Louisville, Kentucky Nearly Doubles Year-Over-Year Event Volume, Hits 94.9 Percent Growth in July
Knowland | August 21, 2024
Sales & Marketing
Mews Acquires Sales and Catering Innovator, Quotelo
Mews | November 4, 2024
Mews makes its first French product acquisition [Lyon, 4 November 2024]: Mews, the industry-leading hospitality cloud, has announced the acquisition of Quotelo, marking its first product acquisition in France. This milestone comes on the heels of Mews surpassing 1,000 French customers, further solidifying its presence and commitment to innovation in the region. Founded in 2021, Quotelo revolutionizes event hospitality by accelerating and simplifying event quotation, booking and management. Quotelo’s seamless solution supports independent hotels and resorts, as well as major hotel brands, to increase their revenue for groups and...
Sojern and Cloudbeds Announce New Integration at World Travel Market 2024
Sojern | November 4, 2024
LONDON – 4 November 2024 – Sojern, the leading digital marketing platform built for travel, and Cloudbeds, the premier hospitality management software platform, have today announced a new partnership to bring two leaders together within the hotel technology space, just ahead of the World Travel Market in London. This strategic partnership means that Sojern’s built-for-travel digital marketing and guest experience solutions are fully integrated with Cloudbeds’ system and deliver industry-leading accuracy and tracking capabilities. Sojern’s commission-based travel advertising helps hoteliers increase direct bookings while only pa...
Thynk Announces Partnership With Cvent to Elevate Hospitality Sales Through Next-Generation Integrations
Thynk | October 30, 2024
Companies aim to drive group sales performance for hotels and venues by streamlining event operations Partnership includes integrations between Thynk and three of Cvent’s leading hotel solutions, Cvent Supplier Network, Smart Custom Proposals and Cvent Event Diagramming Brussels, Belgium & Tysons, Va. – October 30, 2024: Thynk, a provider of next-generation hospitality commercial management solutions, and Cvent, an industry-leading meetings, events, and hospitality technology provider, have announced a strategic partnership to empower hotel and venue sales teams with the solutions they need to drive greater business results. Th...
Introducing: LUCID, The Next Generation of Content Manager
Leonardo | October 24, 2024
Leonardo is excited to announce the launch of LUCID Content Manager, the future of hotel content distribution. Our new platform is the next generation of our enterprise media distribution platform. Leonardo has been distributing hotel photos and other media for over 20 years. We have long been at the forefront of distribution innovation, and we’re excited to continue in that role with our new system. With this new platform, we’re expanding the capabilities of our technology beyond media. LUCID Content Manager distributes all static or descriptive hotel content to travel channels. We now have brand-approved textual content like contact in...
Travelers Are Spending Big This Holiday Season–With Higher Expectations Than Ever
Sojern | October 15, 2024
SAN FRANCISCO – 15 October 2024 – Sojern, the leading digital marketing platform built for travel, today shares its latest travel data ahead of the holiday season and beyond. Travelers are eager to hit the road or skies, but economic concerns and inflation are widening the wealth gap. Compared to 2023, more consumers are opting for road trips over air travel, if they’re traveling at all. Sojern data shows upscale and luxury hotel prices have risen by 1.7% and 1.4%, while economy lodging remains steady, reflecting growing demand for higher-end accommodations. “Unlike the pandemic where travelers chose less crowded destinations, thos...
Chattanooga Ranks in the Top Five of Secondary Markets for the First Time in 2024
Cendyn | October 10, 2024
Cendyn reports Las Vegas leads the top 25 markets, making this the eighth consecutive month it has been in the top five AUSTIN, Texas— Oct. 10, 2024 — Cendyn’s Sales Intelligence platform, previously known as Knowland, shares its monthly data findings for hoteliers to gain insight into the top locations selected by today’s meeting planners. Cendyn reports that Las Vegas ranked first in the top 25 markets with 34.2 percent year-over-year (YoY) growth, positioning it in the top five markets for eight consecutive months; however, Chattanooga, Tenn. ranked in the top five secondary markets for the first time, coming in second with 62.7 p...
Hotel Sales Training Lessons Learned From a Top-Tier Real-World Practitioner
Doug Kennedy | October 9, 2024
Real-world insights into today’s hotel sales environment While being a sales trainer for a diversity of lodging providers certainly keeps me in touch with what’s going on in the profession of hotel sales these days, I always capitalize on every opportunity to gain insights from real-world practitioners. One such opportunity recently presented itself when I caught up with Jennifer Daudi, Chief Executive Officer of Invigorate Hospitality, which offers remote sales support to a long and diverse list of hotels across virtually all major brands. Besides overseeing her team of expert salespeople, Jennifer herself has decades of experie...
Understanding Event Sponsorship as a Marketing Tool
EHL | October 2, 2024
With the cost of marketing on digital platforms going up and conversion rates heading in the other direction, brands in many industries are looking for different ways to reach and attract customers. Event sponsorship positions your brand and message in the spotlight of the people that matter. With events teams expecting a 10% increase in attendees this year and 86.4% of organizers planning to maintain or increase their events in 2024, in-person events are thriving. With that in mind, how can you choose the right event to sponsor to generate the best possible return on investment? Why sponsor an event? Before we discuss the different t...
Cogwheel Analytics Announces Launch of Hotel Digital Marketing Benchmarking Scorecard
Cogwheel Analytics | October 2, 2024
Denver, CO – We are pleased to introduce our latest innovation, the Benchmarking Scorecard. This enterprise tool is crafted to transform how hotels assess their digital marketing performance. Tailored to meet the needs of hotel management companies, ownership groups and digital marketing agencies for both branded and independent hotels. The Benchmarking Scorecard allows you to compare your hotels’ performance indexes against key performance indicators of similar hotels. The Benchmarking Scorecard leverages the latest advancements in automation technology and integrates seamlessly with our existing business intelligence and descriptive ...
How Hotels Are Displaying Resort Fees in the Wake of CA’s Junk Fee Law
Genevieve Horchler | October 1, 2024
Not sure how to present resort or amenity fees on your booking engine? See concrete examples of how other hotels are adapting to the hospitality industry's new pricing regulations. By Genevieve Horchler In July 2024, the California Junk Fee Law was passed with the goal of eliminating the confusion surrounding hidden fees in the hospitality industry. This legislation requires hotels and other hospitality players to provide transparent pricing upfront, with mandatory add-ons like resort fees included in the advertised price. While hotels now need to show resort fees upfront, that doesn’t mean there’s only one way to do so. We too...
Merry Marketing: Engaging Holiday Travel Strategies to Grow Your Business
Adam Ortman | September 20, 2024
By Adam Ortman The most wonderful time of the year is nearly upon us — especially if you own or lead a hospitality business and want to attract travelers during the holiday season. But with everything else as busy as Santa’s workshop in December, how can you make sure your holiday travel marketing stands out? According to a survey by AAA, more than 115 million Americans traveled over the 2023 Christmas and New Year’s holidays alone (Thanksgiving and other major travel dates notwithstanding). And it’s not just about visiting family. While many Americans prefer to stay home during the holidays, about 6% of travelers took som...
Cendyn Hosts Exclusive Webinar: Email Marketing Tactics for a Successful Holiday Season
Cendyn | September 19, 2024
Boca Raton, Florida – 19 September 2024: As the critical Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales periods approach, hotels must prepare and elevate their email marketing strategies to stand out and drive bookings. Cendyn invites you to a comprehensive webinar designed to equip hoteliers with the tools and knowledge needed for Q4 success. On September 26th, 2024, Haydee Fernandez, Cendyn’s Associate Director of Customer Benchmarking & Recommendations, will lead an insightful session focusing on optimizing email marketing campaigns during the busiest shopping season of the year. Key Takeaways Include: IP and domain performance and r...
It’s ‘No Dough’ for Third-Party Cookies, According to Latest Google Announcement
Cendyn | September 18, 2024
Will hospitality face another Google challenge now that the search engine has changed its approach to eliminating third-party cookies? Having said they would end the use of third-party cookies in the Chrome browser for the past four years, Google has now retracted this plan. Instead they’ve chosen a softer option by putting the onus on the consumer to opt-out. What’s the change? Following in the footsteps of Apple’s AppTrackingTransparency (ATT) on its Safari browser, Chrome now lets consumers choose if they wish to allow third-party cookies to track them. This announcement comes as no surprise since Google has been delaying a...
Metasearch Pricing Models Explained/GCommerce Solutions
Metadesk | September 16, 2024
Metasearch Pricing Models Explained/GCommerce Solutions With various metasearch advertising pricing models to choose from, how do you pick the best one? Our breakdown outlines each model's pros, cons, and ideal property types. ...
Your Data, Your Control: Ensuring Your Data Is YOUR Data in Hotel Technology
Mike Pavicich | September 10, 2024
By Mike Pavicich | Director, Global Sales | SalesAndCatering.com In the modern, data-centric, tech-reliant hospitality industry, hotels depend heavily on third-party vendors to streamline operations, enhance guest service, and maximize profits and productivity. This dependency, however, introduces a vulnerability as it involves sharing sensitive data with these external partners. Recent and many high-profile cybersecurity breaches have underscored the inherent risks in such arrangements, where hotels can be held accountable for any data breaches. Consequently, the critical task for hotels is to ensure that their data ownership remai...
U.S. Open Serves Up Growth for New York Events Industry Increasing Year-Over-Year Volume by 30.2 percent in August, Knowland Reports
Knowland | September 10, 2024
Las Vegas led the top 25 markets boasting seven consecutive months of double-digit growth ARLINGTON, Va. — Sept. 10, 2024 — Knowland, the world’s leading provider of data-as-a-service insights on meetings and events for hospitality, reported that New York ranked second among the top 25 markets, with over 30 percent year-over-year (YoY) meeting volume growth driven primarily by sports tourism for August. Las Vegas ranked first with 36 percent YoY growth. This data is sourced from Knowland’s sales intelligence platform designed to help hoteliers protect and grow their revenue base. While Las Vegas headed the top 25 markets list, ...
HSMAI and Curacity Release White Paper on Commercial Strategy for Upper Funnel Marketing
HSMAI | September 4, 2024
McLean, VA (Sept. 4, 2024) – The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) and Curacity have jointly released a comprehensive white paper on the importance of upper-funnel marketing in the hospitality industry. The white paper, titled, “From Last-Click to First Look: A Commercial Strategy Makeover Story for Upper Funnel Marketing,” marks a pivotal shift in the industry’s approach to brand awareness, offering a roadmap for long-term growth and profitability. After years of prioritizing last-click attribution, the hospitality sector is beginning to recognize the critical role of upper-funnel marketing st...
Developing a Social Media Plan for Your Hotel
Stephanie Sparks Smith | August 29, 2024
In the past article, we discussed who should be in charge of the social media for your hotel. Whether you are tasking your in-house team or outsourcing to an agency, resources must be determined to dedicate to social media. This includes resources of both time and money. Now, it is time to make and execute a plan. Developing a Content Strategy While you are likely to quickly post your upcoming holiday deal, slow down. A good rule of thumb is no more than 20% of your posts should be an offer. Think first of your audience. Who are your followers? What are the challenges you are solving for them? What do they care about? Many ...
The Power of Organic Social Media for Hotels: Why It Still Matters
Lodging Interactive | August 28, 2024
One of the most significant advantages of organic social media is its ability to foster genuine, authentic connections with your audience. In today’s fast-paced digital world, social media has become an indispensable tool for hotels to connect with guests, build their brand, and drive bookings. With the increasing focus on paid social media advertising, many hoteliers might wonder if organic social media still holds value, especially when marketing budgets are tight. At Lodging Interactive, we firmly believe that organic social media posting remains a powerful and effective strategy for hotels, regardless of your budget for paid posts. Her...
WISCO Hotel Group Elevates Operational Efficiency and Maximizes Revenue With STS Cloud, ProposalPath, and Visrez Solutions Across 14 Properties
SalesAndCatering.com | August 27, 2024
The industry’s most trusted sales and catering solution helps busy hospitality teams of all sizes and service levels efficiently sell, organize, and deliver exceptional end-to-end event experiences. Charleston, SC – (AUG 27, 2024) –WISCO Hotel Group has made a strategic leap forward in enhancing efficiency and maximizing event revenue by incorporating cutting-edge technology from SalesAndCatering.com. The prominent Wisconsin-based hospitality company has successfully transitioned to the STS Cloud platform, incorporating advanced e-signature capabilities, ProposalPath proposal tools, and Visrez 3D table diagramming to enhance even...
Louisville, Kentucky Nearly Doubles Year-Over-Year Event Volume, Hits 94.9 Percent Growth in July
Knowland | August 21, 2024
Up-and-coming market consistently leads in meeting event growth in 2024, while Philadelphia led in the top 25 markets ARLINGTON, Va. — Aug. 21, 2024 — Knowland, the world’s leading provider of data-as-a-service insights on meetings and events for hospitality, reported that while Philadelphia led in the top 25 markets, Louisville, Ky., doubled year-over-year (YoY) event volume growth, hitting 94.9 percent. This is the fifth month Louisville has ranked in the top five secondary markets this year. This data is sourced from Knowland’s sales intelligence platform and designed to help hoteliers protect and grow their revenue base. Lo...
HSMAI Partners With Milestone Inc. and Dorothy Dowling To Release eBook on Digital Marketing Trends for Hospitality Executives
HSMAI | August 20, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: McLean, VA (August 20, 2024) – The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) is pleased to announce the release of a new eBook, created in collaboration with Milestone Inc. and Dorothy Dowling, former chief marketing officer of Best Western Hotels and special advisor to the HSMAI Foundation. Titled “Top Digital Trends for Hospitality C-Suite to Future Proof Your Digital Footprint,” this eBook provides hospitality executives with crucial insights into the latest digital marketing trends that are poised to reshape the industry. In an era where the digital landscape is constantly evolvi...
How Much Should a Hotel Website Cost?
Lodging Interactive | August 12, 2024
Lodging Interactive offers a SaaS model where a hotel pays a nominal fee upfront and continues with monthly payments for the term of the contract, after which the website is fully owned by the property. Thanks to website and hosting technology advancements over the past 15 years, spending tens of thousands of dollars to build a high-converting hotel website is no longer necessary. This is important for hotel marketers to understand, as they typically allocate less than 5% of their annual budget to marketing. “Independent hotels typically allocate about 4-5% of their total revenue to their overall marketing budget. Within this budget, ...
Hotel Sales Habitudes for Booking More Groups, Conferences, and Events – Complimentary Registration Now Open for Doug Kennedy’s Next Webca
Doug Kennedy | August 6, 2024
Sponsored By Travel Outlook and Track Hospitality Software Register your team and participate live, or view the recording, of Doug Kennedy’s next 40-minute training webcast scheduled for Friday, August 16, from Noon – 12:45pm EST. REGISTER HERE “Today’s hotel and event salespeople work in completely different environments than most of their leaders experienced,” said KTN President Doug Kennedy. “Meeting planning and event booking sites have created a flood of leads, which can be overwhelming for salespeople.” When revenues drop, salespeople are required to meet prospecting quotas, based on a set number of calls, sent ema...
