7 Spectacular Hospitality Distribution and Digital Marketing Posts: Hospitality Marketing Link Digest

I don’t know about you, but it feels like spring is finally here, which is always a good day for us here at Thinks Central. Hope it’s a good day for you too. Once you’ve had a chance to get out and breathe some of that fresh, spring air — and before you head back to your office on Monday — why not take a few minutes and check out these 7 spectacular hospitality distribution and digital marketing posts from the past week, this week’s entry into the Hospitality Marketing Link Digest series? Enjoy:

1. Meisha Bochicchio has a good post over on Fuel’s blog about travel trends for 2016, with particular emphasis on disruption in the OTA space. Good stuff. You might also want to check out this presentation about “Digital Marketing Directions 2016: Key Trends Driving Your Hotel Marketing Next Year” that our own Tim Peter presented to a number of HSMAI chapters over the last few months.
2. Myla Tutt from Sojern talked with experts about the future of hotel marketing, its challenges and some best practices for staying competitive that’s well worth a look.
3. Looking for more ways you can remain competitive? Wondering what works to keep OTA’s at bay? Then maybe it’s time to ask yourself, “is social a waste of time for hotel marketers?” Or just read the post for yourself to find out why the answer is “no.”
4. Switching gears ever so slightly, don’t ignore this news that Facebook Messenger now lets you check-in to KLM flights. While it’s specific to the airline industry, it offers serious implications for the hospitality space too. In fact, Skift has a new report on how hotels are utilizing messaging as an operational strategy that’s absolutely worth reviewing — and that underscores why I’m bullish on mobile payments and messaging.
5. While we’re talking about Facebook, by the way, you’ll also want to give a listen to this recent episode of Thinks Out Loud — our weekly e-commerce and digital strategy podcast — that explained why “It’s Facebook’s World and We’re All Living In It.” Really good insights there.
6. Glenn Gruber has a great piece over on Tnooz that talks about why enterprise mobility adoption is travel’s unsung opportunity. Not much there that’s a real surprise to long-time readers of Thinks, mind you, but it offers an excellent perspective all the same.
7. And, finally, Rory Long at The Drum has a great look at how Google is interpreting content in 2016, which also serves as a great reminder that, for travel marketers, content is still king. Good stuff, all around.

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 hotel, 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”