Sunday, September 28, 2014

How to connect your hotel brand to your customers in the world of semantic search

With the introduction of semantic search at the end of 2013, Google changed the way customers find hotels and services. It changed the information that we receive each time we search. The upshot: the hotel industry needs to profoundly change the way we market our hotels and manage our online presence.

Now, it’s all about the user experience, which is increasingly mobile. Google is predicting that mobile search will overtake desktop search queries by the end of 2014. We increasingly use voice search and talk to our mobile like we would our best friend. We ask it about the weather, best restaurants and the best hotel to stay.

Last year, an SEO checklist consisted of back links (from anyone anywhere), on-page SEO, domain names, hosting location and link structure. Practices were easily gamed by building artificial links and stuffing poor content with keywords, most of it focusing on desktop search.

A year on, things have changed enormously. However, at MyTravelResearch.com we don’t see much movement in travel industry and hotel marketing strategies. The industry doesn’t ‘get it’ yet. They should.

Take it from David Amerland, author of Google Semantic Search. He told MyTravelResearch.com: “Nowhere is reputation more important perhaps than in the hospitality industry. Thanks to the widespread prevalence of reviewing systems such as TripAdvisor and Yelp and the use of social media to share experiences, the hotel industry can finally begin to win attention and market share by doing what it does best: focus on providing great service and the best end-user experience possible.”

Accordingly, here are four tips from MyTravelReserch.com that will help hotels be found easily on the semantic web:

1. It is more important than ever for hotels to have clarity in branding and positioning. Consistency in messaging is key to you being presented when a user is searching. The search engines need to see you as an authority in your market. This means consistently talking about similar things.

2. Concentrate on your area of expertise. Don’t try to be all things to all people. View yourself as a publisher of compelling, relevant content. You should strive to become a trusted authority of sound reputation and influence in the eyes of the search engines. We are starting to see this in destination marketing, but not so much in hotels.

3. Understand the importance of social media beyond posting pictures. Strive for engagement, interaction, sharing and retweeting. Search engines are increasingly using these signals to help establish your influence and relevance to the user search.

4. Focus on the 4 ‘V’s: Variety of content. Include a variety of output such as images, stories and videos. Volume of content. Content should be delivered on a regular basis. Velocity. Content should be delivered quickly and the more content is shared, retweeted, commented on, the more likely search engines will take notice. Veracity in authenticity.

The above is excerpted from the presentation Bronwyn White will give at the PATA Travel Mart and Board Meeting (Hospitality Industry Session), 21 September 2014 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

for more information: www.egenergysolutions.com

Monday, September 22, 2014

Sabre acquires Genares, a global CRS and technology provider to the hospitality industry

Sabre Corporation today announced the acquisition of Genares, a global, privately-held hospitality technology company, to further strengthen Sabre’s position as a leading technology partner to hoteliers worldwide. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Genares provides central reservations systems, revenue management and hotel marketing solutions to more than 2,300 independent and chain hotel properties. Effective immediately, Genares employees will join Sabre Hospitality Solutions, a global technology provider to nearly 18,000 hotels in 157 countries worldwide. Sabre’s technology is proven to power incremental revenue growth, efficiency and overall profitability for many of the world’s leading hospitality brands.

“Genares is well-known in the industry for its commitment to outstanding customer service and vast industry expertise, and that is highly complementary with Sabre,” said Alex Alt, president of Sabre Hospitality Solutions. “We look forward to continuing, and building upon, the standard of excellence that Genares has established while helping their customers reach the next level in profitability and growth through our broad portfolio of hospitality solutions.”

The acquisition will build on the foundation of Genares’s outstanding products and services while introducing Genares customers to a broader suite of products and services to help accelerate their growth.

“Becoming part of Sabre is a terrific evolution for Genares and our customers,” said Eugene Harris, CEO of Genares. “Sabre has a track record of helping hotels and chains of all sizes succeed in the marketplace. We are confident that Sabre is the right partner to ensure our customers continue to receive world-class service and best-in-class technology solutions.”

For more information: www.egenergysolutions.com

Saturday, September 20, 2014

E2A – Energy Efficiency Analysis

EcoGreen Energy Solutions E2A Solution supports owners and operators in developing a strategy to reduce the expense associated with electric, natural gas and water. In many cases we identify incentives or rebates that will subsidies the cost of implementation of proven energy technologies

 

Our E2A Program Includes
  • 1.Site Evaluation Conducted by an EcoGreen Energy Solutions Energy Professional
  • 2.Calculation of Base Line Energy Usage for a 12-month period
  • 3.Energy Star Portfolio Manager and Brand Benchmarking
  • 4.Idenitify Energy Conversation Measures (ECM’s)
  • 5.Estimated Energy Savings
  • 6.Energy Cost Savings
  • 7.Estimate of Implementation Costs
  • 8.Methodology for ECM Calculations
  • 9.Project Cash Flow Analysis
  • 10.Investigation of Rebate, Low Intrest Loan and Grant Oppurtunities
  • 11.Financing Options
For  more info:http://www.egenergysolutions.com/

Monday, September 8, 2014

Energy Benchmarking

You can’t manage what you don’t measure! Energy benchmarking means tracking a building’s energy and water use and using a standard metric to compare the building’s performance against past performance and to its peers. These comparisons have been shown to drive energy efficiency upgrades and increase occupancy rates and property values. Benchmarking reveals the relative efficiency of a building’s underlying operational systems. It enables owners and managers to evaluate operational performance and possess a baseline metric to be able to judge future improvements.




We’ve helped our clients benchmark their properties using various energy benchmarking tools including:

  • ENERGY STAR® Benchmarking (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Portfolio Manager program)
  • Hilton LightStay Support
  • IHG Green Engage Support
  • WasteWise (recognized by the EPA)



Why benchmark? The benchmarking process allows owners, management companies and operators to view an energy usage profile of their properties. This energy profile provides insight into which areas of consumption should be focused on to increase efficiency and provide a roadmap of potential energy and water improvement projects. Benchmarking can also be used as a baseline for the building against which these future improvements and operational changes can be measured. Each year, the building can be benchmarked to see whether or not upgrades had the desired impact of energy use reductions.
 




Wait….Its required?!?! Yes in some areas benchmarking your property is required.

Want to Learn More About Benchmarking? Contact an EGC Team Member to Learn More!

For more info:  http://www.egenergysolutions.com/