Louisville, Kentucky Nearly Doubles Year-Over-Year Event Volume, Hits 94.9 Percent Growth in July
Knowland | August 21, 2024
Sales & Marketing
Instagram’s New Twitter Competitor Is Right Around The Corner. How Can You Prepare?
GCommerce | June 14, 2023
Did you hear? Meta just announced a new app. Get up to speed on Instagram’s new Twitter competitor -find out what it is and how it can be valuable for your hotel here. The world of social media feels like it’s always changing – especially right now. With Elon Musk taking over Twitter, Mark Zuckerberg pushing the metaverse (or trying to), and the meteoric rise of TikTok, there’s a lot to keep track of. In addition to all the other changes we’ve had to deal with in the last few years, there’s one more on the horizon: a new social media platform from Meta. This new platform is very interesting, and provides for some clear advan...
Re-Imagining Hotel Marketing: Unlocking New Revenue Streams With Next-Gen Technologies
Dr. Anil Bilgihan, Ph.D. | June 7, 2023
This article was co-authored by Peter Ricci. Dr. Ricci is the Director of the Hospitality and Tourism Management program at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). By Dr. Anil Bilgihan, Ph.D. - Associate Professor at Florida Atlantic University, College of Business As the hospitality industry becomes more competitive, the role of the sales and marketing department has never been more crucial. Add in the ever-improving sophistication of revenue optimization and you truly have a fast-moving evolution of the overall sales, marketing, and revenue process. Through the development of innovative programs to increase occupancy and make profitabl...
Chicago Leads in U.S. Meetings and Events in May for Second Month
Knowland | June 7, 2023
Data reveals 70.4 percent year-over-year growth in U.S. meetings and events, according to Knowland ARLINGTON, Va. — June 7, 2023 — Knowland, the world’s leading provider of data-as-a-service insights on meetings and events for hospitality, continued its monthly monitoring of the top 25 markets to identify those that are leading the industry in meeting and event volume. Today the company announced the Chicago market led the U.S. meetings and events industry by volume for May for the second month in a row. Second place again went to Washington D.C., with Los Angeles/Long Beach in third. This data is a subset of Knowland’s sales in...
Flip.to Positions for Scale With the Appointment of Product Growth Expert, Jon Ruggles, as Director, Partnerships
Flip.to | June 5, 2023
A demonstrated leader in hospitality, Ruggles brings the Flip.to platform to travel brands worldwide in order to drive impact for the industry and the communities it supports Orlando, Florida, June 5, 2023 – Flip.to, the marketing platform to reach, inspire, and win over travelers, is pleased to announce the appointment of industry veteran Jon Ruggles as Director, Partnerships. Tapped to bring his extensive experience from partnerships and product management to enterprise relationships and growth, his strategic vision will help accelerate the use of the Flip.to platform around the globe. Ruggles joins a team that’s delivering...
From Digital Disruption to Dominance: Redefining Hotel Group Sales for the Digital Era
Daniel Melnyk | June 2, 2023
By Daniel Melnyk The traditional approach of rapidly processing a high volume of leads is inefficient, so how can hotels use technology and service to drive more bookings? Hotel group sales in the digital era have undergone permanent changes, particularly in the way relationships are built through digital means. The traditional approach of rapidly processing a high volume of leads is inefficient, with up to 90 percent of leads failing to convert. Add to that the immense pressure that sales teams today are under to produce countless generic proposals daily, resorting to impersonal emails instead of engaging with clients through meaningfu...
The Experience Economy Endures: 2023 Deloitte Summer Travel Survey
Deloitte | May 30, 2023
Signs point to a busy season, as pricing pressure does not seem to deter Americans from enjoying their vacations More than two years after the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines helped relaunch the experience economy, this summer is poised to improve on an already buoyant Summer 2022. Half of Americans say they will take a leisure vacation (involving a stay in paid lodging; see figure 1) this summer, up from 46% in 2022. And they are doing so with enthusiasm, taking more international flights and adding an average of one trip to their calendar. Concerns, however, persist—50% of nontravelers say they will stay home due to financial worries. ...
Cvent Announces Top Meeting Destinations and Top Meeting Hotels in North America for 2023
Cvent | May 24, 2023
The highly anticipated annual Top Lists, published for the first time since the pandemic, spotlight top-performing group business hotels and sought-after meeting destinations TYSONS CORNER, Va.--May 24, 2023--Cvent, an industry-leading meetings, events, and hospitality technology provider, today released its lists of the Top Meeting Destinations and Top Meeting Hotels for meetings and events worldwide. These lists – which are broken out regionally by North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa – were compiled based on sourcing activity through the Cvent Supplier Network, one of the world’s largest venue...
Twenty Four Seven Hotels Names STS Cloud as Preferred Sales and Catering System for Portfolio of 25 Properties
SalesAndCatering.com | May 24, 2023
Leading hotel management company upgrades to SalesAndCatering’s STS cloud to optimize productivity, efficiency, and sales to meet the increase in group business with travel rebounding Charleston, SC – (May 24, 2023) – Twenty Four Seven Hotels, one of the country's leading hotel management companies for premium-branded, select-service, and lifestyle hotel segments, has selected STS Cloud as the preferred sales and catering system for all 25 properties. Any new hotels added to the portfolio will also use STS Cloud as the company continues expanding its management footprint. SalesAndCatering’s STS Cloud is a cloud-based hospitality...
Hospitality Trends: How Are the Different Generations Traveling?
Tatyana Tsukanova | May 16, 2023
By Tatyana Tsukanova, Lionel Saul The hospitality and tourism industry has always come up with names to describe cohorts of travelers that share similar interests and behaviors. Sometimes those names follow the famous generation categorization, such as Millennial travelers and Gen Z travelers, or have more tailored-made definitions. Silent travel and its impact In the last decade, the impact of the generalization of smartphone usage has created a new category of travelers: silent travelers. This cohort has adopted mobile technology to enhance or even replace the conventional in-person service delivery that occurs in the hospitality ...
Is Facebook Still an Effective Marketing Vehicle for Hotels?
Lodging Interactive | May 16, 2023
For years, critics have been prognosticating the downfall of Facebook, with many so-called "experts" predicting that the platform's user base would dwindle, and its relevance would fade. However, despite the numerous claims that Facebook is dead, the social media giant continues to thrive, especially when it comes to advertising and marketing within the hospitality vertical. In this post, we share our thoughts on why Facebook remains the top platform for marketers, thanks to its powerful ad targeting and ROI tracking abilities. The Failed Predictions The Decline of Facebook's User Base: Many experts had claimed that Facebook's user b...
Remington Hotels Taps Knowland to Capture Multi-Day Event Business
Knowland | May 10, 2023
Knowland helps Remington Hotels execute its sales strategy to win more meetings and events revenue ARLINGTON, Va. — May 10, 2023 — Knowland, the world’s leading provider of data-as-a-service insights on meetings and events for hospitality, announced today that Remington Hotels, a dynamic and growing hotel management company, selected Knowland to execute its sales strategy and increase profitability more precisely. Founded in 1968, Remington Hotels has grown into a strong, industry-leading hospitality service provider. Today it manages 121 hotels in 30 states across 26 brands, including 18 independent and boutique properties. Be...
Visrez and SalesAndCatering.com Strengthen Partnership by Offering Integrated 3D Event Diagramming as an STS Cloud Enhancement
SalesAndCatering.com | May 9, 2023
Hotels gain a competitive advantage with photorealistic 3D Event Plans in proposals, and new Event Dashboard view of contracts, menus, layouts, venue space for sales teams and event planners Charleston, SC – (May 9, 2023) – – SalesAndCatering.com and Visrez, the revolutionary hotel and venue sales tool used by the leading brands to bring event spaces to life, have strengthened their long-standing partnership by debuting an enhanced integration between Visrez’s Floor Plan Builder and STS Cloud. Visrez Floor Plan Builder software produces superb photorealistic 3D event plans using exact replicas of event spaces, furniture, and pro...
Lodging Interactive Launches Social Media Service to Help Hotels Find Job Candidates From Locally Targeted Social Media Users
Lodging Interactive | May 8, 2023
Lodging Interactive, an award-winning digital marketing, reputation management, and social media engagement agency exclusively serving the hospitality industry since 2001, has launched its HR omnichannel marketing service that aims to help hotels locate and recruit candidates for their vacant job positions. The new service leverages social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram, and Text Messaging to find job seekers in specific geo-targeted areas and then connects them with open job positions available at a property. Job seekers can access the job descriptions on their mobile devices and apply online. The completed applications are sent in ...
H-Hotels.com Adds Digital Media Solutions to Successful Partnership With Amadeus
Amadeus | May 8, 2023
German hotel group H-Hotels.com has signed an agreement with Amadeus to expand their reach to travelers on digital channels, adding to Business Intelligence and Travel Seller Media contracts. With expectations of a busy summer travel season, hoteliers in Europe are seeking ways to increase bookings and drive more awareness to their properties. H-Hotels.com, one of the largest privately-owned hotel chains in Germany with over 60 hotels throughout Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Hungary has selected a broader, more far-reaching media campaign by adding several Digital Media solutions including display and social media marketing to their c...
Knowland Reports Chicago As Top Market for Events in April With National Associations As the Leading Group Segment
Knowland | May 4, 2023
Data reveals 73.2 percent year-over-year growth in U.S. meetings and events ARLINGTON, Va. — May 4, 2023 — Knowland, the world’s leading provider of data-as-a-service insights on meetings and events for hospitality, continued its monthly monitoring of the top 25 markets to identify those markets that are leading the industry in meeting and event volume. Today the company announced that the Chicago market led the U.S. meetings and events industry by volume for April. Second place again went to Los Angeles-Long Beach, with Washington DC in third. The leading industry driver for meetings was National Associations, placing either f...
Doug Kennedy Announces Next Topic In His Webcast Training Series: Maximizing Textual Sales & Service Opportunities
Doug Kennedy | May 3, 2023
Complimentary Registration Sponsored By Travel Outlook, Better Talent, and Track Hospitality Software Kennedy Training Network Inc. (KTN) announced today the topic for Doug Kennedy’s next training webcast: Maximizing Textual Sales & Service, which will train your team on using personalized, persuasive writing for chat, email, and in-app messages. This webcast is scheduled for Friday, May 12 from Noon – 12:40pm. REGISTER HERE According to Doug, “The reality is that most reservations offices have become ‘contact centers,’ because most agents are spending as much time typing than talking these days.” This KTN traini...
IHG® Hotels & Resorts Signs MOU With Saudi Tourism Authority to Accelerate Growth of Tourism Sector in the Kingdom
IHG Hotels & Resorts | May 2, 2023
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 02 May 2023: IHG® Hotels & Resorts, one of the world’s leading hotel companies with more than 6,000 hotels, across 18 distinct brands, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) at the Arabian Travel Market 2023. The MOU provides a framework for both entities to explore methods to increase inbound visitation to Saudi Arabia from key markets across Middle East and Africa region. This includes developing customised promotions, joint marketing campaigns, and promotion through loyalty programs which will showcase Saudi Arabia as one of the world’s most exciting d...
SalesAndCatering.com and Amaze Insights Team Up to Provide Hotels With Consolidated View of Group Sales Data Across All Platforms and Properties
SalesAndCatering.com | May 2, 2023
Strategic technology partnership gives hotel brands, management companies, and individual properties flexibility to choose multiple S&C systems with access to actionable insights via a single-view platform Charleston, SC / Seattle, WA – (May 2, 2023) – – SalesAndCatering.com and Amaze Insights today announced a technology partnership that consolidates hotel group sales analytics. The idea behind this integration is to enable hotels to quickly and easily extract maximum value from their data in a centralized BI tool. The Amaze Insights platform provides a centralized view of group sales and catering/events data across multipl...
Knowland Releases Sales Leader Training Guide to Help Hotel Owners and Asset Managers Protect and Grow Investments
Knowland | April 27, 2023
Top property and enterprise best practices enable sales teams to maximize performance using the Knowland Platform ARLINGTON, Va. — April 27, 2023 — Knowland, the world’s leading provider of data-as-a-service insights on meetings and events for hospitality, today announced a Sales Leader Training Guide designed to provide sales leaders with tips for helping property-level sellers get the best results from the Knowland platform and in turn, drive new business. Potential customers gain an in-depth look at the nuances of the platform. Download the guide here. Achieving sustained profitability requires sales strategies that start ...
Clairvoyix and Vizergy Digital Marketing: Partnering to Drive Incremental Revenue for Hospitality Clients Is Showing a Strong Uplift in Bookings
Vizergy | April 25, 2023
Leveraging our combined expertise in digital and direct marketing results in new revenue opportunities for the Hospitality Industry LAS VEGAS, NEVADA (April 25, 2023) – Clairvoyix and Vizergy are announcing a strategic partnership that is already benefiting our joint customers with cloud-based hospitality specific sales and marketing automation solutions, made possible by a cohesive, comprehensive, and complementary set off of direct marketing tools including web site design, paid and organic search tools, email marketing, analytics, and more, all backed by two professional services organizations that count decades of on property hospita...
Coast Hotels Selects Shiji’s Online Reputation Management Solution to Drive Guest Satisfaction Across North America
Shiji Group | April 19, 2023
Shiji ReviewPro has been implemented across 24 Coast Hotels in North America to improve guests' experiences and further enhance Coast Hotel's reputation. ATLANTA, Georgia, April 19, 2023 – Shiji Group, a leading hospitality technology partner, announced today that it has installed its online reputation management platform Shiji ReviewPro across 16 Coast Hotels properties and 8 restaurants in North America. Coast Hotels is a leading Canadian hotel brand with properties across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Yukon, Alaska, Washington State, California, and Hawaii. With the addition of Shiji ReviewPro, Coast Hotels will have the ...
Hospitality Industry’s Most Trusted Proposal Tool ProposalPath Celebrates 18 Years of Helping Hoteliers Boost Productivity and Revenue
Bluebuzzard | April 19, 2023
Chicago, Illinois (April 19, 2023) – ProposalPath by Bluebuzzard, the hospitality industry's most trusted, intuitive, and cost-effective online hotel proposal solution, is looking back on eighteen years worth of milestones and technology innovations as it celebrates a key anniversary. Founded in 2005, the firm pioneered the use of advanced automation capabilities for developing and managing the full lifecycle of hotel sales, including quotes, interactive visual proposals, personalized videos, contracts, e-Signatures, reporting, online RFPs, AV, 3D floorplans, and menus. Identifying a gap in the market for an end-to-end hospitality propos...
Amadeus Partners With UpMail Solutions to Expand Hospitality Technology Ecosystem
Amadeus | April 18, 2023
As a leading global provider of innovative group sales and catering technology solutions, Amadeus’ Delphi® helps hospitality teams of all sizes streamline and improve operations by elevating their group and event sales, organizing, and management processes. Busy teams are under pressure to respond to an increased level of group and catering inquiries with speed, relevance, and personalization to ensure that their response is the one that makes the difference. Through Amadeus’ new strategic partnership with hotel sales technology provider UpMail Solutions, customers seeking integrated proposal customization will benefit from enhance...
MeetingPackage and Amadeus Expand Partnership to Help Hoteliers Maximize Group Business Opportunities
MeetingPackage | April 18, 2023
Through this partnership, instant online event booking capabilities will be available to more properties worldwide 2023 is shaping up to be a busy year for meetings and events, with 15.5 million more group room nights booked globally for H1 compared to the same time in 2022, according to Amadeus’ Demand360® data as of April 6, 2023. As demand grows, busy planners are looking for venues with efficient processes and hassle-free booking options. Naturally, this moves hotels with instant online booking capabilities to the top of their lists. To further support the return of group business and expand on the current partnership, Amadeus a...
