technology

2011 PhoCusWright Travel Innovation Summit Predictions

by RobertKCole on November 15, 2011

The PhoCusWright Travel Innovation Summit offers thirty travel technology companies the opportunity to pitch a panel of judges comprised of industry leaders on their customer value proposition, technology platform and business model.

Predicting the opening odds for the 2011 PhoCusWright Travel Innovation Summit
Creative Commons License photo credit: Louish Pixel

Based on the number of punks trying to stuff the ballot box, there's big money to be won or lost betting on the 2011 PhoCusWright Travel Innovation Summit - just like betting on the companies themselves...

Leveraging the wisdom of crowds (attendees of PhoCusWright are supposed to be smart people, right?) and in the interest of having some fun, everyone following the conference on social media were invited to predict the top six winners before the actual presentation sessions started. Think of it like handicapping a horse race.

But before we review the results of the handicapping exercise, a bit of unanticipated editorial commentary on the process is necessary…

[Climbs onto Soap Box...]

At first glance, the raw results showed two clear favorites in the Emerging and Established company categories, with the Startup group looking like a tight four-way competition. Unfortunately, upon closer scrutiny, it seems that certain “fans” of various demonstrators (you know who you are) felt that their faves needed a little boost in the voting.

How could I tell? Well, they only voted for their company once – not for 2nd 3rd or 4th place as the other people did… Yes, individuals from multiple presenters were either lazy or stupid in their approach to astroturfing the vote tallies. The singular votes represented a whopping 51% of the total votes cast – a material number with a highly atypical voting pattern that was clearly differentiated by the other respondents.

Morons. Didn’t they know that a cardinal rule of astroturfing is to blend in with the crowd?

By sheer coincidence, I just authored a three-part series for Tnooz on how black-hat fake review optimizers combine social media and SEO techniques to undermine the reliability of travel reviews sites. Take a look at the second installment: Fake Review Optimization – How black hat masters beat the travel system

So here’s the moral of my sermon.

Considering that the motivation exists to game a goofy poll that has no bearing on the outcome of a judged competition, one can only imagine what steps these reprobates are willing to take when real sales volume and profit are on the line. More evidence travel marketers and their technology partners might not be as trustworthy as one would hope.

There is an excellent case for punishing this behavior by posting the names of these groups on a wall of shame. I won’t – the actions may have been undertaken by a single individual and not condoned by the company. They get a pass this time, but one never knows when I might need a good example of social media abuse for a speaking engagement in the future…

Sparing you the gory details, let’s just say an adjustment was made to mitigate the impact of these highly irregular votes. Does this mean the scrubbing process was perfect? No. Just like with review spam, it is very possible the smarter / less lazy ballot stuffers went undetected {sigh…}

Does this action invalidate the reliability of the survey? In short, no. The survey never claimed a scientific sample or process. The results were always to be based on what I call Trustularity – results that look reasonable and superficially appear to have authority based on their presentation. I merely took measures deemed necessary to clean the data to improve the veracity of the results.

This is exactly why PhoCusWright went to a 100% judging process – In the past, audience votes (which had to be done in person, with only one vote per terminal during a defined time frame) were skewed toward larger companies with more personnel attending the conference.

It was a smart move to eliminate the audience component. Next year, I’ll see what I can do to create a more reliable method to gauge authentic audience sentiment. And maybe add interactive parimutuel betting…

[Descends from Soap Box...] continue reading →

Tagged as: innovation, marketing, mobile, search, technology, travel, Web 2.0

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Handicapping 2011 PhoCusWright Travel Innovation Summit

by RobertKCole on November 12, 2011

Each year, PhoCusWright presents The Travel Innovation Summit where travel technology companies showcase their latest applications for an audience of influential travel industry leaders and investors.

Travel's Battle Ground at the 2011 PhoCusWright Travel Innovation Summit
Creative Commons License photo credit: c.a. muller

PhocusWright picked Travel's Battle Ground as the theme for 2011's Travel Innovation Summit. Cool - I hope they let the finalists dogfight!

Last year, I handicapped the event by polling press, bloggers and the participants themselves to get an insiders perspective on the competition. The voters only identified two of the seven finalists from the 32 entries. Pretty poor guessing by the so-called experts…

This year, tying in with The PhoCusWright Conference’s theme of Travel Unleashed, I am subscribing to the wisdom of crowds and letting everyone participate in the handicapping process.

With thirty-one companies entered and demonstrations running from 9:00am to 6:00pm, the day can be a bit of a marathon. Hopefully this page will serve as a convenient quick reference for the competition (links are provided to all web sites, plus the respective Twitter accounts,) but for the overly ambitious prognosticators, links to the judges LinkedIn profiles and their company websites are also provided.

Sorry, again the temptation to introduce a parimutuel betting application was resisted. Wagering on the results of this competition is probably one of the few activities more risky than investing in the companies themselves… Anyone electing to use results from this survey as the basis for investment decisions may also want to seek professional counseling before signing any checks…

Please make your predictions and share the survey with your friends & colleagues. Let’s see who are the audience favorites and underdogs before they even hit the stage.

If you can not see the survey above, please Click Here to open the survey in a separate browser window.

For those tree-haters who prefer a printed version, here is a link to a PDF Version of the 2011 PhoCusWright Travel Innovation Summit Survey.

Please note: Voting will close at 12:15am Eastern Standard Time, Tuesday, November 15, 2011.
The participants are listed alphabetically by category. continue reading →

Tagged as: innovation, marketing, mobile, search, technology, travel, Web 2.0

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A Faster Way to Search Google Flights – Cut and Paste

by RobertKCole on September 15, 2011

Google Flights heralds Google’s formal entry into the travel meta-search arena. Much has been made of the absense of intermediaries such as online travel agencies and meta-search competitors in lieu of direct booking with the airlines. Unquestionably, the game has changed.

Google Flights Releases Air Search Powered by ITA Software

Since the announcement of Google's acquisition of ITA Software, everyone knew it was going to be a game changer

The Fairsearch.org immediately reacted with a blog post asking if partners will be coerced into working with Google, if the new search technology will secure premium placement in search results, or if the content will be intermixed with search results. Valid questions. To which Google will undoubtedly reply with something along the line of “whatever provides the greatest utility to our users and yields the greatest benefits to our partners.”

As with all things Google, democratization of information and disruption of established business practices typically involves a balancing act between users and partners where the scale normally (and appropriately) tips toward the user’s end of the spectrum. Many partners understandably don’t like this and Google Flights will certainly be the poster child of the coming US Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights hearing.

For now, let’s forget about all that – there will be plenty of coverage in the coming weeks on the strategies, symbolism and voodoo surrounding Google’s deeper dive into travel. Much will be conjecture, lots will not be true, and some will be flat-out crazy.

One thing however, is for certain – Google Flight Search changes everything, but in more ways than you might think. It actually enables a very old school approach to searching air fares. continue reading →

Tagged as: airline, Google, innovation, online travel companies, search, technology, travel, travel search

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Transforming Hotel Industry Growth Strategy

by RobertKCole on August 3, 2011

It is not often that one is able to corner three hospitality industry leaders and ask them about the challenges facing the industry – specifically how marketing, information technology and distribution can be better aligned to satisfy hotel brand growth objectives.

Transform Your Growth Strategy Now - Removing barriers between hotel technology,marketing and operations

Industry Expert Panel: Video of HITEC panel discussing the 'Transform Your Growth Strategy Now' RockCheetah/Amadeus white paper

Recently, at the Hospitality Financial & Technology Professionals annual HITEC conference in Austin Texas, I had the pleasure of moderating a panel comprised of Flo Lugli, Executive Vice President Marketing, Wyndham Worldwide, Mike Blake, Chief Information Officer, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, and Caryl Helsel, Director Central Reservations & Revenue Management, ARAMARK Parks & Destinations.

The three panelists were refreshingly forthcoming and candid in their remarks concerning some of the most daunting challenges facing today’s hotel industry leadership.

As they recover from a dramatic economic downturn, hoteliers are launching initiatives that rely on information technology to accomplish marketing objectives and profitability goals. However, as staffing and financial resource availability remains highly constrained, executive management must employ strategies that most efficiently utilize technology to help drive business growth.

A key conclusion of the white paper was that over the next three years, organizations within the hotel industry require an IT Pathfinder to help align hotel business and technology priorities. Each of the panelists did an outstanding job of providing examples of how their organizations are managing the challenge of advancing technology initiatives with fewer resources than in years past.

Most enlightening were the panel’s comments regarding critical nature of these initiatives and how they would serve as the foundation for brand and operational success over the years to come.

The following is a twenty-seven minute video summarizing the highlights of the white paper and the panel discussion:

A Discussion Between Industry Experts from Amadeus IT Group.

To read the white paper’s executive summary, please see my blog post from earlier this year, White Paper: Bridging Hotel Business and Technology Priorities.

The full white paper is available, free of charge, for download here: Transform Your Growth Strategy Now [Registration required]

My sincere thanks go to Flo, Mike and Caryl for doing a terrific job on the panel and validating the conclusions of the white paper, as well as Amadeus for its industry insights and sponsorship of the white paper.

NOTE: Please don’t hesitate to watch the video – I am not nearly as stern or grouchy as the placeholder graphic might imply… and, despite the severity of the economic challenges facing the hotel industry, that fire alarm to my immediate right was not a prop… ;)

Tagged as: customer relationship management, HFTP, hospitality, hotel, innovation, insight, marketing, mobile, recession, strategy, technology, travel, trends

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Social Commerce – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

by RobertKCole on June 30, 2011

Below is a copy of my presentation on Social Commerce for the June 29, 2011: “Where We’ve Been, Where We’re Going” webinar sponsored by Tnooz & Amadeus IT Group. It was great to have over 600 people register for the event.

The panelists and the topics that were covered included:

The Moderator was Kevin May, Editor of Tnooz

Unfortunately due to a family emergency, Stephen Joyce, CEO, Rezgo and Chairman, OpenTravel Alliance was unable to present his perspective on Search, New players and New Horizons.

We wish Stephen and his family all the best and definitely missed his insights on all the topics covered.

My presentation is embedded below and is available for download by clicking the Slideshare link.

Social Commerce – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow


For those who did not attend the webinar, the point of selecting The Beatles notorious Butcher Cover for the opening slide was to highlight that the only certainty for the future of Social Commerce is that some big mistakes will be made along the way. The Beatles, undeniably the greatest social phenomena of its time 45 years ago, came very close to broadly distributing this cover image as a commentary on the Vietnam War for a US album release.

Travel organizations aspiring to be known as Social Commerce pioneers will undoubtedly attempt to break convention and venture into uncharted territory. As The Beatles learned, it is sometimes difficult to determine exactly where the “creepy line” lies until you have crossed it…

By the way, if you are interested in acquiring a rare 1st state copy of The Beatles Yesterday & Today with the Butcher Cover, one sold at auction for $4,800 in 2009.

My compliments to my fellow panelists on the content and insight provided by their presentations and to Mr. May for his typically exceptional job moderating. If you would like to learn more about Kevin’s fascinating background, please feel free to enter “Kevin May” into the Views from a Corner Suite Blog site search feature in the right sidebar – Sorry Kev, couldn’t resist… (maniacal laughter…)

Tagged as: innovation, insight, marketing, mobile, social media, strategy, technology, travel, trends

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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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White Paper: Bridging Hotel Business and Technology Priorities

June 9, 2011

The hotel industry requires an IT Pathfinder to help align hotel business and technology priorities over the next three years so the industry can successfully leverage information technology to drive business growth and profitability. A RockCheetah/Amadeus IT Group white paper, “Transform Your Growth Strategy Now – Remove barriers between hotel technology,marketing and operations” explores the role an IT Pathfinder can play in facilitating hospitality industry business transformation.

Read the full article →

Leading Hotels of the World – Marketing Conference Presentation

May 17, 2011

My presentation, “Deconstructing Distribution – It’s All About the Customer” for the Leading Hotels of the World Sales, Marketing & Distribution Conference in Bonn, Germany focused on the luxury hotel and resort customer, hospitality industry distribution channels and the future innovations that may be expected to impact the global hotel industry.

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Snippets and Factoids from Henry Harteveldt’s OpenTravel Presentation

April 26, 2011

Henry Harteveldt’s keynote address to the OpenTravel Alliance North American Advisory Forum warned an audience of travel industry distribution executives that

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Hotel Industry Survey – How to Align Business and Technology Priorities?

April 13, 2011

After radically cutting costs and deferring projects to survive the recession hotel groups are relying on technology to help them maintain operational efficiencies and keep costs low as business volumes return to normal. This hotel industry survey asks for the top business and information technology priorities, plus how any gaps will be bridged over the next 36 months.

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