How to measure the bookings from Tripadvisor Business Listing.

The Problem hoteliers wonder whether they can evaluate the cost/benefit of using the TripAdvisor’s feature and whether they have a real ROI (Return of Investment) on this marketing action. The Pain is how can track the bookings come from this featured link. The Solution The solutions is called ROI MANAGER (www.roimanager.info) ROI Manager is the only tool that can >>>>> Read More

An Open Letter to Mark Zuckerberg

Dear Mark, Firstly, I wholeheartedly agree with Fiorina’s open letter,  and I would like to refer to the phrase from her letter, “You have understood our needs and desires for connection and [...]

Mykonos – Santorini - How Synergy Creates Sales

By John Giannatos

I would like to present a business concept which I have had the opportunity to implement as a “Loyalty Program” between two groups of hotels on the famous Greek Islands; Mykonos and Santorini.

Two hoteliers from these well-known Greek destinations have joined together to create their own unique loyalty program.  With their cooperative action, each group from the hotels on these islands now offers a discount to the guests of the other group.

As of March 2012, resorts of Mykonos with  Caldera Collection, have put into effect a loyalty program that rewards guests of the other group with a 10% discount through their website.

Whilst it is true that sometimes simple solutions have the most tangible results, the hardest part is not finding that solution, but being able to collaborate with a person who is compatible. This is what has been achieved through this beneficial program.

The Inspiration

Studying the bookings of Santorini and Mykonos, we found that a large percentage of travelers used to visit both islands during their trip. The North Americans, in particular made up much higher % of these findings. Also, requests by guests on Santorini for recommended hotels on Mykonos and vice versa were very common, bringing us to the conclusion that a “loyalty program” would be an excellent opportunity for the hotels to work together in a combined effort to satisfy the needs of their guests. This program would increase sales in both groups and on the other hand, would encourage guests to book from their website and not from any OTA site (booking Expedia) which would result in a commission loss for the hotelier.

The Collaboration

Collaboration is a skill that makes something which cannot be accomplished alone, quite possible. Thus, establishing a climate and environment where businessmen from similar or competitive fields can successfully work together is very important.

I have been extremely lucky on that part because both Mr. George Kassavetis who is the managing director of the resorts on Mykonos, as well as Mr. Andreas Patiniotis who is the Managing Director of the Caldera Collection were very open-minded and understood immediately the benefits of the loyalty program.  They listened carefully to the idea and were enthusiastic to implement it right there and then.

The Technology

The project also had a technological advantage because both groups used the same booking engine (Webhotelier.) During the implementation, we had the full support of Webhotelier who produced a dynamic voucher for the hotels, using the already implemented technology they use for loyalty programs of group hotels. They also programmed the multi- property finder which you can see working for all nine hotels of both groups.

We produced the necessary marketing material as well as texts and description on internal pages of the hotels, describing the program and how a guest can redeem the voucher on the other island. You can see an example here or here

How it Works

A hotel from any of both groups rewards a 10% discount for a booking to the other group of hotels. Once a guest makes a reservation at one of the hotels of these two groups, the confirmation email includes a voucher coupon code for the hotels of the other destination, independent of which destination the guest selects first. (Customers of Destination A get a discount on destination B and vice versa.) 

 The whole process has been made simple so the only thing that a guest has to do is to select which destination they want to travel to first and then book. Then, they select which hotel they like from the group of hotels at destination B and include the voucher they received in the confirmation email of the hotel at destination A.

If the guest does not want to travel to destination B, then he can share this voucher code with a third person, relative or friend.

With this unique loyalty program, guests can only benefit. Both hotels increase their sales by providing a tempting offer and encourage guests to book through their website. They also receive guests from each other who won’t book through any OTA site. The guest receives a discount on their vacation and in some cases a third person or a friend of the guest is awarded the right to use the discount too. 

The Results

From the day the program was adopted, we immediately saw there was a higher success with bookings at the expensive resorts, (mostly five stars.) This was expected since there is the higher benefit from the % of the discount.

Moreover, our studies showed that guests interacted with the program by booking first the less expensive hotel at destination A so as to have a higher discount on the expensive hotel at destination B. This is acceptable to businessmen and it doesn’t break the business model which is based on extra sales. 

 

Next Steps

We have established a website www.mykonosantorini.com where more businesses can have access and participate to our loyalty program and offer the standard 10% discount when the guest visits a restaurant, goes on a wine tasting tour at a local vineyard or books a boat excursion for a day.

The goal is to get more and more local businesses on both islands involved with the program so that guests see the benefit of the loyalty program which offers benefits to everyone.  Due to the recent increasing demand from travelers, travel agents on the islands will be able to have access to the program offering the full packet discount to guests.  Moreover, hoteliers from nearby islands who have requested to join the program will encourage travelers to visit other destinations too. As the concept takes off, it will be possible to link more hotels to build a chain to a number of other destinations such as, Athens-Santorini-Mykonos etc.

Such ideas could work also between other famous double destinations such as “Rome - Florence”, “Miami – Bahamas”  “Valencia – Ibiza” and more…

The Importance of Hotel Photography

There is no need to be a highly professional marketer to know the importance of hotel photography. It is actually the first thing you must consider when dealing with first impressions of a property.
Studies carried out by the ROI MANAGER MODULE have shown that the photo gallery sections of a website receive an average of 97, 6% of “clicks” by visitors who book online.
In some hotels (mostly in cities,) this rate was around 78%. However, there were also cases when the rate reached as high as 100%.
Subconscious emotions are considered the second most powerful factor (after word of mouth and third party suggestions) in persuasive advertising and play a major role in influencing hotel guests in their decision process.

(The Incredible view from Astra Suites in Santorini)

WHY PHOTOS ARE IMPORTANT IN ADVERTISING
Seasoned travelers search and compare hotels online before making a reservation and photos definitely create the first impression for them. Wanting a perfect holiday, they pay attention to the following points and prioritize them: The views from the room(s), the balcony or exterior areas, the lobby, the guestrooms, the restaurants, the recreational areas and finally the local attractions and excursions.
Photos of a hotel depict the style, the personal “character” and the target group of guests. Vivid imagery seizes people’s imagination and thus a professional photographer must expose the “magic” of the hotel or the precise location, with the aim of captivating its audience. At the same time, quality photographs should provide potential hotel guests with a clear picture of what they will expect prior to actually booking a reservation.

(The Pool View of Saint John hotel in Mykonos Photo by G.Lizardos)

SHOULD HOTEL IMAGES BE OVER-EXAGGERATED?
Absolutely not! Don’t forget, that online consumers are smart buyers. The relationship between the hotel and the guest is interactive and especially nowadays with social media sites like “tripadvisor.” If we present an unrealistic visual image of the hotel and we prepare the customer for something that is misleading, then we are in danger of receiving a great deal of negative reviews on sites like we mentioned above. There is a sensible acceptable limit of exaggeration for the traveler and this should not be over the 10% of the reality. This 10% is in the logical range of acceptability and it’s considered normal for a customer.
In other words, the photos should show the 110% of the reality. If the images are bad and depict only 80% of what the hotel is like, then the hotel will have problems with bookings. Therefore, the same problems will occur in cases where the imagery depicts 180% of the reality. This is like false information being presented on packaging of a range of products in a supermarket.

(Burj Al Arab Hotel - Dubai)

During travel and accommodation research, Internet users make a price comparison between hotels and they never visit a single hotel website. Sometimes, this price comparison is made simultaneously while opening multiple tabs in their browsers and making photos comparison too. This is not unusual for a hotel’s website; it happens also on OTAs sites like “booking.com” or “expedia.”
Photography in this case, plays a role of 60% (among others) on the decision to book. According to statistics in 2011, 75% of travelers in Europe visited 4, 7 hotel websites, before making their choice. This means that after pricing which is the main factor, photography (which is a 60% decision factor) will be compared to another 4-5 competitive hotels.

WHAT IMAGES SHOULD BE DEPICTED
Nowadays, new trends want people and models to exist in photos. This stimulates the imagination of the traveler who identifies him/herself with the models and then dreams or fantasizes of their upcoming holidays, especially when it comes to spas, weddings or honeymoon holidays.
A classic mistake regarding hotel photography, are the shots of an empty reception area where it gives people the impression that there’s no one there to greet guests or visitors or to answer any enquiries.

(The Pleiades Earth Mountain Resort & Spa. Photo by Diem Photo)

HOW MANY HOTEL IMAGES - 4 Or 84?
According to studies on tripadvisor, travelers are 150% more engaged on listings with 20+ photos, than those with only a few photos. If a “Picture is Worth a 1000 Words” then you don’t have to deal with text anymore since an experienced photographer can use his accurate and effective imagery to convey the hotel’s message and entice travelers to book accommodation.

PHOTOS ON THE BOOKING ENGINE
According to studies on “webhotelier” which is one of the booking engines with the highest conversions on over 1200 hotels, properties with a good number of good photos have higher conversion rate than others with only a few or bad photos. In details, properties with no photos have 70% lower conversion.


NOT FORGETTING DIGITAL IMAGERY
Having great photos only on your website is not enough if other travel sites have bad or old images, thus it’s obvious that the hotel’s photos need to be kept up to date and monitored across all travel sites and OTAs.
Hotel professional photography is an investment and shows an attitude of the hotel and a self respect of the owner (or management) to their own business. If a hotelier will not respect himself by investing and promoting his business with professional photography, the customer will not want to risk his money on booking a hotel that has not got a good presentation. The customer will go to the next hotel (which on the internet is just one click away) which has more beautiful photos.

(Photo By sandals.com)

A hotel photo gallery should provide visitors with virtual tours depicting what the hotel offers. These should combine three basic elements; the area, the property and the services. Each hotel may have a different order or priority for these three elements, but this has to do mainly with the target group of travelers and the online marketing strategy. For example, a hotel in Las Vegas will mostly promote the services, (casino, entertainment etc,) then the property (luxury, comfort) and then the area. Contrary, a hotel on Santorini will present the extraordinary scenery of the caldera view, and then the rest of the elements.


GOOD HOTEL PHOTOGRAPHY IS ESSENTIAL IF YOU WANT TO BE SUCCESSFUL.

The Importance of Color Terms used in Hotel Websites

By John Giannatos
A scientific overview of color branding in web design, focused on the Hotel Industry

A hotel website is not something different from an e-commerce website which sells products. However, what is different is that instead of dealing with multiple products (like Ebay or Amazon) it deals with a single product.
It is also well known, that people "select and purchase" based on feelings, and then justify their decision with logic.

The connection between colors and feelings is probably the most simple and profound thus it seems reasonable that color influences mood.
Think about how people usually feel watching a glorious sunset or seeing the deep blue Mediterranean Sea for the first time.

What we present in our website is what we have to "sell", and this varies from one hotel to another. For example, a hotel in downtown Berlin may sell business accommodation, and a hotel in Bali may sell leisure and luxury vacations. Moreover, the location of a hotel can sometimes be defined and promoted through the use of color. For instance, a hotel on Santorini, in Greece is more likely to "sell" the magnificent view of the black rock and volcano, while a hotel in Switzerland, the gorgeous scenery of the snowy white foothill of the Alps .

This color will symbolize your product and the area colors will act as a great identifier. According to what the particular character of the hotel promotes, and what the location represents, a hotel website must present the appropriate colors, which are linked to the location or the services.

The subconscious of the average visitor to a site immediately links the colors used on the website, with the location or based on the experience he is going to have if he books the accommodation. Thus on a Greek island with an array of vibrant colors, the range of colors on the hotel website should follow the colors of nature, the scenery and the general environment. The same can be said for a hotel close to the vast Sahara desert, where eye-catching colors such as golden and yellow are usually used in description or flaming red to describe a hotel in the Grand Canyon.

This is a game of the mind where humans according to research, tend to group patterns of communication with particular colors, smells, noises etc. For example, imagine a deep pool that is blood red instead of turquoise or brilliant blue. There is no need to carry out a social psychology experiment to discover that this pool will have fewer swimmers, if any at all, than the inviting blue pool which will be associated with the ocean.

Time Scales in User Experience

Visitors to a hotel website need as little as 50 milliseconds (1/20th of a second), according to Canadian researcher Dr. Gitte Lindgaard . This is enough time for a web visitor to make a judgment of a web site's "visual appearance". Thus, the design and appearance of a website and its use of color terms, most certainly influences a visitor's judgment of its perceived credibility and its usability, and ultimately affects his/her decisions of purchasing. This is why website Color is important. It affects how we feel, our perceptions, and our interactions.
Just as people, need a few seconds to "like" or "not like" each other, (the Halo Effect) it is the same with a website where first impression play a vital role.
Science behind Marketing

Following those principals and willing to see this aspect under a scientific eye, we used some hi-tech math software which exports the average color of the main page of a website. In order to keep standard conditions for this research, we saved the main screen of the main page of any website and we didn't take into account the scroll down page.

Our methodology was to find first, the dominant color in a bitmap. We used Euclidean distance calculations for each color-channel per pixel, we sorted the pixels to find the color which is the closest to all other colors and then, using Gaussian elimination we computed to a single color, the Average color of an image.

Here are some of the results:

Hotel	Avg Color	Notes
Astra Suites Santorini Imerovigli - Santorini www.astrasuites.com		As you can see here, the AVG color of Astra Suites on Santorini represents exactly the character of the area
Mystique Resort Santorini - Greece www.mystique.gr		Despite the shades of brown colors which have to do with the design, the selection of the image makes the average color to represent the Blue of Santorini
Saint John Mykonos - Greece www.saintjohn.gr		The same for Saint John Hotel on Mykonos which gives exactly the color character of the Island.
Coca Cola www.coca-cola.com		Color is considered important for brand recognition and the now familiar Coca-Cola red, remains a highly important component of this classic design.

As we can see in the above table, the selection of the main photos and the layout components do not destroy the basic color of the "product." The color blue represents the sea which is the main product for the brand of Santorini and a major portion of its economy. The Red color is the branded color of Coca-Cola and it's quite obvious that the design of the site follows the right marketing rules.

Below we will see some other examples from all-over the world:

Hotel	Avg Color	Notes
Casci Hotel Floence Florence - Italy www.hotelcasci.com		The Casci Hotel in Florence is another example of a web design which respects the colors of Florence. Because the RGB example was not clear, I posted also the CMYK palette where you see the domination of Yellow.
Grand Hyatt Indonesia - Bali bali.grand.hyatt.com		We are not sure that the average color represents what we have in mind about Bali.
Enagron Traditional Houses Rethymno - Crete - Greece www.enagron.gr		The average color represents 100% the environment of the mount of Psiloritis, which is the highest and most sacred mountain of Crete in Greece.
Xenia Palace Portaria Pelion - Greece xeniaportarias.gr		This color seems to be gray but if you notice, the green and the red are likely the closest colors of Pelion which is an area of high vegetated mountains. Pelion is a known winter destination.
MGM Grand Hotel & Casino Las Vegas - USA www.mgmgrand.com		The color represents a neutral character of a Casino hotel in Las Vegas
Bellagio Hotel Las Vegas - USA www.bellagio.com		Both MGM and Bellagio use their website to provide an entertainment character.
Grand Canyon Squiregrand Canyon - USA grandcanyonsquire.com		What color do you think of when you hear the Grand Canyon mentioned? Another example of a design following the colors of the area.
Radisson Blu Athens Park Hotel rbathenspark.com		Here is a Special case where this five star hotel provides the purple color as a brand color, based on the concept "Urban Nature" which lanced two years ago.

After those good eight examples, I will try to show you some inappropriate cases where the design does not follow any geographic, or brand policy and it is left to the arbitrary decision of the web designer.


...The inappropriate cases

Hotel	Avg Color	Notes
Radisson Blu Resort FijiDenarau Island - Fiji www.radissonblu.com		For those who know RGB colors, the 125, 125, 123 is the absolute Grey. This is a wrong case since the colors of Danarau Island in Fiji is turquoise - blue.
Pyramisa Suites Cairo - Egypt pyramisaegypt.com		Does this average color on the left remind you of Cairo or the Pyramids?

The two examples above are a sample of colors not connected to the product or the area.

In the case of the Pyramisa Hotel, I did not find any information on why the whole website is red, or any other information about the selection of the color. I assume this was just an arbitrary selection of the hotel management. The external area of the hotel is Here
In the case of the Radisson, the reason is that the Resort is obligated by the chain to host their website inside their main website. This is a policy of Radisson which of course is respected, however the centralized character of this management doesn't denote the beauty of the area and this is of course, goes against Internet sales. If you want to see how the Danarau Island compares, click Here

We have to consider that color associations may vary individually and especially as a result of culture, it is also advantageous for some brands such as Coca-Cola, to consistently "own" certain colors, which provide a particular recognition cue. Therefore, in the hotel industry, the area in most cases is a superior brand than the hotel.

Color is an important consideration in a brand identity system and a brand identity, 90% of the cases in hotels, is the location, or the season the hotel operates (winter hotels may use winter schema, rather than summer resorts which use the associated colors).

Following those principals and presenting your hotel in harmony with the area and the environment, you do not only produce a better brand, but you encourage visitors to become buyers since they have the ability to feel the experience they are going to have during their stay at your hotel.

The main energy that keeps man alive is light (color) energy. The physiology of color is the process that takes place during visual perception. And the psychology of color includes the sensation our brains create out of our perceptions.

John Giannatos

Life in a day: When the Internet is changing the time dimension

By John Giannatos

I admit that the Internet has never ceased to amaze me. When I say the “internet: I don’t mean internet cables or communications protocols, but uses that people have come up with to help them create new things, new ideas and innovations.

Take for example the new brainchild of Ridley Scott, the cinematic experiment “ life in a day”.

Life in a Day is a documentary film project by YouTube. Users sent in videos of themselves filmed on a particular day, July 24th, 2010, and then Ridley Scott produced and edited the videos into a film.

Trailer below:



The impressive thing is not only that scenes were collected from 4,500 hours of footage in 80,000 submissions from 140 nations, but the fact that the film serves as a time capsule, to show future generations what it was like to be alive on the 24th of July, 2010.

…

That’s magical in itself!!

It's amazing what people can do through the internet.

To each one of us, time is both relative and absolute.
The relative value of each second can be totally different for everyone, even though in absolute terms, it is still one second. I mean, waiting for time to go by during a bad moment is not the same as how quickly time goes by during a very wonderful moment, even though the time value may be the same.

The amazing thing with this documentary is that it lets us view time in another dimension, not linear but three-dimensional.
For example, in the future we can gather material for any given minute (e.g. September 27, 2014 at 14:10), and we will then be watching hundreds of discrete moments making up many hours in total, but all representing exactly that second in time.

To experience feelings and situations that happened at a very second...

This is a journey through time stopped.

A journey of life, where a second can last thousands of hours ....

As Bill Hicks said: “We are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively."

We are not accustomed to such interpretations. As we were not accustomed to communicating through skype, sending email, staying connected forever with friends from the past through facebook (this is a freeze in time as well ...), or have colleagues that we have never met in person, and all these new habits have been learned through the internet.

The internet has changed our lives and technology can actually drive history.

The life in a day, is the proof that the internet has made us citizens of a large village. Humans like a forest; a whole made up of individuals, a conglomerate.

I am fortunate to live these moments of historical development of the Internet, and this is something that will be assessed maybe 200 years from now, by those who read the story. And all that happened today will be for them, historical events that revolutionized 20th and 21st century existence.