Hotel reviews

As I sit thinking about “spring cleaning” my house, I realize that it is that time again for e-marketers to start thinking about a “spring cleaning” their websites for the coming high travel season.

Believe it or not the first quarter of 2006 is almost over. Many hoteliers I spoke to had high ambitions for increasing their online reservations this year and have now found themselves at the same place they were at the start of the year. It’s time to take a hard look at your website and online marketing campaigns and evaluate if they have met your expectations so far this year?

Now you just can’t blame lack of activity on your site, or the low season, or Google and its algorithmsyou have to take responsibility for continually improving and optimizing your website. Ask yourself what have you done this first quarter to improve not only traffic but conversions on your website?

Let’s look at content first. Everyone loves fresh content; search engines love it as well as consumers. When was the last time you updated your website message? Are you providing a reason for customers to return often to your site? Hoteliers with only a Brand site are the worst offenders. Too many brand owners feel once they have filled in their hotel information form, that they can cross that item off the to-do list and wait for the brand to do the rest.

As the season begins to change and travelers begin their summer vacation research, what message can you provide that will make you stand out in this highly competitive season? Have you looked at your competitors sites lately? Like a clothing store, do they have the new “spring fashions” on the rack while you are still showcasing your winter getaway? If you have your own website it is imperative you keep your content fresh.

What else can you do to drive new customers to your site? First, if you are a brand you should know your “friendly url” that has been assigned to you by the Brand. This makes your website address pointing to your brand page a simple address as opposed to typing in a lengthy cryptic URL. As a branded hotel, make sure you have taken advantage of all of the new optimization improvements as mentioned in “Is the Brand helping you with your Internet Strategy, “http://rss.coupleofchicks.com/item.php?id=20

So you have freshened up your content, you have optimized your tags for Google and Yahoo, so now do you just sit around and wait for the summer travel season to hit? No -now you must take action. If you have some interesting vacation programs available or festival season in your area is starting, why not use content syndication to attract more customers to your clean freshly updated site.

Building on your search engine optimization efforts, you might consider focusing some efforts on less traditional forms of advertising to move your message to the massesthe new “word of mouth” - online press releases, articles, RSS Feeds and Blogs. If done correctly, you can move your website content very quickly to the top of the natural search results for the keywords that you are looking to be found for in your market. Remember, the search for the perfect summer vacation is about to begin, will your travel product be found?

Not unlike your own “spring cleaning” take some time this season to clean up the junk, put it on the curb and while you are waiting for trash pick up, go out and get yourself a ‘Spring Website Makeover!”

###

Patricia Brusha is the co-founder of “A Couple of Chicks,” an Internet Marketing, e-Distribution & Revenue Measurement Company. The “Chicks” specialize in using Creative, Distribution and Technology to bring clarity to marketing on-line.

To find out more about A Couple of Chicks Marketing and the tools and services available, visit http://www.acoupleofchicks.com
Visit http://www.onlinerevealedcanada.com A New Conference Series coming May 15-16 2006 - brought to you by A Couple of Chicks in association with The Canadian Tourism Commission http://www.canadatourism.com

Share This

If you are a little wary of choosing the hotel because of the price, ask to receive brochures and photos through the mail; or better yet, go on the Internet if they have a website and check out details. If you like the hotel and you’re online, you can go ahead and book a room immediately. You’ll also find out details like whether there is cable television, a pool, health club, daycare, etc. Other details like the distance from shopping areas and places of interest will also be available to you on the Internet.

If you are a little wary of choosing the hotel because of the price, ask to receive brochures and photos through the mail; or better yet, go on the Internet if they have a website and check out details. If you like the hotel and you’re online, you can go ahead and book a room immediately. You’ll also find out details like whether there is cable television, a pool, health club, daycare, etc. Other details like the distance from shopping areas and places of interest will also be available to you on the Internet.

Some of the popular affordable hotels in Boston are The Howard Johnson Inn of Boston located next to Fenway Park; Chandler Inn Hotel located in downtown Boston; Hampton Inn of Boston, located one mile from Logan Airport; The Ramada Inn, downtown Boston and a very popular family hotel; A Bed and Breakfast in Cambridge, a 1897 colonial revival house and the Beacon Inn of Boston.

In Boston, your choices are definitely not narrowed down because you are looking for an affordable, comfortable and conveniently located accommodation. Go online or call the Boston Chamber of Commerce for more information.

Boston Hotels provides detailed information about Boston hotels, Boston luxury hotels, cheap Boston hotels, downtown Boston hotels and more. Boston Hotels is the sister site of Florida Timeshare Rentals.

Share This

Over the years I have planned many trips and far too much time on the phone nailing down details on hotels and airlines for large group trips. I had always wished that booking for groups could be as easy as booking for individuals using online search engines. Until now there simply was nothing available to accomplish this goal. Enter Groople.com, a group rate search engine for hotels, airfares, busses, trains, and cruises. I decided to take it for a spin and see if it was indeed the answer to my prayers.

For my first attempt at using Groople I chose a similar location and duration to a trip that I had run earlier in the year. I chose a set of dates one month away and tried a search for the Los Angeles area for a block of twenty rooms. When the search came back I was not surprised to find roughly the same price ranges as what I found when planning the previous trip. Many of the hotels came up without definate rates, instead offering to send me personalized quotes if I registered and gave up my credit card number. For the hotels with definate rates, there was an interesting mix of everything from higher end suites hotels down to mom and pop style small hotels. All offered photos and decent information about the hotel. Not a bad start to my research. Plus one for Groople.

Then I dug a little deeper. Travelocity and Groople have been partners in the online booking business since February of 2005. I did the same search on Travelocity (except only for one room) and sorted the results by name of hotel. In comparing the Travelocity list to the Groople list I was very surprised. For several hotels the Groople price was actually much higher than the same hotel on the same dates for Travelocity. For others, the price difference was only a dollar or two in Groople’s favor. If you are buying a large block of rooms there is no reason that you should have to pay more than a person buying one single. Minus one for Groople.

In the end, my impressions of Groople were a very mixed bag. It is an interesting service, one that in my opinion has been badly needed. But I can’t help but think that I would still get a better deal calling the individual hotel and negotiating a price over the phone. Plus, going directly to the hotel sales manager gives you a much better feel for a property, and it is always a good idea to build a relationship with your hotel sales manager, especially if you are unfamiliar with the area you are traveling to. Groople and Travelocity are great places to start when planning your next group trip, but in my opinion you should still consult the local hotels directly rather than booking your group online unless you happen to find an incredible deal or don’t want to make the extra effort.

About The Author

Chad Criswell is a well regarded high school music teacher. He has over a decade of experience planning and coordinating trips for school and non-profit groups of all sizes. He is a respected resource person for band, choir, and other activity groups across the country.

Mr. Criswell hosts a web site dedicated to music education topics for students, parents, and teachers located at http://www.musicedmagic.com.

Share This