6 Crucial Hotel Marketing Posts for August (Travel Tuesday)

Welcome to the second edition of our top hotel marketing post round-up, this time reviewing the very best from August. As with last month’s list (itself among the top 10 posts on the blog overall), these crucial hotel marketing posts weren’t just the top hotel marketing posts on the blog; the first three were in the top 5 last month, and 5 of the 6 were in the top 10 overall (and given that the 6th was published on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, we can probably cut it some slack I think). Pretty cool, eh? Anyway, with no further ado, let’s get to the list:

1. The most popular post on the blog last month, by far, asked “Marriott Partners with Booking.com. Should You?” Since the relationship between hotels and OTA’s continues to be, as Facebook would list it, “complicated,” that’s not a shock. Marriott probably made a good decision here, for its business. The question remains whether it would be an equally good decision for you. Check out the post when you get a chance and see for yourself.
2. Speaking of the complicated relationship between hotel and OTA’s, this look at “How Intermediaries Drive Up Your Costs and 5 Ways to Protect Yourself” rocketed to the #2 spot last month. Given its popularity among your fellow hospitality marketers, it’s well-worth taking a look.
3. Mobile remains one of the key drivers for hotel occupancy and revenue growth this year. And these “5 Mind-Blowing Stats About Mobile’s Growth You Must Know” explain why that trend is not going to slow down anytime soon.
4. I’d already mentioned last month’s “5 Essential Travel Marketing Posts for July,” but wanted to make sure you didn’t miss it in the list.
5. I’ve started collecting a weekly link digest for hotel marketers. While this look at “8 Key Posts Hotel Marketers Must Read This Week” went live before starting the new link digest series, the popularity of this post at #5 shows how much you and your fellow hotel marketers value this kind of information.
6. Finally, let’s finish this list by highlighting the Hospitality Marketing Link Digest post I just mentioned, featuring this collection of the “5 Exceptional Hospitality Marketing Posts” from last week. Building on the success of our regular E-commerce Link Digests, this series will explore top hospitality marketing posts each week. Be sure and stay tuned for more.

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.

Given the overall popularity of the Travel Tuesday series, you may also want to review the tips in 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