Despite all the recent hype around influencer marketing, it is really nothing new. In fact, I ran my first influencer marketing campaign for a large brand in 2006. We did not call it influencer marketing, it was called blogger outreach, but the premise was the same. We developed relationships with bloggers who had a large following and wrote about our niche. In this particular case, it was about cars. At the time the goal was to increase awareness. Our efforts were similar to a traditional media pitch and blogs were seen as “new media.” READ MORE

If hoteliers want a lesson regarding how drastically dining trends have evolved over the past 40 years, they need to look no further than the history of Howard Johnson's. A welcome respite for vacationing families and interstate road warriors in the mid-20th century, those orange-domed waystations dotted nearly every highway across the country. At HoJo's zenith, the chain numbered than 1,000 restaurants and 500 motor lodges. READ MORE

Getting top rankings on Google and the other search engines is the prime marketing objective for hotels. Insight into the logic of Google's madness is a must. While no one pretends to know their secret algorithms, a qualified social media professional understands how to achieve the objective on page one. While everyone agrees getting high on the search rankings is key in today's Internet driven environment, why do so many hotels miss the boat? The reason is clear: hoteliers must understand that integrating the PR and SEO functions into your marketing programs at the outset is the answer to making this happen. This article explains how to achieve those high rankings and optimize your SEO capability. READ MORE

In the age of social media and connected devices, companies have the ability to know more about current or prospective customers than ever before. In the highly competitive global hotel industry, this gives properties the opportunity to cater to their clientele more efficiently and more personally than was previously imaginable. Mobile applications can also facilitate faster and more seamless communication both on hotel property and when guests are out exploring. The mass adoption of smart phones and mobile applications, are giving way to a new generation of data-driven and on-demand personal touch, delivered directly to your smart phone. READ MORE

Roughly 20 years ago, investors placed their bets on a variety of technology providers, expecting them to reshape the travel industry. And in the years since, Expedia, Priceline, TripAdvisor and others have done just that. You live in an environment largely shaped by these travel giants. The challenges hotel executives routinely recount in conversations with peers and the press — the increasing cost of distribution, the tyranny of guest reviews, the rapid pace of technological change — can be attributed directly to activities driven by guests and enabled by online travel providers. READ MORE