Sales & Marketing

The question is fallacious, as it's set up in black-and-white terms. We're stuck in this loop of "traditional hospitality good, alternative hospitality bad." But, you know what? We have to stop thinking like that! Travelers certainly don't; for them, hospitality is hospitality, no fancy labels needed.Do vacation rentals speed up gentrification?

The impact of inventory loss within the travel and hospitality sector's key markets is a multifaceted issue with far-reaching consequences for both businesses and their clientele. These markets are often the lifeblood of demand, making any decline in resources a matter of significant concern.

I believe the vacation rental industry is to blame itself for these very restrictive regulations and all of its recent woes. For years it fought against licensing its hosts. Fought against including local hotel taxes in its pricing as if their customers didn"t need public infrastructure and safety, street lighting, etc.

AI can certainly do a lot of things and holds great promises at various levels in business and tourism. But let's not kid ourselves - OTAs are way ahead of the game not only in providing great platforms to book on - UX, imagery, etc.

I spoke at a conference in Norway last week and had the privilege of attending a keynote by Terry Jones. He said something that really resonated with me: "AI is the new UI." In traditional UI, the focus is primarily on how users interact with a system.

Ever the optimist, I believe that travelers are becoming increasingly aware of the benefits of booking direct, be that securing a better room, having access to more onsite rewards or accruing points within a loyalty program. Guests want to book direct, if only hotels would give them a user experience that's as seamless and convenient as what the OTAs offer.

In my view, people who claim that the OTAs generate travel demand completely ignore the complexity of the Digital Customer Journey and its five phases Dreaming, Planning, Booking, Experiencing and Sharing/Retention. According to them, the customer Journey consists of a very simplistic "cast the hook" (marketing) and "catch the fish" (booking).

The key word here is GENERATE versus STIMULATE. Generate implies production versus stimulate means raising the level or encouraging development. So, do the OTAs produce demand? Well, they are a distribution vehicle, not a producer.

In May 2023, during their annual Expedia Connect event in Seattle, Expedia shared recent insights from this latest "Path to purchase" report, due for publication this summer. At the inspiration stage, for example, we see that OTAs are NOT the main online source.

No. They shouldn't. Tips are things we pay to a person who has helped us. In Europe it is to someone who has helped us beyond the usual. In the US it seems like the tip has replaced the salary. Asking for tips like this is like the resort fees, the green fees and all the other random fees that companies are adding in a way to give a false appearance of a lower price.

So hang on, the tip goes to hopper for making the booking and then charging commission to hotels on the other hand? Sounds to me like being married and having an affair same time.The Tip should go to the person providing the service.

A tip? For what... exceptional programming, unique product selection, a brilliant write-up? This is the ultimate in arrogance. First of all, let's just step back a bit. An OTA is a self-serve, distribution system. This compares to a traditional travel agent, which is (what I would call) full-service.

If there is one area in particular I would recommend hoteliers to focus in this year, it would be gathering zero-party and first-party data from customers. I mean, this should be a priority any given year, but third-party data is getting more difficult to gather since Apple ceased tracking customers on Safari and iOS platforms since 2021.

Hotel marketers can succeed in 2023 by honing messages around the key themes of value and experience, both of which are expected to resonate with high-end audiences seeking a much-needed getaway. For budget audiences, the message should also be about value, but digital marketing needs to carefully consider the channels used in 2023.

2023 will be the year that personalisation on the hotel website becomes more commonplace. Digital marketing hotel professionals will promote the hotel's revenue strategy in order to have a consistent approach on indirect and direct hotel booking channels.

The concept of a pass with 'unlimited stays' makes no sense for an individual property. However, for a large chain with multiple locations, a modified version might be viable. Before dismissing the idea out of hand, consider a pass with the limitation of no more than one, two-night's stay at any property per quarter.

Airlines are in a better position to offer this type of promotion as they can recoup incremental revenue via additional fees for luggage, seat allocation and more. Hotels are not likely to be able to charge incremental fees for these types of services, at least not yet.

Unlimited stays? sounds like a great alternative to paying rent! And I guess that's the challenge... the headline offer is great (for PR and buzz) but the restrictions will need to be locked down.What I love about the unlimited-stay idea is it would require a hotel to ramp up revenue from ancillaries and attributes.