5 Fantastic Hospitality Distribution Posts: Hospitality Marketing Link Digest

Hey, Big Thinkers, hope you’ve had a great weekend. Not much setup this time around, just a quick list of 5 fantastic hospitality distribution posts for the short week. Enjoy:

1. Skift reports that online travel agencies have more to worry from Airbnb than hotels. They’re probably right. But that doesn’t mean hotels are completely safe. Keep an eye on what’s happening with both Airbnb and OTA’s for your property too.
2. While we’re on the topic of Airbnb, PSFK walks through the future of Airbnb’s user interaction journey. Airbnb puts loads of effort into providing guests the best possible experience, which is something some hotels seem to struggle with. This look at driving brand intimacy in hospitality may help you improve that focus for your hotel.
3. Skift explains how hotels can take ‘Big Data’ beyond the buzzword. On a highly related note, we took a look at the hidden factor that OTA’s use to get between you and your guests.
4. You may have seen these already, but here’s some of the best coverage of this week’s big story — Marriott’s acquisition of Starwood — for you:
   • Marriott buys Starwood for $12.2 billion – more behind the headlines
   • Marriott acquires Starwood: the fine print
   • Marriott-Starwood deal ups the competition between hotels and booking sites
   • Marriott CEO: Starwood deal will accelerate our globalization
   • Marriott-Starwood deal is a ‘game changer’
5. And to finish this week’s list, you’ll definitely want to check out these 4+ fantastic travel marketing posts: the top posts of October, 2015. Good stuff.

If you’re interested in more insights and information about travel marketing and distribution, be sure to check out this list of “4 Tremendous Travel Marketing Trends From the Past Week,” a great set of “7 Key Insights: The Top Travel Marketing Posts of August, 2015” and a terrific round-up of “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 2016: The 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