Want to acquire new customers? Here are three tools to help
Today, we’re talking about… acquiring new customers. Here’s the thing. You’ve got to align your digital strategy around one, clear goal.
By Thomas McDermott, CMO, Tambourine
Opinion Articles
The Meeting Planner Myth
How not all meeting planners are meeting planners.
By Thomas McDermott, CMO, Tambourine
HSMAI Perspective: Looking for Ideas to Build and Optimize a Commercial-Focused Team and Strategy?
The evolution within the hospitality industry to break down silos between commercial disciplines – especially sales, marketing, revenue management, and distribution – continues to accelerate. “Commercial Strategy” is on the tip of many tongues these days in the press, in the academic world, across HSMAI’s advisory boards, and in the corporate offices of hotel brands, management companies, and owners. There are lots of questions about commercial strategy including:
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 270: Hotel History: Hotel Martinique (1910)
The Hotel Martinique (560 rooms) at the northeast corner of Broadway and 32nd Street was constructed in three phases in 1897-98, 1901-03 and 1909-11. Developer William R. H. Martin built and expanded his hotel because the center of theater life had moved up Broadway to 39th Street where the Metropolitan Opera House had been built in 1883.
By Stanley Turkel, CMHS, Hotel consultant, Stanley Turkel, MHS, ISHC
Top 5 Destinations to Consider for Your Next Event
Orlando might be the top U.S. choice for hosting meetings, but it doesn’t have to be O-Town or bust. There are other cities not commonly considered for meetings and events that might work in your organization’s favor.
By Hal Hassall, VP Marketing, Groups360
Are you leveraging Google’s metasearch ads?
Today, we’re talking about… Google’s metasearch ads. Hospitality marketers have grown intimately familiar with Google search ads
By Thomas McDermott, CMO, Tambourine
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 269 Hotel History: Paso Robles Inn (1891)
For centuries, the local Salinan Indian tribe enjoyed the hot mineral water that bubbled up in what is now the center of Paso Robles. They named it “Heaven’s Spot” because of the curative powers of the sulphur springs. When the Franciscan padres arrived, the tribes’ population was greatly reduced in just four generations. The Spanish colonial government intended for their California missions to be temporary institutions which they mistakenly thought would quickly convert the Indians to Catholicism and teach them Spanish and farming methods.
By Stanley Turkel, CMHS, Hotel consultant, Stanley Turkel, MHS, ISHC
The Hotel Photography Guide
Today we are talking about… The many, many types of hotel photography. Photography is the single most important asset in your digital marketing arsenal. A great shot of the building exterior can set you apart from the competition.
By Thomas McDermott, CMO, Tambourine
Do you know just how much a single guest is worth?
Getting to know your Customer Lifetime Value.
By Thomas McDermott, CMO, Tambourine
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 268: Hotel History: Wentworth by the Sea
Hotel History: Wentworth By The Sea, New Castle, New Hampshire (161 rooms): The Wentworth by the Sea (formerly the Hotel Wentworth), built in 1874 by Daniel E. Chase and Charles E. Campbell, was the largest wooden structure on the New Hampshire coast. It was bought in 1879 by Frank Jones, wealthy owner of banks, breweries, insurance companies, racing stables, railroads and the world’s largest shoe-button company. Jones hired the talented Frank W. Hilton (no relation of Conrad) to manage and promote the Wentworth.
By Stanley Turkel, CMHS, Hotel consultant, Stanley Turkel, MHS, ISHC
The Perfect Weekend in Palm Springs
As we at HVS consult on thousands of existing and proposed hotels and resorts across the country each year, we get to know markets very well over time. My husband and I have spent much time in the Coachella Valley over the years for both business and pleasure, including hosting our wedding there in 2014, and we’ve found some great spots. Friends and family visiting Palm Springs often turn to us for recommendations, and over time, I have perfected my go-to list that I’m sharing with you here. If you have a trip to Palm Springs planned soon, I invite you to print and start checking off the boxes!
By Rodney Clough, President - HVS Americas, Denver, HVS
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 267: Hotel History: Famous Artist Edward Hopper and His Hotel Management Paintings
The American artist Edward Hopper was known for interest in hotels, motels, tourist homes, and the wide scope of hospitality services. From 1920 through 1925 he worked as a commercial illustrator for Hotel Management and Tavern Topics from the Great Depression through the Cold War. He augmented his knowledge of hospitality services as a frequent guest in several lodgings on the long-distance automobile trips he took with his wife, the artist Josephine Hopper. Beginning in the mid-1920s and through the early 1960s, Hopper explored hospitality services subjects in paintings, watercolors, drawings, and prints. Sometimes he titled these works as “hotel” or “motel,” but just as often he did not. More than half are composites of sites, with no small amount of invention and artistic license.
By Stanley Turkel, CMHS, Hotel consultant, Stanley Turkel, MHS, ISHC
Want to increase direct bookings? Share the knowledge
how to persuade consumers to book direct.
By Thomas McDermott, CMO, Tambourine
Arm your sales team with meeting planner contacts
Today, we’re talking about… How you can build your own list of meeting planners. There are thousands of meeting planners in the U.S. Maybe hundreds in your local market. But how do you close the gap between knowing they exist. And knowing their names? Let us introduce you to Linkedin Sales Navigator. And no, it’s not the same as your Linkedin Account.
By Thomas McDermott, CMO, Tambourine
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 266: Hotel History: The Palace Hotel, San Francisco, California
Hotel History: The Palace Hotel (1909), San Francisco, Ca (556 rooms): San Francisco and the Palace Hotel have shared a common heritage for more than 140 years. Inspired by a visionary developer, William Chapman Ralston, the Palace Hotel was known as the “Grande Dame of the West”, a hotel of timeless elegance and unprecedented opulence. It was designed by architect John P. Gaynor as the largest, costliest and most luxurious hotel in the world. To finance its $5 million cost, Ralston exhausted his Bank of California which collapsed in late August 1875. Soon thereafter, Ralston’s body was found floating in San Francisco Bay. Nevertheless, the Palace Hotel opened two months later on October, 1875. Nevada’s U.S. Senator William Sharon, one of Ralston’s partners, who was known as the “King of the Comstocks” ended up in control of the hotel when he paid off the Bank and Ralston’s debts with pennies on the dollar.
By Stanley Turkel, CMHS, Hotel consultant, Stanley Turkel, MHS, ISHC
How Much Are You Really Saving With Metasearch Advertising?
To answer that question, we’ve all got to agree on this one simple premise.
By Thomas McDermott, CMO, Tambourine
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 265: Hotel History: Asian American Hotel Owners Association
Hotel History: The Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA): The Asian American Hotel Owners Association is a trade association that represents hotel owners. As of 2022, AAHOA has approximately 20,000 members who own 60% of the hotels in the United States and are responsible for 1.7% of the nation’s GDP. More than one million employees work at AAHOA member-owned hotels, earning $47 billion annually and provide 4.2 million U.S. jobs across all sectors of the hospitality industry.
By Stanley Turkel, CMHS, Hotel consultant, Stanley Turkel, MHS, ISHC
The 5 Key Trends for North American Travelers
The new quarterly Travel Trend Report from Expedia Group Media Solutions highlights how 2022 is shaping up to be a year of rebuilding and renewal. Here we summarize the key findings about trends and behavior of North American travel shoppers during the first quarter of the year.
By Erica Eyring, Director, Business Development, Expedia Group Media Solutions
Are there gaps in your golf marketing strategy?
Today, we’re talking about… Getting your hotel’s golf course marketing game up to par. Did you know? The NGF (National Golf Foundation) counted 24.8 million on-course golfers in the U.S. in 2020. That’s an increase of 500,000 golfers and a 2% increase over 2019.
By Thomas McDermott, CMO, Tambourine
Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 264: Hotel History: Palmer House (1871), Chicago, Illinois
Hotel History: Palmer House, Chicago, IL (1,639 rooms): The original Palmer House was built in 1871 by Potter Palmer who began his career as a bank clerk in upstate New York. He later became a dry-goods store owner in Chicago where he revolutionized the retail trade. He was the first to make big window displays, to use big advertising spaces, to send goods on approval to homes and to hold bargain sales.
By Stanley Turkel, CMHS, Hotel consultant, Stanley Turkel, MHS, ISHC