Our independent hotels are a really great outlier, as the majority of our hotels do not use OTA, and are 100% direct. What *are* & *should be* direct bookings get siphoned into different ecosystems, whether a legit bait and switch, or just being swallowed by the black hole of Google. Our metasearch has done wonders,…

Read More

So, the buzzwords and gossip talk for hotel marketing is that people want authentic, personalized experiences, and itineraries that match their mood or proclivities. It seems the rancor for packages (not from guests, but from PR and Marketing) are falling out of favor for finely tuned itineraries that meet people in their own idiom, style,…

Read More

So we know there’s “Hacker-Fares” on Kayak. Not too big a deal, considering that airlines are a commodity, and they don’t care if you book one way, round trip, etc.  They’ve got their game, and you can play by it, or fly another airline.  Kayak realized that, and created a service for users that further…

Read More

These things have come so far. these will be TVs, billboards that direct NFC advertise to guests, or provide personalized information (or both), coupled with being moving art, and then simply a mirror.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApG4sw0sK0U small demo   insanely

As many of you know, I’m a partner at Waterford Hotels & Inns, but maintain this blog to wax on the industry and trends.  I don’t often pat myself on the back, but it’s not just me… it’s my partners, our