This is a guest blog by Sabre Hospitality’s EMEA Marketing Manager (pictured left), on the importance of digital marketing.
The event season is up and running! We at Sabre Hospitality Solutions have already participated in some great events in 2014, including the highly successful HSMAI Digital Marketing Strategy Conference last week, where over 250 industry professionals were able to hear about the latest trends and developments in the digital space.
Chair of the HSMAI Digital Council this year is our own Paolo Torchio, Vice President of Product Management and Consulting (pictured below right). He announced that the Council’s top strategic initiatives in 2014 are:
- Education, through the conference, Webinar series and Knowledge Center;
- Recognition for certified digital practitioners through the Certified Hospitality Digital Marketer (CHDM) program;
- Measurement through the HSMAI Digital Marketing Benchmark Study.
That’s right, Digital Marketing is everywhere and we love the dynamics of it. In this fast-paced digital world, where new developments and trends aren’t new anymore the next day (okay, I may be exaggerating a little bit, but it’s practically true), we’d like to help you today with some key takeaways from the HSMAI event last week in New York.
Did you know…
- 2014 is all about storytelling, and who is a better hero in your hotel story than your guest?
- 50% of travelers won’t book a hotel if there are no online reviews, and 70% trust reviews from strangers
- 97% of people have a mobile phone within 3 feet of them at all times
- In the past we influenced 10-15 relationships, while we now influence 150 relationships at any time due to social media
- Responsive Web Design is critical to include in your digital marketing strategy
- Of the 200+ respondents to the HSMAI Digital Marketing Survey, 30% of respondents are getting 10% to 20% of their business through the hotel website with over 45% getting more than 20%
- The same survey showed that the average independent hotel website is getting around 10,000 visits per month
- Hoteliers should better understand cost of acquisition by channel and manage digital channels by looking at revenue and profitability; and benchmark themselves for effectiveness.
Lastly, our team will be in Berlin this week at ITB Berlin and would love to discuss the latest digital trends with you. Learn more about how Sabre Hospitality handles these continuous changes happening in Digital Marketing by visiting hall 8.1, stand 125. How can we help you to drive revenue to your hotel business? Come over and find out or take a look at six other reasons we give you to visit the Sabre stand.
* The above mentioned facts and stats derived from the HSMAI Digital Marketing Strategy Conference and are not official number published by Sabre.
• Charlotte Tee is Sabre Hospitality’s EMEA Marketing Manager. Follow her on twitter: @charlottektee
