Pinterest Provides More Than Just Photo Sharing For Hotels

We were over at a friends house watching the Texan’s playoff game a couple of weeks ago and during one of my trips to the kitchen I couldn’t help but notice the wives hovering around the kitchen table staring at my neighbors’ iPad screen as she scrolled through some of her favorite recipes on Pinterest.

This was my first introduction into the world that is Pinterest and according to ReadWriteWeb, the excitement that is Pinterest has to do with the way the tool leverages everything that’s hot in social right now: great user experience, a clean retro visual design, content curation, social collaboration and subscription – and calls everyone who isn’t using it “a big dork”.

As many of you know I fancy myself as being up-to-speed with what’s going on with social media but I have to admit that I had no clue that Pinterest had been around for almost two years.  If that makes me a “big dork” then so be it.

In order to shed this newfound description of my presona, I decided to open a Pinterest account to try to get a handle on what’s so intriguing about this new “top 10 social network” and how it may benefit the hotel community.

What is Pinterest? - Pinterest is designed as a place to organize and share online images that you find interesting or inspiring. Once uploaded or shared on Pinterest, these images become known as Pins, which the user can place on customized, themed Boards. You can create Boards for any topic imaginable and the possibilities for hotels are endless. Here’s how the Travel Channel uses Pinterest.

The Audience - Before we go any further it is important to note a couple of things as it relates the Pinterest audience (mainly women) and their purchasing power and social influence.  I’ve provided you with some demographics below but keep in mind that women should not be considered as a ‘niche’ market because they account for 85% of all consumer purchases including everything from autos to health care and a robust 92% of all consumer purchases as it relates to vacations!

In addition, interaction between women through online community Web sites, forums, and message boards have a ‘dramatic’ influence on driving product preference, loyalty, and purchases.  Reaching women more effectively isn’t rocket science but is well worth the effort no matter what the channel.

According to Experian Hitwise and comScore the site has over 4M registered users and 1.5M visit the site on a daily basis spending 14 minutes on the site on average.

Google Ad planner shows that users are:

• Largely women (a 80% to 20% ratio). So there’s some truth to Matt Buchanan’s post on Gizmodo yesterday that proclaims Pinterest as “a Tumblr for ladies”.
• Aged mainly between 25 and 44 (accounting for 55% of the group, 30% are 25-34, 25% are 35 – 44)
• Just 25% of users have a bachelors degree or higher
• The majority live off a household income of $25-75k

Not sure what the situation is in your neck-of-the-woods but the dozen or so women that I know who are immersed in Pinterest have college degrees, don’t work because they don’t want/need/or have to, drive expensive cars, live in large homes with well manicured lawns, and their husbands are doctors, lawyers, and indian chiefs who make low, mid, and high six-figure incomes.

Creating an Account – I’m going to gloss over this step because most of you know how to create an account but it’s important to note that you can’t become a member immediately because you have to be “invited” by Pinterest to join the community.  This process takes about a day or two.  After you have been approved you can start Pining.

Settings – If your hotel is on Facebook and Twitter make sure you enable both of these networks through your settings so followers can potentially connect with you through these channels.

Pining - A Pin is an image added to Pinterest. You can link to an image from your Web site or upload an image from your computer. Pins can include captions, like “A relaxing day at the spa” or anything else you’d like to include in the caption.  I experimented with the caption and found that I could add a detailed description (this test was over 175 words) and was able to include a link to my site as well as my email address.

Thought - If you’re say the Omni Fort Worth and your hotel is running a promotion on your site called “Soothe Your Senses at Mokara Spa” you can use Pinterest to market the same promotion.

Here’s a quick example of how this hotel can use Pinterest to market this spa promotion:

1. Create a Board and name the board “Spa”.
2. From the Board Category drop down menu select “Hair & Beauty”.
3. Select “Just Me” in the “Who can pin” question (you can invite others but that is and advanced lesson for another time)
4. Select “Create Board” and your ready to start Pining.
5. Next go back to your Web site page that contains the details of the spa promotion and Pin the spa photo and assign it to the “Spa” Board.  Here are the instructions to Pin a photo from your toolbar to your Board.
6. Next Copy and paste the verbiage that has already been created on your Web site page and paste it into the “Description” field.
7. Lastly, copy the page link of the spa promotion from your Web site (http://www.omnihotels.com/FindAHotel/FortWorth/Spa.aspx) and paste it into the “Link” field located underneath your caption.
8. Run to your GMs office and show him how you’ve created another distribution channel for your hotel and make sure you let him know that it didn’t cost a dime.  Next book a ticket to Paris and pay for your vacation with the bonus money he included in your next check.

SEO – I have purposely side-stepped the topic of SEO and how it relates to linkable image assets so I have provided those details for you here or just forward the blog to your e-Commerce team for their review.

Thought - If you are a full or limited-service hotel think of all of the amenities that you have on site and outside of your four walls and create separate Boards to attract members of your Pinterest community (possibly your next customer).

In the “Description” field make sure that you include links back to your hotel’s Web site and any other pertinent information that will allow a member of the community get in touch with you or the hotel.

• Create a Board that features your room categories and include some salient points
• Create a Board that features dining options, your menus, and promotions
• Create a Board that includes background information about your management team and fellow (front and back-of-the house) associates
• Create a Board where you can share photos of a guest’s wedding or family reunion
• Create a Board that includes information about your city
• Create a Board that includes information about upcoming events in your area
• Create a Board that includes local restaurants and nightlife
• Create a Board that includes attractions such as historical buildings and museums
• Create a Board that includes the location of a movie theater and shopping
• Don’t forget video.  One of the best channels to market your hotel is through YouTube videos. If a video link is Pinned, Pinterest embeds that video inside the Pin. It’s a good way of sharing additional info with your current and prospective customers.

When you get comfortable with some of the marketing options at your disposal start inviting your audience to contribute to your Boards.  To add a contributor to one of your Boards, click to the Board’s edit page. There, change the Pin setting to “Me + Contributors.” Then, you can add his/her name. You must be following at least one of that user’s Boards to add them as a contributor.

Here is how I am experimenting with Pinterest and I see some great opportunities with which to incorporate it into my client’s social media strategy.  Let me know if you come up with anything that could be helpful!

As they say, “Happy Pining!”

Tom Costello is a Partner & Co-Founder of Groups International, a company that provides marketing, consultative services, and technology solutions to the group and leisure travel markets.  Connect with him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter or contact him by email.

Yes Hotels Can Learn A Thing Or Two About Return On Interaction From The TV Networks

I’m not the only one who has been harping about how hotels should up their ante with social media but if TV networks can effectively incorporate it into their marketing strategy then hotels can’t be too far behind can they?

Here’s how some of the networks have recently used social media with some degree of success.

FOX News uses Twitter to measure viewer reaction to its GOP debates and VH1 provided a four-hour live stream of analysis for its Critics Choice Movie Awards broadcast.

Integrating social media from viewers following along with computers and smart phones fosters greater engagement while also broadening the audience for programming. Best of all, it provides consumer data.

The question now is how will networks monetize it?

Let’s consider for this conversation the idea of monetization as Return on Interaction as compared to the more traditionally accepted performance measurement…Return on Investment.

Those of us who are involved with social media consider Return on Interaction as the new Return On Investment.  The difference is simple IF you can get your GM to agree about the value of the return.  With Return on Investment you put money in to get more money in return.  With Return On Interaction you put in interaction to get back more interaction which returns tenfold in trust, loyalty, and the development of advocates and influencers for your hotel.  What’s most important for now is showing that your social media campaign is an integral and effective part of your overall marketing strategy.

Here’s what the networks are saying about the same subject and see if there’s any commonality.

Twitter reaction to the 2009 U.S. Airways crash into New York’s Hudson River is one of the first times the social media service influenced NBC News coverage. The network news team quickly determined the story was legitimate and got a jump on what became a major story.

FOX has used Twitter to measure popular sentiment on issues and candidates, with the metrics finding their way onto FOX’s website and into its on-screen post-debate analysis.

Other networks, like Bravo and VH1, have encouraged stars to tweet during their shows, hoping to build buzz at key moments. Still more have show-specific hash tags that can become trending topics and convince those not viewing to tune in.

Of course, the ultimate quest is monetizing all this interaction. Networks increasingly include not just Nielsen ratings but Twitter mentions, second screen streaming, and other supplemental numbers.

So what are your thoughts on the subject of how hotels can better target consumers and utilize social media for a greater Return on Interaction?

Tom Costello is a Partner & Co-Founder of Groups International, a company that provides marketing, consultative services, and technology solutions to the group and leisure travel markets.  Connect with him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter or contact him by email.

Breaking Down Roomkey.com So You Don’t Have To

There is so much buzz about Room Key, I thought it would be a great time to take a detailed look at the new kid on the block to find out what makes it tick and why consumers should consider using it to book their next guest room. This just in…Best Western has announced that they have signed on to become the first commercial partner to supply hotel inventory to Room Key.  More on that news in another post.

The Homepage - At first glance I like the clean approach to the homepage.  It’s simple and straight forward and leads the visitor to do mainly one thing only…search for a guest room.  Yes the search process is simple and fast but I don’t see where the “fun” comes in.  Their “We Believe” preamble suggests that the consumer should feel “uber-confident” that the rates they are looking for are the best ones out there.  This is going to be a tall order knowing that most of these hotels have contracts with OTAs that may not allow the subject property to provide the best rate possible.

Suggestion – If you’re going to stick your neck out to suggest that the rates are the “best ones out there” then uber-upgrade the comment to include the words “best rates guaranteed”.  If you can’t guarantee the best rate then don’t imply that the rate are the best out there.

Also, there is no social share options/icons anywhere on the homepage.  What is one to do should one like to share the site with family and friends?  Since this is so obvious I’ll write it off as an oversight or TBA.

If you want to be downright picky, I’d move the “Search” button to the right of the “Guests” drop down.

Search – I’m going to conduct a search for Chicago.  Since it’s a new site and not all hotels are participating I’ll choose the third largest city in the country just to be fair.  I like the idea that I can conduct my search by City, Address, ZIP Code, and Airport Code.

Search Return – The search return is fairly complete and manageable and offers some simple sort by features that don’t clutter up the page like the OTAs are so good at doing.  Another thing you will note there are no ads on the sidebar or at the footer of the page.  Job well done.  I’m curious why the Park Hyatt Chicago landed in position one so I started the search over and found that the Park Hyatt Chicago showed up in position one again.  Maybe Hyatt has more skin in the game than does Marriott.

Suggestion – Let’s return to the subject of rates.  If I can’t compare rates from other sites (you know that prospective customers will feel the uber-urge to do so) then what information can you provide that suggests otherwise.  You didn’t convince me, as you suggested on the homepage, that this is the best rate out there.

Hotel Selection – I’m going to walk through the options for The Drake Hotel (Hilton brand) to see what details are provided.  When I click on the hotel link, a separate page appears with the hotel details to include photo, map, price, amenities, etc.  I also discovered that I can email this (email icon in the upper right-hand corner) with family and friends via email.  Good idea but not good enough for what your prospective audience may expect.  When I click on the bed configuration the same screen pops up.

When I click on the rate or the book button (displayed at $139) I am transferred directly to the hotel’s booking engine.  All of my original search perimeters are transferred as supplied previously and I can choose from “Best Available Rate” (this is an unrestricted rate at $159), Advanced Purchase Rate (full payment in advance – non-refundable rate at $139), “Bed & Breakfast Rate” (restrictions at $189), “Drive In Special Rate” (includes overnight valet at $184), “American Grill Package” (breakfast, Internet, American Girl doll at $194), “Senior Rate” (age restricted at $149), and the good ole “Romance Package” (romance not included at $199).

Suggestion – If the search return features a rate at $139 then place that rate category at the top of the booking options return. When your prospective customer sees the rate of $159 in position number one when the previous page suggested it was $139 then it only serves to confuse the customer.

Booking Process – I chose the $139 rate, click to continue, and now have the option to complete the booking process to include guest, contact, and credit card info.  I can sign in using my Hilton HHonors rewards number and pin to bypass the need to enter my personal data manually.  The balance of the page contains all of the legal stuff that one would expect and finally the booking process is complete.

A cross-check on the hotel’s website listed a non-refundable rate for the same set of dates and bed configuration at $134. Can you say busted!!!

Summation – All-in-all Room Key is a welcome addition to the direct connect distribution channel and I am confident that John Davis and staff will include future bells and whistles that the site will need to attract and retain an audience.

Pros

• You’ll be dealing direct with the hotel and not a third-party (should something go sideways with your reservation)
• You will be accruing rewards points with all hotels that offer a program
• Nothing to influence your purchasing decision
• No hidden fees

Cons

• No P2P architecture at this juncture
• Can’t share on social media (just email for now)
• Limited hotel participation (Inventory will grow quickly – Best Western is now #7 to join)
• No rate comparison
• No air options
• No car options

Tom Costello is a Partner & Co-Founder of Groups International, a company that provides marketing, consultative services, and technology solutions to the group and leisure travel markets.  Connect with him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter or contact him by email.

Move Over Expedia & Travelocity – There’s A New Kid (Disruptor) In Town

I wish I had thought of this.  As a matter of fact I did.

Six of the major brands, InterCon, Hyatt, Choice, Wyndham, Hilton, and Marriott, announced today that they have launched Roomkey.com, a search engine site that allows customers to search for and book direct with member hotels.

This concept is nothing new (we launched a similar platform a year ago called Hotelmine.com) and is another great disruptor of indirect distribution channels.  Nonetheless, it is about time that these brands figured it out and agreed upon standards that will allow them to keep from sending customers to third-party sites like Expedia, Travelocity, etc.

Not surprisingly, since the six hoteliers launched the company, the site is limited to their brands but there is an addendum on the site for hotel brands to reach out and apply to be featured in the search results – time will tell if this is a pleasantry or a legitimate admissions process. The site is also limited, at the moment, to amenities within the US and is only offered in English. The group stated that other English-speaking countries would be next on the roll-out.

I read the FAQ section available on the site and wonder why they are “sugar coating” the why behind “How is Room Key Different”?

“Room Key was born out of a question posed among a group of hospitality experts: “How can we make it easier for our customers to find the right hotel?” We believe that finding a hotel is a different experience than choosing a flight or renting a car, and that requires a different kind of search experience.”

John, let’s be honest with each other.  Room Key was designed to gain more direct bookings and to lessen a brand’s dependency on third-party distribution channels.  It’s OK to spin it another way but at the end of the day we know why the big six are a part of this equation and support this endeavor 100 percent.

Best of luck!

Why Is Hilton & Starwood So Popular With Chinese Travelers?

Smart business decisions stem from a great idea combined with an effective marketing campaign, and mix passion, determination, and hard work together the results can net a company good publicity and a ROI.

Chinese mainland visitors has more than tripled to the U.S. since 2000 and several Los Angeles area hotels have seen a growth of 30–40 percent increase of Chinese visitors at their establishment.

In order to cater to the needs of Chinese visitors, The Hilton Hotels & Resorts and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide have decided to market their venues to Chinese travelers with the comfort of home which will include having one Chinese–speaking employee on staff, a tea kettle and slippers in each room, traditional Chinese breakfast items such as congee known as rice pudding, and chopsticks.

Los Angeles is the second most popular travel stop in the U.S. for Chinese visitors and with an average of $6,243 per person per visit including airfare spent last year, it’s no surprise the hotels are each planning to open additional hotels in LA and China.

Lesson Learned?

Get rich in a niche. Focus your business’s attention on marketing your product or service to a specific target audience and become the only company people want to conduct business with over your competitors.

Tom Costello is a Partner & Co-Founder of Groups International, a company that provides marketing, consultative services, and technology solutions to the group and leisure travel markets.  Connect with him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter or contact him by email.