Online video viewership continues to grow exponentially, but it doesn’t stop there – mobile video viewing is also expected to increase. According to eMarketer, the population of mobile video viewers in the US will grow nearly 30% in 2010 to reach 23.9 million, they predict it is poised to double by 2013. More viewers means more opportunity for revenue and eMarketer predicts that mobile video revenues, including direct downloads, subscriptions and ad-supported video, will roughly triple between 2009 and 2014, rising from $436 million to $1.34 billion.

There is no better time than the present to get in on the action, so grab a digital camera and hit record. As a hotelier, what video content appeals to users, travelers and potential guests and how do you create it? We’ve put together a few ideas to get you started.

The Tools

Camera

The cost of video equipment used to be one of the biggest hurdles to creating video content yourself. Now, with the advance of technology, you can be a budding film maker for under $200. Check out the various models of the Flip Cam or Kodak’s HD pocket camera line.

Platform

No way to put the videos on your site? No problem – link to them. It takes minutes to start up a YouTube Channel and don’t count out social media channels. Facebook is a great place to share helpful videos with your fan base.

The Script

Keep your content casual and make sure what you film is a resource to viewers. Think about subjects that travelers would be interested in.

No one really wants to watch a video of your bar opening party (unless there are celebrities present) but they’d love to watch your expert mixologists walk them through how to make the most popular cocktail. This way you highlight your staff, service and product while still providing guests with useful information.

Some other ideas are to have your Concierge walk through the neighborhood and point out his or her picks for the best places to go and see. Or, film your housekeeping staff with their best tips for packing and where to look before you leave to avoid a trip to lost and found.

Check out how the Trump International Hotel and Tower Chicago used video to promote their fitness center with a Special Pumpkin Workout during the month of October. They also posted their video on their Smartstay mobile phone application for the iPhone and Android. Video is very popular with smartphone users and hotels can easily post their videos on the Smartstay app for their guests to enjoy.

The Campaign

Really want to attract mobile or traditional online viewers? Create an entire campaign around an idea. Pick a weekend or two to post special rates and hand out a few flip cams to lucky guests. Ask them to film their stay (this is a big hit with families with teens) for a chance to win a free trip with all the bells and whistles. Post all of the submitted videos to your Facebook page and have fans vote for the best trip video. You can also post the videos on your mobile app. And, don’t forget to film the winner when they arrive for their VIP treatment to bring it all full circle!

For more information about Online Hotel Marketing or the Smartstay mobile app for hotels, please call O’Rourke Hospitality Marketing at 978-465-5955 or send an e-mail to info@orourkehospitality.com.

(June 2, 2010) O’Rourke Hospitality Marketing will be at HITEC 2010, June 21-24, Orlando, Fla., where they will introduce their one-of-a-kind iPhone app for hotels called Smartstay. Visitors to the O’Rourke Booth (#1234) can also enter to win an Apple iPad.

Smartstay is a new ‘white label’ iPhone app that hotels can customize to represent their own brand. Hotels can easily enter their hotel information, images, videos, and news updates with an easy to use content management system that they can access online.

The main benefit of the Smartstay app for hotels is that it opens up a new communication channel where hotels can connect with their guests before, during, and after their stay. Hotel guests also benefit from the app and can make a reservation with their iPhones, access information about a hotel, and use the interactive map.

O’Rourke invites conference attendees to visit booth #1234 and try Smartstay for themselves on the demo iPhones that will be available. Visitors can also learn more about how O’Rourke’s services can enhance their marketing efforts and increase their ROI. O’Rourke focuses exclusively on the hospitality industry and provides hotels with Website Design and Optimization, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, and Print Design.

Visitors to the O’Rourke booth can enter the Giveaway by filling in a raffle form which can be downloaded from the Smartstay website. Raffle forms will also be available at the booth. The drawing will be held on Thursday, June 24^th at 11:00 at the O’Rourke booth (#1234). The winner must be present at the time of the drawing to claim their prize.

HITEC is the World’s Largest Hospitality Technology Show and offers educational sessions, as well as an unsurpassed expo which showcases the latest industry products and services from over 300 companies. O’Rourke is looking forward to participating in HITEC and welcomes the opportunity to meet hoteliers and introduce them to Smartstay.

O’Rourke recognized the hospitality industry’s need for a mobile solution and has created a high-quality, robust, unique app that will take hotels into the mobile market and allow them to tap into a new source of revenue.

For More Information Contact:

O’Rourke Hospitality Marketing

e-mail:                        info@orourkehospitality.com

phone:                        978-465-5955

website:                     www.orourkehospitality.com

Smartstay – The Mobile Division of O’Rourke Hospitality

e-mail:                        info@smartstayapp.com

phone:                        888-965-5966

website:                     www.smartstayapp.com

HITEC:                      http://www.hftp.org/HITEC

About O’Rourke Hospitality Marketing

Founded in 2001, O’Rourke is an award-winning hospitality marketing firm headquartered in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Serving national and international clients, O’Rourke provides hotels with a complete range of services including Internet marketing, hotel website design and development, mobile marketing, and print design. Clients include major brands as Marriott International, Renaissance Hotels, and Winegardner & Hammons, Inc.

Smartstay is a revolutionary iPhone app customized to your own hotel brand. The Smartstay hotel app serves as a 24/7 concierge and provides users with a micro mobile website, real-time news about events, and an interactive city guide.

Hotels have unlimited opportunities to communicate with their guests and can send them exclusive offers. Smartstay is a mobile solution for hotels looking to capture a wider market share, tap into a new source of revenue, and enhance the guest experience at their hotel and in their city.

For more information call 888-965-5966
http://www.smartstayapp.com/

A free Demo Version is available for download at the Apple Store. Just tap on the apple store icon on you iPhone and search for Smartstay or click on this link:  http://bit.ly/bgSC4Y

O’Rourke Hospitality Marketing, a full-service marketer specializing in the hospitality industry, has just launched Smartstay a one-of-a-kind iPhone app that hotels can customize to reflect their own hotel brand.

Smartstay is a mobile solution for hotels who have been looking for a way to enter the mobile market and who recognize the many benefits the mobile platform can provide their hotel and their guests. Tom O’Rourke, Founder/CEO of O’Rourke Hospitality Marketing explains, “We’re opening up a channel that has never been used before in the hotel industry. This is not just another app – it’s an opportunity through a mobile channel to connect with a guest before, during, and after their stay.”

O’Rourke explained that the mobile platform is new for hotels and is often overlooked in their marketing plans. Many hotels still spend millions of dollars on traditional media that aspires only to attract guests to their hotel. The mobile platform allows hotels to communicate with their guests in a continuous and connected manner.

Smartstay provides many benefits for hotels and it can help them capture a wider market share, tap into a new source of revenue, and enhance the guest experience at their hotel and in their city. Hotels can send exclusive offers directly through the Smartstay app and the user is then prompted to make a reservation with the single touch e-mail and dialing options.

The hotel can also cross-sell and up-sell guests on amenities, their spa services, the hotel restaurant or events at their hotel through the news feature of Smartstay. The hotel can enter posts as often as they choose and they can also incorporate their Twitter stream to supply their guests with real-time information that their guests can use at that moment. For example if the hotel posts a last minute deal at their restaurant, guests with Smartstay will receive the message on their iPhone and may decide to have dinner at the hotel restaurant to take advantage of the offer.

The Smartstay app also serves as a micro mobile website and guests can see images, videos, and useful information about a hotel. The hotel can manage all the content on the Smartstay app through a very easy-to-use back-end program that they can access online. Hotels can instantly update their content and choose the information they want to display such as directions, specials & packages, room rates, restaurant information and more.

Smartstay appeals to travelers and helps them make the most of their stay at a hotel and in a city. Many people today make travel plans from the road and they appreciate the convenience of managing their stay at a hotel directly from their iPhones. Once a guest downloads a Smartstay hotel app from iTunes, the hotel icon appears on the user’s iPhone. The next time the Smartstay user travels, they are more likely to tap on the hotel iPhone icon and make a reservation at that hotel because of the convenience it offers and the time it saves them from searching the Internet for hotels.

Guests will also enjoy the interactive city guide which will help them find the location of the nearest shops, bars, restaurants, cultural venues, transportation services, and more. Guests simply tap on the icons to see detailed information about a specific place. They can also tap on the phone number if they would like to learn more or make a reservation. Local area businesses such as bars and restaurants may also promote special offers on their detailed description page with the consent of the hotel. With the interactive map feature, guests are able to find their way around an unfamiliar city at any time without the help of a concierge.

The Smartstay app is an asset to any hotel and will help them increase revenue, improve guest loyalty, and enhance the guest experience. O’Rourke has officially launched the Smartstay hotel app and is currently filling requests from interested hotels. However, as Tom O’Rourke pointed out, “There are unlimited opportunities for hotels to use the iPhone app and we are constantly working to add new features and find creative ways that hotels can use the app to connect with their guests and increase revenue. Once a hotel has obtained their customized  iPhone app that is not the end, but just the beginning. We are confident that hotels and hotel guests alike will find the Smartstay app an invaluable resource for travel.”

Contact Information

For more information about the Smartstay hotel app please contact the mobile division of O’Rourke Hospitality Marketing:

Toll Free Phone Number: 888-965-5966

Watch a Demo Video: http://www.smartstayapp.com/

Try it for Free!

A free Demo Version is available for download at the Apple Store. Just tap on the apple store icon on you iPhone and search for Smartstay or click on this link:  http://bit.ly/bgSC4Y

About O’Rourke Hospitality Marketing

Founded in 2001, O’Rourke is an award-winning hospitality marketing firm headquartered in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Serving national and international clients, O’Rourke provides hotels with a complete range of services including Internet marketing, hotel website design and development, and print design. Clients include major brands as Marriott International, Renaissance Hotels, and Winegardner & Hammons, Inc. For more information see the O’Rourke website: http://www.orourkehospitality.com/