Top 10 Insights from EyeforTravel North America 2009

Well I’m back from the 2009 EyeforTravel North America Travel Distribution Summit, and gathered some insights on where the industry is heading.

Here are my top 10 13 takeaways:

> Infrastructure is a challenge for small, independent hotels. To overcome that, build a solid training program for your staff.

> Never ask a guest “Have you stayed with us before?” Build a great recognition system so you know that answer already.

> Partner with other established brands if you’re trying to reach up-market segments

> OTAs offer international distribution and significant marketing budgets that can supplement hotels’ budgets when times are lean. Small & independent hotels should ride the backs of OTAs for these benefits.

> On metasearch sites, hotels should move away from price commoditization by providing product-level custom messages to differentiate their offers

> OTAs get first-time consumers in the door for new brands. They may book later directly & become brand loyalists. According to Expedia research, for every booking made on their site, they send the supplier two extra direct bookings.

> To encourage bookings through direct channels, hotels should build a strong loyalty rewards program and invest in comprehensive SEO & SEM marketing efforts.

> When given the chance, consumers often prefer booking with the brand for perceived flexibility and options.

> Many times, mobile devices are used by make last-minute bookings. 48% of consumers willing to buy a hotel room via mobile (eMarketer).

> In mobile search, if you’re not in the top 1-3 results you’re invisible. The search algorithm is unique for mobile results, so optimize appropriately.

> Apart from groceries, consumers go to the internet first before buying any product. Plan your marketing strategy accordingly.

> SEO (organic search) can give much better returns than SEM (paid inclusion). According to Yen Lee of Uptake, 86% of travel sales leads are generated by organic search listings.

> Consumers are becoming more sophisticated in their web search. This gives marketers the opportunity to provide content in context. Invest in landing pages to support your SEO & SEM efforts.

[Photo credit: PhotoDu.de]