Tourism World

According to a recent September 08 ITM survey, corporate travelers book hotels with:

45 %  Travel Management Companies (like BCD, CWT, Amex…)

12%   Hotel Booking Agents (like HotelScene, Expotel, BSI)

24%   Self Booking Tools (like Get There, Concur, KDS)

13%   Directly with the hotel

5%     Internet (online travel agents or hotel website)

1%     Others (not sure what this could be)

I wonder how these % will move for the next year. Surely corporations will have to enforce even more the most cost efficient way to book hotels for their employees.

Source: Guillaume Thevenot

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Last week at the World Travel Market, I had the opportunity to spend a little bit of time with Ric Leutwyler, the newly appointed President of Utell Hotels & Resorts (part of Pegasus).

Topics covered:

- Is Utell a hotel chain or a representation company or both?
- What is a difference between Unirez and Utell?
- What’s new with the reservation platform?
- How their B2C hotelbook.com can compete with the big OTAs of this world with a much largest budget in terms of advertising (PPC campaigns, offline…)

- Can any hotel join Utell?
- How do they advise hotels to pay attention to hotel reviews
- What are the key selling points for a travel agent to book Utell hotels vs other hotel chains
- How the Utell brand is presented at the hotel property

Enjoy. As always, if you wish to be interviewed by Hotel Blogs, drop me an email.

If you wish to view the video in High Quality click on the HQ button on the right hand side of the video player.

Source: Guillaume Thevenot

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For the 8th consecutive year, I have very much enjoyed the World Travel Market in London.

I have been able to meet different people from the hotel industry and also pay a bit of attention to new entrants in the hospitality world as well as in the online travel industry. Most of the international hotel chains were represented from Starwood, Best Western, Choice Hotels, Rezidor, Utell and more. Also a lot of presence with online hotel specialists such as Booking.com, HRS, Venere (but no sign of Expedia or Hotels.com though, I guess Venere paid for the stand before they got acquired by Expedia Inc.) or LateRooms.  The technology section was also interesting with companies like Pegasus, Fastbooking or Travelclick and start up companies like Zoover (a holiday review specialist from Netherlands) or Hostelmania.

Tuesday evening, I attended the first Travel Blog Camp organized by one of the best influential travel blogger Darren from Travel Rants. The debate was moderated with 4 speakers who gave a 15 min presentation followed by questions and answers. Alex from TourCMS, Karen from Europe a la carte, a representative from STA Travel and Kevin May from Travolution did give their input about how they started their blog, what are the challenges and how we can progress further. To my big astonishment, questions were coming in from all over the place with an audience of about 80 people. A mix of bloggers, journalists, PR companies and travel companies. There was even a time where the debate was quite electric to understand what is the difference between a journalist and blogger (the ongoing question which I am quite bored to hear now…). I wish i could have more time to network with more people. Guido, Marco and I close the pub after everybody was gone. it was good to meet all those bloggers that I have only known virtually for most of them. James from Worldreviewer.com was also present with a representative from LonelyPlanet. I think we have all agreed that we should organize a next similar event very soon.

Find more reviews about this event with:

Darren from Travel Rants

Heather on Her Travels

Caitlin from Roaming Tales

Guido from Happy Hotelier

Alex from Musings on travel ecommerce

Anthony from Mr and Mrs Smith

Ben from The Trailbeater

Source: Guillaume Thevenot

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If you fancy to meet up during World Travel Market, I will be attending the London show Tuesday and Wednesday, let me know by posting a comment below. Cheers and see you maybe tomorrow.

Guillaume

Source: Guillaume Thevenot

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In lights of the upcoming EyeforTravel conference held this week during World Travel Market in London, the conference organizer has published interviews podcast with key executives like Marc Charron from TripAdvisor or Glenn Fogel from Priceline. Enjoy these interview here.

Source: Guillaume Thevenot

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Have you ever wished to organize every step of your business or vacation trip online and list every thing in one tool? Well, StayPlanner has been working on this for the last 12 months and is about to release a B2B2C platform enabling travel suppliers to provide their customers with a value
added planner to find and book leisure services at their travel destination.
Through a state of the art Content Management System distribution partners, travel
suppliers, could easily choose, edit and add content presented on the platform
and therefore provide a personalized solution to their customers while keeping
the brand service level.

StayPlanner has already its white label version. For instance, if you are a hotel chain or an independant hotel, you may adopt StayPlanner linked to your back office which enables:

- After the booking, the staying location will be placed on the map, relevant dates in the calendar and personnalized search results
- add hotel services (spa treatment, restaurant) + add "call me" for free
- Add hotel partner services (car rental, shuttle service, limousine)
- Prepare readymade StayPlanners (family, business, romantic)
- The StayPlanner can include all events and services offered by the hotels
- Readymade StayPlanner for conference participants with schedule already presented to their outlook calendar before their arrival
- StayPlanner created by past hotel guests who would like to share with future travellers (mini social network)
- Get reports on activities done by guests during their stay

The company behind StayPlanner is adding more partners in order to offer a lot of content in any destination of the world. I could have used this service when we went to Ubud - Bali prior to to our arrival instead of choosing the best excursion when we arrived at the hotel (where we were totally exhausted and wanted to dive in the swimming pool rather than staying at the reception reading all the different tours available).

The service is really interesting and could be very handy for organized holiday travellers and business people need to schedule everything before they go.

The website is still in beta mode and by invitation only but you can already have a flavor of the product by looking at this demo.

Source: Guillaume Thevenot

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When it comes to
chilling out, research shows in-room entertainment is the most relaxing activity
to undertake in a hotel room, with 71% of guests rating it higher than a
restaurant meal or a luxurious bubble bath. 

Not only is switching on
the TV considered the best way to unwind– but it is also deemed to be the
biggest away-from-home indulgence,  with 34% of those surveyed saying watching a
movie in bed in a hotel is the thing we most enjoy as we can’t or don’t do it at
home.

When watching movies,
there is no better place than the comfort of our hotel beds.  We are a nation of
snugglers, with 38% of respondents choosing to curl up under the duvet.  More
than a quarter of respondents climb on top of the bed to enjoy our viewing – and
14% of us enjoy eating our way through the film.   

These findings come from
a report recently commissioned by Filmbank - the leading distributor of Hollywood movies to the hotel industry - and Opinions takes a look at the hotel room habits of business and  leisure travellers (1).

45% of guests are
technology “snobs” – with the quality of the TV and entertainment system having
a direct link to our impression of the hotel room, third only after the quality
of the bed linen and the bathroom goodies.  And 37% of techno-savvy respondents
say access to the latest programming and in-room entertainment are key drivers
when booking a hotel in the first place!

In fact, 35% of leisure
travellers said that they would like to watch the very latest cinema releases in
their hotel room.  However, 79% of leisure hotel guests don’t realise that many
hotels provide “early window” movies (i.e. movies screened after their cinema
release but before they are released on DVD or on pay-TV).   After the cinema a
hotel is the next place to see blockbusters like the Dark Knight or Quantum of
Solace.

The research has also
revealed that although we are a nation of movie lovers with 90% of us watch
movies in everyday life, the way we watch movies is changing.  A third of us now
expect our hotel-room movie watching experience to emulate our at home one –
with guests expecting to be able to stop and start movies.

Luckily, many hotels now
offer dip-in TV, so movies can be paused, rewound and picked up again as and
when it’s wanted – often from the comfort of the hotel room bed.

(1) Research carried out by Filmbank Distribution Limited and Opinion Matters in
October 2008.  Sample size - 2920.

Source: Guillaume Thevenot

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This is probably one of the big news in the technology hospitality industry this month. The Canadian company VFM Interactive founded by Paolo Boni has acquired the European venture Leonardo Media leaded and owned by David Elton. Both companies are specialized in providing technology and platforms for hoteliers to load and distribute their pictures, virtual tours and videos (some call of this above "rich media"). Ealier this year, VFM Interactive was successful to raise $13.5 million from VCs to support their ongoing expension domestically in the US and Internationally. Since then, VFM has boosted their sales force in the US by hiring more people and appointed John McAuliffe in August as chief marketing officer. European expension was still on its way and the acquisition of Leonardo will probably help this in a big way. Leonardo has been one of the pioneers in believing in "rich media" and has been traded for more than 10 years with key hotel chains like Sheraton.

Both companies combined would mean that their platforms support different forms of imagery from more than 80,000 hotels around the world. It also means that their distribution channels contracts are probably more solid than they ever were. VFM and Leonardo work with OTAs like Travelocity, TripAdvisor or Priceline but also with GDS.

At this stage, no sign of one brand absorbing the other. A website has been created with the new name VFM Leonardo Inc. But surely, hotels won’t have to sign two contracts anymore if they want visibility online as much as possible.

I would be interested to see in the next coming months if hoteliers finally embrace the video media and load this on VFM Leonardo platforms. I see a lot of videos edited by tour operators or online hotel specialists or consumers like me (see my latest video at the Scarlet hotel in Singapore) but very few hoteliers display their hotel video on their site. However, I am sure  big hotel chains like Sheraton or Intercontinental hotels have serious plans about this like this one for instance.

Now the story behind this acquisition doesn’t say for how much Leonardo was snapped by VFM. Can anyone guess?

Source: Guillaume Thevenot

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Every year, MKG Group (a hotel consulting company based in Paris) organizes the Hospitality Awards held in Paris. This year’s edition will be held in Paris at the same time of the Equip Hotel exhibition on the 18th November. The ceremony will take place at the Hilton Arc de Triomphe in the evening with prestigious key hotel executives around the world.

13 Awards will be presented during the night. Watch this space.

This year, the jury is directed Arne Sorenson, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Offier or Marriott International.

Source: Guillaume Thevenot

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For
almost one hundred years, The Panama Canal has served to connect the East to
the West; now, Buddha-Bar – the unique concept that has become an international
phenomenon, is set to accomplish the same goal. With their first Oriental inspired
Luxury Hotel in the Americas set to open in fast growing Panama City,
Buddha-Bar will expand on their vision, bringing a sumptuous hotel, restaurant
and spa to this thriving metropolis. As seen with their monster success in
Paris, Buddha-Bar creates an exotic journey that includes eclectic design,
hypnotizing music, and magical food mixing the boldness of Asian flavors with
the delicacies of France. The
combination results in an incomparable escape from the everyday world, bringing
elite guests back over and over again. The unique group will open their first
hotel in Prague this summer.

With more
than 10 years of experience that began in Paris and expanded to cities like
London, Cairo, Beirut, and Dubai, Buddha-Bar uses their “East meets west”
sensibility to create celebrity-filled hot-spots wherever they go. Employing original music that carries a
worldwide cult-following, and exotic Pacific-Rim food, these pioneers created
the concept of “eatertainment”. Buddha-Bar Hotel & Spa leverages its unique
vision and extensive experience catering to the most sophisticated clientele to
create “see and be seen” exclusive locations that offer glamorous, avant-garde
yet peaceful and private lodging alongside an indulgent Zen spa replicating
their celebrated creation in Evian, France.

This
privileged hotel will be located in the heart of Panama City, featuring full
service suites with cozy and contemporary Asian interiors, an iconic
restaurant, and their internationally acclaimed spa. Guests will enjoy the glamour and elegance of a 5-star hotel and
unparalleled customer service that defines Buddha-Bar’s philosophy. Visitors to the hotel, spa, and restaurant
will be immersed in the enigmatic atmosphere that Buddha-Bar is known for
worldwide. Residents and tourists of Panama City will be overjoyed to finally
have a sophisticated scene for evenings out that compares to the rest of the
world’s top cities.

Buddha-Bar Hotel & Spa Panama
arrives in collaboration with the Revat Group. The company was founded by a
group of top international professionals with the goal of developing superior
branded properties in fast growing markets. Revat brings to the table more than
100 years combined professional experience and an ultra premium
intercontinental network, as well as international hotel experience. Revat and
its affiliate Hera Capital have worked with top international hospitality
brands in markets like Aruba, Spain, US, Turkey, UAE, and now Panama.

Panama is
rapidly becoming the center of business in the heart of the Americas, and is
currently experiencing amazing economic growth comparable to places like Dubai.
The country’s quality of living, cosmopolitan allure, top financial
services, ideal climate, varied
landscapes, biodiversity, a dollarized economy, and ever expanding airline hub attracts more and more tourists,
which explains why investors from around the world continue to invest billions
of dollars in this country.

All of
these ingredients make Buddha Bar Hotel & Spa Panama the new hot spot not
only for those visiting this incredible, budding metropolis, but for the
upper-echelon of Panama who can finally enjoy one of the world’s most exclusive
and distinguished brands in their own country.

For more information,
visit: www.buddhabarpanama.com

Source: Guillaume Thevenot

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