guests research and book their stays:

Action Items:• Maintain brand standards across devices• Implement responsive website design• Create a fast, easy booking path and online payment process• Ensure confirmations are responsive across devices.


2. How guests use devices while at the property:

Considerations:• They bring their own content (movies, games, music, tv).• They have 24/7 access to share the details of their stay online.• They are always connected to work.• They are always connected to friends and family.

99% of guests travel with at least one device. Of those, 45% travel with 2 devices and 40% travel with 3 or more. --SmartBrief


2. How guests use devices while at the property:

Action Items:• Have an easy way for guests to communicate with you before

communicating online if there is a problem.• Encourage social interaction.• Provide area information and concierge services via your branded

app.• Collect and analyze data from mobile interaction.


3. How hoteliers and managers communicate with guests:

Considerations:• 87% of smartphone users access the internet or email on their

device, including two-thirds who do it daily. (Pew Internet Project)• Relevance is the number one determinant in email open rate.

(Marketing Sherpa)


How hoteliers and managers communicate with guests:

Action Items:• Ensure email communications are responsive to multiple devices.• Collect clean customer data.• Create an automated (triggered) lifecycle messaging program to

provide relevant personal communications with guests.• Target email campaigns by segmenting lists. • Collect and monitor data from your email communications.

Big Data andCloud Technology

• Services, content, & more will continue moving to the cloud:Cloud services are expected to grow 25%, over $100 billion, in 2014. The hospitality industry and vendors are following suit and are investing in cloud services to improve operations.

• Data analytics will reveal all:In 2013, $14 billion was spent on big data technologies

and services (30% growth) as demand for data analytics continues to outweigh supply. The cloud will play a larger role in platforms that are capable of streaming data in real-time.

Hospitality has much to gain as analytics help measure guest satisfaction and identify specific competitive advantages.


Once you start tackling your data:• You’ll learn what you don’t know• You’ll likely be proven wrong on some paradigms you have

held close• You’ll be inspired to take steps to resolve any problems.• You can use the insights to improve your customer

engagement marketing strategies• You will add more value to both your offline and online

interactions.


Data Sources:

• Marketing Activity √• Lead Management System √• Call Center Information √• Website Analytics √• Property Management System √• Face-to-Face Interaction √• Customer Behavior √• Re-engagement Data √• Ancillary Spend √

Marketing Automation & Integrated Platforms

• Marketing automation: The use of software to automate repetitive marketing tasks.

• Now we can nurture prospects with highly personalized, useful content that helps convert prospects to customers and turn customers into delighted customers and collect and analyze data.

• Additional platforms provide hotels and mangers social media and review monitoring, the ability to quickly update website content, and more.

Marketing Automation & Integrated Platforms

Action Items:

1. Investigate and implement solutions to automate marketing functions.

2. Create an automated lifecycle messaging strategy which nurtures leads and prospects through your purchasing funnel.

Metasearch, OTAs, Distribution Channels vs. your Brand

Travelers visit 38 websites on average before booking, so competition is fierce. Yet, hotels see a 14% increase in direct bookings when they are listed in an OTA. Direct bookings are preferable as they eliminate commissions. The challenge is to get customers to deal direct. It is vital in 2014 to get this right.

Social Media, Reviews, and Online Reputation Management

Rankings Mean Business:


Travel and Social Go Hand in Hand


Action Items:• Solicit and create an easy way for guests to immediately contact you if

they need help or are experiencing a problem. • Monitor Yelp, TripAdvisor, Facebook, Twitter and Google Places

reviews and alert management of any low reviews 2x/week.• Comment on glowing reviews to thank them.• Comment on low reviews and how the property intends to handle

future situations.• TripAdvisor and Yelp presence depicts your brand.

What’s new with Google

Google changes which affect hoteliers and vacation rental managers:• Keywords no longer provided for organic search• Hummingbird search algorithm update

– Semantic search (focusing on user intent versus individual search terms)– Pages must be based around themes rather than keywords

• Enhanced Campaigns– Targets multiple devices in a simplified manner– Helps tailor the message for the right context at the right time

• Google Knowledge Graph Carousel• Google+• Tabbed Gmail (Primary, social, promotional)

Guest Services and Technology

Latest developments in technology enable new services for guests:

• Guests Prefer Automated Services:– 85% of guests use online service requests for room service to housekeeping.– 91% of guests said they had automated checked in or would prefer automated

check in.

• The Lobby as the Social and Technology Epicenter:– Communal tables, outlets, and charging stations are encouraging more than just

transactional traffic in hotel lobby spaces.– More and more guests are seeing lobbies as a way to get work done while

enjoying the atmosphere and networking opportunities.



• More Investment in Guests and “Free” Wi-Fi:– 87% of guests polled think that Wi-Fi should be a free amenity.– 38% of the guests reported that wifi was the priority factor while

booking a hotel.

• Social media will drive customer service:– Social technology will become significantly integrated into all guest

engagement. – Social networks will become a standard cloud offering and no longer a

separate operating arm of businesses. Design policies, train staff, and invest in social as an important part of your customer service.



• Remote Office and Meeting Spaces:– As workplaces have transformed with technology, so have hotel meeting

spaces.– Programs like Workspace on Demand and Liquidspace, have enabled

better use of hotel meeting and convention spaces.

• Millennials:– Fast booking, fast check-in, fast WiFi and fast responses to customer

service needs.– Will go straight to social if they are unhappy.


Action Items:1. Consider adding work and charging stations to communal areas.2. Use free wi-fi offering to get guest data.3. Find ways to connect guests to your services using social media.4. Investigate new technology for meeting spaces.5. Explore and implement ways to make your services faster and more

efficient.6. Create multiple paths for guests to quickly notify you if they are

experiencing difficulty in any way (Email, text, social).

Emerging Markets

• Expectation of more international visitors.

• “Leisure demand from abroad, fueled in part by the new Discover America campaign, will stimulate a new demand”

Arne Sorenson, President and CEO of Marriott Hotels & Resorts.

Emerging Markets

Emerging Markets

For example, China is preparing to send about 100 million leisure tourists into the international market every year. • If the U.S. gets its typical share, that will mean an additional 10

million visitors from China alone.• Considering the average Chinese traveler spends a week in the

U.S., demand is created for an additional 70 million room nights in a market where prices are steadily rising.

2014 Industry Trends

1. Multiple Screens/Devices

2. Big Data/Cloud Technology

3. Marketing Automation/Integrated Platforms

4. Metasearch/OTA’s/Distribution

5. Social Media/Reviews/Online Reputation Management

6. Google

7. Guest Services

8. Emerging Markets

Date post:	06-May-2015
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