HeBS Internet Marketing Blog

Diamond Hawaii Resort & Spa Website Launched!

HeBS recently launched the new website for Diamond Hawaii Resort & Spa (www.DiamondResort.com) located in Wailea Maui Hawaii.

HeBS Client AmericInn® Wins 2008 Interactive Media Award for its Website!

HeBS has received the Outstanding Achievement Award in Web site Development by the Interactive Media Awards™ for the AmericInn International Web site (www.AmericInn.com). Recognized for excellence in the Hotel/Resort category, AmericInn is the only hotel chain website to win this award in 2008.

Content on the site was implemented using a content management system designed specifically for the AmericInn marketing team, who are now able to log in and make changes to the copy and photos themselves. The content management system makes the development of the site more manageable and efficient, and provides AmericInn a way to keep the site timely.

Comment on "Getting Back to the Basics" Article

Yesterday, HeBS received the following email:

"I am the DOS at a Hampton Inn in FL. We are located in central Florida and are primarily a retirement community.  As you can well guess, our local economy is truly suffering.  I was just commenting to some associates on just how demoralized everyone is feeling.  After I read this article I felt much better."

How has our latest article affected your outlook on the current economic conditions as they relate to your hotel? Have you taken any of the steps in the article?

Getting Back to the Basics: The Hotelier’s Internet Marketing Action Plan for a Difficult Economy

The slowing economy is affecting the hospitality industry in a number of negative ways: commercial bank credit is extremely tight, energy and food prices are on the rise, leisure travel consumers are staying home, and companies are re-assessing their corporate travel budgets. Smith Travel Research reports that year-to-date (January-April 2008) occupancy rates in North America fell by 1.9%; in Europe by 0.7% and in Asia Pacific by 3.1%, compared to the same period a year ago. What should hoteliers do in a deteriorating economic environment? What are the strategies that would help alleviate the negative impact of negative growth in occupancy? What action plan should hoteliers follow at this time? What should hoteliers do to succeed in 2008?

What should Hoteliers do in 2008?

• Unlike the competition, do not cut your marketing spend, but re-evaluate the marketing efforts and advertising budget and focus on proven ROI-centric efforts and formats
• Shift funds from offline to online advertising formats
• Shift funds from brand-building to direct-response initiatives
• Track every dollar spent with sophisticated website analytical and campaign tracking technology (e.g. Omniture Analytics)

2008 Dos and Don’ts

So what should hoteliers do? What marketing initiatives should they avoid right now? Hoteliers should NOT:

• Experimenting with unproven advertising formats
• Advertising on Third-Party Intermediary Sites (TPIs) –ad cost+TPI commission = total cost of 30%-40%
• Trying “sexy” new media initiatives e.g. social media sites like YouTube, Facebook.com, MySpace.com, etc.

Here is what you should focus on right now:

Focus on proven, ROI-centric Internet marketing strategies + formats

• Launch a comprehensive Internet Marketing strategy to reach potential customers
• Launch a Local Internet Marketing Strategy to reach drive-in and impulse-buy  customers
• Launch a Differentiation Strategy as a top priority
• Identify and promote the unique value proposition of the hotel

Take a hard look at what you are doing: are you taking chances with new and unproven marketing formats? Is your Internet marketing budget ROI-centric? Are you a smart marketer, or are you advertising blindly, with no clue as to what is working and what is not? Have you covered the basics:

• Website re-design and Optimization
• Search Marketing
• Email Marketing
• Strategic Linking
• eCRM
• Website analytics and campaign tracking

Please read our latest article on this subject.

How has your hotel been affected by the current economic situation? We welcome your feedback.

HeBS Wins Two 2008 Summit International Awards!

Hospitality eBusiness Strategies has received two Summit International Awards in the Travel/Tourism Website category.  Over fifteen years, the Summit Creative Awards has established itself as the premier arbiter of creative excellence for firms of this size.

HeBS received one Silver and one Bronze 2008 Summit Creative Award for its clients:

• Silver to Hotel Amarano Burbank, the only luxury boutique hotel in Burbank CA
• Bronze to Le Parc Suites, a luxury all-suite hotel in West Hollywood CA

Any feedback? We welcome your questions and comments.

HeBS Receives "Official Honoree" Distinction for the 12th Annual 2008 Webby Awards

HeBS has been recognized as an Official Honoree in the Tourism Website category by The Webby Awards, the leading international award honoring excellence on the Web. This distinction acknowledges work exhibiting remarkable achievement, and HeBS is proud to receive the only award within the hotel category this year. The 12th Annual Webby Awards received nearly 10,000 entries from over 60 countries and all 50 states.

Official Honoree: HeBS Client: Cape Eleuthera resort community in the Bahamas

Click here to read the press release.

Questions or comments on this website? We want to hear your thoughts!

Did You Miss Our Recent Webinar?

If you were unable to attend our recent webinar with StarCite titled "Maximize Your Hotel's Online Presence: Drive New Business Development with Targeted eMarketing" presented by HeBS' Max Starkov and Jason Price, you may click here to view a recording of the event.

The webinar included a discussion on significant trends in the Online Travel Marketplace, how to reach your key customer segments online, and how to integrate Web 2.0 into your Internet marketing strategy.

Check out the webinar and you will also get practical guidelines for developing successful emarketing plans and implementing best practices. If you have any questions about the webinar, please don't hesitate to contact us.

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EyeforTravel Interview with HeBS' Max Starkov

If you weren't able to make EyeforTravel's Social Media Strategies for Travel Conference in San Francisco this past March 5-6, check out this interview with Max Starkov, HeBS Chief eBusiness Strategist.

Max discusses how to incorporate Social Media/Web 2.0 into your Internet marketing and Distribution Strategies, the ideological clash between official website content and user-generated content, and much more.

Click here to read the interview.

Le Parc Suite Hotel Website Launched!

HeBS recently launched the new website for Le Parc Suite Hotel (www.LeParcSuites.com), a boutique all-suite hotel in West Hollywood.

Presenting the Results of the 2nd Hotel Internet Marketing Benchmark Survey

For the second year in a row, HeBS is pleased to present the results of the 2008 Benchmark Survey on Hotel Internet Marketing Budget Planning and Best Practices in Hospitality.

We would like to thank everyone who participated. These survey results are extremely beneficial to the industry as they help us identify trends in Internet marketing, show us how Internet marketing strategies are evolving over the years, and most importantly, the results provide hoteliers with insights into what they should be doing in their Internet marketing strategy to generate robust ROIs from their website this year.

Is your online business coming from your own website more than third parties? What are you spending the highest proportion of your Internet marketing budget on this year? Take a look at the survey results and let us know what you think.