Twitter’s quick bursts of information are ideally suited to our time-crunched, on-the-go mobile society. They’ve recently embraced more visual storytelling features as well, including header photos, photo streaming/swiping on mobile apps, and new photo filters for mobile uploads. Fast Facts:  –  750 tweets are sent every second –  Google is the most-followed company on Twitter [...]

Some of you may not remember the TV series M.A.S.H, a huge drama/comedy hit in the 80′s about the Korean War.  In fact, to this day, after 11 years off the air, the finale episode still boasts the largest TV audience ever! A big fan of the show, I recently watched the 30th anniversary special. [...]

With the smell of spring in the air, and summer just around the corner, there’s no better time to take stock in your hotel’s 2013 marketing plan and re-evaluate your digital strategies. As we mentioned in our guide, 2013 Hotel Marketing Trends: From standout social media to marvelous mobile marketing, social, mobile and visual storytelling [...]

Meet Kim Gibbons, Sales and Marketing Manager at Kishin and Rao Hospitality.  Kim is responsible for marketing the company’s properties, including the Best Western Evans hotel in Grovetown, Georgia. With approximately 20 years of experience in the hotel industry, she has risen to the top in hotel marketing.  She does an incredible job of setting [...]

Special guest blog by Greg Oates, hotel media strategist One of the most significant trends in web design this year has been a shift toward more visually-oriented layouts. Until recently overall design strategy combined thumbnail photos and long editorial, with a large photo or photo slideshow up top. But take a look at major recent [...]

Expedia recently published an article on tnooz providing 5 tips on how hotels can convert OTA traffic into bookings.  The one tip that stood out to me most was: take better photos (and videos) of your property. We have been educating hoteliers on the benefits of displaying visuals on all online channels (including OTAs) for [...]

Mobile is a critical channel in today’s hotel marketing mix. 48% of people surveyed said that when sites don’t work well on their smartphones, it makes them feel like companies don’t care about their business (Get Elastic Moving Forward infographic 2013). Why does this matter to hoteliers?  Because it applies to hotel shoppers as well, [...]

I recently had the pleasure of representing VFM Leonardo at a Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Chief Digital Officer (CDO) Roundtable, which focused on emerging hotel e-marketing challenges and opportunities. If you’re not familiar with HSMAI, they are a very well-established organization focused on identifying hospitality industry trends and educating industry professionals to [...]

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 [...]

The internet is mobile, that’s the undeniable truth. This means that a mobile presence in no longer optional for businesses – it’s a necessity! While your chain may already have mobile apps and mobile optimized websites, it’s important not to overlook the visual experience you’re providing consumers on their devices. Why is visual media on [...]