Hotel Internet Marketing in 2009 - 6 Experts and Bloggers share their thoughts and best practices
This year promises to be a challenging one for hoteliers. The internet offers a great source of inspiration and a superb platform for efficient marketing. Here is a collaborative document that shares the thoughts, ideas and best practices of 6 hospitality industry experts and bloggers on the key developments and recession-beating tips for 2009:
Starwood Hotels & Resorts to Open its 1000th Hotel
From the American Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) in San Diego, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) today announces it will open its 1000th hotel in 2009. The milestone comes as part of the company's plan to open 100 hotels this year in diverse markets throughout the world.
Focused on opening the right properties in the right places with the right partners, Starwood remains on-track to expand its portfolio by more than 40 percent in the next five years. Starwood's pipeline consists of more than 400 hotels - 60 percent of which currently are outside of the United States.
Finding Hotel Jobs during the recession using the Internet and Social Networks
A great guide for hoteliers on how to leverage the power of the internet and social networks to find a job, especially important during the current recession!
As we mature into the Web 2.0 world and slowly inch our way to a more Semantic web, technology has made collaboration, connectivity and finding what you want easier than ever possible before. Combine available technology with the challenges posed by the Recession and the timing for a Revolution of “Choice” is absolutely perfect!
Today, hotel guests have the option of various online tools that aid transparency, search and booking. However the research and booking process can still be pretty clunky and fragmented. I believe we need to move beyond the era of Search and Booking Engines to building superior “Experience Engines”.
The Hotel Tweetosphere - Hoteliers take to Twitter to connect with guests
The Hotel industry has always been sluggish on the uptake when it comes tech trends. Now, with the recession beating down the door, hoteliers may just have to get creative like never before. Social media, reputation management, blogging, etc are all fair game which have only a few early takers. However this number is likely to rise as more marketers look for new, lower cost ways of guest engagement. Here is an article from HoteleMarketer.com on the Twitter basics every hotelier should be familiar with...
Starwood Preferred Guest marks 10th Anniversary with 10,000 Bonus Points offer
Starwood Preferred Guest® Rewards Travelers “Night After Night”: Guests Have Unlimited Opportunity to Earn 500 Bonus Points per Night and 5,000 Bonus Points Every 10th Night at More Than 890 Hotels Worldwide
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., January 7, 2009 – To kick-off its 10th anniversary celebration, Starwood Preferred Guest® today announces the launch of a rich, new promotion that rewards members with 10,000 bonus Starpoints® for every 10 nights stayed now through April 30, 2009.
Developed in direct response to member feedback, the “Night After Night” promotion heralds the return of the wildly popular reward of 500 bonus points per night. But the nightly rewards are now richer than ever with the addition of 5,000 bonus points for every 10th night stayed. Both new and established SPG members have an opportunity to earn unlimited bonus points during this period and can begin accruing immediately by registering at www.spg.com/nights.
