Marketing

🏨 Written by Debiprasad Sarangi on Sep 8, 2017, the article discusses the complexities of hotel management, emphasizing the diverse expectations of guests and the multifaceted decisions hoteliers must make to meet those needs.

💸 Marketing strategies can boost business revenue by up to 25%, while companies with strong brand loyalty see a 3-7% revenue increase over competitors. A luxury hotel with no visibility fails to attract guests, highlighting the importance of marketing for direct bookings and customer retention. Effective marketing includes a mobile-optimized website, high-quality visuals, and genuine reviews. Multi-channel communication can lead to 9x more conversions, and selling to an existing customer has a 60-70% success rate compared to 5-20% for new prospects. Retention strategies are cost-effective, potentially 7 times less expensive than acquiring new guests.

📢 Debiprasad Sarangi published an article on November 9, 2017, discussing the "hotel direct booking war" and the determination of hotel owners to increase their property's direct bookings.

📈 Google retains third-party cookies in Chrome, impacting the digital ad industry. Google's stock rose 3.8% after the announcement. The Trade Desk, LiveRamp, and Yahoo are potential winners, with LiveRamp's stock increasing over 7%. SSPs like PubMatic and Magnite could benefit from enhanced ID signals and contextual insights. Open web publishers, including Vox Media and Newsweek, may see sustained revenue streams. Criteo, while avoiding a $40 million loss, faces sunk costs in Privacy Sandbox investments. Privacy advocates and consumers are likely losers, missing out on promised enhanced privacy protections.

🏡 In Yen Bai Province, Northern Vietnam, the Banyan Group opened Garrya Mu Cang Chai, a new resort in the iconic Mu Cang Chai region, celebrated for its mountain landscapes and rice terraces. The resort covers 6.5 hectares, providing 110 rooms, suites, and villas with panoramic views. Room sizes range from 30 to 154 square meters, featuring bamboo accents and brocade motifs. Facilities include the 8LEMENTS Spa, Hydro Wellbeing Area, ReCharge Gym, and an 8-metre-high bamboo ballroom. The resort is accessible from Hanoi by a six-hour drive and is located over 300 kilometers north of the city.

🏨 Most hotel bookings originate from Online Travel Agencies (OTAs), especially during peak season. Reliance on OTAs can cause panic when their performance dips, leading to immediate OTA rate changes or promotions. Repeat customers often rebook through OTAs despite previous direct stays. OTA ads overshadow brand keyword searches, with no direct marketing, training, or technological advancement plans in place. Commission costs for OTAs are triple those of direct booking investments. Hotel teams depend on OTA tools rather than enhancing their technology, and marketing strategies are often speculative. Over-reliance on OTAs may undermine confidence, strategic planning, and career advancement. Four key areas of OTA dependency are highlighted, indicating it's not only about the commission expenses.

🏨 Written by Debiprasad Sarangi on April 20, 2014, the article touches on the behind-the-scenes efforts required to maintain a glamorous hotel experience, highlighting the importance of room service and amenities in providing a tranquil stay for guests.

💸 OTA undercutting is not only a pricing issue but also a marketing problem, with SHR research indicating a 47% increase in cost-per-click and a 36% higher expense than hotels with a direct rate advantage. The competition for branded search terms intensifies when OTAs bid higher in paid ads due to lower rates. The consequences include higher ad costs, lower conversion rates, and reduced marketing budgets. Despite some hoteliers believing they are not OTA-dependent, underlying dependencies may still affect their marketing power.

💾 STAAH’s Channel Manager offers real-time OTA synchronization and pooled inventory, aiming to eliminate hoteliers' challenges such as manual updates, rate disparities, and overbookings. Its features include instant rate plan and promotion push across OTAs, an intuitive interface for easy channel mapping, and built-in analytics for data-driven decisions. Properties worldwide use STAAH for distribution and revenue management.