mike murray
Mobile Websites vs. Apps: The Final Showdown – Part Two
Mike Murray | November 14, 2017
By Mike Murray I hope my articles (like this one and this one), are providing you with some insight into mobile as a critical component of your booking and distribution strategy. Especially, if you are trying to boost bookings with the world's largest generation, Millennials. In the last article, we started comparing and contrasting mobile websites and apps, outlining the pros and cons of mobile websites. Here's a quick recap… Pros: Mobile websites are readily accessible to anyone with a cell phone (the majority of people worldwide), which gives your property/brand the opportunity to reach more potential customers (than using mob...
Mobile Websites vs. Apps: The Final Showdown – Part One
Mike Murray | September 26, 2017
By Mike Murray As we discussed in our most recent article, "Millennials + Mobile: A Match Made in (Hotelier) Heaven," mobile is the best booking, marketing, and engagement channel available, to reach the world's largest generation – Millennials. So, if your property hasn't already gone mobile, what are you waiting for? Perhaps – as is the case with many hoteliers who haven't – you are wondering whether it is better for you to invest in a mobile website, an app, or both. Today, I'm here to tell you about the benefits and downfalls of each mobile channel; however, because there is just so much important information to co...
Millennials + Mobile: A Match Made in (Hotelier) Heaven
Mike Murray | September 19, 2017
By Mike Murray Most people today are aware of the HUGE impact that mobile phones have had on our everyday lives; of course, it allows us to communicate at any time via many different messaging mediums, but there is also a significant change in the way mobile has affected business. People no longer have to be at home, sitting in front of a desktop computer, to be an online consumer; today, they're online, on-the-go, 24/7, as the vast majority of people – or at least those in the Baby Boomer generation and younger - have a mobile phone or device of some sort. Heck, even my 91-year old mother has a smart phone – and she can't e...
4 Things That Will NOT Happen This Year
Mike Murray | July 13, 2017
By Mike Murray A great deal of what we read nowadays is predicting how the travel market will change and how hoteliers need to pre-emptively adapt in order to compete. For a change of pace, I've decided to write about four things that will definitely NOT happen this year, so hoteliers can factor this thinking into their online distribution strategies. So, without further ado, here are four things that will NOT happen this year: 1 - The big OTAs will start treating hotels fairly. Unfortunately for hotels, the big OTAs have hotels backed into a corner and won't change their tactics anytime soon. Even though hotel bookings earn the majorit...
Reimagining the Online Booking Channel
Mike Murray | June 9, 2017
By Mike Murray For many years, hotels and OTAs have had an ongoing feud, acting more like rivals than the (business) partners that they should be. While many hotels appreciate the bookings that OTAs provide, all hoteliers hate the exorbitant commission rates that top sites charge; to make matters worse, OTAs do not share customer information with hotels (which would be very helpful for hotels to improve the customer experience) because they want to "own the customer." That being said, the OTAs are still an indispensable tool for hotels because "52% of U.S. travelers between the ages of 18 and 34 prefer booking hotels through online sear...
8 Reasons Why Your Hotel Brand Needs a Mobile App to Succeed
Mike Murray, CEO at TripCraft | June 7, 2017
By Mike Murray CEO, TripCraft Mobile Alexa Robertson is traveling for business. At the airport, she pulls out her smartphone and opens her favorite hotel's mobile app. With a few finger taps, she requests an airport transfer and early check-in, receiving a confirmation notification within seconds. Upon entering the hotel, a welcome message pops up, complete with her booking information and room number. Skipping the front desk line, she heads directly to her room, unlocking it with the app's mobile key technology on her smartphone. A push notification offers her a discount on a spa service, and she immediately books a massage before maki...
The Importance of Selling Experiences, Not Just Beds
Mike Murray | May 30, 2017
By Mike Murray Millennials are one of the fastest growing travel demographics, who are "expected to be taking 320 million international trips each year (by 2020)[1]." Contrary to popular belief, not all Millennials are choosing to stay at Airbnb (or other alternative accommodation properties); in fact, Millennials "make up 70 percent of all hotel guests.[2]" Surprised? If you're like most hoteliers, I'd guess that your answer is yes. If you haven't figured out how to make your property more attractive to Millennials, I'm here to help. The answer is simple: focus less on selling a room and a bed, and more on selling a complete, unique, s...
Hotels – Quit Wasting Your Time on Social Media
Mike Murray | May 18, 2017
By Mike Murray CEO at TripCraft Mobile Most hotels have at least one, sometimes two or more, staff devoted to social media, but ask what the ROI is on the social media effort and, generally, you'll get blank stares. Everyone knows social media generates something, but rarely do they know exactly what. In a 2016 report on this topic, when asked whether or not they measure the room nights that are directly attributable to social media activities, 68 percent of hotel responses were "no." Making the time and money you spend on social media mean something—making it valuable—is all about making it actionable and measurable. Sendin...
