<p>Did you know that Gift Cards are the most requested gift for 13 straight years? Well, it’s true and your hotel can take advantage of this multi-billion dollar opportunity by offering gift cards towards future stays, on-property activities, or food and beverage. It’s great for improving cash flow, capitalizing on last-minute holiday shoppers, but most importantly, gift cards can help you drive more direct bookings and reduce reliance on the OTAs. In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we discuss the reasons why this may be something you should consider and some of the best practices in deploying your own gift card program.</p>
<p><a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/">IN ADDITION TO THE PODCAST WE HAVE A BUNCH OF WHITEPAPERS AND STUDIES YOU CAN DOWNLOAD HERE</a></p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/739389913%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-X1ysL&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<p>SHOW NOTES:</p>
<p><a href="https://marketingstrategy.hsmai.org/registration/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><b>REGISTER NOW</b></a><b> for the HSMAI Marketing Strategy Conference and Adrian Awards &#8211; </b><b><i>January 21, 2020, at the NY Marriott Marquis</i></b></p>
<ul>
<li><b>HSMAI Adrian Awards Dinner Reception &amp; Gala</b></li>
<li><a href="https://marketingstrategy.hsmai.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>HSMAI Marketing Strategy Conference</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p><b>USE PROMO CODE “Fuel2020” FOR $50 OFF YOUR REGISTRATION.</b></p>
<h3><b>Why should you care about gift cards?</b></h3>
<p><b>91% </b>have purchased a gift card, either for themselves (69%) or others (87%)</p>
<p><b>42% </b>of consumers report purchasing gift cards for themselves in order to earn airline miles, reward, loyalty, fuel or credit card points</p>
<p><b>67% </b> of millennials are interested in receiving a digital gift card</p>
<h3><b>How big is the gift card industry?</b></h3>
<p>2019: $337 Billion<br />
2026: $500-$750 Billion</p>
<h3><b>But what does it mean for my business?</b></h3>
<p><b>82% </b>of businesses who offer gift cards see an increase in sales and revenue</p>
<h3><b>Who else is doing it already?</b></h3>
<p>Most major brands, including Marriott, Hilton, Choice, Bestwestern (or Beestweester), and Four Seasons. Other travel brands, including Hotels.com, Expedia, Booking, Southwest Airlines, and AirBNB.</p>
<h3></h3>
<h3><b>What Are the Benefits of Having a Gift Card Program At My Hotel?</b></h3>
<ol>
<li>Drives More Direct Bookings</li>
<li>Improves Cash Flow</li>
<li>Captures More Customer Data</li>
<li>Differentiates You From the Competition</li>
<li>Helps You Compete with Flagged Properties</li>
<li>Builds Loyalty and Repeat Bookings</li>
<li>Provides an Opportunity to Generate Advocacy</li>
<li>Creates a Strong Emotional Connection To the Giver and the Receiver</li>
</ol>
<h3></h3>
<h3><b>How to Develop A Gift Card Strategy For Your Hotel</b></h3>
<ul>
<li>Start Simple with eCertificates</li>
<li>Make Sure to Protect Against Fraud (but don’t go crazy)</li>
<li>Train Your Call Center and On-Property Staff</li>
<li>Promote Gift Cards EVERYWHERE</li>
<li>Be Sure to Follow Federal and Local Regulations for Gift Cards and Data Collection</li>
</ul>
<h3></h3>
<h3><b>PRO Tips For Hotel Gift Cards</b></h3>
<ol>
<li>Offer incentives to the purchaser</li>
<li>Send personalized promotional gift cards for birthdays and special occasions</li>
<li>Use promotional gift cards to get your bookings back from the OTAs</li>
<li>Use gift cards as a lever to encourage guests to use on-property activities and establishments</li>
<li>Take advantage of last-minute shoppers around holidays</li>
</ol>
<p>========================</p>
<h2><b>In The Newsaroos:     </b></h2>
<ul>
<li>None this week</li>
</ul>
<p>========================</p>
<p>Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/fueltravel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@_travelboom</a> or info@travelboommarketing.com.</p>


Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 130 – Why Your Hotel Should Consider Offering Gift Cards

<p>Why aren’t people leveraging the power of SMS messaging to improve the guest experience and create tighter relationships? Perhaps hotels are scared off by the intimate nature of text messaging or perhaps marketers have finally found an ethical line they’re not willing to cross? We discuss all this and more in the latest episode of the award-winning Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast.</p>
<p><a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/">IN ADDITION TO THE PODCAST WE HAVE A BUNCH OF WHITEPAPERS AND STUDIES YOU CAN DOWNLOAD HERE</a></p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/729606151&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<p>SHOW NOTES:</p>
<p><a href="https://marketingstrategy.hsmai.org/registration/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><b>REGISTER NOW</b></a><b> for the HSMAI Marketing Strategy Conference and Adrian Awards &#8211; </b><b><i>January 21, 2020, at the NY Marriott Marquis</i></b></p>
<ul>
<li><b>HSMAI Adrian Awards Dinner Reception &amp; Gala</b></li>
<li><a href="https://marketingstrategy.hsmai.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>HSMAI Marketing Strategy Conference</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<h3><b>Check out the original blog post on SMS messaging that this episode discussed: </b><a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/launching-and-managing-your-hotels-sms-text-messaging-campaign/"><b>https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/launching-and-managing-your-hotels-sms-text-messaging-campaign/</b></a></h3>
<p>========================</p>
<h2><b>In The Newsaroos:     </b></h2>
<ul>
<li>Netflix owns the Internet<br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/netflix/status/1202669582407782400">https://twitter.com/netflix/status/1202669582407782400</a></li>
</ul>
<p>========================</p>
<p>Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/fueltravel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@_travelboom</a> or info@travelboommarketing.com.</p>


Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 129 – Launching Your Hotel’s SMS/Text Messaging Campaign

<p>If you’ve ever taken a marketing course, you will probably be familiar with the concept of the 5 Ps of Marketing. The 5 Ps are the standard concepts used to come up with a marketing strategy for your business, and encompass: Product, Price, Place, People, and Promotion. Hotel Speak recently published a great article on a slightly different perspective, geared specifically for the hotel and lodging industry. Here’s the breakdown.</p>
<p><a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/">IN ADDITION TO THE PODCAST WE HAVE A BUNCH OF WHITEPAPERS AND STUDIES YOU CAN DOWNLOAD HERE</a></p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/725790334&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<p>SHOW NOTES:</p>
<p><a href="https://marketingstrategy.hsmai.org/registration/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><b>REGISTER NOW</b></a><b> for the HSMAI Marketing Strategy Conference and Adrian Awards &#8211; </b><b><i>January 21, 2020 at the NY Marriott Marquis</i></b></p>
<ul>
<li><b>HSMAI Adrian Awards Dinner Reception &amp; Gala</b></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://marketingstrategy.hsmai.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>HSMAI Marketing Strategy Conference</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p><b>Check out the original Hotel Speak article: </b><a href="https://www.hotelspeak.com/2019/11/the-5-ps-of-storytelling-for-hotel-lodging-properties/"><b>https://www.hotelspeak.com/2019/11/the-5-ps-of-storytelling-for-hotel-lodging-properties/</b></a></p>
<p><b>1 &#8211; Positioning</b></p>
<p>Communicate your brand for what it REALLY is. What is unique to your property that sets it apart from your competitors?</p>
<p><b>2 &#8211; Perspective</b></p>
<p>The story you tell about your property tells prospective guests where you stand. Make a statement about the experience on your property.</p>
<p><b>3 &#8211; Personality</b></p>
<p>Every property has its own personality. If your hotel was a person, how would you describe it?</p>
<p><b>4 &#8211; Promise</b></p>
<p>What expectations are you setting for you guest? Everything prospective guests see or hear sets some kind of expectation of their upcoming stay, including images on the website, the price they have paid, reviews, word of mouth stories, etc.</p>
<p><b>5 &#8211; Profit</b></p>
<p>If you’ve aligned the other 4 Ps well, your bottom line should reflect a job well done!</p>
<p><b>BONUS: POW!</b></p>
<ul>
<li><b>Or maybe “produce”? Create &amp; share your story across all mediums and share often</b></li>
</ul>
<p><b>Takeaway:</b></p>
<p>Be authentic to who you are and what your property is (and isn’t). This sets expectations for your guests so they will come away with a positive experience, and hopefully become brand advocates, which then generates more business.</p>
<p>========================</p>
<h2><b>In The Newsaroos:     </b></h2>
<ul>
<li><b>Page and Brin Step Down From Alphabet/Google (but remain on the board)<br />
</b><a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-co-founders-step-down-sundar-pichai-to-lead-both-google-and-alphabet-325966">https://searchengineland.com/google-co-founders-step-down-sundar-pichai-to-lead-both-google-and-alphabet-325966</a></li>
<li><b>Expedia CEO, CFO Ousted in Clash With Barry Diller, Board<br />
</b><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/expedia-ceo-cfo-ousted-in-clash-with-board-11575469966">https://www.wsj.com/articles/expedia-ceo-cfo-ousted-in-clash-with-board-11575469966</a></li>
</ul>
<p>========================</p>
<p>Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/fueltravel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@_travelboom</a> or info@travelboommarketing.com.</p>


Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 128 – The 5 Ps of Storytelling for Hotels (from Hotel Speak)

<p>By now you have probably heard the increasing chatter about CCPA. In this episode of the award winning Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we do an overview and try to unpack the new California privacy regulations and what they mean for your hotel. Keep in mind that CCPA is just the beginning and we fully expect to see more legislation coming from other states in the very near future.</p>
<p>DISCLAIMER: We are not legal experts and this article and podcast episode are for entertainment purposes only and are not intended to be considered as legal advice. The information is based upon our limited understanding and some random Google searches and may contain errors or factual inaccuracies as well as the occasional dad joke.</p>
<p><a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/">IN ADDITION TO THE PODCAST WE HAVE A BUNCH OF WHITEPAPERS AND STUDIES YOU CAN DOWNLOAD HERE</a></p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/718382605%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-cqq9Y&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<p>SHOW NOTES:</p>
<p><a href="https://marketingstrategy.hsmai.org/registration/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><b>REGISTER NOW</b></a><b> for the HSMAI Marketing Strategy Conference and Adrian Awards &#8211; </b><b><i>January 21, 2020 at the NY Marriott Marquis</i></b></p>
<ul>
<li><b>HSMAI Adrian Awards Dinner Reception &amp; Gala</b></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://marketingstrategy.hsmai.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>HSMAI Marketing Strategy Conference</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<h3><b>What Is CCPA?</b></h3>
<p>The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) &#8211; not to be confused with the Federal Consumer Credit Protection Act &#8211; is a piece of legislation, also known as “AB 375,” has been created in order to enhance privacy rights and consumer protection for residents of California. This legislation has been described by some as “almost GDPR in the US.” It’s not, but it’s been described that way to get more clicks.</p>
<h3><b>So What Does That Mean?</b></h3>
<p>CCPA requires businesses tell consumers what data its collecting and gives consumers the right to say no to the sale of their personal information. It will also allow consumers to sue companies if their personal data is breached.</p>
<h3><b>Why Was CCPA Created?</b></h3>
<p>The California Consumer Privacy Act (<b>CCPA</b>) was <b>created</b> to protect the privacy and data of consumers. The <b>CCPA</b> initiative states that the act is intended to “give Californians the &#8216;who, what, where, and when&#8217; of how businesses handle consumers&#8217; personal information.”</p>
<p>The reality is that the act doesn’t really do a whole lot to protect consumers.</p>
<h3><b>Who Has To Be Compliant With CCPA Regulations?</b></h3>
<p>Anyone who does business in California and stores or processes data from California consumers. Basically, any hotel in the US and potentially worldwide that meets one or more of the following criteria:</p>
<ul>
<li>Exceeds an annual gross revenue of $25 million,</li>
<li>Obtains personal information of 50,000 or more California residents, households, or devices annually; or</li>
<li>Obtains 50 percent or more of their annual revenue from selling California residents’ personal information.</li>
</ul>
<p>OR if you control or are controlled by an entity that meets the above criteria and share common branding with that entity.</p>
<p>The term “does business in California” has not been clarified by the California Attorney General but it’s safe to assume that it could be interpreted very broadly as that you do business via the Internet with people from California or that you have an office or an employee in California.</p>
<p>CCPA does not apply to non-profit organizations.</p>
<p>Please consult an attorney to determine whether or not your business needs to adhere to the CCPA regulations.</p>
<h3><b>When Did CCPA Get Passed?</b></h3>
<p>CCPA passed into California law on June 28th of 2018.</p>
<h3><b>When does CCPA Go Into Effect</b></h3>
<p>CCPA is set to be effective from <b>January 1, 2020</b> but enforcement by the California Attorney General won’t begin until <b>July 1st 2020 </b>at the earliest.</p>
<p>The reason for this is that the California Attorney General has to adopt specific regulations based on the legislation sometime between Jan 1, 2020 and July 1 2020. The enforcement of these regulations cannot begin until 6 months after these regulations have been adopted.</p>
<h3><b>What Does CCPA Actually Do?</b></h3>
<p>According to the <a href="https://www.caprivacy.org/">official website</a>, the act has three major components. Consumers will have the following rights:</p>
<ol>
<li>The <b>right to know</b> what information companies are collecting.</li>
<li>The <b>right to say no</b> to a business sharing or selling personal information.</li>
<li>The <b>right to protections</b> against businesses that do not uphold the value of privacy.</li>
</ol>
<p>Each business will be held accountable if these rights aren’t granted and/or if information is compromised due to their failure to take preventative security measures.</p>
<h3><b>What Are The Penalties For CCPA?</b></h3>
<p>Up to $2,500 per violation or $7,500 for intentional violation in fines. This may seem insignificant compared to the 4% of worldwide revenue that GDPR represents, but here’s where it’s different.</p>
<p>In CCPA is that individual consumers have a right to financial compensation of between $100-$750 per incident. This is where the risk is because it opens up the possibility of class-action lawsuits.</p>
<h3><b>What’s the Difference Between CCPA and GDPR?</b></h3>
<ul>
<li>Although the intent of both sets of regulations are similar, there are many differences between the two beyond the geography of the consumer. CCPA focuses more on reducing the unauthorized selling of personal information for profit, whereas GDPR focuses more on data ownership and rights of deletion.</li>
<li>GDPR is much more restrictive in terms of the types of data being covered by the legislation and the rights pertaining to the data. For example, GDPR covers any data collected that relates to the consumer, whereas CCPA only covers data that was specifically provided by the consumer.</li>
<li>Also, GDPR requires explicit consent to store and use the data before the data is collected. CCPA focuses more on giving the consumer the right to opt-out from their data being sold.</li>
<li>CCPA requires a specific “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” link placed on a business home page, directed to a form that is tracked and processed. Note that this only applies to businesses that sell personal customer information to third parties.</li>
<li>CCPA <b>specifically excludes</b> information that is publicly available from local, state, or federal government records (Pete’s example: your Monday Mugshot is not covered)</li>
</ul>
<p>See our episode on GDPR for more information: <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-82-hotels-need-know-gdpr-late/">https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-82-hotels-need-know-gdpr-late/</a></p>
<p><b><a href="https://fpf.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/GDPR_CCPA_Comparison-Guide.pdf">Comparison of GDPR and CCPA by Data Guidance</a></b></p>
<h3><b>What Does My Hotel Need To Do For CCPA?</b></h3>
<ul>
<li>Review and understand what personal information is collected by your business.</li>
<li>Understand how the personal information collected is used, confirm if the information is sold to third parties or shared and what is the purpose of such sharing.</li>
<li>Review internal policies and procedures regarding the collection of personal information.</li>
<li>Update internal and online privacy policies to comply.</li>
<li>Prepare policies and procedures to make sure your company can respond when customers request access to, deletion from, or information related to the sale or disclosure of their information.</li>
<li>Implement solutions that process requests made by the customers to opt-out of the sale of personal information.</li>
<li>Train employees responsible for handling customers’ personal information.</li>
<li>Review contracts with service providers that have consumer personal information provided by your business.</li>
<li>Ensure that third party audits of service providers who have access to your consumer personal information are compliant with CCPA.</li>
</ul>
<p>For more detailed information about how to comply with CCPA, we recommend the following resources:</p>
<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.caprivacy.org/">The official Californians for Consumer Privacy website</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.pwc.com/us/en/services/consulting/cybersecurity/california-consumer-privacy-act.html">Your Readiness Roadmap for the CCPA (PwC)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://iapp.org/store/books/a191a000001JqUzAAK/">California Privacy Law, Third Edition</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3><b>CCPA Is Just The Beginning</b></h3>
<p>We expect many states to follow suit and introduce similar legislation over the next few years. It is important that you begin preparing for this now by implementing better data policies.</p>
<p>Check out the list of 25 other states who are currently working on their own legislation:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.ncsl.org/research/telecommunications-and-information-technology/consumer-data-privacy.aspx">http://www.ncsl.org/research/telecommunications-and-information-technology/consumer-data-privacy.aspx</a></p>
<h3><b>Final Thoughts On CCPA and Data Privacy</b></h3>
<p>At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that the data belongs to your guest. It is not your data. You have just been given the permission and the privilege to use the data in some way. You should never use a consumer’s data to manipulate them and you should never abuse the trust that they have given to you by mishandling their private information. You should always respect the consumer and their wishes and you should always be completely transparent with everything you do with their data. We are in the hospitality industry and we should treat the data we collect the same way we treat the guest themselves.</p>
<p>========================</p>
<h2><b>In The Newsaroos:     </b></h2>
<ul>
<li><b></b><b>Rich Answers In mobile SERP more than doubled since 2018</b><br />
<a href="https://searchengineland.com/rich-answers-in-google-mobile-search-more-than-doubled-since-2018-study-finds-325444">https://searchengineland.com/rich-answers-in-google-mobile-search-more-than-doubled-since-2018-study-finds-325444</a></li>
</ul>
<p>========================</p>
<p>Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/fueltravel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@_travelboom</a> or info@travelboommarketing.com.</p>


Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 127 – Everything You Need To Know About The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)

<p>Bridging the gap between the operations staff and the marketing team is an age-old problem that has faced many hotels. In this episode of the award-winning Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we tap into the brain of a bonafide hotel operator, Wil Slickers, and discuss some ideas that may help you to get every team member into alignment and eliminate the silos so that you can better serve your guest.</p>
<p><a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/">IN ADDITION TO THE PODCAST WE HAVE A BUNCH OF WHITEPAPERS AND STUDIES YOU CAN DOWNLOAD HERE</a></p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/714825490%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-euF3u&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<p>SHOW NOTES:</p>
<p><a href="https://marketingstrategy.hsmai.org/registration/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><b>REGISTER NOW</b></a><b> for the HSMAI Marketing Strategy Conference and Adrian Awards &#8211; </b><b><i>January 21, 2020 at the NY Marriott Marquis</i></b></p>
<ul>
<li><b>HSMAI Adrian Awards Dinner Reception &amp; Gala</b></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://marketingstrategy.hsmai.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>HSMAI Marketing Strategy Conference</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<h2><b>1. Hire The Right People</b></h2>
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>Hire for emotional intelligence and hospitality traits. What I mean is that we need to be more intentional with our interviews and how we interview to pick up if they are a good fit for the brand, guest, team, and company as a whole.</li>
<li>I usually ask the question “Are you FAT?” (Faithful, Available, and Teachable) and I know it’s a little bit of a different question but it&#8217;s something that will show on their resume. You can see how long they have stayed at other jobs, etc. Also, the available aspect is hard because a lot of new hires who really just want a job will say they are available whenever but then once they’re hired, they have one of the most complicated schedules. I am sure most employers see this. Now when it comes to teachable, is this person willing to be mentored and absorb the knowledge that either yourself or the company has to offer? Are they willing to learn from their mistakes and maybe take a little bit of criticism?</li>
<li>By being intentional with our interview questions, we can see if they have hospitality traits. This means by seeing if they are really wanting to serve others before themselves. I like to ask “if you had 6 months to live, what would you do?” and see if they involve answers like “spend the time traveling with my closest friends and family” or if they give a more selfish answer like “I would go blow all my money, go skydiving, eat all the food I could…” and whatever else they list off not involving friends and family or loved ones. (I learned this from a guest on my show, Scott Stanfield “ The Restaurant GM Coach)</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol>
<h2><b>2. Define Your Why &amp; Give Your Team A Unified Purpose</b></h2>
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>When you define your Why &amp; Unified Purpose, it gives you and your team a tool and guide to follow but also to use to empower them to make decisions that best serve the guest and also the team/company. I also love “Mission Statements” because it gives everyone something to be accountable to and to believe in. When this happens then you will see that each department has the same goal and mission and their own part in playing a successful part in that achievement of this mission.</li>
<li>Aligning the team behind a single vision is easier when you have a single scoresheet.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol>
<h2><b>3. Invest In Ongoing Training For All Team Members</b></h2>
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>We have seen in many places and studies that when you invest in ongoing training, your team and leadership will become more and more involved in the continued growth of the brand. Plus as an owner or manager knows, turnover costs in employment is very costly, so why not invest in them? It will most likely keep them around longer and you won&#8217;t have to worry about the constant costs in having to re-train. I think Ongoing training is one of the best moves a company can make. Also, let&#8217;s be honest… my generation is HUNGRY for mentorship and constant growth and value. The more you pour into them, the more value they will bring and provide to you and hopefully do the same with someone else down the line.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol>
<h2><b>4. Ensure Effective Communication &amp; Hold Cross-Departmental Meetings </b></h2>
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>We get so stuck in our heads and what we do as a property. The front desk does check-ins and check-outs and housekeeping only cleans rooms or common areas. Well, it&#8217;s time to leave that behind for independent brand. Cross-training will benefit your property so much! It ties in with ongoing training. They get to see the whole picture and become equipped to serve the guest and their team in a more effective way that also builds community between everyone. Our front desk team spends almost a week in housekeeping when they are first hired.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol>
<h2><b>5. Lead By Example</b></h2>
<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>When you’re in the trenches with them and leading by example, you will see all of these aspects start to flow together. When you’re intentional with interviews and hiring, define your mission, invest in the team to continually grow in their knowledge and experience so they can better execute the mission, properly communicate this with all departments and form a unified bond for the whole property, and you lead by example, your flow between Operations and Marketing will be seamless. Marketing strategies should always incorporate operations and vise Versa.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Check out the Slick Talk Hospitality Podcast: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/slick-talk-the-hospitality-podcast/id1365110128" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/slick-talk-the-hospitality-podcast/id1365110128</a></p>
<p>========================</p>
<h2><b>In The Newsaroos:     </b></h2>
<ul>
<li><b>Latest Google Algorithm Update &#8211; BERT (11/5/19)<br />
</b><a href="https://searchengineland.com/welcome-bert-google-artificial-intelligence-for-understanding-search-queries-323976">https://searchengineland.com/welcome-bert-google-artificial-intelligence-for-understanding-search-queries-323976</a></li>
</ul>
<p>========================</p>
<p>Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/fueltravel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@_travelboom</a> or info@travelboommarketing.com.</p>


Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 126 – Top 5 Ways Hotel Operations & Marketing Teams Can Work Better Together (w/ Wil Slickers)

<p>Filling occupancy during the off-season remains one of the hotelier’s biggest challenges and can require a lot of creativity for your digital marketing strategy. Hoteliers should be using every platform, including email, social, paid search, and website content, to promote sales during the off-season. As challenging as it may sound, there are several tactics and ideas that you can implement into these platforms for your off-season marketing strategy. Today, we’re going to discuss 8 ways that you can use to push for more bookings in the off-season.</p>
<p><a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/downloads/">IN ADDITION TO THE PODCAST WE HAVE A BUNCH OF WHITEPAPERS AND STUDIES YOU CAN DOWNLOAD HERE</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/708320812%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-XTlpw&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<p>SHOW NOTES:</p>
<p>Check out the original blog post <a href="https://admin.travelboommarketing.com/blog/how-can-hotels-promote-sales-during-the-off-season/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a> or read the outline below:</p>
<p>Things to note before you start:</p>
<ul>
<li>Identify your hotel’s seasonal downturn</li>
<li>Get your ads in front of the right audience</li>
</ul>
<h3></h3>
<h3>#1 Create the right content</h3>
<p>Make a plan to create content that highlights the amenities and services that your hotel has to offer during the off-season. Do your diligence with keyword research to find what people are searching for in your area during your off-season, and build content around those topics.</p>
<p>Topics to consider:</p>
<ul>
<li>Amenities and services</li>
<li>Nearby attractions and things to do</li>
<li>Festivals and events</li>
</ul>
<h3></h3>
<h3>#2 Update the imagery on your website</h3>
<p>Swap out images of peak season activities with amenities that are offseason friendly on your website. Doing so communicates that your property isn’t a one-trick pony; your hotel has more to offer than just a few months out of the year.</p>
<p>Make sure your Google My Business listing and other local listings are updated with all your off-season friendly features, too.</p>
<h3></h3>
<h3>#3 Remarket your email database</h3>
<p>Don’t neglect folks that are already familiar with your property. Tailor an email campaign that invites your past guests with lowered rates or a loyalty package.</p>
<p>Go further to segment your database with guests that already stayed at your hotel during the off-season. Was there a particular reason they stayed at your hotel during that time period? Reflect that in an email campaign.</p>
<h3></h3>
<h3>#4 Update ad copy with off-season friendly verbiage</h3>
<p>If you’re running Google Ads and/or Microsoft Ads, update your campaign’s ad copy to reflect the changing seasons. Include amenities and services that are off-season friendly and use season-specific verbiage. If you have a special offer for the off-season use the Google Ads promotion extension to compliment your seasonal ads.</p>
<h3></h3>
<h3>#5 Build campaigns that market off-season amenities</h3>
<p>Research non-brand campaign opportunities that target a specific amenity like ‘hotel with indoor pool’ or ‘hotel with spa’. Use<a href="https://trends.google.com/trends/?geo=US"> Google Trends</a> to identify when people are more likely to search these queries so you get a better idea of when you should push those campaigns.</p>
<p>You can then use these campaigns in tandem with your website content. If you created an article highlighting your off-season friendly amenities, use the article as a landing page for your ads or create a sitelink in Google Ads and Microsoft Ads for the article.</p>
<h3></h3>
<h3>#6 Build out season-specific campaigns for your location</h3>
<p>Get ahead of the curve and be the first stop for people that are researching your destination during a specific time of year. As an example, if you’re located in Wilmington, NC, target the query “wilmington in december” in a paid search campaign to reach those top-of-funnel searchers.</p>
<p>This not only pushes you to the forefront for that particular query but you’ll also get the chance to make the first impression on guests that may be looking to visit the area. These off-season specific campaigns also allow you to tailor your ad copy to more closely match searcher intent. Use this strategy in tandem with a piece of content on your website that highlights your hotel’s location during the off-season.</p>
<h3></h3>
<h3>#7 Tailor your targeting to locals</h3>
<p>Facebook Ads has quickly become a popular source for hotels looking to engage with their past, current, and prospective guests. In this instance, consider marketing to folks are already near your property.</p>
<p>Push exclusive “locals-only” specials or promo codes that locals can use. Build an itinerary that features under the radar attractions, restaurants, and activities near your hotel.</p>
<p>Facebook Ads not only allows you to regionally target your ads, but you can also layer that regional targeting with traveler demographics and behaviors. Is your customer base mostly families? Create a campaign that targets parents in nearby cities and towns. Or tailor your ads to people that have an upcoming anniversary with a romance package only available during your low season.</p>
<h3></h3>
<h3>#8 Build content around weddings, meetings, sporting events</h3>
<p>Is your area a popular destination for sports tournaments? Are there local organizations that run expos, meetings, and events during your low season? Take a peek at search volume for these types of queries for your location. Incorporate your research into a paid search campaign and offer discounted rates for groups.</p>
<p>If your property already offers wedding services, push discounted rates for wedding parties staying at your hotel or discounted wedding services for off-season weddings.</p>
<p><b>=====</b></p>
<p><b>Listener Feedback</b></p>
<p>Thandi wrote&#8221;</p>
<p>being a small niche company and competing with quickly changing digital landscape. I listen to your podcast and know what i know from it. Find it super helpful thought more aware than ever about being woefully behind the times. Luckily, we have a strong base of our supporters who love us and have spread the word while we catch up.</p>
<p>I am writing to ask if you know of a PMS system that has a slightly more nuanced way of handling inventory &#8211; either a layered taxonomy or another option. I will explain more.</p>
<p>The beloved Sou’wester Historic Lodge and Vintage Travel Trailer Resort is a hodgepodge of accommodation types including suites, cabins, vintage travel trailers, RV spaces and campsites on the Long Beach Peninsula in historic Seaview, Washington. (<a href="http://souwesterlodge.com">souwesterlodge.com</a>). Many (most of return guests) have a preference of a specific trailer they want to stay in and we started off having a one to one ratio between unit types and inventory. However, this makes it a bit overwhelming and confusing for either first time guests, or people who don&#8217;t have a preference or (slows down people who are choosing between several options who have a higher likelihood of dropping out of the booking process).</p>
<p>We just switched for some consolidated unit types and its still pretty clunky&#8230;. any advise?</p>
<p>we&#8217;re currently using webrezpro, we used rezovation before. I&#8217;ve reached out to a couple other PMS&#8217;s with little luck&#8230;</p>
<p>thanks in advance, and come visit if you&#8217;re in the neighborhood&#8230; its really a special small peninsula on the magical PNW coast</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>SHOUT OUTS:</strong></p>
<p>From the Direct Booking Summit in Miami, Shout Out to:</p>
<p>Teri, Candice, Paula, and Pamela</p>
<p>========================</p>
<h2><b>In The Newsaroos:     </b></h2>
<ul>
<li><b>RevPAR increasing for independent hotels:<br />
</b><a href="https://lodgingmagazine.com/revpar-growth-continues-to-flourish-among-independent-hotels/">https://lodgingmagazine.com/revpar-growth-continues-to-flourish-among-independent-hotels/</a></li>
<li><b>SEO Best Practices Support ADA Compliance</b><br />
<a href="https://searchengineland.com/seo-best-practices-support-ada-compliance-for-digital-accessibility-324279">https://searchengineland.com/seo-best-practices-support-ada-compliance-for-digital-accessibility-324279</a></li>
</ul>
<p>========================</p>
<p>Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/fueltravel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@_travelboom</a> or info@travelboommarketing.com.</p>


Hotel Marketing Podcast

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 130 – Why Your Hotel Should Consider Offering Gift Cards

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 130 – Why Your Hotel Should Consider Offering Gift Cards

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 129 – Launching Your Hotel’s SMS/Text Messaging Campaign

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 129 – Launching Your Hotel’s SMS/Text Messaging Campaign

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 128 – The 5 Ps of Storytelling for Hotels (from Hotel Speak)

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 128 – The 5 Ps of Storytelling for Hotels (from Hotel Speak)

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 127 – Everything You Need To Know About The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 127 – Everything You Need To Know About The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 126 – Top 5 Ways Hotel Operations & Marketing Teams Can Work Better Together (w/ Wil Slickers)

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 126 – Top 5 Ways Hotel Operations & Marketing Teams Can Work Better Together (w/ Wil Slickers)

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 125 – 8 Ways Hotels can Promote Sales During the Off-season

Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 125 – 8 Ways Hotels can Promote Sales During the Off-season

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