Expedia recently published an article providing 5 tips on how hotels can convert OTA traffic into bookings. Take better photos (and videos) of your property. Protect against the pressure to offer last-minute discounts. Work with your market manager to utilize market insight and help build...

Is there such a thing like Smart Hotels? Hotels around the world are using technology in new ways, with the goal of speeding up or personalizing more services for guests. Instead of the staff at the front desk offering advice on where to go for dinner, guests may be lent an iPad loaded with...

Online travel firms query mobile return on investment. What about hotels?  Should they focus on mobile web and a mobile booking engine or creating a hotel mobile application? At a conference last week, TripAdvisor revealed that there are many challenges with mobile, not least getting people...

Revenue management today is at the cutting edge and must be closely aligned across all aspects of a travel business. This requires people with traditional technical skill, an understanding of the markets they operate in and, not least, a willingness to challenge the status quo. Do Think more...

Facebook is hard at work to deliver and prove value to advertisers. Its recent announcements about third-party data integration in ad targeting and offline conversion tracking are all part of that. And today, Facebook is introducing a new way to bid for ads on the site, on a cost-per-action...

Google and Facebook are racing to expand their empires into the next frontier for them — the travel industry. They want to influence how consumers select places to spend their vacations and how destinations sell themselves to prospective customers. Two social-media giants are salivating over...

The iPad has revolutionized the way many travelers work and relax in hotels since Apple started selling it three years ago. USA Today asked travelers and hoteliers to identify the top ways that the iPad and tablet computers have changed the lodging experience. So, with the device’s...

TripAdvisor®, Inc. today announced it has acquired Jetsetter.com, a leading members-only private sale site for hotel bookings.  The Jetsetter brand will continue to operate out of New York City and will be incorporated into Smarter Travel Media. “Jetsetter is an outstanding brand and I...

Many Revenue Manager find themselves worshipping daily at the altar of Rate Parity. This means that their core value is rate parity and everything else falls in place after that. For example, I have seen articles written that start with the assumption that, “Of course you need to have...

While Google Flight Search covers the far corners of the Earth, many of the people who live in those corners haven’t had a similar option to explore the world of air travel. Google is taking at least a small step toward ending that discrepancy with a fresh expansion to Europe....

Vine is a new mobile app that lets you create and share short looping videos. Think Instagram but with video. Learn how your brand could use Vine, get some tips and tricks and get vining! Twitter launched Vine, its mobile service that lets users create and share six-second looping videos,...

In everyday life, most people don’t want to be bothered late at night. But the opposite seems to be true when it comes to email. According to a Q4 2012 analysis by Experian CheetahMail of its North American clients’ email campaigns, emails sent late at night outperformed emails sent any other...

he global hotel industry delivered another solid performance in February 2013, according to Pegasus Solutions. Global bookings and rates in the month rivaled or outperformed February 2012, and year-to-date bookings for both the leisure and corporate channels surpassed prior years through...

The rise of smartphone and tablet usage has given way to an undeniable truth: The internet is mobile. This shift has led to a simple reality for hotels in their efforts to attract more guests. A mobile optimized presence is no longer an option for hotels; it’s an absolute necessity. Download...

Hotels used to try to keep guests indoors at their bars, restaurants and spas. Now they’re dragging them outside. Hotels are taking their concierge role to a new level, offering tailored experiences that expose guests to the history, foods and attractions of the community surrounding...

For frequent flyers and business travelers, the last few weeks have brought discouraging news. Amid ever-increasing belt-tightening trends, several hotel chains and a major airline have decided to scale back on customer loyalty programs, sparking anger among many customers. “The broad point...

Hospitality managers are charged with making strategic and proactive decisions to increase occupancy rates and total revenue for their properties. Applying a systematic process to such decision-making can increase their success. This five-course certificate series in hotel revenue management,...

GLOBAL REPORT—As hoteliers increase their sales focus on direct bookings, many are relying on rank-and-file employees, such as front-desk staff and reservations agents, to accomplish that goal. “We have always encouraged our employees, and especially front-desk people, to motivate...

REPORT FROM THE U.S.—Jonathan Crellin is proud of the Boston Harbor Hotel’s 5-star status. Awarded by Forbes Travel Guide, the badge of success required years of determination and diligence to achieve—a conscious effort to satisfy the critical eye of an anonymous evaluator who grades more...

GetThere entered a distribution agreement with HRS, Germans leading corporate hotel provider. Hotels affiliated to HRS will be available by the end of April to GetThere’s global corporate customers no matter what global distribution system they use. HRS, the leading German hotel portal...