7 Hot Hotel Marketing Insights: Hospitality Marketing Link Digest

Good golly, Big Thinkers; it is seriously cold out there this weekend. I don’t know about where you are, but as I type this, the wind chill around here is -6°F/-21°C (!), and the forecast calls for it to get colder still. Um… brrr. How ’bout we all stay inside bask in the warmth of these 7 hot hotel marketing insights instead? Enjoy:

1. It’s been quite the week for our friends at Expedia. First, they reported in their latest earnings call that they spent $2.8 billion on marketing in 2014—four times its investment in technology. Then, they turned right around and bought Orbitz for $1.6 billion. Think about it: Expedia bought Orbitz for just over half of what they spent in marketing last year. Crazy. I’m going to have a lot more to say on what this says about the state of distribution, and what it means for your hotel, in this week’s Travel Tuesday post. Stay tuned for more.
2. Sticking with travel distribution for a moment, Tnooz reports that IBM is suing Priceline Group for alleged patent infringement. I’m honestly not 100% sure what to make of this one, but it’s probably worth keeping an eye on as things move forward.
3. In more Priceline news, this past week’s Travel Tuesday post offers insight from Priceline CEO Darren Huston on why driving brand value matters. Really good stuff.
4. In last week’s Hospitality Marketing link digest, I’d made mention of the importance of net neutrality. This look at the simple truth about net neutrality for your brand and business explains why it’s such a big deal. Be sure to check it out.
5. As part of its ongoing look at 2015 trends, Skift details why the real and literal disruption of travel is a threat. Interesting insights throughout. If you’re interested in more trends, you should also check out “The Top 14 Hotel Marketing Posts of 2014” and this interview I gave Hotel News Now about 5 hotel marketing trends for 2015.
6. Switching gears, Leonardo has a good piece on how to target travel shoppers using special offers on social media that’s well worth a look.
7. Finally, Skift asks “When Did Big Hotel Brands Fall in Love With User Reviews?” It’s no secret that I think managing your ratings and reviews represents the single most effective way to improve your brand’s digital marketing so you probably should check out both reads about this important topic when you get a moment.

Looking for even more of the best hospitality marketing advice and insights? Be sure to check out my round-up of these “6 Superb Hotel Marketing Insights,” these “6 Totally Brilliant Travel Marketing Posts,” and these “5 Outstanding Posts to Kick-off a Successful Hotel Marketing Week,” from our hospitality marketing link digests (part of the ongoing E-commerce Link Digest series).

If you want to learn even more about how customers changing behavior shapes e-commerce and marketing, 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.

Plus, don’t miss these slides and video from my recent webinar, “Digital Marketing Directions: Three Key Trends Driving Your Marketing Next Year”:

Finally, you might also 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