In this schizophrenic booking environment, it's more important than ever to analyze your booking process to understand where your reservations are coming from, and where opportunities to generate more business exist. At HEDNA's Winter Conference, we not only agreed that the voice reservations channel was not dead, but also laughed that there may be an opportunity to sell rooms for mobile through iTunes since the payment mechanism already exists. Simultaneously, we're seeing reports of consumers fleeing the online booking process for the security of their travel agent, while monthly data from Pegasus shows revenue through the leisure channel setting records from growth over 2009. READ MORE

Hospitality marketers are increasingly recognizing the importance of a cross-channel approach to guest communications -- orchestrated across direct mail, email, mobile marketing and web. But if we can't do everything right away (and all at once) what marketing channel offers the fastest and surest return on incremental marketing investment? Within a cross-channel framework, email is clearly the most effective guest communication tool in the hospitality marketers' toolbox. In this article, I focus on the foundational building blocks of effective email marketing - list building and "housekeeping" maintenance - and how they can have a direct impact on campaign effectiveness. READ MORE

In a highly competitive hospitality and tourism market, consumers are becoming more selective and demanding while choosing accommodation and its products. Under these circumstances the consumer relies on grading of the establishment to make a right choice. While the star system of grading is recognized universally, the system is not administered consistently at an international level. This means there is inconsistency in interpreting what grading means in different countries. READ MORE

Gone are the days when it's enough for a hotel to simply create a Facebook page and never look back. In the third of a five part series on social media for the hospitality industry, the Knowland Group's CEO, Mike McKean, demonstrates how to build a meaningful presence on Facebook. Today the social networking giant has been embraced by more than 500 million users across the world, from young professionals to politicians and corporate CEOs to soccer moms. McKean explains how hotels can take advantage of the tremendous opportunity to reach this audience by making their page stand out and keeping fans coming back. READ MORE

Accurate pricing has been shown to be the fastest and most effective way to increase profit across the hospitality sector, but even with a rising amount of information about pricing and increasingly sophisticated technology, few hotels appear executing it well. While setting a price for a room or service may seems like a simple decision, it is also inherently complex and not without its risks. However, if you get these decisions right, a successful pricing strategy can be one of the most significant, positive profit-impacting decisions your hotel can make. READ MORE