No matter how and where you travel, with or without your products or your corporate image, the chances are that a lot of your marketing messages are getting lost in translation as they make their way around the globe. Business names are being hit the hardest as the world becomes smaller and companies go global. Each one of us is now spinning in a mix of international alphabet soup of strange names and terminologies. You invent something new, send out a release, the media talks about it and, within seconds, it becomes an international item.Your business name image might end up as a great universal message or emulate some strange and confusing messages with insults or profanity. But why? READ MORE

Successful fractional ownership projects today are often characterized by authenticity, enrichment, and sustainability more so than just "luxury" - which is clearly an overused term. With price points ranging from $100K to one million dollars, they will most likely be purchased by more of the "super affluent." But it is more than just income and assets. It's also about inner life and their propensity to indulge in a preferred lifestyle that their wealth allows. READ MORE

Mergers. Acquisitions. Employee attrition. These terms are becoming more and more commonplace in the hospitality industry, and they all translate to big changes. The brand message your customers receive sets the tone for your property's ongoing success, and dictates not only whether or not they will come back, but what they'll say about your property to others. One bad experience or one encounter that fails to deliver what was promised or expected means they'll potentially attach a negative perception to your property and, most likely, share that perception. Unfortunately, you can't blame the hiccup on your period of change. Once that impression is made, there is little you can do to change the customer's opinion. So how do you prepare when it comes to managing your brand during times of change? READ MORE

It used to be that when a person decided he was going to need hotel accommodations, he called either a hotel directly or a travel agent for reservations. Fast forward to today, and with the impact of the Internet, the options for reserving a room -- whether in a chain, boutique or independent hotel, bed and breakfast, inn, all-inclusive club, or timeshare -- are extensive. Of course, a person can still call a hotel or a travel agent, but now he can also conduct research and make reservations via the Internet. Here is where the choices become whelming. So, when do consumers make reservations online? When do they call a travel agent? When do they call you or central reservation numbers or properties directly? And, when they consult the Internet, are they reserving directly through the hotel chains' or properties' websites or are they surfing the Web for third-party sites, many of whom provide reduced rate accommodations? What factors impact this decision-making process? READ MORE

Why are hotel loyalty programs important to consumers? What do travelers want from them? How do they affect consumers' decisions about where to stay? How do you attract target market consumers' attention to your program? Qualitative research, primarily through focus groups, can provide answers to these questions. READ MORE

Loyalty. What creates it? How can you sustain it? Is there a 'secret sauce' that helps you transform a run-of-the-mill customer into a wildly enthusiastic devotee? What motivates a consumer to drive past 25 restaurants to get to their favorite one? Why does every piece of clothing I'm wearing have a Nordstrom label? What in the world causes Harley Davidson loyalists to love a brand name so much that they will tattoo it on their body? I'm not sure there is a single answer. But I know some things that will help. Here are ten sure-fire ways to help turn customers into brand enthusiasts: READ MORE

What are the ingredients for a successful Private Residence Club? Many would suggest that it starts with location...a resort setting where there is a strong demand for luxury vacation homes or luxury hotel offerings. A location with mountains, rivers, golf courses, spectacular views, and multiple seasons is preferable. Resort areas with land scarcity and a difficult entitlement process are also particularly attractive. READ MORE

The War Generation, raised on Depression and World War, may have accepted somewhat stoically the difficulties of navigating through an America accustomed to focusing on youth culture, but Baby Boomers have never yet accepted anything anyone has tried to impose upon them and have had the economic might to get their way. As 78 million consumers enter their later years, expect to see sweeping changes in the treatment of greying populations. Intelligent businesses will begin today developing new products and services targeted at this mass of older spending power. READ MORE

OK, let's get down to the bottom of this. Please stand up and raise your hand if you've been "WOW-ed" lately. At the supermarket, dry cleaner, health club or hotel. Where have you had your socks knocked off...and then cleaned, pressed, folded and put away? How about a truly awful experience? Give me a shout out if you've been mistreated, ignored or taken for granted. Where have you had an experience that brought you from a simmer, to a slow boil...and then to a frothing, steaming, spewing cauldron of frustration? What's that you say? You have both types of experience on a regular basis, often from the same company? Well, which one makes a greater impact and sticks with you longer, the gauzy sunshine or the raging volcano? READ MORE

Loyalty programs work. There's no question they affect buying behavior, drive transactions, raise margins and generate valuable data. Total U.S. consumer membership in loyalty marketing programs is over one billion-an average of more than four programs per adult. Maritz says that nearly 90% of Americans participate in some type of rewards program, and most are enrolled in more than one. The sophistication of today's loyalty programs is mind-boggling, and impressive. But as I look at loyalty marketing there are some nagging questions that I just can't shake: What happens to the loyalty when the loyalty program stops? Do loyalty programs really generate true loyalty, or just behavior that looks like loyalty? Could it be that our loyalty programs are deceiving us? READ MORE

For the record, this type of "culture" is defined as "the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations." Pretty heady stuff, but if you flip open any dime-store business periodical - hospitality industry trades included - you are liable to be overwhelmed with the offhand references to "culture" and its near-ubiquitous impact on the business environment. At this point, "culture" is used as a catch-all proxy for various pitfalls and challenges in any business. READ MORE

In a business environment filled with countless competing hotel brands, the only way you can really win big is by making an emotional connection with your guests. In other words, you have to capture their hearts. Lists of features and benefits alone cannot differentiate your brand and drive revenues anymore. Consumers of the 21st Century are less motivated by the products and services than in the social links and identities that come with buying them. This new reality means that your hotel's marketing strategy must be structured to draw guests into your hotel's tribe. READ MORE

As an industry, we have come a long way from catering to the woman customer by placing a red rose on the bed or handing her a restaurant menu without the prices. We realize that the woman customer is typically the decision maker in choosing the hotel or restaurant and is more often than not, the one who pays the bills. In 2005, women accounted for approximately 43% of the business travelers, according to the Travel Industry of America. In addition, a recent New York University study identified the women business traveler as a "baby boomer with a college degree who earns over $75,000 per year". That profile typically points to a sophisticated and discriminating traveler. And research confirms that women tend to have higher expectations than men when it comes to comfort, service, and security. READ MORE

Face it, customers who regularly purchase goods or services from you will eventually run into a problem. While you may be tempted to assume that they'll overlook one faulty product, you shouldn't take it lightly. In fact, keeping these customers happy should be of the highest priority, and any complaints they have should be treated with urgency. The good news is that a swift resolution can create even stronger bonds between you and your customers, because you're showing them that they are important to you and that their happiness is a high priority. So, what should you do when you make a mistake? Let's say you really mess up big-time with one of your most loyal guests? The real trick is to drive accountability and response down to the level of the service lapse. Local service lapses are best remedied by local response. New technology makes this kind of customer response easier than ever before. READ MORE

If there was going to be a silver lining to this recession, I figured it would at least make my concert-going habit a little easier. Shows what I know. Turns out the jam band offspring of the Grateful Dead, can teach us a thing or two about recession busting. Like the Dead before them, these bands have positioned the emotional connection within a community of customers as the central element of the brand, and have capitalized on that brand equity to survive - and even thrive - in a recession. Very interesting. Doesn't make Rat Dog tickets any easier to come by. READ MORE