Hraba Hospitality Consulting

Here’s something interesting…. and for my money, you might want to start focusing on Google vs Amazon in Travel, as the past fades away.  I understand that Amazon Local is angled as a coupon site right now. I do understand that. But they have Living Social, and endless experiences that tell them they need to compete on a bigger playing field.

This is a great article about Google’s - Maps, Flight, Hotel, Restaurant, Transit, Events, Packages, Places, Nearby Attractions / Photo Spots. It leaves out social, which I have chatted about before. Before you smirk about Google Plus, it’s gaining users… but that’s not the whole of it.(click for more) (more…)

To the savviest of hotel marketers, this will sound outdated, because these savvy people (who likely aren’t even aware of their own savviness) have simply been using Tripadvisor forums for years as a way to celebrate surrounding community, and bolster business and brand name.  These are owners of small inns in remote areas that would always act like the local concierge – whether it’s a guest of your hotel or not.  The old world of hospitality was that a concierge or desk agent was a respite in a foreign place, and hospitality was imbued into staff so they will help anyone, and treat people the same, across the board.  It’s in our nature to help people with directions, information, or answer questions.  If a stranger needed help, we wouldn’t turn them away. We would help them as if they were a guest, hoping they might return to us someday, simply because of how we do business.

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Something exciting (finally) at Hi-Tec via @Tnooz

My thoughts about big data in hospitality:

First, I read this tweet yesterday, after having titled this “Big Data”, and it gave me pause:

“As a technology descriptor, Big Data is about as caveman as it gets — so broad and ambigous that it is better grunted than spoken.”

This is true. But “Big Data” will still be used, and it’s a commentary on the stage we are it…. labeling things something ambiguous because we haven’t even begun to understand it. Yet vendors rush to monetize it, for a number of industries that don’t yet have the capacity to truly understand it.  I question whether those who peddle big data are truly understanding of it, themselves.  What’s more, I would love to ask each individual consumer data group that uses data to monetize end users one simple question: “Do you have a corporate standard of ethics in regards to how you leverage or extapolate datas?” (click for more) (more…)

Facebook: to see the strength and value in your site, we need to understand how we are using it in relation to our fans who have liked us.  Please let us see who has “liked” us, but also hidden our updates and news feed content.  It will only bolster interaction, the strength of connections, and reduce equity sucking clutter and spam. If you grant us access to that metric, we will be better positioned to maximize value and improve the network between users and brands. Read more: (more…)