By Andrew Bender: The travel headlines of 2013 fairly screamed: Cruise ship adrift in the Caribbean! T.S.A. agent shot! Plane crash at SFO! Massive typhoons! But for this top 10 list, we look at some of the more complex stories that are likely to have lasting implications on Americans’ travel experience.
Eight Coolest Advertising Techniques Of 2013
By Mike Michalowicz: Last year, smart advertisers produced clever, quick, cutting-edge ads that had people talking. Think about using one of these 8 techniques yourself.
Free In-Room Wi-Fi, YES; Free Pool-Side Wi-Fi, NOT SO MUCH – Survey Prioritizes Hotel Amenities
TripAdvisor® has announced the results of the TripBarometer Truth in Travel Survey1, which reveals the hotel amenities and services U.S. travelers find most and least important.
Data + Content to Create Meaningful Human Experiences
By Kurt Abrahamson: In 2013, we saw tremendous growth in sharing content online. Facebook still leads the pack among sharing channels, with 66% year to date growth in the amount of content shared, but we also saw Pinterest and LinkedIn surge. For example, if you look at sharing behavior among moms, Pinterest is nearly five times more popular for sharing content than Twitter. We expect these growth trends to continue. So what does it all mean for publishers, brands, advertisers and consumers?
Wishing All Our Friends a Happy Holiday
2013 has been a busy and very productive year, we value your time and thank you for your support. We will be taking a short break between 23 December and 3 January as this period is typically either a very busy time for our industry, or a time of rest and recovery…
In The News…
World Luxury Expo to return to Riyadh
PKF: U.S. Hotels Poised To Resume Strong Growth
Global Hotel Investment Sentiment Survey Shows Positive Trading Expectations for EMEA Hotels
Ignore the Verbal Channel
By Feature Writer Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng: Nine times out of ten the focal point of how hotel employees should talk with guests is on what phrases staff members should say or what utterances should be deemed off-limits. Essentially, it’s little different than the training given to telemarketers. But the instruction we give our staffers must go far beyond this because we interact with guests face-to-face, which is both simultaneously easier in many ways and much harder in several others.
Hand Out Some Warm Glows
By Feature Writer Alan Fairweather: Do you remember how you felt after your last interaction with another person either on the phone or face to face? That person – it could have been a hotel guest, a colleague, a friend or even a member of your family. Did they make you feel good, uplifted and more positive? Or did they leave you feeling neutral? Or did they make you feel down and more negative?
First Name Basis in Hospitality?
By Feature Writer Steve Curtin: The best advice I’ve heard relative to generational, cultural, or other differences is that the only true safe assumption is: don’t assume. Generally speaking, as it applies to the appropriate use of first names during conversations, this means requesting permission before using first names and, at least as it applies to the English culture, governing its use.
Five Predictions for Social Media in 2014
By Ryan Holmes: Snapchat will get bigger, Twitter rants will grow louder, and your boss will learn to Tweet.
