Robert Cole

The white paper discusses the decisions hoteliers must make in the channel optimization process and explores consumer behavior across trips, channels and devices. Includes strategies to overcome the fundamental distribution challenges faced by hoteliers:
- Increasing customer acquisition
- Reducing cost of acquisition
- Minimizing operational costs
- Enhancing profitability
- Ensuring a quality guest experience
- Maximizing customer lifetime value
- Successfully… Show more

The white paper discusses the decisions hoteliers must make in the channel optimization process and explores consumer behavior across trips, channels and devices. Includes strategies to overcome the fundamental distribution challenges faced by hoteliers:
- Increasing customer acquisition
- Reducing cost of acquisition
- Minimizing operational costs
- Enhancing profitability
- Ensuring a quality guest experience
- Maximizing customer lifetime value
- Successfully implementing multi-channel distribution strategies Show less

Phocuswright's U.S. Online Travel Overview Fifteenth Edition is a comprehensive analysis of the U.S. travel industry, providing market sizing and growth forecasts through 2017. The report focuses on the U.S. online leisure/unmanaged business travel marketplace, highlighting marketing and distribution trends for all travel segments including air, hotel, car rental, vacation packaging, rail and cruise. This comprehensive research provides a detailed overview of travel distribution in the U.S.… Show more

Phocuswright's U.S. Online Travel Overview Fifteenth Edition is a comprehensive analysis of the U.S. travel industry, providing market sizing and growth forecasts through 2017. The report focuses on the U.S. online leisure/unmanaged business travel marketplace, highlighting marketing and distribution trends for all travel segments including air, hotel, car rental, vacation packaging, rail and cruise. This comprehensive research provides a detailed overview of travel distribution in the U.S., with analysis of trends in market share, technological innovation and consumer behavior. Show less

Web 2.0 produced the promise of unparalleled consumer engagement through interactive communication, user-generated content and the mobilization of an army of independent brand evangelists. More than a decade later, virtual communities created through social media have become an important dimension of individual personas and commercial branding.

Social media is huge. In January 2015, there were more than 2 billion active social media accounts worldwide, and social media drove 31% of total… Show more

Web 2.0 produced the promise of unparalleled consumer engagement through interactive communication, user-generated content and the mobilization of an army of independent brand evangelists. More than a decade later, virtual communities created through social media have become an important dimension of individual personas and commercial branding.

Social media is huge. In January 2015, there were more than 2 billion active social media accounts worldwide, and social media drove 31% of total traffic to websites in 4Q14. Despite the massive traffic, ecommerce success has been elusive. In fact, the conversion rate for social media lags the search, email and direct categories. Show less

The future of travel marketing operates at the crossroads of technology and human behavior. For decades, travel marketing was dominated by mass broadcasting of product features – convenient schedules, on-time performance, pleasant staff or comfy beds. However, travel experiences involve much more than the airplane or hotel room. Behavioral sciences recognize that once physiological needs for sustenance and security are satisfied, social needs for relationships, self-esteem and personal… Show more

The future of travel marketing operates at the crossroads of technology and human behavior. For decades, travel marketing was dominated by mass broadcasting of product features – convenient schedules, on-time performance, pleasant staff or comfy beds. However, travel experiences involve much more than the airplane or hotel room. Behavioral sciences recognize that once physiological needs for sustenance and security are satisfied, social needs for relationships, self-esteem and personal accomplishment take priority.

As the focus shifts from the external environment (the product) to internal fulfillment (the traveler), the result is the customization and personalization of the travel experience lifecycle – which is validated through extensive multivariate behavioral testing.

Travel technologies have helped facilitate this change. The ubiquity of advanced technologies and communications now enables unparalleled traveler self-sufficiency when researching, booking and experiencing travel. Real-time communications and mobile platforms provide an unprecedented level of contextual relevance, while social sharing arguably communicates as much about the individual doing the sharing as the content being shared.

Consumer advertising, once dominated by a logical assessment of value – offering faster/cheaper/better solutions to travel problems – is shifting toward satisfying the more innate desires of individuals. Lifestyle hotels combine residential amenities with social networking opportunities. Frequent traveler programs offer auctions for unique experiences to sustain traveler patronage and interest.

The challenge for the travel industry is to prioritize personalization initiatives to take advantage of existing and emerging technologies that capitalize on advanced analytics and big data, which other industries are embracing. The travel suppliers and destinations remain significantly behind the online travel agencies in deploying and experimenting with these technologies. Show less

Hotel products are inherently complex – at the property level, they reflect a unique combination of room category (either physical or conceptual) and rate plan (which differs based on contractual terms) – and encompass leisure, corporate and group segments. They can involve public and private rates, as well as dynamic rates (which vary based on booking window, length of stay or discounts from the hotel’s best available rate).

Although any room category or rate plan can have its own… Show more

Hotel products are inherently complex – at the property level, they reflect a unique combination of room category (either physical or conceptual) and rate plan (which differs based on contractual terms) – and encompass leisure, corporate and group segments. They can involve public and private rates, as well as dynamic rates (which vary based on booking window, length of stay or discounts from the hotel’s best available rate).

Although any room category or rate plan can have its own inventory settings – e.g., arrival date, day of the week, and length of stay – functional limitations sometimes force hotel reservation systems to impose certain constraints on management of rates and inventory. One common limitation is the inability to confirm reservations for adjoining rooms – a problem for many major hotel groups. Show less

Phocuswright's U.S. Online Travel Overview Fourteenth Edition is a comprehensive analysis of the U.S. travel industry, providing market sizing and growth forecasts through 2016. The report focuses on the U.S. online leisure/unmanaged business travel marketplace, highlighting marketing and distribution trends for all travel segments including air, hotel, car rental, vacation packaging, rail and cruise. This comprehensive research provides a detailed overview of travel distribution in the U.S.… Show more

Phocuswright's U.S. Online Travel Overview Fourteenth Edition is a comprehensive analysis of the U.S. travel industry, providing market sizing and growth forecasts through 2016. The report focuses on the U.S. online leisure/unmanaged business travel marketplace, highlighting marketing and distribution trends for all travel segments including air, hotel, car rental, vacation packaging, rail and cruise. This comprehensive research provides a detailed overview of travel distribution in the U.S., with analysis of trends in market share, technological innovation and consumer behavior. Show less

This white paper presents an overview of the issues facing travel sellers as they work to enhance the personalization of their online travel experiences. Included are many insights and recommendations provided by the panel of travel industry experts who confront these challenges on a daily basis.

Four foundational capabilities made possible by the Internet - the ability to access vast amounts of detailed source data, to process it in real time, to understand its relationship to other forms of information, and to promote and sell personalized products - are converging in a way that will permanently change the world of travel marketing. The travel industry's history of generic broadcast messaging will finally be replaced by interactive communication, tailored to the needs of each… Show more

Four foundational capabilities made possible by the Internet - the ability to access vast amounts of detailed source data, to process it in real time, to understand its relationship to other forms of information, and to promote and sell personalized products - are converging in a way that will permanently change the world of travel marketing. The travel industry's history of generic broadcast messaging will finally be replaced by interactive communication, tailored to the needs of each individual.

As online travel enters its third decade, marketers are preparing for the next pivotal development - data-driven decisions that personalize the travel experience. Tomorrow's travel marketers will be armed with the information and technology to proactively engage travelers. By providing well-informed, relevant recommendations in a timely manner, travel brands will create value and enhance customer relationships. The result: sustainable brand loyalty and enhanced customer lifetime value (CLV). Show less

The rapidly changing travel marketplace presents an array of challenges for hotel revenue management.Shifting competitive dynamics, new devices and channels, and increasingly complex traveler shopping behavior are rendering traditional pricing strategies ineffective.

This article is the second in a two-part series on hotel revenue management. Part one outlined some of the challenges facing hoteliers today. This installment guides hotels on how to leverage new technologies to direct the… Show more

The rapidly changing travel marketplace presents an array of challenges for hotel revenue management.Shifting competitive dynamics, new devices and channels, and increasingly complex traveler shopping behavior are rendering traditional pricing strategies ineffective.

This article is the second in a two-part series on hotel revenue management. Part one outlined some of the challenges facing hoteliers today. This installment guides hotels on how to leverage new technologies to direct the future of revenue management. Show less

Hotels are complex, hybrid operations that combine the challenges of real estate development and labor-intensive service delivery. These challenges are compounded by the fragmented nature of hotel ownership, management and brand relationships. For many properties, different players assume each of the three roles, and their respective compensation is based on vastly different criteria.

This article, the first of a two-part series, outlines the challenges faced by hotel revenue managers… Show more

Hotels are complex, hybrid operations that combine the challenges of real estate development and labor-intensive service delivery. These challenges are compounded by the fragmented nature of hotel ownership, management and brand relationships. For many properties, different players assume each of the three roles, and their respective compensation is based on vastly different criteria.

This article, the first of a two-part series, outlines the challenges faced by hotel revenue managers today and highlights the market changes that are straining traditional revenue management strategies. Part two defines best practices and provides a road map for leveraging emerging technology. Show less

In the hotel business, technology is not only something that improves efficiency or makes the guests’ stay more enjoyable. Occasionally, it can also pose ethical dilemmas for innkeepers as well, particularly when it comes to the question of pricing.

The global hotel industry is a large, intensely competitive and highly fragmented business. A melange of market segments, layered distribution channels and intermingled intermediaries adds to the complexity. This makes standard business processes such as tracking source markets, calculating return on investment (ROI), and engaging proactively with guests more difficult compared with other industries.

This spotlight focuses on three distinct factors that impair a hotel's ability to… Show more

The global hotel industry is a large, intensely competitive and highly fragmented business. A melange of market segments, layered distribution channels and intermingled intermediaries adds to the complexity. This makes standard business processes such as tracking source markets, calculating return on investment (ROI), and engaging proactively with guests more difficult compared with other industries.

This spotlight focuses on three distinct factors that impair a hotel's ability to control its distribution:

Historical Perspective
Structural Obstacles
Policy Issues Show less

Although travel is an inherently social activity, arranging a trip is a complex endeavor that often involves an intensely personal decision-making process. Despite the rapid rise of online travel and the influx of new travel websites and online services, the travel process remains inefficient in ways that constrain travel and reduce traveler satisfaction. The good and bad news is that travel is an industry ripe for re-imagination.

The report suggests only by fully aligning business and IT priorities can hotel groups implement corporate strategy effectively. This involves greater definition of strategic business priorities and strategic IT priorities using a common language and vocabulary. By viewing IT through the lens of the guest experience, real innovations can be found.

Introducing the concept of the IT Pathfinder, the report explores the options for greater streamlining of a hotel’s approach to technology… Show more

The report suggests only by fully aligning business and IT priorities can hotel groups implement corporate strategy effectively. This involves greater definition of strategic business priorities and strategic IT priorities using a common language and vocabulary. By viewing IT through the lens of the guest experience, real innovations can be found.

Introducing the concept of the IT Pathfinder, the report explores the options for greater streamlining of a hotel’s approach to technology. The IT Pathfinder can be viewed either as a role, function or approach, but its purpose is three-fold: to understand how the operating environment impacts key business drivers; to link IT initiatives to corporate strategy; and to roadmap ways to create economic value from IT initiatives.

The report recognizes every hotel group is different, with different product portfolios, competitive positioning and shareholder objectives. However, the report identifies the common characteristics to optimizing technology investment which include eliminating dangers and risks, capitalizing on opportunities and leveraging organisational strengths. Show less