Everyone is talking about social media for marketers and hotels. Is it the new marketing solution for hoteliers or just another fad? If it is as good as people say, how should hotels use it to increase sales? And can one measure the ROI just like cost-per-click marketing. Vincent Ramelli answers some of the many questions about social media and how hoteliers should use it to increase revenue based on more than 100 social media campaigns, what works and what doesn't. READ MORE

In 2012, video is predicted to be an even more essential element in a marketer's arsenal with millions of people viewing and sharing videos online each month, including hundreds of thousands of consumers regularly streaming videos on their mobile devices. This article will help you understand what “social video” is and how to use it effectively to promote your property - from real world ideas for video creation and tips to promoting your videos online, to advice for re-purposing your videos as content to boost your website page rank in the search engines. Add social video to your marketing mix today! READ MORE

Great employees know the importance of good customer service. They are willing to dedicate themselves to the success of the company they work for, especially if they are motivated and recognized for their success. Let them know how important they are to the company and to the customers. Pat your employees on the back for a job well done - they need you and you need them! READ MORE

In today's competitive hospitality market, it's essential to approach improvements and renovations with a comprehensive strategy and an understanding of how you can benefit from a variety of tax deductions available to hotel owners. Can improvements actually pay for themselves through smart tax strategies like cost segregation and making energy efficient upgrades? Can you still take advantage of past renovations or somehow take a deduction for new equipment purchased or leased this year? Looking at the big picture and working with the right professionals as you plan your renovations and upgrades can provide a big payoff in tax savings and boosting your cash flow this year and in years to come. READ MORE

The concept of revenue management has been around for quite awhile, with the airline industry first formalizing it with its computerized Yield Management system. The hotel industry, although late in the game, has now made a "revenue management" position as part of its standard staffing. This position was primarily developed as a way to capture revenues generated by the increasing demand over the past decade. Now that business is significantly down, many properties are at a loss as to how to generate business and how to ensure that each room is sold at the right rate to the right market. This article will provide some tips on ensuring that you manage your rates from a position of strength for both a short term and long term pay off. READ MORE

Your spa is a natural addition to your hotel that shouldn't be down played or ignored. In fact, many hotel spas now are the driving reason why bookings are increasing among many hotel brands. Make the natural leap between ordinary hotel marketing and extraordinary spa promotions when creating your next brand strategy. Take advantage of the tie-ins between your hotel's character and your spas experiential nature. READ MORE

How will the trends of today's fitness minded traveler change the way you address health and wellness in 2012? Bryan Green, Founder & CEO of Advantage Fitness Products shares with us the Top 10 Trends in Fitness for 2012 and how they will apply to the fitness amenity and beyond in hospitality. A general understanding of demands of active adults and their children alike may help inspire you to find creative solutions as they relate to the integration of wellness on property. READ MORE

Wordpress is an open source, content management system [CMS] and publishing software. Wikipedia reports Wordpress as the platform of choice for 22% of all new websites and nearly 15% of the top 1 million websites. Big brands, entertainers, media outlets and Fortune 500 companies such as UPS, Sony, The New York Times, CNN, and Martha Stewart all use Wordpress. So why have so few hotels taken the plunge? This article introduces Wordpress as a smart, cost-effective hotel marketing solution and spotlights the bold leadership of Aqua Hotels and Resorts in switching to Wordpress. READ MORE

In today's workplace environment, employers often discover the hard way that what happens in the office does not stay in the office and can potentially pose adverse consequences to the business and the workplace. Social media is hot and growing, with some networking sites reaching approaching a billion active users. Add to that ease of access via mobile device and remote computer login, employees can stay tapped into the network both on and off the job. This presents many challenges and opportunities for employers who want to harness the benefits, while guarding against risks posed by social media use. READ MORE

As travel shopping continues to fragment within the online space to a myriad of channels, devices, and platforms the role of the hotel marketer is becoming increasingly complicated. Today, audiences are jumping from online travel agencies to review sites to social media and so on, using their smartphones, computers and tablets to do so. This makes for a complex web of touch-points for hotel marketers to explore and take advantage of. Success requires balancing a number of priorities and activities that make up a hotel's greater marketing strategy. Included in this strategy are activities that convert website traffic to bookings on the hotel's own website and third party websites. READ MORE

The Press Release and every other piece of online messaging published by your company must now be part of your content marketing strategy. What is content marketing? It is an approach to telling your story. It advances your company's business goals through creating an online environment in which your customers thrive. With the advent of Google, having high quality content is now a "must have." This article explores how the Press Release fits into your content marketing. It reviews proven principles for keeping your messaging clear and consistent. We also explore buyer personas and how to get started on Google. READ MORE

To green, or not to green? To pursue green certification, or not? Those are questions many hoteliers are asking themselves today. As more and more travelers claim they are aware of hotels' environmental practices, and consider themselves environmentally conscious travelers, hoteliers should take note and respond accordingly. At the very least a hotelier can decide to go green and receive green certification, of which there are many types, in order to save money. There are other benefits to pursuing green certification, though; namely, enhanced image, expanded marketing opportunities, differentiation, and clarity. READ MORE

Most hoteliers realize that they must have some kind of spa in their hotel in order to be competitive in today's market; however most do not know how to determine the most appropriate spa concept for their hotel. Just having a spa in a hotel, ten or even five years ago may have been enough, however as supply increased and consumers inevitably became more and more spa savvy, just having a spa isn't enough anymore; it's all about having the right type of spa for your particular hotel. READ MORE

Do you know your popularity index on TripAdvisor or what guests are saying about you on Twitter? With the plethora of social media sites that can positively - and negatively - affect your hotel, it's important to have a clearly defined, manageable plan for social media measurement. READ MORE

As a hotelier, what is your best investment on "customer retention insurance." Last year at this time, your answer might have been easy - the latest and greatest in design, FF&E and amenities. In light of the current economic climate, however, the answers have changed and the currency required to pay these insurance premiums aren't in euros, dollars or yen. The currency is commitment, in flesh & blood. Investing in your people is the best customer retention insurance there is - in good times and bad - and my article discusses some ways to focus on turning your people into active, engaged partners in the ongoing battle to serve guests and make sure they keep coming back. READ MORE