Welcome to O’Rourke Hospitality’s Blog! Our blog posts are written for and about the Hospitality Industry. We have a wealth of information we would like to share with our readers including our research findings, latest industry trends, and monthly Internet Marketing tips. Sign up to receive our monthly tips directly to your e-mail!
November 5th, 2010
The explosion of YouTube has been a boon to hundreds of industries. Music, dance and entertainment careers have been launched, the how-to revolution has flourished, the do-it-yourselfers have found a perfect home and creative marketers have made a name for themselves – all by harnessing the power of video.
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. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Hotel Websites, Mobile Marketing, Smartstay, Social Media, Videos | 1 Comment »
July 13th, 2010
Last month TripAdvisor launched yet another feature that is sure to broaden hotel exposure – Trip Friends, an interface that ties into Facebook. Now travelers can tap into their network of friends and see a list of who has been to that location. In addition, they can direct message those friends or post a message to a group of friends – taking the search for helpful travel info a step past reviews from strangers to first hand experiences from trusted contacts.
This foray into more focused social media isn’t the only new feature TripAdvisor has launched recently that could aid properties. The new business listings are streamlined way for hotels to list direct booking info that wasn’t previously available. This is not a free service of course, but for a fee your property can have increased visibility with a phone number, URL and email address – all valuable info for travelers and even more valuable to those looking to channel online bookers directly. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Travel Review Sites, TripAdvisor | 1 Comment »
June 29th, 2010
You have a solid list of email contacts that you’ve built up over years, but do you have any other information about the recipients besides their email address? Did they travel with kids, on business, for a particular conference or on a romance package? All of these little details can help you improve your email marketing results and your relationships with your guests. Today’s tech-savvy travelers are used to personalized, targeted messaging and they are expecting you to deliver the same level of service to their inboxes.
A recent e-Dialog survey of US and UK internet users revealed that email recipients are interested in emails that show the company’s knowledge of their likes, dislikes and if they were a returning customer or not. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: best practice email marketing, email campaigns, Email marketing hotels, improve your emails, internet marketing hotels
Posted in E-Mail Marketing, Internet Marketing | No Comments »
June 8th, 2010
You’ve toiled tirelessly to work through and gain approval for your hotel’s social media strategy and now it is ready for action. Goals and measurement objectives have been put in place. You have identified team members to monitor your online reputation and set up a procedure to respond to guest comments. The executive team is on board. The sales and marketing teams are ready to participate. Online accounts and profiles have been carefully crafted. But you could be missing one crucial step. Have you educated your front-of-the-house staff about the impact social media has on your business? Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Front-of-the-house staff, Hotel Marketing, O'Rourke video, online reviews, Reputation Management, Social media hotels, Social Media Training, Social Media Travel Industry
Posted in Social Media, Travel Review Sites | 1 Comment »
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