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Designing Responsively

There are plenty of great articles about responsive design, so I don’t intend on repeating what’s already out there. But I’m finding there’s a lack of material geared for people outside of the web industry. And because we’re fielding a …

3 days in Dubai: Looking back on the Luxury Hospitality Summit

After back-to-back red-eye flights, I found myself in Dubai for 3 days. I would have stayed longer, but Canadians are on a short leash due a disagreement between Air Canada and Emirates Airlines. Travelling alone inevitably leaves time for some good old fashioned tourism. So, between meetings, I set out to see the Dubai I had seen on YouTube; the world’s tallest building, the 7-star hotel, the Palm Jumeirah, the man-made islands shaped like the world (almost) and of course, the indoor ski-hill (which was, for a Vancouverite, equally hilarious and sad).

Thoughts from South Africa

I was recently in South Africa on a discovery trip for a new client, Singita. They are headquartered in Cape Town with more than a dozen properties across South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. Here are some thoughts I had during the trip.

Luxury hospitality and the social mobile web

Social is a highly effective marketing channel for hotels; no marketer worth his or her salt will tell you otherwise. Social is even more effective for boutique, luxury hospitality brands. However, by the same token, social can be exponentially more destructive to luxury brand equity if not handled properly. This article helps luxury, boutique hoteliers see the social web from a new perspective, provide insights on building a strategy that is unique to their story, and explore media that are consistent with their message.

13 web trends for boutique hotels in 2013

Around this time, our hotel friends start putting together their marketing plan for the upcoming year; budgets are assigned, revenue goals are set and partnerships come under review. To help spur on productive discussions and to make sure our clients look good, we’ve put together a list of 13 important web trends for the hospitality industry in 2013.

The list is by no means exhaustive. If you notice any glaring omissions, you’re more than welcome to add your thoughts in the comments section below.

1. Direct bookings are king

In 2010, American hotels spent an estimated $2.7 billion on OTA commissions (source). Now, as commission rates continue to rise, hotel owners are looking at any and all ways to increase direct bookings. To achieve this goal, it’s imperative that the site conveys the advantages of being the hotel’s customer, rather than the OTA’s. Hotels that invest in their website with the goal of increasing direct bookings, will achieve a greater return (higher margin booking). As Stephen explains, hotel websites are still the primary research method for travellers, which means your job is to find ways of improving direct conversions.