DDIH Newsletter, September 2011

On the occasion of its first newsletter, DDIH thinks about independent hoteliers! After the summer holidays, it is time to get informed about the latest trends in the digital area in order to plan relevant marketing campaigns for the end of the year. During the summer, the mobile and social media platforms have not ceased to evolve, improve, enlarge… This newsletter highlights the articles that marked the digital development these last 3 months. Now, Independent hoteliers can pick up pieces of information, put them together and along with imagination, elaborate the most original marketing strategies…

The DDIH team

Hotel e-‐volution Digital Developments In Hospitality September, 7th 2011

Mobile Trends

-‐ -‐ Mobile Booking Systems p.2/3 -‐ -‐ Mobile Advertisement p.4 -‐ -‐ Mobile Websites p.5

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Social Media Trends

Digital Developments in Hospitality is a division of Oneglobe Network dedicated to exploring Net capabilities and innovations facilitating differentiation via breakthrough services.

DDIH explores the impact of apps, tools and platforms, already adopted in the marketplace, and the impact on users’ service expectations.

-‐ Virtual Concierge Services p.6 -‐ Foursquare Check-‐in Tool p.7 -‐ Social Networks Evolution p.8/9 -‐ Review Strategies p.10

Summer 2011: Digital Marketing Trends for Hoteliers

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Mobile Trends This summer, the hospitality industry focused on the development of mobile booking services. With the growing success of smartphones, booking engines are being integrated into mobile applications. World Hotel groups such as IHG, Hilton, Marriott, etc. have already set up booking systems on their applications, which gave them a length ahead of independent hotels.

BookingBrick brings hotel bookings to mobile applications 7/07/2011

BookingBrick is a French-‐based company, co-‐funded by Nicolas Salin and Sébastien Houzé. BookingBrick provides iPhone and Android-‐hosted travel organizations with a solution for implementing easily a white-‐label hotel booking process directly inside their application and start monetizing it.

With BookingBrick, travel organizations and hotels will no longer lose potential hotel customers, as users will be able to book a room directly through their application. Obviously, owners earn a commission for each reservation made through their app. http://ddih.wordpress.com/2011/07/07/bookingbrick-‐brings-‐hotel-‐bookings-‐to-‐mobile-‐applications/

Mobile Booking Systems

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Still concerning mobile reservation, another trend was born this summer: last minute hotel booking. Mobile applications provide the customers with the last minutes hotel deals. They are being developed in the USA with « HotelTonight » and in Europe with « TheVeryLastRoom ».

TheVeryLastRoom, alternative to private sales and other slashed prices

8/23/2011 (Translated from Tendance Hotellerie french article “TheVeryLastRoom, alternative aux ventes privées et autres prix cassés” by E.Nicolas)

TheVeryLastRoom suggests customers to book a hotel room for the very night, with a price reducing, as the customer is approaching the last minute.

This offer is an alternative to the other offers

forcing hoteliers to slash their prices several days before their reservation, even before knowing if they would have had the opportunity to sell their vacant rooms via their own distribution channel.

Available in the form of iPhone app from

September for Lyon, Paris and Marseille, TheVeryLastRoom's ambition is to rapidly extend to French towns, then at the European Scale. http://ddih.wordpress.com/2011/08/23/theverylastroom-‐alternative-‐aux-‐ventes-‐privees-‐et-‐autres-‐prix-‐casses/

HotelTonight Launches on Android, Now in 18 Cities

7/27/2011

HotelTonight is a mobile service that allows you to book a last minute hotel in seconds. I recently used HotelTonight on a trip to Washington DC when I just forgot to book a hotel, realizing it about the time I boarded the plane. It was a little nerve-‐wracking waiting until noon the day I needed a room to know for sure I’d get one.

But the service worked like a dream, I got a centrally located room for 40% less than others I was looking at, and check in took moments. So far HotelTonight’s iPhone app has been downloaded 600,000 times. And today, Android users who travel a lot and hate to plan can enjoy the service too.

The company raised $3.25 million from Battery Ventures, Accel Partners and First Round Capital, has deals with 350 hotels and has expanded its service to eighteen cities. http://ddih.wordpress.com/2011/07/27/hoteltonight-‐launches-‐on-‐android-‐now-‐in-‐18-‐cities/

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Mobile Advertisement In addition to the growing development of mobile booking engine, this summer the first mobile advertising campaign has been launched by Hilton. Hoteliers are prioritizing mobile platforms and tools to reach loyal and potential customers.

Hilton Hotels & Resorts Launches Hospitality Industry's First iAd With

"Stay Hilton, Go Everywhere" Campaign 7/27/2011

Hilton Hotels & Resorts has today launched the hospitality industry's first iAd as an extension of its "Stay Hilton, Go Everywhere" global multi-‐channel campaign. iAd is Apple's mobile advertising network, reaching millions of iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users right in their favorite apps.

The highly-‐interactive "Stay Hilton, Go Anywhere" iAd takes users in the U.S. and U.K. on virtual vacations at Hilton properties around the world, including: Egypt's Nile River, the canals of Venice and the white sands of Puerto Rico.

A total of nine signature Hilton Hotels & Resorts properties around the world -‐ from Egypt and India to the Seychelles and Mexico -‐ can be explored in the iAd via inspired visual imagery and interactive features including Twitter and e-‐mail integration and downloadable wallpaper.

The result is a lively, engaging user

experience that surprises, entertains and creates new vacation dreams. http://ddih.wordpress.com/2011/07/27/hilton-‐hotels-‐resorts-‐launches-‐hospitality-‐industrys-‐first-‐iad/

Mobile Platforms: some figures

The smartphone applications industry has seen a considerable decline in 2011.

According to 5th Annual Benchmark Survey on Hotel Digital Marketing Budget Planning and Best Practices, only 8,9% of hoteliers have planned to invest in a mobile application this year against 24,1% in 2010. Hoteliers, especially independent hotels decided to focus on mobile website and redesign them.

The same study revealed that this year, 37,5% of hoteliers have planned to develop a mobile website whereas they were 25,9% in 2010.

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World Hotel groups prioritize mobile by developing personalized applications, mobile websites, blogs, etc. which makes them more visible than independent hotels. With a lower budget, independent hotels limit themselves to mobile websites. They provide pretty much the same kind of information for a cheaper cost.

Mobile applications give a better user experience than mobile websites, but they are very expensive because they have to be built from scratch for each operating system (Apple, Android, RIM,…).

The importance of hotel mobile website design

7/28/2011

There is no definitive guide yet on how to turn a hotel mobile website into a successful engagement platform for mobile users. Mobile users have a different mindset when approaching websites, therefore your hotel’s website experience must be quite different to engage them.

Mobile users are much more task-‐oriented than desktop users. And mobile users are either searching for local content or for a specific brand.

Mobile means smartphones, not tablets.

Tablets provide an experience similar to desktops. While certain mechanisms may need to be adapted to a multi-‐touch experience, most websites that are optimized for 1024×768 should work well on tablets.

Considering these two factors, below are five

simple tips to turn your hotel mobile website into a successful engagement platform for mobile users.

1-‐ Mobile SEO matters. 2-‐ Optimize the website for low bandwidth and high latency. 3-‐ Display the address boldly. 4-‐ Have a click-‐to-‐call button. 5-‐ Provide a simple booking experience http://ddih.wordpress.com/2011/07/28/the-‐importance-‐of-‐hotel-‐mobile-‐website-‐design/

Moments in Needless Bi-‐Polarity: Apps vs the mobile web

7/16/2011 -‐ Can the mobile web do almost everything that apps can do? Yes. -‐ Does that mean that the mobile web will eclipse apps as the primary mobile channel to customers? Yes, at some point. -‐ Is that point close enough that marketers should abandon apps in their mobile strategy? Absolutely not (and for a second opinion, check out Forrester's take).

Considering the viewpoint of the customer first (always), an app gives them something digitally tangible, reliable and in many cases, something that's useful offline.

For the marketer, apps offer something the mobile web doesn't... branding. And, they allow brands to see exactly what customers do, or don't do, in a way that's still on the outer reaches of the mobile web. For some companies, the app market is also a readily accessible revenue stream.

Back to the customer. most of them don't have smartphones. They use search on their phones and it leads them to the mobile web Those with app enabled phones may use them as an access point, but ultimately, they want all of the information and products and flexibility that they've come to expect from websites. That probably means jumping from app to mobile site, something else that customers don't care about, so long as it works well. http://ddih.wordpress.com/2011/06/16/moments-‐in-‐needless-‐bi-‐polarity-‐apps-‐vs-‐the-‐mobile-‐web/

Mobile Websites

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Social Media Trends Hotel guests in general have become more demanding than they used to be. Their new needs and expectations are probably the result of rewards more attributed during the economic downturn. Whatsoever, a new way to enhance the customer satisfaction are Virtual Concierge Services.

Laterooms to try virtual concierge service on Twitter and Facebook

7/28/2011

Accommodation service LateRooms has become the latest travel company to offer a “virtual concierge” service via social mediachannels Twitter and Facebook.

The idea is to allow consumers to ask

where there might be availability at a particular hotel or what facilities are available, and presumably is aimed at people on-‐the-‐go rather than those who could simply use the website.

LateRooms is not the only company to

launch a concierge service – KLM-‐Air France subsidiary CityJet unveiled a similar program earlier this week. The airline says it will make reservations for Twitter followers at hotels, restaurants and organize taxis and other transport from airports. http://ddih.wordpress.com/2011/07/28/laterooms-‐to-‐try-‐virtual-‐concierge-‐service-‐on-‐twitter-‐and-‐facebook/

Small Luxury Hotel Intros Personal Activities Concierge

7/11/2011

The Manor On Golden Pond, New Hampshire’s only Small Luxury Hotel of the World, has introduced a Personal Activities Concierge Service, designed to enhance the guest experience.

All guests are contacted prior to their arrival

to pre-‐arrange activities, dining arrangements, secure ground transportation, assist with any special vacation arrangements and to provide an overview of what the region has to offer.

“In a fraction of the time it would normally

take, guests can create and book their dream vacation that fits their needs and personal preferences, no matter the season,” said Mary Ellen Shields, Innkeeper.

http://ddih.wordpress.com/2011/07/11/small-‐luxury-‐hotel-‐intros-‐personal-‐activities-‐concierge/

Virtual Concierge Services

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Foursquare Check-‐in Tool

Klout Now Factors in Foursquare Check-‐ins

7/13/2011

Foursquare Check-‐ins will now play a role in determining your Klout score.

The San Francisco-‐based startup has just

added Foursquare to its scoring system, which already factors in Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to measure the online influence of social media users.

For Klout to integrate your Foursquare

checkins into its algorithm, go to your Klout dashboard and click on the grayed-‐out Foursquare button.

http://ddih.wordpress.com/2011/07/13/klout-‐now-‐factors-‐in-‐foursquare-‐checkins/

Foursquare: Now You Can Check Into Events 8/18/2011 Foursquare is launching a feature that allows users to check into events — thus making a standard Foursquare behavior official. “It’s one of the most common checkins on Foursquare: you head off to a movie theater, check in, and type in ‘Harry Potter’ to tell people what you’re seeing. Or check in to a stadium and shout ‘Patriots game’ or ‘ Unlike Facebook, which launched its event-‐check-‐in feature in April, Foursquare is not a platform where people frequently input their own gatherings. So the company turned to its partners to provide the information about when and where events are happening. The feature is already live on the iPhone, and Foursquare says it will debut on other platforms soon. http://ddih.wordpress.com/2011/08/18/foursquare-‐now-‐you-‐can-‐check-‐into-‐events/

So far the location-‐based social network Foursquare has brought happiness to both businesses and consumers. Check-‐in strategies are being used a lot by hoteliers, which contributed to the development of social media rewards.

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Social Networks Evolution This summer, most social networks improved their platforms and tools. Even Facebook, the social media leader, updated its services… Does Facebook see in Google + a direct competitor? In a few months Google+ will launch its business version, Will it succeed in competing with Facebook Fan Pages?

Facebook has made commenting a richer experience by adding video, photo and

website info. 7/21/2011

It’s a small change, but a rather cosmetic one. Now, when you comment on a post with a URL, Facebook will pull in a video player, a thumbnail or an overview of the website that you’re linking to. You can also choose to nix the preview. The change isn’t life-‐altering, but it certainly makes your wall much lovelier. http://ddih.wordpress.com/2011/07/21/facebook-‐has-‐made-‐commenting-‐a-‐richer-‐experience-‐by-‐adding-‐video-‐photo-‐and-‐website-‐info/

Facebook improves its iPhone application to face Google +

7/22/2011 (Translated from Tendance Hotellerie french article “Facebook améliore son "appli" iPhone pour contrer Google+” by E.Nicolas)

Criticized by the users, Facebook app for iPhone will be updated Thursday, July 28th. The company is trying to rectify the defects in the application while the users are still waiting for a touchpad version.

This reaction from Facebook doesn't happen

to answer the users' complaints: it's been 2 days since the Google + application was launched. Google + apps reached the 1st place in terms of download, whereas Facebook app was positioned at the 15th place, according to AppData website.

Google also rolled out an iPad version of

Google+, while Facebook users are still waiting for the company to invest in this fast-‐growing market. http://ddih.wordpress.com/2011/08/26/facebook-‐ameliore-‐son-‐«-‐appli-‐»-‐pour-‐contrer-‐google-‐la-‐tribune-‐fr/

How Facebook’s Location Sharing Will Promote Commerce

8/30/2011

Facebook’s location-‐sharing feature adds a social location layer to each user’s post activity and users can share present, past, and future location information.

Though the Facebook Places icon and the

Facebook Deals are disappearing, this change should not be confused with Facebook Check-‐in Deals, which is not going away anytime soon.

Facebook location sharing has great

potential for social commerce as users can share location activities such as, their favorite restaurant, the store they are shopping at or the event they are attending.

The Facebook location-‐sharing ecosphere

allows consumers to share any location anytime anywhere. Business through the parent/child Places management structure can register all their bricks-‐and-‐mortar location. Businesses can now offer Check-‐in Deals (via mobile) to consumers who shared the local businesses location in their News Feed.

http://ddih.wordpress.com/2011/08/30/how-‐facebooks-‐location-‐sharing-‐will-‐promote-‐commerce/

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Five Years Later, Twitter Rolls Out Image Galleries

8/23/2011

Over the last few months, Twitter has been rolling out some key new enhancements to their user experience, adding improved search functionality and the ability to upload images right from a user’s Twitter stream.

Today, Twitter keeps the photo updates rolling, by adding image galleries to the everyday Twitter user experience.

Huzzah! According to Twitter’s new support

page, these user image galleries will collect the 100 most recent images a user has uploaded into his or her Tweet stream over the course of their recent Twittering careers, organizing them all on a single page, and displaying them in chronological order.

http://ddih.wordpress.com/2011/08/23/five-‐years-‐later-‐twitter-‐rolls-‐out-‐image-‐galleries/

Flickr Boosts Location Privacy With Geofences

8/30/2011

Flickr has introduced a new privacy feature called geofences that allows users to create geographic privacy settings for photos’ location data.

With the new feature, Flickr users can

draw a circle on a map to designate a geofence and then choose a geographic privacy setting for that area. Users can create up to 10 geofences, and previously uploaded photos are also updated with the new geo-‐privacy settings.

“You might want to create a geofence around the your ‘home’ or ‘school’ that only allows ‘Friends and Family’ to see the location of the photos you geotag in that area by default,” Flickr said in a blog post on the update. http://ddih.wordpress.com/2011/08/30/flickr-‐boosts-‐location-‐privacy-‐with-‐geofences/ -‐ more-‐822

Google+ Posts Now Appear in Google Search Results

8/16/2011

Google has begun integrating Google+ into search results with public Google+ posts now appearing in Social Search.Whenever a user publicly shares a link on Google+, an annotation will show up under that link when it appears in a friend’s search results.

Google+ now joins Flickr, Twitter, Quora

and Google Buzz as other inputs for Google’s Social Search product. Social Search debuted in 2009 at the Web 2.0 Summit, partly as a response to Bing’s integration with Facebook and Twitter. Social Search highlights what links your friends are sharing on the web and returns results it believes are relevant based on your friends’ interests.

Social Search integration is only the

beginning for Google’s plans for combining its search engine and social network. Google intends to revive real-‐time search with Google+ data and will launch a search engine for Google+ posts. Of course, the tech giant did the same thing with Google Buzz, and we all know what happened to that product.

http://ddih.wordpress.com/2011/08/16/google-‐posts-‐now-‐appear-‐in-‐google-‐search-‐results/

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Review Strategies Whether on TripAdvisor or on other social media websites, hoteliers keep relying a lot on reviews. This summer, many hoteliers have been trying to set up elaborated strategies to get their guests to post positive reviews online. In most cases, a review was worth a reward… but is it the smartest way to get positive feedback?

Tripadvisor bribes: Hotel owners offer free rooms in return for glowing

reviews 07/12/11

Hotels in Britain and abroad are bribing guests to write glowing reviews in exchange for cash or cut-‐price rooms and meals. The website, which has 45million reviews of more than 500,000 destinations, is a popular first stop for holidaymakers seeking honest opinions about places to stay.

Already 30 properties around the world

have been blacklisted for suspicious reviews – and there is a thriving black market in hotels willing to pay people to write positive reviews.

The Cove Hotel offers incentives for positive

reviews on TripAdvisor. The Office of Fair Trading says it will launch an investigation if it considers rules have been broken. The Cove Hotel in Cornwall may face an inquiry over allegations it has breached the website’s reviewing rules.

They are offered 10 per cent off food and drink in the hotel’s Fireside Restaurant and a ‘free apartment upgrade’. In return they become ‘brand champions’ and have to post an ‘honest but positive view’ on the TripAdvisor website.

The incentives are also offered if guests recommend the hotel to two leading restaurant guides – the Good Food Guide and the Michelin Guide. http://ddih.wordpress.com/2011/07/12/tripadvisor-‐bribes-‐hotel-‐owners-‐offer-‐free-‐rooms-‐in-‐return-‐for-‐glowing-‐reviews/ -‐ more-‐499

Considering Customer Feedback for Your Website? How About On a Times

Square Billboard? 7/26/2011

Using reviews and customer feedback to encourage trust, optimize your website, and maximize direct sales is something we’ve covered in the past – but today Henry Harteveldt shared an interesting example from outside the industry: Domino Pizza’s use of customer feedback in a billboard on Times Square in New York City.

“The campaign, which runs from Monday

until August 23 will include customer comments — good, bad or neutral — on a 4,630 square-‐foot billboard. The comments….are filtered for bad language and appropriateness, but not for sentiment….Consumers whose comments are chosen will get a link to a video clip of their comment as it ran on the billboard.”

What if you used the philosophy behind this tactic for your hotels? Maybe instead of a billboard on Times Square, you begin by publishing feedback to your website – and then proceed to experimenting with using reviews in your promotional messages. http://ddih.wordpress.com/2011/07/26/considering-‐customer-‐feedback-‐for-‐your-‐website-‐how-‐about-‐on-‐a-‐times-‐square-‐billboard/

Digital Developments In Hospitality

A word from the team…

“ We are pleased to share through DDIH blog all the pieces of information in relation with the latest digital trends in hospitality. Our objective to inspire independent hotels when creating marketing strategies.”

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DDIH Newsletter, September 2011

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Transcript of DDIH Newsletter, September 2011