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Seven Travel Planning Steps – Impact on Hotel Distribution Strategy

by RobertKCole on June 21, 2011

When it comes to moderating a panel, there is no greater pleasure than having a group of outstanding panelists to simplify the task at hand. This is particularly true when the event is promoted as a “Super Session”, there are 90 minutes to fill, and it immediately precedes happy hour…

For the Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals 2011 HITEC Conference, held June 20-23 in Austin, Texas, I was charged with leading one of only two educational session held on the second day of the conference.

Hospitality

Distribution is not technology. It's about simplifying the consumer experience.

The topic of the Super Session was Seven Travel Planning Steps and Their Impact on Hotel Distribution Strategy. It was also decided to take a highly non-traditional approach to the subject.

Contrary to most distribution panels, the discussion would not focus on Global Distribution Systems (GDS), Online Travel Agencies (OTAs), private sale websites, group buying, XML interfaces, the merchant model,
search engine optimization (SEO), or mobile web versus native apps.

The presentation was built on the premise that distribution isn’t technology, it’s really about delivering the right product in the right place at the right time through the right channel at the right price for the right guest.

To illustrate the complexity facing hoteliers desiring to properly align that series of traveler “rights” to appropriately engage guests in relevant conversations, the following dimensions were highlighted:

    Seven Stages of Travel

  • Inspiration
  • Research
  • Planning
  • Validation
  • Booking
  • Travel
  • Sharing
    Six Hospitality Touch Points

  • Pre-Stay
  • Arrival
  • On-Property
  • In-Destination
  • Departure
  • Post-Stay
    Multiple Traveler Personas

  • Considerable Variation by Traveler

Engaging with a specific guest seeking inspiration for a romantic weekend getaway with a spouse is dramatically different than engaging the same guest who is in-destination, but offsite from the hotel during a family vacation. Under both scenarios, the individual is intensely motivated to create an unforgettable leisure travel experience, but the context is completely different. Unique opportunities for transactions also exist at each touch point.

Compounding the problem most travel suppliers confuse points/recognition programs with loyalty. This is a disturbing misconception. Points programs are games. While consumers derive value from these programs, that does not necessarily translate into loyalty. Travelers may quickly change allegiance if a competitor launches a richer program.

Loyalty sustains customer relationships through both good times and bad. Loyal consumers recognize an emotional bond with the product, a commonality of sensibilities or personalities. For service industries, this most often relates to the core values a brand exemplifies.

There is a big difference between brand value and brand values. Value drives transactions. Values drive loyalty.

Given these complexities and relational nuances, it becomes obvious that when it comes to websites, one size does not fit all.

To illustrate the point, a comparison of six hotel homepages for major upscale hotel brands was presented.

Unfortunately, all six websites were so depressingly indistinguishable (compounded by the fact that a frequent guest number provides little to no assistance in discerning traveler intent) in each case, there was negligible probability that website distribution was being effectively leveraged by hotels to create meaningful connections with their customers.

The good news was that the outstanding panel of speakers provided countless examples of how their companies successfully differentiated themselves from the competition, introduce guests to rewarding experiences and help earn consumer loyalty. For each stage highlighted, these organizations not only proactively solved problems faced by the guest, but in many cases, managed to monetize the value created.

Speaker Lineup:
Robert Cole (yours truly) – Founder, RockCheetah (Moderator/Inspiration)
Alan Glenin – Corporate Director of Revenue Management, Great Wolf Resorts (Research)
Ran Weerasuriya – Director of Revenue Management, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area (Planning)
Thomas Patchin – Senior Vice President of Interactive Marketing, Station Casinos (Validation)
Kurien Jacob – Senior Vice President of Revenue and Distribution, Highgate Hotels (Booking)
Loren Gray – Director of e-Commerce, Ocean Properties (Travel)
Tanya Pratt – Executive Director Customer Information Systems, Fairmont Raffles Hotels International (Sharing)

Below is a copy of the presentation. It may be downloaded by selecting the View on Slideshare link. continue reading →

Tagged as: customer relationship management, customer service, destination, HFTP, hospitality, hotel, innovation, insight, inspiration, marketing, personas, social media, strategy, technology, travel

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Leading Hotels of the World – Marketing Conference Presentation

by RobertKCole on May 17, 2011

It was an honor to be invited to give the closing keynote address for The Leading Hotels of the World 2011 Sales, Marketing and Distribution Conference at the Kameha Grand Bonn in Bonn, Germany.

Leading Hotels of the World members understand luxury travel

Challenge: Identify a group that better understands the needs of luxury hotel guests than members of The Leading Hotels of the World

The topic of the presentation was Deconstructing Distribution – It’s all about the Customer with a focus on the customer, the channels and the future.

Setting the scene, the luxury hotel industry continues to recover from its steepest decline on record that unfortunately coincided with a period of momentous technological advancement – particularly mobile and social media that have significantly empowered consumers.

As a result, hotels and resorts target a changed guest, armed with access to information and backed by a network of trusted advisers – both corporal and virtual. The hotels also face an impossibly complex variety of distribution channels that have expanded into social networks and location-based services. continue reading →

Tagged as: advertising, Apple, customer relationship management, customer service, hospitality, hotel, luxury, marketing, mobile, personas, resorts, social media, statistics, technology, travel, trends

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HSMAI Resort Best Practices Mobile Marketing Presentation

by RobertKCole on February 2, 2011

The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) has an active Resort Best Practices Initiative that facilitates research and discussion sponsored by a forward looking group of leading resort marketing and management executives. Preceding HSMAI’s 2011 Digital Marketing Strategy Conference at the New York Marriott Marquis, I was invited to present the topic of Mobile Marketing for Resorts – Today and Tomorrow.

Future Mobile Phone
Creative Commons License photo credit: urban don

Predict the future of mobile technology? Well, if you like post-apocalyptic Mad Max style, this might just be the one for you. The cable provides a long awaited universal mobile analytics feed.

Building on last year’s mobile presentation for The 2010 Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals HITEC Conference, Mobile Distribution – No, It’s Not Billboards and Neon Vacancy Signs, this session capitalized on three fundamental areas with a higher level and more future oriented focus.

Current Landscape

  • Why Mobile Changes Everything
  • Beware of the Splinternet

This segment focused on the latest explosive growth stats, as well as the complexities involved with providing a consistent brand experience across various mobile platforms. The burning question from resort executives was “Should we build a mobile app, or develop a mobile web site?”

Responding “What mobile platforms are your customers using, what guest interactions require process improvements and how would you plan to measure your success?” is a sure-fire way to put a damper on that conversation.

Unfortunately, when it comes to mobile, one size definitely does not fit all.

Traveler Engagement

  • Guests are More Important than Technology
  • Technology Enables Relevant Interaction

A big risk is marketing executives are feeling pressured to leap into technological platforms and processes without having a solid marketing strategy as a foundation. Instead, an understanding of guest needs, contact points and traveler personas must dictate priorities that can then be translated into marketing product planning initiatives.

Future Implications

  • From Anytime/Anywhere to Everytime/Everywhere

The future portion of the presentation includes an aggregation of all the Apple iTravel patent filings, including the associated iWallet (now Transaction) works. The patents also cover related airline, hotel, cruise, conference, concert, sporting event, wedding and innovative location-based Apps.

HSMAI Resort Marketing Best Practices – Mobile



View more Slideshare presentations from Robert Cole.

There are four videos embedded in the presentation. As they are not available through the slideshare

  1. Google Goggles Experiment Video
  2. Introducing Voice Actions for Android
  3. Introducing Word Lens
  4. OpenWays iphone apps for guests

With everything in the mobile space advancing so quickly, it will be interesting to see what iTravel applications will eventually see the light of day.

However, that won’t be nearly as fascinating as the reaction from hotels and airlines that have traditionally complained that the Global Distribution Systems (GDS) and Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) represent too great a burden in terms of distribution costs.

With Apple currently taking 30% of the revenue share from developers as the toll for distribution through the App Store, it will be interesting to see what the admission price will be for a highly integrated, mobile, end-to-end travel experience.

As there is no reason to believe that Apple would drop the ball when creating a quality user experience, or relent on its oversight of apps operating in its environment, current GDS and OTA fee levels could conceptually start looking like a bargain.

Tagged as: Apple, Google, hospitality, hotel, innovation, marketing, mobile, personas, resort, technology, travel

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Wisconsin Hotel and Lodging Association Keynote

by RobertKCole on October 26, 2010

I was honored to present the closing keynote for the Wisconsin Hotel & Lodging Association 2010 Annual Conference and Tradeshow held October 25-26 in Green Bay.

While I frequently joke about Wisconsin representing the center of the travel universe, there is more to it than most would give credit. Several members of the Wisconsin Hotel & Lodging Association are definitely doing a lot of things right.

Meeting attendees included representatives of the innovative The Iron Horse Hotel, voted hotel of the year by the Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association, mega-indoor waterpark operator Kalahari Resorts and the uniquely diversified Marcus Hotels & Resorts. All three Wisconsin-based groups are raising the bar in very different ways for quality, guest-centric, hotel and travel experiences.

The presentation was titled “Future Lodging Trends and Emerging Technologies.”



The full versions of the three videos that were embedded in the presentation are included below: continue reading →

Tagged as: future, hotel, innovation, lodging, marketing, mobile, personas, security, technology, travel, travel search, Web 2.0, Web 3.0

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Society of Government Travel Professionals Keynote

by RobertKCole on September 9, 2010

The United States Government is the world’s largest purchaser of travel, with an estimated $20 Billion annual spend.

The Society of Government Travel Professionals is comprised of a diverse group of government employees, travel management companies and travel suppliers. I was honored to have an opportunity to share some thoughts on the factors I see influencing the future of both government and civilian travel. The talk was titled “Future Trends and Leading Technologies.”



There were also edited versions of four videos embedded in the presentation – the full versions of each are included below: continue reading →

Tagged as: government, innovation, insight, mobile, personas, security, technology, travel, travel search, Web 3.0

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Individualization of Travel – ITB Berlin Convention

by RobertKCole on March 13, 2010

I was honored when asked to moderate the The Individualization of Travel panel at the ITB Berlin Convention. Dr. Roland Conrady, Dean of Tourism and Travel at the University of Applied Sciences Worms served as Scientific Director of the ITB Berlin Convention and was instrumental in selecting the topic and assembling the panel.

Pepe Le Peu
Creative Commons License photo credit: atlasphere

Challenge for the travel industry: Identify the perfect travel experience to sell this unique individual

Representatives from a global airline, social travel community website, digital agency, study tour operator, and travel technology start-up comprised then panel.

Presiding over ITB Convention Marketing and Distribution Day was Yeoh Siew Hoon, Producer of Web in Travel. Siew Hoon immediately engaged the audience in fluent German.

The ITB Berlin Convention features excellent simultaneous translation, benefiting not only the audience, but the dynamics of the panel itself. I could pose a question in English and the panelists were free to respond in German. Initially, there was no headset placed for me on stage, so I am purely assuming that Uwe Frers provided an eloquent and insightful response in German to my first question… (A headset was delivered to the stage very quickly.)

For individuals wearing headsets, the conversation seamlessly transitioned to sustain the conversation in their native language. I understand my German voice had a delightful female tone and pleasant intonation. My guess is that it was a considerable improvement over my English voice.

What follows is the text of my introduction to the session, including the introduction of the panelists and their backgrounds: continue reading →

Tagged as: customer relationship management, innovation, marketing, personas, service-delivery, strategy, travel

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Multiple Persona, Trip-centric Travel Has a Name – EveryYou

October 21, 2009

Travel is a complex process that differs significantly from other online purchases. Traveler destination, hotel, airline and travel itinerary selection decisions are not only highly personal in nature, but also may be based on very different criteria depending on the nature of the trip being planned. By applying multiple persona marketing concepts against specific trip-centric attributes provides a multi-dimensional traveler profile that is far superior to conventional frequent traveler information maintained by online travel sites, hotels, airlines and car rental companies. EveryYou is the term given to the concept by blogger Tim Hughes in a presentation prepared for the Web In Travel Conference at ITB Asia in Singapore.

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