Weekly Roundup: Travel, Tech and Social Media
Happy Friday once again, fellow readers! We're back with this week's best stories on travel, tech and social media. This week's edition has everything you need: tips from LHW on how to best target the "curious traveler", ways in which hotels can leverage big data in order to make guests happier, why it's time to shift focus from Millennials to the next generation of travelers and a lot more. Take a look!
Hope you enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!
Industry News
Marriott and Starwood Shareholders Approve Merger to Become World's Largest Hotel Company
Anbang, who? We thought this day might never come, but here we are: Marriott and Starwood are now just a few months away from becoming the world’s largest hotel company.
Hyatt CEO Interview: Bigger Isn't (Always) Better and Loyalty Is More Than Points
As anyone in media knows right now, scale is not always the solution and confidence in what you do well is rarely a bad idea. Hyatt’s rethink of both loyalty beyond points and branding beyond the nightly stay will help it differentiate its product.
Starwood Hotels Transforms Social Influencers into Travel Agents
Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ Tribute Portfolio brand has partnered with shopping platform LiketoKnow.it, enabling travelers to browse social influencers’ curated content on Instagram, tap a photo and receive a link via email to book a stay at a featured property.
Marriott, Hilton, Mandarin Oriental Among the Most Digitally Adept Hotel Brands
Being a digital savvy hotel brand goes beyond just having a social media account. Brands that truly understand digital brand strategy in all its forms, from mobile and SEO to social and e-commerce, have the upper hand as more and more consumers demand these platforms and services.
How Leading Hotels Targets the "Curious Traveler"
Last year, Leading Hotels Worldwide contracted the MMGY Global marketing firm to survey 1,500 luxury travelers between the ages of 25 to 64 in the U.S., Germany and Japan to understand what’s driving purchasing behavior among experienced, upscale travelers. Based on the results of that survey, LHW identified its target guest as the “Curious Traveler,” who relies on his or her own devices, and relishes that process, to explore a destination in a spontaneous way.
Trends and Insights
What Is Really Important When Investing in Guests
At ITB Berlin 2016 TrustYou’s co-founder and CEO, Benjamin Jost, participated in a panel discussion debating if loyalty programs still make sense and what is really important when it comes to investing in guests. Check out the full panel conversation below.
For Any Travel Query, Facebook Messenger Thinks There's a Bot for that
Facebook Messenger may appeal to businesses because it has a pre-existing connection with more than 900 million people a month. No additional app is required for customers to interact. In recent months, KLM became the first airline to use Messenger to provide boarding passes and customer service. Overnight, after the channel opened, questions directed at the airline jumped by 40%.
Is It Time to Move on From Millennials and Put Some Thought to Gen Z?
When you think about how much time and column inches are given over to marketing to Millennials, perhaps it is time to start thinking about the next generation.
How Hotels Can Compete for Revenue against the Growing Threat of Airbnb
Hotels that are aware of the increased value-consciousness of travelers may better hold market share against the Airbnb threat if value added features, creative bundling and rate parity are strategically executed and marketed.
Can Big Data Help Us Travel Better?
There are hundreds of hotel booking sites online. They all have their own method of matching customers with options. There are basic options, like how many bedrooms for less than $200, and users will still end up searching through several pages before finding the right offer. Generic offers and bad results may be a thing of the past with big data. Travelers only care about having a good trip, and companies leveraging big data are going to make customers very happy.
