5 Fantastic Posts Driving Hotel Distribution: Hospitality Marketing Link Digest

It’s very late on Sunday night, Big Thinkers, so what do you say we skip the setup and simply move on to these 5 fantastic posts driving hotel distribution this week. Enjoy:

1. By far, the biggest news of the past week is a Tnooz article that claims the “Billboard Effect” is dead from a study of hotels listed on OTAs. So, a couple things here. First, I’ve never been a huge proponent of the “Billboard effect.” For many properties, its benefits have likely been overstated. But I do think it exists—to a degree—for some properties, even today. Secondly, I’ve not had a chance to read the new study, but I’m eagerly looking forward to it. I know one of the authors very well and suspect the new study likely shines deeper insights into the initial research. Finally, I think it’s very probably that some hotels may still benefit from the “Billboard effect,” while others likely will see no gain at all. The real key for you is to look at whether your hotel actually sees real results—both direct and indirect—or not, and act accordingly.
2. Speaking of direct business, Hotel News Now offers up a cheat sheet to drive direct business, written by none other than yours truly. Check it out when you get a chance.
3. In somewhat related distribution news, Skift reports that Amazon Travel has doubled its hotel coverage and appointed a former Expedia exec as GM. Probably not the last we’re going to hear about Amazon in this space.
4. Another Skift column asks, “Will Tripadvisor Be the Next Airbnb? It Seems to Be Trying,” while Quartz says that Uber got to a $50 billion valuation a year faster than Facebook. Both are impressive. They also represent a really strong indicator of exactly how big such new entrants may turn out to be.
5. Finally, one last piece of advice: don’t miss these: the top five hotel marketing posts of July.

Good stuff to get you through the week ahead.

If you’re interested in more insights and information about travel marketing and distribution, be sure to check out these “6 Super Hotel Distribution Strategy Posts,” these “5 Amazing Mobile Hotel Marketing Stories,” a great set of “8 Exceptional Hospitality Marketing Posts from the Past Week: Hospitality Marketing Link Digest,” a terrific round-up of “7 Remarkable Posts about Mobile Marketing in Travel” and these “7 Brilliant Insights into Mobile Travel E-commerce” from our hospitality marketing link digests (part of the ongoing E-commerce Link Digest series).

And if you’re looking to learn even more about how changing guest behavior shapes hospitality marketing, e-commerce, and distribution, be sure an register to receive a special report I’ve produced in conjunction with hotel marketing firm Vizergy, “Digital Hotel Marketing in a Multiscreen World.” While it’s targeted specifically at hotel and resort marketers, the lessons apply to just about any business. You can get your free copy of the report here.

You might also want to take a moment to review the slides from my recent webinar, “Digital Marketing Directions 2015: Three Key Trends Driving Your Hotel Marketing Next Year” here:

Finally, you will definitely want to check out some of our past coverage of the mobile, local, social web and how to make it work for your business, including:

• 10 Key Posts about Millennials and Mobile: E-commerce Link Digest
• The Secrets Behind “It’s All E-commerce” for 2014
• Should Marketers Really Trust Google in 2014?
• The Zen of Digital Marketing Strategy
• 7 Steps to E-Commerce Heaven
• Today and Tomorrow: Mobile and The Changing Customer Journey
• Mobile Makes E-commerce Even More “Frictionless”
• Your 2014 Internet Marketing New Year’s Resolutions – Thinks Out Loud Episode 56