Tripadvisor has insight from both travelers and hoteliers. In this episode, Karen Plumb, Commercial Director at Tripadvisor shares her perspective on what hoteliers need to do to meet the demands of travelers.

Watch now to learn:

-          What amenities travelers expect from hotels today

-          What travelers want to know before booking

-          Top offers that appeal to travelers

John McAuliffe, VFM Leonardo’s Chief Marketing Officer moderates this dynamic discussion that explores social media for hotels from all sides of the story — a leading social media company, a social media and hotel marketing consultant and a hotel property level marketer.

Guest Speakers:

• Jake Furst, foursquare
• Daniel Edward Craig, Hospitality Consultant
• Lori Fitzgerald, High Peaks Resort

You will learn:

• Why to invest time and money in social media
• What travel shoppers want on social media
• Which social networks are most effective and why

“Really having a grasp of what is going on around you as you can see it through the various tool that are available. By that I mean, what is your competition up to? What are you key sources of business up to? Where is the business going? What rates are they paying? What are they saying about you? and being not only able to keep up with it but actively manage that information that information that you have available.”

“think about a hotel, there are so many stories to tell, so many good stories. There is a good story about the service, there is a good story about the restaurant, and there is a good story about the staff and the rooms. So how do I make sure that all these great stories are available on the web? By catching the unique angels off the property and then the different hotel rooms available at different rates. You need a clear analysis and distinction of potential target groups. If you don’t do that your lost and the customer will not find the right rate to book and will not be willing to pay the higher amount for the room. A PhoCusWright survey from Dec 2009 showed that buyers are becoming increasingly demanding, so they are shopping for hotels that clearly reflect their personal needs and perception of their values. The hoteliers have to make sure to present those very important needs to the customer and to make sure those are presented on the web and other points of sale. “

“You have to really try to market the complete value of the experience that you are giving to the person that is staying in your hotel. It always amazes me that when I go onto a hotel branded website and I say I am going to stay at XYZ hotel for an event that I am attending, the lack of communication the hotel has with me with really explaining to me the full richness of offerings they have on their property. A simple fix by saying “hey we have got a DVD player in the room, bring your DVD’s” is something that can help right away. Something real small, and there are a lot of little tricks like that, that hoteliers can do.”

“Essentially you don’t get the opportunity to tell the whole story with social media, particularly with Twitter, you’ve got 140 characters, and you can’t tell the story of your hotel brand. The idea there is really to come up with hooks that grab the reader and make them click to find out more information which allows you to provide a little bit more of the story and ultimately you are leading them to click that book now button!”

“Listen to them in person, listen to them through the mail, through email, listen through social media, both direct messages and also what people are having conversations about on broader topics such as, your city or your segment in the industry. It is all about listening this is what differentiates mediocre social media and new media performance from the rock stars out there. People who really succeed are those who are listening. Set up a listening program first regardless of what your investment is. This is free and a very very low cost of how way to get engaged, but start out with listening. “

“By 2015 more people will access internet on mobile smart devices than computers. Think about what’s going on, you have mobility, you have internet access, you have a camera and a video, you have a compass, you have a GPS. So if your hotel marketing organization hasn’t said, “how can we exploit the intersection of user generated content, knowing where you are with visualization” then you are just not being good marketers because you are skipping the obvious trends that’s why you need to keep track of trends. “

“Take the time to create a story, get your staff together and the sky is the limit! You can be so creative here for example, is your hotel centered around its location, is that what drives people there? Is it the surrounding community or the culture? Is it based on music or the arts somehow? Is it a tech savvy hotel or is it an Eco-conscious green hotel? There really is just no end to what the possibilities are, but you need to get that message across and again make sure everybody is on board with that. Define it, share it and start online so you can garner those hotel guests.”