6 Awesome Travel Marketing Headlines You Might Have Missed: Hospitality Marketing Link Digest

Welcome to November, Big Thinkers. Just a couple of months to go before 2015 arrives. As you gear up for the week ahead and the impending holidays, check out these 6 awesome travel marketing headlines you might have missed this week:

1. Tnooz reports that TripAdvisor’s launch of personalized recommendations with its “Just For You” hotel product, which is a pretty good example of using hotel data to drive growth. Clearly, they’ve got a ton of data. But that doesn’t mean you can’t use the same ideas on-property and online to support your guests, too.
2. A new study from Expedia/Egencia reveals global differences in mobile behavior. Interestingly, three-quarters of travelers “…say that their smartphones are ‘very important/critical’ to their daily lives,” more than for their laptops or tablets. Further proof that smartphones represent the most personal of “personal computers” for your guests.
3. To help drive mobile use, Expedia is now buying “sponsored content” for users, allowing travelers to access its content without incurring data charges. Smart move.
4. These trends aren’t unique to North America, by the way. eMarketer has data that shows UK Millennial travelers are more mobile and more social. I recently mentioned that mobile, mobile payments, and Millennials represent three key factors driving e-commerce growth in 2015 and that the shift between Millennials and Boomers in the marketplace is a huge demographic reality shaping e-commerce in the future. Good reading overall.
5. While we’re on the topic of mobile’s importance, you might want to check out Reve News’ look at mobile marketing trends brands need to be aware of and Marketing Land’s look at the shifting landscape of mobile. Tnooz also offers a solid recap of how Accor is responding to those trends that’s worth checking out.
6. Hipmunk made news recently by partnering with Yelp for hotel bookings (an item covered in last week’s Hospitality Marketing Link Digest). Now this week, Hipmunk upped the ante by integrating with Yahoo Travel. Google has been losing market share to apps (Yelp, in particular has been a big winner in terms of local search). It appears Hipmunk is making some savvy moves here to position itself as the big travel player in local, mobile search. Very, very interesting and worth keeping an eye on in the coming months.

Hope you have a great week everyone. You might also want to check out past posts from the E-commerce Link Digest series, including these 6 amazing travel marketing posts and these hotel marketing trends for the year ahead.

If you’re interested in learning even more about the future of hospitality e-commerce and marketing via the social, local, mobile web, register to receive a special report I’ve produced in conjunction with hotel marketing firm Vizergy, “Digital Hotel Marketing in a Multiscreen World.” Developed specifically at hotel and resort marketers, the lessons can help your business adapt to the changing guest environment. You can get your free copy of the report here.

And, why not take a minute to review the tips from my recent presentation Digital Marketing Directions: Three Trends Shaping 2014 Hospitality Internet Marketing? I’ve presented this talk to a number of hospitality and travel-related organizations and you might find it valuable for your business, too:

Finally, you might also enjoy some of our past coverage of the social, local, mobile web and what it means for your business, including:

• Holy Crap! Mobile’s Even Bigger Than You Thought
• How to Use Emotion and Storytelling in Digital Marketing
• 4 Lessons You Need to Know from Google’s Affluent Traveler Report
• What’s the State of Hotel Reputation Management?
• 10 Essential Lessons Learned From HSMAI’s Digital Marketing Strategy Conference
• What in the World are Priceline and TripAdvisor Up To?
• It’s Time You Take Mobile Seriously. Here’s Why
• What Expedia’s Leaders Can Teach You About Digital Strategy
• The 4 Rules of Social Marketing for Hotel Marketers