2. Bill Marriott announces a fan film contest for Renaissance Hotels – the winner gets to work with Spike Lee

3. John Jantsch explains how Google just upped the ante for local search

4. Adpulp shows how Portland’s Ace Hotel stands out through creativity

5. The New York Times points out that art isn’t merely decoration for new hotels

1. Tourism New Zealand uses a mobile video recording studio to record visitor’s impressions
2. Michael Hraba demonstrates why Facebook could be a waste of time
3. Brian Clark shows how to write great Twitter headlines
4. Lori Weiman explains the importance of looking beyond rankings to measure your search marketing effectiveness: ad coverage & number of positions also important
5. Jim Butler shares that LEED and Energy Star certified buildings earn a 31% price premium

1. Synovate researched the process people use to choose a hotel. While most people do some research, 1 in 10 simply choose the first ‘okay’ hotel they find. Are people finding you first?
2. Similarly, Reuters reports that hi-tech facilities are a major factor in attracting new guests. HotelChatter posted their list of Top Geek Hotels for 2009.  What cool technology could you add?
3. Ginny McGrath shares the 10 hottest online travel trends she observed at the Travolution Summit in London. Interesting thoughts on websites getting simpler and more useful.
4. John Jantsch explains why Twitter is the new Helpdesk, and gives some tools you can use.
5. Chris Brogan shows how travel companies can get started in social media. Some great ideas for encouraging participation, such as posting a business card with social media sharing suggestions.