Augmented vs virtual reality Session 4

Map Session 5

A Food & Drink Map by rebecca pourtout

Non traditional collaboration

Wearables Session 3

Geo fencing Session 2

ORM Session 4 Visme Link

Session 3 Alice App

SESSION 3

ALICE APP

The major investor in Alice App is Expédia one of the most popular travel agency on the web. Alice App is a service management system but it doesn't well rooms on the opposite of Expédia. The fact that an online agency invest in a service management app is a major breakthrough as now the distribution is merging with hotel operations in order to face the evolving consumer behavior.

By pushing messaging, hoteliers are able to communicate directly with guests by using sms and so get their intention more than if they were using apps that are not necessarily checked during the day. All the conciergerie services can now be done as soon as the guest request is made. The concierge Caen fulfill a need using direct message. The notions of location or time are pretty much dissapearing because of the instant communication. By using apps inegrated with direct message, hoteliers can manage requests pre stay, in stay and off property as well as integrate guest activities and profiles for future requests.
So now hoteliers have to think of guest service as very personnalized services because of higher expectations from their guests. The traditionnal ORM are used to manage the reputation of the hotel by analyzing the online reputation and the guests satisfaction of your hotel in order to improve guest service. Now it's not only to manage reputation but it sur more to focus on your right customer and provide them the services they want precisely. It involves contacting the guest prior to stay and most importantly to use the most used way of communication which is messages. Messages are now taking the lead over the several social networks available on the web.
It involves that now a guest service is a personnalized service that has been thought in advance for each one of the guests. Satisfaction is the feeling that the guests has at the moment he receives the service so it should be measured at the moment the services is fullfiled. The use of after stay satisfaction quastionnaires is now not any more relevant because in order to keep your customers, all requests should be adressed at the Time it happens.

Alice App and CheckMate.io share sole similarities bu the main différence is the fact that CheckMate is mainly focusing on direct communication with customers. It's a plateform that allow all staff members to get précise information on each guests, share those informations with the other  and contact directly the guest using messages. It's a plateform entirely dedicated to direct message to customers.

The post app service economy is the idea that the use of the apps is declining as direct message such as sms or snapchat, WhatsApp, wechat are much more used and popular. Sms is the most used way of communication and we use it all day throughout the day. We are constantly connected to each other using text messages. On the opposite, we are not as consumers constantly ckecking apps. So hoteliers using apps to contact their guests may face à high rate of non responses. The messaging service Will impact ORM as text messages are really difficult to control. So now the challenge for hoteliers is to find ways to control their reputation while as the same Time use direct messages with customers that are not necessarily easily controllable because of the privacy of the Channel.

Webinar ORM Session 2

SESSION 2 WEBINAR: REVENUE STRATEGY MANAGEMENT FOR HOTELIERS

By watching this webinar I learn some facts about the importance of guests’ ratings when deciding prices.

First the reviews are one of the most important element that drive guests in their booking decisions. More than half of the consumers won’t make a reservation if there are no reviews because reviews appear as being references among customers. And because the offers of hoteliers are more and more numerous and similar, the reputation of a specific hotel can make the make the difference among all of its competitors. An increase in reviews can lead to in increases in occupancy and in RevPar for a significant amount.

Furthermore, the revenue management is essential for hoteliers as it defines which service to sell to the different kind of customers and at the most profitable price. But because the increasing numbers of distribution channels and online reviews, the revenue managers are facing difficulties to manage and forecast the rates. The hotels are spending more and more on guest acquisition and retention because of the volatility of the demand. This phenomenon impacts a lot on the total revenue.

Then in order to keep businesses profitable while acquisition costs are rising, hoteliers could use some techniques such as:

• Integrate digital marketing processes in the guests purchase decision
•  Make sure than previous customers made good reviews about the hotel and so focus on guest satisfaction before, during and after the stay
• Anticipate customers’ demand by offering them as much choice as possible when they are booking rooms
• Focus on increasing direct booking by focusing on guest services offered at the hotel and offering incentives
• Use metasearch to adapt to new trends
• Update your online websites as often as possible
• Get out of your comfort zone and create new services that will lead to the attraction of new demands
• Replace the RevPar by the ProPar to focus more on the profitability of the rooms and not only the revenue

Finally the most important things today is to diversify across several channels of distribution, take into account the acquisition which is higher and higher and finally listen to the customers in order to create services that would create guests loyalty and that would also make a hotel stand out among the competitors. 

ORM Comparison Session 1

Marriott Travel Briantly

Webinar Assignment

Webinar: Connecting with Travelers to Drive Direct Booking & Loyalty
Presenter: Daniel E.Craig founder of Reknown
Link: Webinar
Slide deck: Slides

By attending this webinar I learned really important notions and tips on how to increase customers' loyalty. More and more people are now booking online by using travel agencies and OTAs that are not looking for customers' loyalty. So hoteliers now want to get back direct booking and guests' loyalty.
Here are the notions and tips given in the webinar that seems to me the most relevant and that need to be taken into account in order to drive direct booking and guests loyalty:
- focus on guest service that can't be done by online travel agencies
- create contacts as much as possible to drive loyalty
- mobile booking has double in the past year
- SMS communication has increased dramatically over voice communication
- it's essential to be close to the guests and engage communication
- use multiple forms of expressions
- extend personnal touch
- a better communication is synonymous of greater guest loyalty
- engage communication before the guest's arrival
- connect during the stay and ask guests how thay want to communicate
- use software that create widget on your website that gives to the customer the travel agencies' prices for the same chosen dates
The first benefits from attending the webinar is that you get precised information about a specific subject which is developped in details by someone who has great knowledges in the subject. Another benefit is that the webinar is interactive thanks to the slidedeck so you get more involved as if you were reading the same information in a book; it catches the attention of the audience.
If I had to organize a webinar I would use more visuals on the slidedeck and also some videos to illustrate the sayings.

Homework for Session 6 Hospitality Social Media

Mobile App Session 5