VTV Channel - A Vlog focusing on Hotel Merchandising Online » Travel Planning http://vtv.vfmleonardo.com Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:22:14 +0000 en hourly 1 7 Steps to Successful Travel eBusiness – A Holistic Approach http://vtv.vfmleonardo.com/7-steps-to-successful-travel-ebusiness-a-holistic-approach/ http://vtv.vfmleonardo.com/7-steps-to-successful-travel-ebusiness-a-holistic-approach/#comments Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:00:55 +0000 VFM Leonardo http://vtv.vfmleonardo.com/?p=808 In the past, the focus of using the internet to plan travel used to be all about booking. Now, it has transitioned to a shop, look, book perspective, resulting in a much more sophisticated online travel experience. In this episode, Robert Cole the Founder of RockCheetah, explains his holistic approach to successful travel eBusiness and how to reach and engage guests at each of the seven stages in the travel planning process:

1. Inspiration
2. Research
3. Planning
4. Validation
5. Booking
6. Travel
7. Sharing

]]> http://vtv.vfmleonardo.com/7-steps-to-successful-travel-ebusiness-a-holistic-approach/feed/ 2 The Role of OTAs in the Travel Planning Process http://vtv.vfmleonardo.com/the-role-of-otas-in-the-travel-planning-process/ http://vtv.vfmleonardo.com/the-role-of-otas-in-the-travel-planning-process/#comments Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:00:16 +0000 VFM Leonardo http://vtv.vfmleonardo.com/?p=815 Travel shoppers use online travel agencies (OTAs) more for research and comparison than booking. Although OTA market share is small, hotel listings on OTAs influence a much larger share of transactions. Hotels that are listed on OTAs see increased reservations on their own sales channels (call centers, booking engines, etc.).

In this episode, Chris Anderson, Assistant Professor at Cornell School of Hotel Administration explains  additional factors that influence conversions:
- Page positioning
- Advertisements
- Competitive offers

Basically, the better you merchandise your hotel on OTAs, the greater your conversion factor will be.

]]> http://vtv.vfmleonardo.com/the-role-of-otas-in-the-travel-planning-process/feed/ 16 The Role of Opaque Sites in the Travel Planning Process http://vtv.vfmleonardo.com/the-role-of-opaque-sites-in-the-travel-planning-process/ http://vtv.vfmleonardo.com/the-role-of-opaque-sites-in-the-travel-planning-process/#comments Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:00:50 +0000 VFM Leonardo http://vtv.vfmleonardo.com/?p=688 Opaque bidding mechanisms are particularly attractive to value-seeking, non-brand loyal consumers who want 4 and 4 ½ star accommodations but don’t want to pay retail rates. Sites like Priceline and Hotwire that have opaque mechanisms offer hoteliers an opportunity to price into this segment while maintaining higher rates at retail outlets. Leveraging these sites typically results in improved RevPAR.

Tips on getting started with opaque sites:
- Start using them as soon as possible
- Give higher rates with restricted inventory
- Use them day-of or day-before

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