5 Fantastic Insights Into 2016 Travel Marketing Trends: Hospitality Marketing Link Digest

Not a lot of setup this week, Big Thinkers. Just a quick list of 5 fantastic insights into 2016 travel marketing trends. Enjoy:

1. Tnooz rounds up their most-read hotel marketing articles of 2015, which include brilliant insights into rate parity, driving direct business, and the increasing rise of OTA’s and Airbnb. Together with these 16 key insights: the top travel marketing posts of 2015, it provides an awesome introduction into the topics you’ll need to know this year.
2. Speaking of Airbnb, Quartz notes that Airbnb is becoming a real threat to the hotel business in big US cities. You’ll want to review these two posts that ask “How Safe Are Independent Hotels from Airbnb?” and “Are Hotel Brands Doomed?” for some ideas on how to compete with the emerging travel giant.
3. eMarketer projects that worldwide digital travel sales will total more than $533 billion in 2015. Fantastic news, eh? The question is whether you’re getting your share.
4. The fine folks at Nsight do a good job of explaining how big data will change hotel marketing in 2016. Great read.
5. And rounding out this week’s list, we’ve got this report from Mobile Commerce Daily that suggests travel sites lose bookings with lack of mobile optimization. Given the threats mentioned at the top of this month’s list, that’s a real opportunity for you. Be sure to check out their tips on how to take advantage of that opportunity (as well as this post if you’re still not convinced about mobile’s importance in 2016).

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:

• “5 Key Facts About Mobile, Millennials, and Hotel Marketing”
• “How Safe Are Independent Hotels from Airbnb?”
• “The Big Myth About Digital Strategy.”
• “Digital Marketing Directions 2016: Key Trends Driving Your Hotel Marketing Next Year”
• “Huge List of Lessons Learned at HSMAI’s Digital Marketing Strategy Conference”
• “Are Hotel Brands Doomed?”
• “Trends in Hospitality Digital Marketing for 2016”