Marketing

🛫 Jet2 CEO Steve Heapy emphasized the shift back to an early booking market during the company's conference in Paphos, Cyprus. He cited the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel and its effect on bookings as a catalyst for a prevalent late market in 2024. Heapy stressed the difficulty in cancelling booked holidays and the importance of filling aircraft, even if it means dropping prices. To ensure certainty and reduce risk, Jet2holidays is now focusing its marketing on summer 2025, targeting family bookings.

🏨 In November 2024, Hotelogix published an article on selecting the best channel managers for hotel businesses. The article aimed to guide hoteliers through optimizing their distribution strategy and increasing bookings with leading channel management software. No specific statistical data or numbers are provided in the text.

🏠 OTA Oojo, part of Trevolution Group, expanded to Germany as its first European market outside the UK, leveraging its digital platform and 20+ years of experience. Partnering with Kayak, Oojo taps into Germany's sizeable, digitally-savvy travel sector, aiming to meet high service quality standards. Oojo offers a tech-driven, independent travel planning experience, supported by Kayak's network including Swoodoo, Momondo, and Checkfelix.

💸 Bedsonline, of the HBX Group, launches Bedsonline Rewards to replace Star Rewards in some markets. New tier-based loyalty program offers points for purchases, with a 2,000-point bonus for new agents. Tiers from Bronze level provide escalating benefits. Redeemable rewards include Amazon and other vouchers or Bedsonline vouchers. Initial rollout in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands, with Europe to follow soon. Bertrand Sava, managing director, emphasizes flexibility and value for agents' personal and professional benefits.

🏗️ The Standard is introducing its second U.S. branded residence, The Standard Residences, Brickell, in Miami's Financial District in collaboration with Newgard Development Group and Two Roads Development. Located at One Brickell Riverfront, the 45-story luxury building will feature 422 residences, ranging from 500 to 1,100 square feet. Amenities include a rooftop pool and lounge, a 10th-floor spa and fitness room, and a signature restaurant. Sales are led by ONE Sotheby’s International Realty's Development Division.

💸 STAAH Vouchers provides a customizable platform for hoteliers to increase revenue and guest loyalty through gift vouchers. Best practices include creating a dedicated pathway and landing page, localizing content, cross-channel promotion, secure checkout processes, and making redemption seamless with features like QR codes and integration with loyalty programs or PMS. Platforms like STAAH Vouchers enable hotels to easily incorporate gift vouchers into their sales strategy.

🍴 Restaurant catering has outpaced industry growth by 50%, with both large chains and independent establishments like Mario's Pizzeria and Porano augmenting their services. A report by Channel Media Group reveals 90% of businesses plan to cater from local restaurants during holidays. Killer Burger partnered with ezCater, presenting a "Killer Box" with 12 burgers, while Asian Box's catering, vital for profitability, returned to 2019 levels. Angry Chickz launched catering, seeing it as an opportunity for growth and brand loyalty. World Wrapps' early sales can reach $1,000-$5,000, significantly impacting ROI. Catering sales could increase by 30% with office occupancy rising from 33% to 50%.