Hotel Marketing Podcast

We’ve been hearing that ‘SEO is dead’ for the better part of the last 4 years. While it’s certainly true that the value of SEO has become harder to understand and that the tactics employed to accomplish search ranking continues to evolve, we believe that SEO is far from dead and that it should remain a very important part of your overall hotel marketing strategy. In this episode, we go through a very basic SEO checklist that you should pay attention to in 2018. FULL SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-75-seo-finally-dead-2018-listen-find/

TripAdvisor is setting the stage for a year full of changes in 2018. They launched a major new initiative at the very end of 2017 with Sponsored Positions and are now in the process of completely revamping their internal structures. Today we are going to discuss some of the most notable changes we are seeing and what may be on the horizon. SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-74-troubles-tripadvisor/

Hoteliers - If you had one hotel marketing related wish, what would it be? We asked. You responded. Here are some of the best answers we received from hoteliers and industry experts. We break them down and have some fun in the festive episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast. SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-73-hotel-industrys-new-year-wish-list-2018/

In a shameless effort to newsjack the hysteria revolving around the release of Star Wars The Last Jedi, the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast this week is trying to draw comparisons between the galaxy far, far away and hotel marketing. Listen to find out how well we did. SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-72-10-marketing-lessons-hotel-can-learn-star-wars-quotes/

Congratulations on your new hotel or resort adventure! Though inevitably a bit stressful, opening a new property is undoubtedly an exciting task. Of course, you wouldn’t ever build and open your new property and just hope people show up. Rather, you will want to have a marketing plan in place to effectively promote your property in advance to generate interest and demand. FULL SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-71-things-must-hotel-opens/

In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, the Fueligans take a tongue in cheek look at what life would be like if we treated our phone reservations like we treat our website visitors. Let’s face it, a hotel’s website is one of the most important investments a property can make. It influences almost every booking in some form or fashion. And yet, we still live in a world where folks take a set-it-and-forget-it approach to their website. Despite more than 50% of direct bookings coming in online, and the fact that the phone reservations probably originated from the website in the first place, people still spend more time focused on improving their agents performance and neglecting their top sales agent... THE WEBSITE. SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-70-happens-phone-agents-act-like-website/

Reducing friction in the booking process can happen one of two ways. Either you remove the roadblocks and make the booking process more streamlined, or you apply forward pressure through the funnel by using psychology tactics that persuade people to do what you need them to do. That’s what we’ll be discussing in today’s episode. Simple things you can apply to your website and booking engine that will have a dramatic impact on conversion rate and the number of direct bookings. SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-69-5-simple-marketing-psychology-hacks-increase-direct-bookings/

In this week’s episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we break down Booking.com’s top 8 travel predictions for 2018. Looking for inspiration for your 2018 travel? Facilitating reservations for more than 1,500,000 room nights each day, the experts at Booking.com, the global leader in connecting travelers with the widest choice of incredible places to stay, have combined customer insights from over 128 million real guest reviews with research from 19,000 travelers across 26 countries around the world to reveal the biggest travel predictions for 2018. SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-68-top-8-travel-trend-predictions-2018/

What’s worse than bad analytics data? Not knowing you have bad analytics data! Today we are going to cover some common horrifying pitfalls that wreak havoc in your analytics data, making it a bloody mess. SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-67-6-common-analytics-mistakes-may-making/

Does your hotel website and the online shopping experience accurately reflect the on-property experience? Or, are you a cotton headed ninny muggins who tricks unsuspecting guests into staying with you, only to disaapoint them and have them never return to your property? Hopefully you are the former rather than the later. In this Elf-inspired episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we break down some of the biggest mistakes that hotels make by not accurately representing their product and we talk about the consequences that follow. SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-66-hotels-marketing-sit-throne-lies/

All hotels and resorts are striving to make the most out of their marketing dollars. Hotels will spend countless dollars and hours finding the right audience, the right marketing channels and setting the perfect bait to bring in a new guest. Many are great at setting the bait, but fail to make sure the trap will work. That’s what we’re going to discuss on episode 65 of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast. We are going to dive in and determine if you are using the right PMS and right booking engine that will allow your hotel to make the most of your precious marketing dollars. To be honest, switching your booking engine and/or PMS can be a pain in the nether regions. But today we’re going to show you why that pain may be worth it and the phrase “no pain no gain” is very applicable here. FULL SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-65-hotel-right-booking-engine/

Google has defined 4 stages of travel, which encompasses everything from the initial spark in which someone decided they might want to take a trip all the way through the process of a guest sharing their vacation photos and experiences online with friends and family. “I want to get away moments” - dreaming moments “Time to make a plan moments” - planning moments “Let’s book it moments” - booking moments “Can’t wait to explore moments” - experiencing moments In our new guide (available at www.fueltravel.com/advertising/), we combine Google’s travel micro-moments with the traditional sales funnel to help hotel marketers better align advertising platforms and ad offerings with each stage of the travel shopping process. In today’s episode, we’ll discuss the TL;DR version of this whitepaper. (Thought you should still totally download the full version!) SHOW NOTES: www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-64-secrets-to-becoming-a-hotel-advertising-pro/

Why do hotels need a website? Essentially, your website’s job is to close the uncertainty gap, which results in the casual shopper becoming a customer. In order to close the uncertainty gap, your website must anticipate and answer questions that the shopper is likely to have during the research and purchase process. So, why do the vast majority of shoppers not convert to bookers? Conversion rate on a leisure hotel’s website can be 1-5%. Meaning between 95-99% of website visitors are not booking online during that session. If you answer the shoppers questions effectively, you will likely see your conversion rate increase and the number of phone calls you receive decrease. The people who come to your site are obviously interested in your offering. It’s your website’s job to nurture those shoppers into bookers. In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we look at the questions that your hotel website should be answering in order to help your website visitors become loyal guests. SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-63-how-to-make-your-hotel-website-more-effective-by-answering-questions/

Fueligans tend to be nerdy about data and we’re always looking to find new insights that can help shape the marketing strategy for our hotel clients. In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we take a look at 5 recent facts that we’ve stumbled upon and that are influencing our decision making. We look at the data, discuss what it means, and tell you how you can apply this new found knowledge to help drive more direct bookings for your hotel. SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-62-5-unbelievable-hotel-marketing-facts-need-know-act-upon/

As marketers, it’s far too easy for us to rest on our past successes and for us to believe that what worked yesterday will work tomorrow. The reality is that things often change and the truths that we hold close to us may end up holding us back. In our experience, the good marketers are the ones who constantly challenge their preconceptions and seek out ways to disprove conventional wisdom. This episode focuses on 5 myths that we still often hear about hotel marketing. Make sure that you don’t fall foul to them. SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-61-breaking-bad-vertising-top-hotel-marketing-myths-debunked/

This week, we have special guest star, Valerie Castillo from TrustYou on the show to talk to us about an amazing study that they recently published. The study highlights the importance of communicating properly with your guest and how that can have a positive impact on guest satisfaction and online reputation. SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-60-easily-improve-guest-satisfaction-communicating-right-way/

The marketing mix is becoming more and more complex with new opportunities and tools constantly becoming available to hoteliers. Unfortunately, the days are not getting longer so automation and smarter marketing are required to keep your hotel on cutting edge of marketing. In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we are going to dive into how you can save time and improve your ROI on email marketing. Show notes: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-59-smarter-hotel-email-automation-personalization/

Marketing your hotel can be costly, but it doesn’t have to be. In this episode we discuss some free or nearly free methods and marketing tactics that any hotel can employ to drive more awareness and more bookings to their property. SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-58-market-hotel-shoestring-budget/

Stuart recently attended the HITEC 2017 show in Toronto. In this episode, we talk about the overall mood of the industry and give a shout out to some of the stand out vendors who were there. SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-57-missed-hitec-2017/

Having a mobile-first mindset is key to a successful hotel marketing strategy. To get it right, you have to make sure that you’re paying attention to PPC, the local listings, and your organic search results. In this episode, we break down all three and provide some tips and tricks to ensure that you dominate against your hotel competition. SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-56-hotel-can-dominate-serp-mobile-first-world/

In a world of increased competition. Domination by the OTAs and the threat of disruption from DIY hoteliers, hotels have to learn to stand out from the crowd and offer unique value. At Fuel Travel, we believe that investing in the property is the best form of marketing you can do. A better guest experience leads to better online reputation and better word of mouth. This ultimately leads to more bookings and the ability to increase your ADR. In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we look at some unique or fun things that properties are doing to stand out from the crowd. SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-55-set-hotel-apart-unique-amenities/

The email database of any hotel is typically the #1 performing marketing asset available to drive revenue. While email is slightly less effective as it has been due to the growth of other mediums, it does remain one of the sure fire ways of driving bookings when you need them. SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-54-why-are-people-unsubscribing-from-your-hotel-emails/

There’s a lot of talk in the industry right now about attribution modelling and that scares the daylights out of a lot of people because it’s super-complicated. Well, your friends at Fuel are here to help shine a light on the ins and outs of attribution modelling and all of the considerations you should be making. SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-53-everything-hotel-needs-know-attribution-modelling/

We recently published an article that highlighted the tremendous potential of using a mobile-friendly booking engine. In it, we discussed the fact that many hoteliers focus so much attention on their desktop booking experience and they overlook the mobile engine all together. This got us thinking about the mistakes that are often made when it comes to the booking engine on a hotel’s website. In this episode, we discuss some of the common mistakes and offer advice on how to avoid them. FULL SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-52-17-biggest-booking-engine-mistakes-avoid/

Storytelling is all the rage right now, but it's not a fad. In fact, storytelling has been used as a method of communication for thousands of years. It's also a great way for your hotel to create an emotional connection with your guests, increase bookings and increase positive word of mouth exposure. In this episode, we chat with Richard Dunbar from Flip.to about the art and science of storytelling and give practical advice about how hotels can insert compelling stories within their marketing messaging. GET THE FULL SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-51-story-telling-can-get-bookings/

To celebrate one year and 50 episodes of the Fuel Hotel Marketing podcast, we are broadcasting live on Youtube, Facebook and Twitter. This episode is all about our loyal listeners, so we are encouraging everyone who has a burning question related to marketing to submit questions either before or during the show to @fuel travel on Twitter with the hashtag #FuelAMA. That's right, it's an 'Ask Me Anything' episode. WATCH THE VIDEO AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-50-special-live-ask-anything-edition/

We often talk about the importance of testing your hotel website and how it helps improve your conversion rate. In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we discuss how you can take your testing to the next level by using a qualitative testing tool such as UserTesting.com to support your quantitative data.

Let's be honest, Millennials get the blame for so many things. The truth is that those of us who were born before 1980 are simply jealous that the younger generation has it way easier than we do. One of the common criticisms of Millennials is that they are spoiled and they have a send of entitlement. While this may be true, we at the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast don't believe that they are to blame for the increasing demands of today's traveler. We believe that technology is the primary driver and that it's created a society where instant gratification is the norm. Check out the instant gratification timeline and the show notes at: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-48-stop-blaming-millennials-increasing-guest-expectations/

2016 was a year full of fun new surprises for our favorite search engine. Travel, in particular, seems to be a special area of interest for Google as the search engine continued to revamp existing products and roll out brand new travel experiences. In this episode, we discuss the likelihood that Google will bite the hand that feeds it and become a full fledged OTA. Download the Fuel Travel Trends whitepaper from http://www.fueltravel.com/2017-travel-trends/

If you’re thinking about freshening up your hotel website, then you need to listen to this episode first. We recently joined forces with the fine folks at Flip.to to produce an amazing study of leisure travel consumer’s behavior on hotel websites. In this episode, we drill down into some of the key findings and offer advice on improving your hotel website. Download the Fuel & Flip.to Website Behavior Study at www.fueltravel.com/websitestudy/

45 - How To Hire A SEO Consultant For Your Hotel by TravelBoom. The hotel industry's best podcast for practical marketing advice. The BoomSquad are as entertaining as they are informative. A must listen for any hotelier!

In this episode, we take some of the elements from Stuart Butler’s discussion on Direct Booking Strategies for Hotels form the HSMAI Resort Best Practices Initiative Annual Roundtable Meeting. The event was held at the New York Marriott Marquis on Feb 21st, 2017. The topics being discussed were confidential, but Stuart cleared it with the attendees that he could share a small part of the conversation with our lucky podcast listeners. Download the presentation here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1t0Eo8N3g8g37Xgg6m8Bix0115jeYbUuX1l3RLFflcWs/edit#slide=id.g1b1a6b5120_0_6 FULL SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/2017/02/25/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-44-otas-right-hotel-wrong/

Mobile is all the rage and it has been for many years. In fact, your friends at the Fuel hotel Marketing Podcast believe that the hype should have gone away by now. Mobile is no longer a trend, it’s the foundation of your marketing initiatives. In this episode, we discuss this great article from Hotel News Now that give some great advice about how hotels should approach mobile. Before we get started, let’s establish something: “Mobile Tipping Point” in 2014 - More searches now take place on mobile devices versus non-mobile devices. Here’s the original article from Hotel News Now http://hotelnewsnow.com/Articles/113622/5-things-hoteliers-must-know-about-mobile-behaviors FULL SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-43-5-things-hoteliers-must-know-mobile-behaviors/

Content has long been the key to website success. We’re even being told now to create 10X content, but what do you do when you’re struggling to even write your first sentence? In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we solicit the help from one of the industry's best content creators, Cassidy Moore. Cassidy heads up the content team from the best resource on the web for information on Myrtle Beach hotels, MyrtleBeach.com. Check out http://www.myrtlebeach.com/hotels/ FULL SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-42-overcome-writers-block-create-great-content-guest-starring-cassidy-strader/ DOWNLOAD THE 2017 WEBSITE BEHAVIOR STUDY AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/websitestudy/

What happens when the two podcast giants of the hotel industry come together? This is what happens. Check it out. Glenn Haussman, the host of the No Vacancy podcast, may well be the Kevin Bacon of the hotel industry. He’s connected to pretty much everyone is some form or fashion and regularly gets A-listers to open up on his weekly podcast. The Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast is excited to sit down and chat with Glenn about his thoughts and insights into the death of the tradition loyalty program. In this episode, he offers some keen advice for hotels who want to keep up with the ever-changing demands of an ever-changing consumer. You don’t want to miss this episode. Hausman’s in da House! Woot Woot!!! Some fo the topics we discuss: Are loyalty programs dead? How have consumers changed and what are their expectations? What’s all the fuss about millennials? Is it really an age thing or a societal shift? How are properties adapting? What do you think about Hilton’s new loyalty program (pooling points, redeemable on Amazon etc) Who’s getting it right in the industry? Who’s getting it wrong? Should one of independant hotels offer loyalty programs? How does loyalty tie in with online reputation? Shameless plug FULL SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-41-did-millennials-kill-loyalty-programs-guest-starring-glenn-haussman/

In this edition of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast we’ll be reviewing a few of the most effective channels for hotels. What you can take away from this is… You can’t apply the same thought process to all marketing channels, regardless of how similar they appear to be. FULL SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-40-different-advertising-channels-require-different-strategies/

In the second part of a two part episode, Fuel discusses the reasons why 2017 is the year of the hotel guest. GET THE FULL SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-39-2017-year-hotel-guest-part-2/

It's 2017 and it's about time we undertake that time-honored tradition of designating this the year of "something". We've given this a lot of thought hear at Fuel and we've decided that it's about time we put the focus back on the guest. Over the next two episodes of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we lay out our reasons as to why we believe that 2017 is the year of the guest. FULL SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-38-year-hotel-guest-part-1/ ORIGINAL ARTICLE: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/2017-year-hotel-guest/ Tune in next week for part 2.

We recently wrote a blog post, entitled Top 10 Resolutions Your Hotel Should Really Be Making in 2017, in which we compared real-world resolutions to the types of habit that hotel marketers and hotel marketing agencies should be adopting. In this episode, we recap the list and give some additional insights as only your Fueligan friends can. The original article can be found at http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/top-10-resolutions-hotel-really-making-2017/ CHECK OUT THE FULL SHOW NOTES AT:

The Fuel team are big fans of being efficient and productive with our time. We are always looking for new tools that help us market our hotels smarter and more effectively. When we can’t find a tool that satisfies our specific needs, sometimes we create one ourselves. In this episode, we have compiled a list of some of our favorite tools that we use on a frequent basis and unveil a new tool created by our resident Analytics guru, Melissa Kavanagh. FULL SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-36-best-free-hotel-marketing-tools-2017/

There's no doubt that adWords PPC is one of the best and most effective marketing channels available for your hotel.; however, far too many hotels and hotel marketing agencies are making some very avoidable mistakes when managing their campaigns. Learn which one your hotel should avoid in this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast. FULL SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-35-making-top-10-hotel-ppc-mistakes/

In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we discuss a survey conducted by Google via Ipsos in October 2016 to US smartphone users age 18-64. The study had some really interesting data and we dig through it and give you some insight into what it means for you and your hotel. FULL SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-34-people-use-phones-travel-according-google/

Expedia recently launched Rev+, a revenue management tool designed to provide hotel partners with smart, actionable data and insights. As part of Expedia Partner Central (EPC), the company’s partner portal which helps hotels manage their properties and rates, Rev+ brings in new functionality that empowers partners to make smart pricing decisions to optimize their revenue. WE discuss the ins and outs of this awesome new offering in this week's episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast. FULL SHOW NOTES CAN BE FOUND AT:

Your Fueligan friends recently attended the Internet Summit and the HX 2016 shows. In this episode, we discuss our takeaways from each and also announce a special guest for next week’s episode. FULL SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-32-learned-internet-summit-hx-2016/

Links from other websites to your own hotel website are the foundation of good search ranking, but they also play an important role in exposing new people to your property. A hotel’s goal should be to have a wide and varied link profile from all manner of sources. In this episode, we discuss ways that a hotel can earn links the right way as well as some pitfalls to avoid. FULL SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-31-build-links-like-boss-hoteliers-simple-guide-link-building/

Your hotel website is the cornerstone of your hotel’s success. It’s the focal point of your marketing efforts, the virtual front lobby to your property and the battleground upon which you will win or lose against your competition and the OTAs. We talk a lot on the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast about what you should be doing. This episode focuses on the things you should not be doing on your website. There are certainly more than the 10 that we discuss. FULL SHOW NOTES: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-30-hotel-making-top-10-website-mistakes/ Show Note Summary: 1. Poor quality photography 2. Slow load time/image file size too large 3. Not mobile-friendly 4. Default Titles/META descriptions 5. Non-integrated booking engine 6. Sending people out to social media pages/video content or review sites 7. Conversion dead ends (ie: news page with no CTA) 8. Not designing the site for the audience 9. The ‘NASCAR’ effect 10. Not owning your site ======================== Follow on Twitter: @fueltravel @stuartbutler @pdimaio @pforiska @makavanagh

Some of your Fueligan friends attended the first ever Travel Digital Marketing Summit hosted by Leonardo this week. We thought it would be fun to discuss some of the best takeaways from the summit and give our listeners the TL;DW version. FULL SHOW NOTES CAN BE FOUND AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-29-travel-digital-marketing-summit-recap/ THE PRESENTERS WERE: Leonardo - Joey Egan Sojern - (Meisha forgot his name. Sorry) Flip.to - Edward St. Onge Triptease - Charlie Osmond SiteMinder - David Chestler TrustYou - Ellis Connolly In The News: Kayak testing new short term rentals feature http://qz.com/816755/pricelines-pcln-kayak-is-quietly-offering-a-new-feature-for-short-term-apartment-and-home-rentals-as-it-tries-to-compete-with-airbnb/ Expedia Adding Home Away Inventory http://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Technology/Expedia-on-cusp-of-integrating-HomeAway-rentals-into-hotel-searches Airbnb suing NY over new short term rental regulations http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/22/technology/new-york-passes-law-airbnb.html?_r=1 New Hotel Price Ads Format Live https://www.tnooz.com/article/google-tests-single-hotel-deal-search/

For some hotels, Cyber Monday may be the single largest volume booking day of the entire year. Is your property taking part in this phenomenal opportunity? In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we discuss the ways that your hotel can maximize the impact of this crazy shopping fever by preparing properly and making sure you have the right messaging and the right timing on the right platforms. In The News: InterContinental Hotels launches podcast series http://digiday.com/brands/marketing-content-driven-intercontinental-hotels-launches-podcast/ What Google’s New Mobile Search Index Means For Travel (Last week’s announcement that Google will create separate indexes for mobile and desktop results— and will be treating mobile as the primary index — is the inevitable conclusion of the company’s protracted pivot towards becoming a “mobile-first” search engine) https://www.tnooz.com/article/google-mobile-search-index-travel/ U.S. Travelers Think Booking Direct With Brands Leads to Better Prices https://skift.com/2015/06/29/survey-u-s-travelers-think-booking-direct-with-brands-lead-them-to-better-prices/ ======================== Show Notes: Why is It such a big opportunity? People are conditioned to actively look for deals 40% of shoppers are looking for travel deals (according to Google) Purse Strings are loosest and people are wanting to spend their money It’s becoming a habit for many people and a bragging opportunity to tell people how much you saved. From the hotel’s perspective, it gets reservations on the books and allows you to yield rates more aggressively and drive a higher ADR. Pre-Game Prep Collect Emails Tell people that it’s coming (prime the pump) Develop retargeting lists through adWords and Facebook Get all of your creative work done well ahead of time so that you can be nimble during the actual sale Staff your phones appropriately Timing Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday or perhaps even earlier Duration: 1 day, multiple days? Should you extend it will a slightly reduced deal? Sneak peeks on certain platforms or for certain people? Monitor the local competition and try to get out ahead of them or provide more value. Messaging Make sure it’s a good offer (at least 30%) Or create great value by adding freebies Don’t just jack the rates to show a bigger discount Make it exclusive (Lowest offer of the year) and stick to it! Make them feel exclusive and special Personalize Consider limiting inventory to add urgency Use a countdown clock Platforms Social Media Email Website Paid Advertising/Retargeting lists Final thoughts: Think long-term. Offer great value. Be consistent. Stick to your word. Also, consider smaller flash sales throughout the year. Trends - have we reached saturation and a point of diminishing returns? Mobile ======================== Question of the week: Amit asks, “can E-commerce principles be applied to hospitality with 1click up-sell at room booking confirmation page?” ======================== Follow on Twitter: @fueltravel @stuartbutler @marketingmeisha @makavanagh

AirBNB seems to be everywhere in the media right now. Will this industry disruptor spell certain doom for the hotel industry, or are there lessons that hoteliers can learn from this innovative start-up that can help them drive more business and build customer loyalty? Let’s all join hands and discuss in this week’s episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast. GET FULL SHOW NOTES AT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-27-airb-n-bust-what-hotels-can-learn-from-the-worlds-biggest-travel-disruptor/

Hoteliers, and marketers in general, think the conversion process ends once a booking takes place. This thought process is not only wrong, but it is costing you in lost revenue. Why? Because once a person converts once, they are much more likely to convert again. On top of that, it is 5 Times more cost effective to retain current guests than find new ones. In today’s podcast we’re going to cover an excellent article from CopyHackers.com with tips, tricks, and hard data on making your thank you pages convert your guests a second time. FOR FULL SHOW NOTES AND THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE, VISIT: http://www.fueltravel.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-26-converting-conversion-making-thank-pages-work/ https://copyhackers.com/2016/09/thank-you-pages-ret