Originally recorded live on June 28th via Talkshoe...
Chris Clarke recently launched the Chrispitality wiki...first to serve the hospitality industry. Chris gives us some background about wiki's, why they're becoming an important part of the on-line landscape and his inspiration to develop Chrispitality.
Click on the logo to go to the indieHotelier website. Or, on the podcast button to listen now.
When it comes to selling bottled water, a good story is really important. Without the compelling spin of convenience , distinction and health, not many of us would splurge up to $4 for a small bottle. But, there's more to it than having a good story...there's authenticity. Turns-out, there's much more to the story than most bottled water companies want you to know.
So, when you craft your message...be careful how far you stretch it. And, make sure that when the layers are peeled away, it looks the same on the inside as on the surface.
indieHotelier #36 is up...
Adam Healey leads us in a discussion about his new venture, VibeAgent (still in beta and requires an invitation to play). This is a really interesting mash-up of hotel booking and review sites, a la Kayak and TripAdvisor. But as Adam explains, VibeAgent infuses a heavy does of community, trust and social networking, setting it apart from other travel sites.
Click on the logo to go to the website. Or, on the podcast button to download the MP3 and listen now.
We had a good time on a special edition of indieHotelier this morning talking with Chris about his new wiki project and social media in general. You can follow this link to listen to the raw version. The rebroadcast of this show will be out next Friday, July 6th in lieu of our holiday break.
We have two live indieHotelier shows this week:
Tomorrow, Thursday at 1 PM EDT, Chris Clarke joins us to discuss his new Chrispitality Hospitality Wiki. So, if you'd like to learn about the power of wiki's (or, don't know what one is), join the conversation.
Friday, at 11 AM EDT, Adam Healey leads us in a discussion about his new venture, VibeAgent (still in beta and requires an invitation to play). This is a really interesting mash-up of hotel booking and review sites, a la Kayak and TripAdvisor.
Listen to both shows live on Talkshoe. Q&A to follow at teh end of each show. Hope you can join us.
The race is clearly on...moving from web 1.0 to 2.0 and the creation of social travel netowrks are picking-up some serious steam. I've spent no less than ten hours over the past few days exploring and experimenting with a lot of new and fun sites. There's Vibe Agent, yelp, Trivop and even the new Travel Netork from TripAdvisor...just to name a few. While this trend moves the internet closer to its true cause, connecting people with people and the information they want, it's also becoming more confusing by the day. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that a new social website is born every few hours. So, how does the customer wade through this expanding sea of information and user generated content to learn more about a hotel or find the best fare. They don't. The average person doesn't have the time or the interest to go to that many places to find the best deal or to make sure the restaurant is worth the trip. So, the big guys win. The websites that are well funded and made and entry first are likely to get the most attention. One or two others will get lucky and get some traction, perhaps only to be bought by one of the big guns. And, this is all a result of forcing tradiitonal marketing and business models on a system where they don't really belong. Companies are still does. troubling....because companies are still using traditional proprietary models in a world that really doesn't want or need them. They're still buying relationships and gathering information and then forcing the customer to come to them to find it.
Here's a great example of the way social media works....a brand new hospitality wiki. check-it out. Better yet, share some knowledge.
Dana Bushman, passenger on the now famed Continental Airlines flight 71, gives us an inside look into the chain of events that has turned out to be a PR nightmare for the airline. Listen and learn how mistakes and crisis can actually turn out to be a fabulous opportunity to be remarkable...when handled correctly.
Click on the logo to go to the indieHotelier website. Or, on the podcast button to listen or download the show.
More lessons on what to do When Things Go Bad
Art of Hospitality Lesson...When things go bad, don't make them worse. Seems like common sense. I think that's what is lacking in organizations like Continental Airlines.
Last Thursday, 168 passengers on Continental flight 71 endured a 32 hour journey to get from Amsterdam to Newark. Along the way, the poor people on the plane enjoyed overflowing and inoperable toilets, raw sewage in the aisles and an unexpected overnight stop in Ireland. One of the passengers, Dana Bushman, was kind enough to share her personal account. Or, you can read the media version. Either way, it wasn't a good day for anyone, especially Continental.
Continental's failure has nothing to do with toilets or flight delays. Much like like Jet Blue's Valentine's Day chaos, it's not an equipment problem, it's a people problem. It's an attitude of prevention and fear that gets these companies into trouble. They use traditional and outdated PR tactics to downplay very serious and remarkable issues. And, that's what everyone expects them to do...and there lies the missed opportunity. Here's the PR statement released by Continental:
"We deeply regret the serious inconvenience to our customers and are
apologizing to them and compensating them for the poor conditions on
the flight as well as the diversion and delay," from the Houston-based carrier.
FYI, the compensation (to date) amounted to $100-$500 in credit vouchers for future flights.
Pretty lame...and exactly what we've come to expect. Now, they're in a real firestorm...and, deservedly so.
The mishandling of the people on that flight was remarkably bad. Yes, some things could have been prevented along the way. But, they weren't. And, the situation ended up in the toilet (pun intended). Such is life. But, anytime you have a situation that's remarkably bad, you have a gift...an opportunity to create something remarkably good. In fact, it's the only option...if you care to erase the bad. Continental should have been prepared to do just that. They should have seized the opportunity and jumped into action and done something like this...Continental's CEO should have personally greeted the passengers of that flight upon arrival in Newark. The airline should have made 168 passengers lifetime platinum (or whatever the highest level is) members. They should have been offered lifetime airline passes (at least a couple of trips per year). They should have been treated like royalty. They should have been given champagne and T-shirts (I survived the s**t storm on flight 71). They should have been showered with gifts and apologies...and caring.
The passengers should have been converted from disgruntled Continental haters to raving fans...whatever the price. But sadly, they weren't.
Continental could have been lucky (where opportunity meets preparation). But, sadly, they weren't.
We're going to unravel this some more on tomorrow's indieHotelier program...join in on the fun at 11 AM EDT via Talkshoe.
Update: Dana Bushman will join us on tomorrow's live indieHotelier show to give us her first-hand account.
Your brand is created by the community that experiences you...not by the marketing department. Now, with the advent of web 2.0, this process happens continuously and often at lightening speed. While that seems a bit "out of control", at least your control...that's okay. The gift of web 2.0 is your opportunity to sniff out the brand people are creating for you, and to join their conversation...to help it along a bit. Below are some tools I recommend to monitor the buzz.
Google Alerts
Everyzing
Technorati
Then go to Yelp or Tripadvisor for more specific hotel related results.
Maybe you're just interested in pictures...try Flickr and Picassa
Or, video...YouTube
A lot of people with talent quit...and they often quit because they listen to people they know and trust. Problem is...many of these people are fear based decision makers who are always looking for the safe, quick and least stressful route. People like Paul somehow get past that, take a chance and try to connect with new people who will value the talent they have.
Watch the video. Thanks to Seth for the pointer.
Stephanie points to a nice article about defining the points of engagement. Okay...so, now we have the "what" part of the definition. but, how about the "when"?
We know a two-way communication stream with our customers is vital to long-term success. Hence all the hub bub about connections, interaction and conversation management. But, I still see a tendency to apply the term engagement to the front-end, to the attention getting part of the promotional program. And, that's not really where it belongs. Engagement happens when someone wants to participate, wants to get involved with you and your product because it strikes an emotional chord. And, that almost always happens during or after the actual customer experience...not as a precursor. Engagement is paramount to an ongoing relationship. But, it's not going to work in a thirty-second spot or a cold call. So, for all the ad execs and CMO's responsible for the interruption campaigns, please stop trying to put it the square peg in a round hole. And, please stop trying to convince us that ads are "engaging"...it just doesn't fly anymore.
This week's indieHotelier is up. Special guests Julie Squires and Sherry Heyl lead us in a lively discussion about the nuances of web 2.0, social media, blogging, etc. Listen and learn how you can take advantage of the "new" internet.
Click on the logo to go to the indieHotelier website. Or, on the podcast button to listen to the show right now.
Tomorrow's live indieHotelier program will feature special guests Julie Squires, Softscribe, and Sherry Heyl, What A Concept!, as we discuss the nuances, trials and tribulations of incorporating social media and web 2.0 into your business. We'll talk about blogs, RSS and other innovations which are turning marketing on its ear. Join us for a very enlightening and educational show...airs 11 AM EDT on Talkshoe.
I just uploaded my Pre-Opening Forecast spreadsheet to the Hotel Tool Box (first item in the spreadsheet section). This is what I use to build a pre-opening budget. Feel free to use and abuse. Let me know if you have any questions. Oh...and don't forget to add your own stuff to the box...thanks.
If you haven't explored the Web 2.0 world...you should. Even if you don't fancy some of this tech stuff...it's changing the way the world works, listens and plays...that's a fact. I play with the new social tools as they're unveiled...sometimes before. I'll give you my objective (and sometimes biased) opinion of what to take seriously, and what to watch from a distance. I've added a new segment to our indieHotelier podcast to cover this quickly emerging and changing internet world.
To give you a taste, I've started using Jaiku. See the side bar to get a feel for what it does. We'll talk more about Jaiku, ustream, tumblr, etc., on this week's indieHotelier show...give you some insight into what these sites are about and how you might use them to engage with your audience.
David writes a really good article about the importance of referrals to a salesperson. Interesting that most of the key points relate to being remarkable, not on how to "sell" someone.
Sales is about building relationships...getting someone to feel comfortable with your idea and earning trust. The job of a salesperson is to connect with people who want what you and your team have to offer. Most of that is best accomplished by leveraging existing relationships (over satisfied clients), not interrupting people, i.e., cold-calling.
Here's a good article summarizing some things you may have learned at this year's HEDNA (Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association) conference in Dublin. The key takeaways are:
What I like about all of these key points is that they have very little to do with electronic distribution. Rather, they have everything to do with the keys to successful hospitality...design, story and care. The electronics part, the Internet, is an enabler...shifting control of the conversation from the hotel to the guest. And, as HEDNA correctly points out, tomorrow's guests (maybe even literally tomorrow) want to be a part of the conversation, not just outsiders looking in. It's the new form of engagement...are you ready?
indieHotelier #32 is up...
Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor of Green Lodging News, leads us in a discussion about the latest green trends and gives us an insiders look into how our industry is faring in this very importmant movement.
Click on the logo to go to the website. Or, on the podcast button to download the MP3 and listen right now.
