5 Damn Fine Travel Distribution Dispatches: Hospitality Marketing Link Digest (Travel Tuesday)

Hey, Big Thinkers, we never got to the Hospitality Marketing Link Digest this week, so hopefully you’ll enjoy this list of 5 damn fine travel distribution dispatches as a make-up. Enjoy:

1. Well, the flood gates have opened now, as Tnooz reports on Priceline Group hotels signing on to TripAdvisor’s instant booking offering. This is a big deal. Huge, really, because it now routes traffic about your hotel on TripAdvisor away from your website and towards a major OTA. Just add this to the list of causes driving up costs for acquiring costs. Um… yeah?
2. Of course, as one door opens, another one closes as Amazon closes its Destinations travel service (courtesy of the Seattle Times). I could easily be proven wrong here — wouldn’t be the first time, that’s for sure — but I suspect Amazon is simply digesting what they’ve learned before giving it another try. Time will tell, but I give it about a year.
3. While we’re on the topic of predictions, check out these 2016 predictions in hospitality digital marketing from Leonardo’s recent webinar (and, yes, I was a panelist). Good stuff all around though.
4. The top tweet of the past week was this look at the single most effective way to improve your brand’s digital marketing, which you’ll really want to learn more about.
5. And finally, Skift covers Airbnb CEO’s visits to Stephen Colbert’s Late Show. Not exactly deep, but fun and interesting all the same.

If you’re interested in more insights and information about travel marketing and distribution, be sure to check out this list of “5 Hospitality Marketing Must-Reads from the Past Week,” a great set of “5 Amazing Mobile Hotel Marketing Stories,” and a terrific round-up of “5 Fabulous Travel Posts: The Top Travel Marketing Posts of September, 2015” 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