Mobile has changed the way we travel – from the moment we start thinking about taking a trip to after we’ve shared our experiences with our social networks. In response to this, hotels need to change the way they market to today’s always-connected travelers. Like internet use overall, ecommerce is growing slowing in terms of [...]
On our “Boost Bookings” last month, Warren Wheatley, Sales Manager at Holiday Inn Guelph Hotel & Conference Centre, shared the strategies that he uses to tell his hotel’s visual story on the hotel’s website, online travel agencies, social media, and in his sales efforts. Visual stories that start at home Knowing that hotels with more [...]
Online, mobile and brand recognition is becoming increasingly important to travel consumers. In a recent study done by the eCustomerServiceIndex (eCSI) it was found that 72% of UK consumers prefer to research holidays online and 53% of consumers avoid in-store travel agents altogether. Mobile has become progressively dominant when researching and/or booking a trip. Almost [...]
Travel shopping is a complex journey. The average shopper spends many days, visits multiple different websites and accesses information on different devices. Every single touch point a travel shopper has with a hotel online impacts bookings. Search, OTAs, and Online Booking: An Expanded Analysis of the Billboard Effect by Chris K. Anderson assistant professor at [...]
Today’s travel shoppers are more involved, more sophisticated, more knowledgeable and more resourceful than ever. They’re shopping for, comparing, and discussing hotels on many different sites before booking – seeking ways to fully understand a hotel’s experience. This is why the demand for visual media is on the rise. Travel shoppers are demanding more hotel [...]
The internet has changed the way people around the globe research and book their holidays. There are more channels, more offers and more opportunities than ever before. Amidst all of this, how do you know where and how to connect with shoppers and get them to book your hotel? There is no shortage of advice [...]
Today’s travel consumers continue to use the online space to research, shop, buy hotel accommodations as well as share their experiences. But their demands are undeniably and dynamically changing. This leaves many of us wondering what they’re thinking and doing, but most significantly, how to really connect with them. At VFM Leonardo, we have uncovered [...]
VFM Leonardo has launched a new video called Driving Demand in a Recovering Market. In this video, John McAuliffe, VFM Leonardo’s Chief Marketing Officer and Richard Wiegmann, Managing Director of Trust International, discuss how the travel industry is recovering and what hoteliers can do to prepare for the upturn. “The positive trend with increasing booking [...]
It has become increasingly difficult for hoteliers to convert shoppers to buyers. “The days of build a hotel brand and they will come are over,” says Richard Wiegmann in this interview with John McAuliffe on VFM Leonardo’s VTV Channel. Watch Brand Awareness in Visual Times to learn: What drives a consumer to book one hotel [...]
Travel shopping behavior follows a cyclical flow – when demand is low, OTAs thrive because consumers are value-conscious and looking for the ‘best deal.’ When demand is high, shopping traffic moves back to supplier sites. Chris Anderson, Assistant Professor at Cornell School of Hotel Administration, shares his insights on how hoteliers can leverage OTAs and [...]
