Hotel Marketing Podcast

We released the latest findings of version 11 of the Fuel Consumer Sentiment Leisure Travel Study a few weeks ago. Original findings: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-covid-19-consumer-sentiment-study-volume-11/ After reviewing the results, we decided that we needed to take a look at the data segmented by those who said they have traveled during the pandemic and those who have not. This episode covers the biggest takeaways. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-175-11-key-differences-between-pandemic-travelers-and-non-travelers/

This is a back-to-basics episode where the Fueligans discuss 21 tangible tactics that your hotel can implement today. We break the ideas down into categories and go through them in detail. Whether you want to improve your website guest experience, revisit your approach to content, or simply sharpen your pencil on your advertising spend, this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast has you covered. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-174-21-tactical-hotel-marketing-things-to-do-in-2021/

In this episode, the Fueligans break down the latest consumer sentiment study data and discuss the impact that a vaccine is going to have on leisure travel in 2021. While we're not out of the woods, there are many positive signs that recovery may be closer for many properties than we may have previously thought. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-173-will-a-vaccine-bring-back-leisure-travel/

As we close on an unprecedented year of turmoil, the Fueligans take time to reflect on the things that we’re thankful for during the past 12-months. Despite the numerous challenges our industry has faced, there are so many things to be thankful for and hopeful for as we look forward to 2021. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-172-3-things-were-thankful-for-and-1-holiday-wish

During these tumultuous times, it’s important not to neglect your fundamentals. One of the pillars of effective Search Engine Optimization is backlinks. In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, the Fueligans discuss some specific tactics that you can deploy today in an effort to maximize your backlink profile and raise your search engine rankings. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-171-10-tools-tactics-to-identify-backlink-opportunities

Buckle up, folks. Google Analytics as you know it may be on its way out and will soon be replaced by Google Analytics 4. This completely new product is not an evolution, it is a complete re-architecture of how analytics works. If you’re not informed, you may miss out on a major opportunity for your business.. In this episode, the Fueligans breakdown everything you need to know about the new platform and give you advice on how to navigate the changes. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-170-is-this-the-death-of-google-analytics/

Every hotelier knows about the conversion funnel: potential guests enter your site, shop for a room, and make a booking. BAM! That guest just made it through your conversion funnel and you’re a great marketer who deserves a pat on the back. That thought process is flawed and in this episode, the Fueligans prove to you that if that’s your perspective of the conversion funnel, you are losing guests and revenue every single day. We are also going to show you how to optimize the rest of your conversion funnel and how to better communicate to your marketing team your true conversion rate. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-169-is-your-post-booking-strategy-costing-you-biggly/

Ladies and gentlemen, 2021 is going to be an exciting year and the budget battles are just starting to heat up. Departments claiming stake to budgets, vendors are jockeying for position, and accounting is demanding POs. In this episode of the podcast, we’re going to pit the Fueligans against each other to pick the five most effective ways to spend your hotel marketing budgets and one thing you can absolutely cut. Welcome to the podcast, you can grab a whole seat… but you’ll only need the edge! Here’s the scenario, you’re the marketing director for the Old Timey Hotel and budgets are tight. You only get to spend your money on five items and because you’re at the Old Timey Hotel, your departments are siloed and operations have their own budgets. And here’s the twist, because you did such an awesome job with your brand PPC campaign over the past few years, that is already included. What five items are you spending your budget on (not counting brand PPC). What is one thing you spent money on in 2019 and 2020 that you are going to cut? SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-168-5-things-to-invest-in-and-1-thing-to-cut-from-your-2021-marketing-budget/

Having a successful Cyber Monday/Black Friday campaign is a critical component of many hotels’ marketing strategy. It can give you a booking boost for the upcoming year and also help you fill in the soft periods. Given the current state of the industry and the pent up demand we are optimistic that this year’s Cyber deals can be more effective than ever. This episode discusses the opportunities and provides some guidelines on putting together your own campaign. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-167-4-must-have-components-of-a-successful-2020-cyber-campaign/

The Fueligans recently watch the new Netflix documentary, The Social Dilemma. In this episode, they sit down to discuss their take on this controversial topic. Is social media tearing apart the fabric of society or are the producers just fearmongering to get more views? Find out what we think and learn what you can do to ensure that your hotel survives and thrives. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-166-the-social-dilemma-and-what-it-means-for-your-hotel/

There's a lot of noise surrounding the death of third-party cookies and the chaos that this will create for marketers. In this episode, the fueligans break down what the real impact is going to be for your hotel and provide tangible advice on what to do about it. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-165-how-to-prepare-for-a-cookieless-world/

Hotels can no longer rely on an organic demand to put heads in beds. As an industry, we need to switch our mindset from that of a gatherer to that of a hunter. In this episode, we discuss strategies and tactics that can help you and your property survive and thrive during the downturn. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-164-the-hunter-hotelier-finding-new-guests-in-difficult-markets/

In our latest consumer sentiment study, we reached a msssive tipping point in North American Travel. More than half of travellers are reporting that they have taken a trip since the COVID-19 pandemic began. We discuss this data and a whole lot more exciting news in this week's episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-163-great-news-people-are-traveling/

Thanks to our latest consumer sentiment survey results we’ve identified the topics people want to hear from hotels right now. Staying in touch with guests on the topics they care about now will keep your hotel top-of-mind, as well as improve your hotel’s chances of more bookings now and in the future. SHOW NOTES https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-162-the-3-unsaid-things-that-are-costing-your-hotel-money/

In our continuing look at consumer sentiment during the coronavirus outbreak, we are beginning to see some positive signs of recovery. After recently taking a major hit from the uptick in COVID cases and the negative media coverage, consumers are beginning to travel again. In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, the Fueligans dig into the data from volume 8 of our Sentiment Study and discuss what it means for your hotel. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-161-consumer-confidence-is-rebounding-but-safety-is-still-the-primary-concern/

Don't worry, it's not the death of SEO and it's not another portmanteau with some random word strung together with 'geddon', like mobilegeddon. In fact, SEO is very far from being dead and there's new information from Google that should have good marketers very excited. Google is preparing to make a major change to its search ranking algorithm by introducing a new ranking factor known as Page Experience. In this episode, we discuss what the new factor is and how you can prepare your hotel website to rank higher and beat your competition. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-160-googles-latest-ranking-signal-marks-a-new-age-in-seo/

You already know that the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast is the #1 podcast in the world for all things hotel marketing. But, did you know that there’s another show that the Fueligans enjoy almost as much as our own? Thinks Out Loud with Tim Peter is smart and snappy and offers great insights into marketing strategy and provides valuable business advice. One of our favorite things about the show is how Tim manages to boil down complex ideas into bite-sized pearls of wisdom. We consider Tim to be the most tweetable digital marketer in the world and we’re excited to chat with him on this episode where we break down a handful of his sayings and unpack the deeper meaning for our listeners as they deal with the current COVID-19 crisis and beyond. SHOW NOTES:

Fuel recently released volume 7 of our consumer sentiment study and it's a real eye-opener. Just when we all thought things were heading in the right direction, the cases of COVID began to increase and the mainstream media changed it's narrative to be very anti-travel. This has had a dramatic impact on consumers and their willingness to book a vacation. In this episode, we take a look at the new data and break it down between people who are in favor of masks vs those who prefer to abstain. Check it out: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-covid-19-consumer-sentiment-study-volume-7/ SHOW NOTES:

In the latest issue (June/July) of Fortune magazine, the CEOs of the 2020 Fortune 500 list were asked how the world is going to change due to the COVID pandemic. Here are our big takeaways and how they may impact the hotel industry - with just a smidge of Fueligan humor. SHOW NOTES:

Fuel recently performed a study with our friends at ReviewPro and StayNTouch, during which we surveyed 500 hoteliers to gain insight into how they were navigating the COVID-19 crisis. In this episode, we discuss some of our favorite insights and takeaways. SHOW NOTES:

All the way back in episode 3 of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we discussed the need for a hotel mobile app. Four years on, the technology has still not been widely adopted beyond the major flags. In this episode, we discuss the myths and challenges regarding mobile apps for hotels and give tangible reasons why every property needs to be making the leap right now. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-155-10-reasons-that-your-hotel-needs-a-mobile-app-and-10-must-have-features/

This episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast takes a deep dive into the latest findings from the most comprehensive COVID-19 Consumer Sentiment Data. Every 2-weeks, the fueligans ask leisure travel consumers a range of questions regarding future travel plans. Find out who is going to be traveling, when they will travel, and what types of locations they will travel to. Also, new questions look at guest expectations and show that more than 80% of travelers want to use a mobile app for check-in. SHOW NOTES:

The United States is quickly reopening from the COVID-19 lockdowns and the pent-up demand by travelers is almost palpable. In the Myrtle Beach area alone we are seeing nearly 100% increases in daily revenue,. However, this is not a long term trend, this is a short correction of bookings due to the abbreviated booking window. Today we are going to focus on your CRM system, what it must be able to do, and the immediate-action items for making the most out of your data to drive every booking you can in during a compressed booking window. SHOW NOTES:

During this pandemic, marketers have had to throw out their playbook and create new and original marketing campaigns in order to stay top-of-mind with their audience. In this episode, we chat with Ed St. Onge from Flip.to about some of the campaigns his team is seeing on their platform and we discuss the ways in which hotels can tap into nostalgia and memories of past vacations to inspire dreaming and aspiration for future stays. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-152-examples-of-successful-marketing-campaigns-during-covid-19-with-flip-to/

Fuel has been conducting a series of studies to follow the change in consumer sentiment around COVID-19 travel. We have completed the second study, which included responses from over 10,000 North American leisure travelers, and in this episode, the Fueligans will discuss the biggest changes observed in answers in the 2 weeks since the first study was conducted.

Throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia hoteliers have struggled to find the right way to maintain their existing bookings in the face of mandated hotel shutdowns. Collectively billions have been spent to drive bookings and those bookings have all but disappeared… or have the? In this episode, we look at ways to get your bookings back. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-150-covid-recovery-5-proven-strategies-to-recover-your-hotels-lost-bookings/

Lily is a seasoned revenue optimization veteran and recently launched her own revenue management podcast. In this episode, we tap into her wisdom and discuss 5 revenue management tips that will help you navigate the uncertainty of recovery. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-149-5-amazing-revenue-management-tips-to-think-about-during-a-downturn-with-lily-mockerman/

What signals can hotels track to gauge guest readiness to travel again? From a digital marketing perspective, how can hotels get back into the market early to achieve a low-cost share of voice? We tackle these questions and more with the help of our friends at Screen Pilot on this week’s episode f the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-148-6-ways-to-look-for-recovery-signals-and-make-smarter-decisions-with-screen-pilot

Marketers have become wizards of data collection, masters of data storage, and champions of data management. But for most of us, that’s where the winning stops. The result? A lot of data and not enough guest engagement. The inability to use data in marketing execution across channels has created a significant disconnect between what guests want and what marketers deliver. In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, the 20-year marketing veteran of Priceline and Lending Tree, Josh Francia, will reveal his own tried-and-tested recipe for building an engine that leads to sustained growth and success, propelling you light years ahead of the competition. He'll also share how this approach brings greater returns, easier execution, and deeper guest insights. SHOW NOTES:

Fuel recently conducted a consumer sentiment study to more than 10,000 leisure travelers to see how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting their travel planning. In this episode, the Fueligans dig into the data and discuss ways that your property can take advantage of the situation as we begin to plan for recovery. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-146-a-deep-dive-into-fuels-covid-19-consumer-sentiment-data/

While it may seem that no one is traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still groups of people that need to stay in hotels for a variety of reasons. In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we look at a handful of guest types and discuss how creativity can not only help you keep the lights on but it may give you a leg up against the competition when things start to get back to normal. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-145-8-guest-types-who-will-stay-at-your-hotel-right-now-and-how-to-target-them-with-loren-gray/

You know the saying...if not now, then when? If you are like the majority of hotels right now, the traffic and revenue being generated online has come to nearly a screeching halt. This doesn’t mean you should be ignoring your analytics data. We are going to cover the three things you need to be doing with your data today. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-144-the-3-things-hoteliers-should-be-doing-with-their-covid-19-analytics-data-now/

In times of disaster and social upheaval, such as the COVID-19 struggles today, hoteliers must be both adaptable and transparent with their guests. When we’re in a time of uncertainty, providing customers with a little clarity can go a long way to building a great relationship as well as being a servant to your guest. One of the best ways to put your current and potential guests at ease is through updated policies to help address objections to bookings. Objections such as deposits, cancellation policies, modifications, and price fluctuations. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-143-smart-hoteliers-have-updated-their-policies-for-covid-19-heres-how-you-can-too/

We're getting a lot of questions about what folks should be doing right now. The challenge is that a lot of properties are down to minimal occupancy and minimum staff, and marketers are unsure when real recovery will begin or when they should start rolling out campaigns to drive future bookings. Fuel reached out to our friends at Milestone who had written an amazing blog post containing sage advice on how you should be spending your time. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-142-now-is-the-time-what-should-you-be-doing-right-now-with-tammy-carlisle-from-milestone/

In this episode of the award-winning Fuel Hotel marketing podcast, we chat with industry veteran, Kelly Simmons on how her company is tackling the challenges brought on by COVID-19. Kelly gives examples of some of the things Vacation Myrtle Beach has been doing to reduce cancellations and stimulate new business. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-141-a-hoteliers-view-on-how-to-market-during-the-covid-19-crisis-with-kelly-simmons/

In this episode, we go through some simple changes that your property should be making right now to your local listings. Keeping property information up-to-date, especially as cities are changing their protocols. Updating your local listings like Google My Business, Moz, and Yext accounts is the best way to keep your guests in the loop. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-140-local-listings-updates-best-practices-during-covid-19/

Now more than ever, the messaging you send your guests is vital to your hotel’s future success. Your hotel messaging could invoke confidence and togetherness or cringe and turn off—you don’t want to be in the latter grouping. If you plan on reaching out, consider the following messaging tactics. We’ll also include hotels and companies that have the right idea for messaging and promoting to consumers during global adversity. SHOW NOTES:

These are unprecedented times and they call for us to rethink our advertising approach. In this episode, we discuss some simple considerations that you should be thinking about when updating your hotel advertising. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-138-adjustments-to-consider-for-your-hotel-advertising-right-now/

In this episode, the Fueligans chat with Industry Guru, Tim Peter, about his advice for hotels and travel industry businesses who are feeling the shock and pain of the past few weeks. Fuel is here for you as we all try to navigate these stormy waters and adjust to the “new normal”. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-137-8-things-hotels-should-be-doing-about-the-global-crisis-with-tim-peter/

Sorry about the audio quality on this one. We hope that the content is valuable, though. In this episode, we talk to industry guru, Loren Gray about his experiences during the fallout from 9/11 and the lessons he learned from running 5 properties during that crisis. SHOW NOTES:

All the way back in episode 47, we asked the question ”Is Google Becoming An OTA?”. Also, in episode 99, we discussed the fact that “Google Is Building A Hotel Marketing Demogorgon”. The scary thing is that this push by Google to get deeper into the value chain of hospitality doesn’t look like it’s slowing down anytime soon and it’s also happening in every major industry. In this episode, we look at some of the things that Google has been working on over the past 5 years and how joining the dots paints a potentially devastating picture for many businesses - starting with the OTAs. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-135-google-is-going-to-destroy-us-all-starting-with-the-otas/

Today's small hotelier has more to deal with than ever before. OTAs are a must... but eat into the ever-shrinking margin. The flags are getting more aggressive in creating a unique experience. The technology is getting more complicated. However the future is not bleak for the smaller innkeeper who is managing a property under 100 units, be it a hotel, B&B, campground, or quaint retreat. In this episode, we share five things that every hotelier can do right now to complete against the 800lb gorillas of the hospitality world. You can also enjoy the full article at fueltravel.com/blog/5-things-every-small-hotelier-needs-to-be-doing-to-compete-today/. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-134-how-can-small-hotels-compete-today/

This episode is part two of our look at user behavior and performance on your hotel website. In part 1, we covered the movement of a guest through your site and how they interact with the content. This episode looks at your conversion rate and your overall site performance. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-133-even-more-shocking-revelations-of-hotel-guest-behavior-part-2/

Alternative episode titles: You won’t believe what your guests are doing when you’re not looking What your guests are doing when they don’t think you’re watching Your guest just did what? Guest behavior gone wild. Here at Fuel, we constantly preach about reducing friction on your hotel’s website and booking engine to create a seamless user experience. We also often talk on this podcast about how user experience is becoming an increasingly important factor in SEO. A recent article on SEJ got us thinking that there are probably a lot of hotels that aren’t regularly evaluating the user experience and how users are interacting with their websites. We are going to dive into what user behavior you should be tracking, how you can track it and what you should be doing with the behavior data you collect. SHOW NOTES:

Let’s face it, your booking engine is one of the most important pieces of your marketing strategy. According to the Fuel 2019 Leisure Travel study, 87% of consumers will visit the hotel website prior to making a booking, meaning that if you have a great booking experience, you have a great chance to convert the guest to a direct booking. Why then is it that folks look at the booking engine as a commodity and rest their laurels on an antiquated or ineffective system? In this episode, we dive into a few things you should be considering when you think about whether or not it’s time to evaluate your current provider. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-131-is-it-time-to-re-evaluate-your-booking-engine/

Did you know that Gift Cards are the most requested gift for 13 straight years? Well, it’s true and your hotel can take advantage of this multi-billion dollar opportunity by offering gift cards towards future stays, on-property activities, or food and beverage. It’s great for improving cash flow, capitalizing on last-minute holiday shoppers, but most importantly, gift cards can help you drive more direct bookings and reduce reliance on the OTAs. In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we discuss the reasons why this may be something you should consider and some of the best practices in deploying your own gift card program. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marke…ering-gift-cards/

Why aren’t people leveraging the power of SMS messaging to improve the guest experience and create tighter relationships? Perhaps hotels are scared off by the intimate nature of text messaging or perhaps marketers have finally found an ethical line they’re not willing to cross? We discuss all this and more in the latest episode of the award-winning Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-129-launching-and-managing-your-hotels-sms-text-messaging-campaign/

If you’ve ever taken a marketing course, you will probably be familiar with the concept of the 5 Ps of Marketing. The 5 Ps are the standard concepts used to come up with a marketing strategy for your business, and encompass: Product, Price, Place, People, and Promotion. Hotel Speak recently published a great article on a slightly different perspective, geared specifically for the hotel and lodging industry. Here’s the breakdown. SHOW NOTES:

By now you have probably heard the increasing chatter about CCPA. In this episode of the award winning Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we do an overview and try to unpack the new California privacy regulations and what they mean for your hotel. Keep in mind that CCPA is just the beginning and we fully expect to see more legislation coming from other states in the very near future. DISCLAIMER: We are not legal experts and this article and podcast episode are for entertainment purposes only and are not intended to be considered as legal advice. The information is based upon our limited understanding and some random Google searches and may contain errors or factual inaccuracies as well as the occasional dad joke. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-127-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-california-consumer-privacy-act-ccpa/

Bridging the gap between the operations staff and the marketing team is an age-old problem that has faced many hotels. In this episode of the award-winning Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we tap into the brain of a bonafide hotel operator, Wil Slickers, and discuss some ideas that may help you to get every team member into alignment and eliminate the silos so that you can better serve your guest. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-126-top-5-ways-hotel-operations-marketing-teams-can-work-better-together-w-wil-slickers/