Here are our top articles from around the web this week: a mixture of data, technology, and major trends for the rest of the year.
Snapshot has put together a comprehensive infographic on hotel data (it’s even colour coded!, while RyanSolutions has investigate top platforms used by hotels to make their social marketing easier. Two major surveys demonstrate that Americans remain strongly attracted to Europe as a destination – good news for independents and branded hotels alike – while Skift interviewed the CEOs of Marriott, Hilton, InterContinental and more to get the scoop on the big players’ hopes and fears for the rest of 2016.
Pick your favorite and dive in!
Types of Hotel Data: An Infographic
“Data” is an intimidating word for many people. And “Big Data” continues to be a hot topic for many industries, hospitality included. But what do these terms actually mean? Why should hotels even care about their data in the first place? Because data is really just information– information that is the backbone of good business intelligence.
The problem for hotels is that all of this information, from inside the hotel and out, from guests, your local economy, macro-economic events, and everything in between can be overwhelmingly confusing. How do you make sense of it all? And how do you do it in a way that is immediately practical and helpful?
To answer those questions, we built this Types of Hotel Data chart.
The Top 25 Platforms Hotels Use to Manage Their Twitter Marketing
Nearly half of all tweets posted by hotels and resorts come from a 3rd party tool, compared to other sites, where the vast majority of the content is shared natively. There are quite literally thousands of tools available to help brands manage and analyze their social media accounts. But which ones are hotels and resorts using? Which of these platforms are the ones hospitality marketers rely on the most to get the full value possible from their efforts? That was our question, here’s our answer.
How Travelers Expect Technology to Transform Experiences
A new Priceline survey revealed Americans’ desire for technology to transform how they experience the world, and highlights travel trends and advances in technology they are seeking. As a huge multinational, they have the ability to garner insights into the wider world of travel
“We believe that people are looking for functional advances with technology in order to support their travel experiences, rather than redefining what travel actually is,” said Pepijn Rijvers, CMO of Booking.com. “These survey figures validate our hypothesis, and are in line with our approach to using technology to enhance our customer experience.”
CEOs of 5 Leading Hotel Brands on Their Hopes and Fears in 2016
Airbnb, disease, terrorism, the TSA, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and the best business climate ever mark the biggest trends impacting hospitality and tourism today, according to the CEOs of Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide, InterContinental Hotels Group, Choice Hotels, and Loews Hotels, who spoke at the NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference yesterday.
Europe’s Popularity Strong With U.S. Travelers
Despite media coverage of terrorist events in Europe, Rome, London and Paris all cracked AAA’s top five most popular international destinations for summer travel.
“Europe remains very popular with American travelers despite recent terrorism concerns,” said Bill Sutherland, AAA senior vice president of travel and publishing, in a press release announcing the results. “A strong dollar, discounted pricing and a continued sense of resilience are motivating millions of Americans to venture across the pond for their summer vacations this year.”
