The document discusses strategies for marketing at the property level for hotels. It begins by defining marketing in the hospitality industry as solving customer problems through giving them what they want or need at a price they are willing to pay. It then outlines the key areas of focus for hotel marketing and discusses the marketing ecosystem at properties. This includes different stakeholders and considerations for property types. It also addresses challenges like the decline of organic social media reach and the rise of data-driven personalized marketing across channels.

1. MASTERING THE “HOTEL MARKETING”
ECOSYSTEM AT THE PROPERTY-LEVEL
GREG BODENLOS| SOCIAL MEDIA & HOSPITALITY DIGITAL MARKETING CONSULTANT
APRIL 7, 2015

2. MASTERING THE “HOTEL MARKETING”
ECOSYSTEM AT THE PROPERTY-LEVEL
GREG BODENLOS| SOCIAL MEDIA & HOSPITALITY DIGITAL MARKETING CONSULTANT
APRIL 7, 2015
FEATURED IN…

3. ABOUT GREG BODENLOS
Previous in-house hotel marketing roles include positions at:
The Fairmont Southampton, Bermuda
600 room four diamond luxury destination resort in Bermuda
The Mark, New York
150 room five star luxury independent hotel in Manhattan’s Upper East Side
Westin Copley Place, Boston
800+ room four diamond city-center hotel in Boston’s Back Bay
Nearly 2 years in B2B marketing roles for Revinate, a SaaS company that provides hotels with comprehensive guest
intelligence
Proud graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and frequent collaborator with Cornell’s Center for
Hospitality Research and eCornell
Consulting focus: bridge the gap between travel technology and marketing
innovation and hotel operations expertise
Over 5 years of professional work experience in the hospitality digital marketing space

4. ROADMAP
How has the
definition of hotel
marketing evolved
in the hospitality
industry?
What are the most
important marketing
focus areas at the
property level?
Where should hotel
marketing live in the
overall hotel
operation
ecosystem?
Who are the various
key stakeholders to
involve in hotel
marketing
initiatives?
What new hotel
marketing
challenges are on
the horizon?

5. DEFINING “MARKETING” IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

6. DEFINING “MARKETING” IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
“SOLVING CUSTOMERS
PROBLEMS”
“GIVING THEM WHAT
THEY WANT OR NEED”
“…AT PRICE THEY ARE
WILLING TO PAY”
“EVERY HOSPITALTIY
EMPLOYEE IS A
MARKETING REP…”

7. DEFINING “MARKETING” IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
Sources: HeBS Digital screen grab (left) Google search for “role of hotel marketing”

8. THE “HOTEL MARKETING” PROPERTY-LEVEL ECOSYSTEM
Director of
Sales &
Marketing
General
Manager
SALES
TEAM
Director of
Revenue or
eCommerce
Director of
Food &
Beverage
Guest
Services /
Concierge
Marketing /
Social
Media
Manager

9. HOTEL MARKETING ECOSYSTEM CONSIDERATIONS
THE DESTINATION
RESORT
THE INDEPENDENT HOTEL
THE “BIG BOX” BRAND
HOTEL

10. THREE KINDS OF
“MARKETING” JOB
DESCRIPTIONS
DIRECTOR OF
SALES &
MARKETING

11. THREE KINDS OF
“MARKETING” JOB
DESCRIPTIONS
MARKETING
MANAGER

12. THREE KINDS OF
“MARKETING” JOB
DESCRIPTIONS
MARKETING
COORDINATOR
REALITY AND CHALLENGE:
“Social media channels have
become the heartbeat of a
brand, a direct channel for
communication with the customer.
In hospitality, we have no choice
but to ensure that we are making
social media part of our
marketing mix, managed and
measured properly.”
Alicia Whalen, Co-founder of A
Couple of Chicks e-Marketing
and Online Revealed
Conference

13. THE RISE OF THE “NEW” MARKETER
Marketing will increasingly be seen less as a cost and more
as a source of revenue.
Marketing will take the lead in the customer experience.
Engagement is becoming paramount.
The new marketer combines operational and data skills with
a grasp of the big picture (and possibly working within a
different organizational structure as well).
Digital and data dominate investment.
Two trends to watch: real-time personalized mobile and the
Internet of Things - where ubiquitous, embedded devices
with unique IP addresses constantly convey real-time data—
to revolutionize marketing by 2020.

14. 2005: MARKETING BUDGET ALLOCATION

15. 2015: MARKETING BUDGET
ALLOCATION
Source: HeBS Digital The Smart Hotelier’s Guide to 2015 Digital
Marketing Budget Planning
Using a multi-
channel
marketing
approach in all
campaigns

16. HOTEL MARKETING BUDGET CONSIDERATIONS
“We know that about 50% of travelers start
their trip without a (hotel) brand in mind, and
we know that so much research and
dreaming happens between planning a trip
to actually booking it.”
– Tiffany Miller, Google Travel
On average, guests visit 18 sites, make
six clicks during eight sessions over a
period of two-and-a-half weeks to make
their travel decision.

17. MARKETERS NEED TO ACCOUNT FOR INDIVIDUAL,
ENVIRONMENTAL, AND SITUATIONAL DIFFERENCES

18. ENGAGE THE GUEST AT THE RIGHT TIME

19. INVESTING IN REPUTATION
Price, travel reviews and convenient location
are most influential for travelers when
booking an accommodation. However, 77%
say amenities are also influential during the
decision process. So which amenities should
you focus on to encourage bookings?
Amenities that travelers find most
influential when booking an
accommodation:
Free in-room Wi-Fi – 74%
Free breakfast – 60%
In-room amenities – 58%
Free shuttle service – 35%
Staff who speak the traveler’s language – 35%

20. VIDEO CONTINUES TO PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE

21. MOBILE CONTINUES TO PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE

22. SOCIAL MEDIA AUDIENCE GROWTH CONTINUES
Source: SimplyMeasured

23. SO THERE’S DEFINITELY STILL AN AUDIENCE...
Source: SimplyMeasured

24. QUICKINSTAGRAMEXAMPLE

25. BUT HERE’S THE CATCH…
According to Ogilvy, organic reach on
Facebook has dropped to a depressing
2% for brands.

26. EVOLUTION OF BUDGETING FOR SOCIAL MEDIA
“Social media is completely free.” My unpaid intern can manage it.
“Social media engagement is free but it
requires investment in human capital to
manage all the emerging platforms.”
I can still post on social media for free with
success (organic reach) but will commit
dollars to hire an entry-level person to
manage it all.
“Social media engagement is still in
theory free but, as social media
platforms mature and monetize, organic
post reach (specifically on Facebook) is
becoming less and less significant. ”
I need to hire a seasoned professional who
strategically understands how both paid and
organic social media campaigns can
complement existing marketing and PR
strategies and determine where it fits in the
hotel marketing ecosystem.

27. REVIEWING YOUR OVERALL STRATEGY
Define your Target Demographic: Whom are you trying to reach?
Define your goals: What are you trying to accomplish?
Decide which social channels to use: Where is your target demographic most
active? Is advertising available on the platform? How much will you spend?
Define your metrics and KPIs: How will you measure success?
Execute your strategy: then use available data to measure and refine.

28. BRING IT BACK TO THE BASICS
Deliver
better guest
experiences
Decide
when to get
feedback
Understand
your hotel
guests’
buying
journey

29. MASTERING THE “HOTEL MARKETING”
ECOSYSTEM AT THE PROPERTY-LEVEL
GREG BODENLOS| SOCIAL MEDIA & HOSPITALITY DIGITAL MARKETING CONSULTANT
APRIL 7, 2015
781.686.2177
greg@gregbodenlos.com
www.gregbodenlos.com

30. MASTERING THE “HOTEL MARKETING”
ECOSYSTEM AT THE PROPERTY-LEVEL
GREG BODENLOS| SOCIAL MEDIA & HOSPITALITY DIGITAL MARKETING CONSULTANT
APRIL 7, 2015
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31. HEBS’ 10 DIGITAL MARKETING RESOLUTIONS FOR 2015
1. I believe that 2015 will be the Year of Dynamic Content Personalization and I will
personalize the visual, textual and promotional content on my property website to meet the
interests and preferences of my unique website visitors.
2. I will embrace Dynamic Rate Marketing and integrate real-time rates and availability
into my marketing messages because I know this will dramatically increase campaign
effectiveness, boost conversion rates, and increase direct online bookings.
3. I know that Multichannel Marketing is essential to reach customers throughout their
travel planning and booking journey.
4. I will not be intimidated by the OTAs and I will keep my property’s Direct Online
Channel strategies at the forefront of my marketing efforts.
5. I will not underspend in digital marketing and will budget appropriately, making smart
investments in my digital assets and the right mix of direct response digital marketing
campaigns.
Source: Max Starkov, President & CEO and Mariana Mechoso Safer, Senior Vice President of Marketing at HeBS Digital

32. HEBS’ 10 DIGITAL MARKETING RESOLUTIONS FOR 2015
6. I will not be a “Headline Reader” and jump at the latest fad I read or hear about. I will take the
time to learn the fundamentals of online distribution and digital marketing and make sure I’m taking
advantage of tried and true revenue-generating strategies.
7. Since Search Engines are Still King of Direct Online Distribution, I will not underestimate their
impact and will allocate funds appropriately when it comes to my SEM and SEO budgets.
8. Investing in my property website to maximize revenue from the three screens (desktop, mobile,
tablet) is paramount to the very existence of my property. Coupled with a robust, well-funded
digital marketing strategy, this will allow me to improve my property’s bottom line and leave the
comp set in the dust.
9. Speaking of providing the best user experience and maximizing revenue from the three screens, I
will utilize a next generation Content Management System (CMS) that allows me to achieve
this, allow for unlimited content control of my website, and enable my property to take full
advantage of next-generation capabilities such as content personalization and complete
merchandising capabilities.
10. I know my property needs a strong digital marketing strategy and high revenue-generating website
that drives direct online bookings, as well as an action plan to help my property lessen its
dependence on the OTAs. I realize all of this is dependent on choosing my digital marketing
partner wisely.
Source: Max Starkov, President & CEO and Mariana Mechoso Safer, Senior Vice President of Marketing at HeBS Digital

33. REMEMBER THE BASIC SOCIAL MEDIA PRINCIPLES
Choose owner for all of social media
Set up social media posting cadence
Choose a social media management platform
Determine social media voice
Set up an employee social sharing platform like GaggleAmp

34. 7 STEPS TO TAKE WHEN A HOTEL BRAND MOVES NEXT DOOR
Understand the competition
Know who you are
Protect your accounts
Don’t compete on rates
Keep your people happy
Elevate your marketing
Service, service, service Source: Hotel News Now