In the 1992 movie Glengarry Glen Ross -- a display of the goings on in a real estate office -- Alec Baldwin played an over-the-top aggressive sales representative named Blake. He has a famous line in the movie which was:  "A-B-C. A-Always, B-Be, C-Closing. Always be closing, always be closing." For...read more

For your hotel to be successful in Google’s world, you have to play by Google’s rules. This means an integral part of your hotel marketing strategy should include high-quality, FRESH and unique online content that authentically drives people to your Web site. But, what would you update on your...read more

In "Part 1: A Novice Bird's Eye View for Using Social Media to Engage Clients", we reviewed in Steps 1, 2 and 3, how you can begin a social media marketing program simply: Basic Resources, Start Where You Are, and Schedule Commitment. If you have followed those steps, you are ready to move on to the...read more

The European Commission's New Media Trend Watch reveals that 234 million Americans used mobile devices for a three month average period in 2012. There was a 6% increase of smartphone users in that same time period from January 2012 (according to comScore, Inc.). No wonder Online Travel Agencies...read more

You may have seen competitors marketing their properties using social media and said to yourself, 'we should do that.' Then your next thoughts are all the seemingly impossible reasons why you can't. Not only are resources slim, but the choices are overwhelming, with more popping up nearly...read more

“Location, location, location” has been the longtime stock answer to what's the most important aspect of opening a business. Hotels smack dab in the middle of a mixed-use development renaissance are finding themselves in a right-place-right-time scenario. To the one-stop-shopping concept of...read more

This week marks the anniversary of Alexander Graham Bell sending the message, "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you" to his assistant using electricity to transmit speech for the very first time. I often wonder what he would think of the developments his ingenuity influenced. The article, "The...read more

The GBTA (Global Business Travel Association) BTI Outlook-United States 2012 Q4 released in January forecasts a promising 2013 with a 4.6% increase in overall travel. The report mentions three key factors in this much awaited increase. Alex Eaton, president of World Travel Service in Tulsa, is...read more

Remember when Grandma's telephone was a shared line with the neighbors (a party line) and the only computers were in big hidden rooms in banks and other businesses? Remember when you got your first cell phone and it stayed in the car because it was larger than a bread box? Remember your first...read more

Homewood Suites by Hilton released their 2012 Workstyles Study, a study polling 553 business travelers on what they are looking for in a hotel experience when traveling. The study revealed that business travelers need room to work and opportunities to network with colleagues and fellow travelers....read more

Even though there are currently 187 million members from over 200 countries on LinkedIn, there seems to be some reticence among hospitality marketing staff about completing both a personal and company profile in the network. Most of the people I work with have incomplete profiles, and worse, they...read more

Ever watch the evening news and cringe at the interviewee’s response? He or she most likely wasn’t coached on media interviewing. Being caught off-guard by the media is always a possibility, although it never has to be a factor for you. I suggest preparing your hotel or conference center for a...read more

Everyone loves a bargain.  So, you set a nightly special in your primary food and beverage outlet, but no one is taking you up on it and you do not understand why. I venture to say the reason your guests are not aware of the specials is because they are tuned into their handheld devices. They are...read more

You've heard the idiom, I "couldn't see the forest for the trees." Are you working your SMERF (Social, Military, Educational, Religious, Fraternal) market harder, not smarter, by missing the obvious? Who are the SMERFs among you? Let's examine SMERF opportunities that hit you where you live. The...read more

Your sales managers have a full plate, right? Between developing relationships to get hotel group business, increasing group bookings, increasing room blocks and then maintaining those relationships, a sales manager is the definite revenue generator for your meeting venue. But, what if I told you...read more

Statistics are abundant showing that Internet usage, in particular social media, is growing by leaps and bounds all over the world! Internet Statistics shows an overall growth of over 12% between 2011 and 2012 of those using Facebook and a total of 835,525,280 users worldwide with more being added...read more

Envision this: A meeting planner walks into your hotel on a Wednesday morning wanting to talk to someone about booking hotel group business. Would this response be okay with you?   "Let me take your phone number and Jane Smith will be happy to call you back on Friday." "Friday?!?" you say to...read more

Have you been trying to attract senior level business travelers to your property? Wondering what the trick is in doing so?  LMA Communications recently conducted a survey targeted at corporate senior management with company sales of $100 million or greater. This blog will identify the demographics,...read more

Your hotel marketing person has created a Facebook Fan Page and Twitter account for your property and they periodically go on the site to post something of interest. Sometimes they post everyday and sometimes it seems like cobwebs are growing on your sites. When I inquire why this has happened,  I...read more

Group sales is about connections. Sure you call past guests, purchase leads from database companies. perform site visits with potential clients and work the associations. You have approached your sales goals and initiatives in an organized fashion following the same process for years. In 2012 you...read more