Archive for November, 2008
Now it's time for an explanation.
I truly believe Twitter is a great online tool to get quick updates about what's going on at a moment in time. The PhocuWright coverage was indeed very much interesting to follow via Twitter. Now, when you try to follow a conversation, it makes almost impossible to follow if Twitterers send updates too often. If I take the example of Travolution - and I don't try to offend Travolution publication here, you know that I am a devoted fan and reader of what they do covering the online travel space - on Friday 28th between 11am and 12am, you can see on Twitter that 20 messages were sent from Travolution (answers to individuals, links to their website via Twitterfeed and quick updates). Today, I have been following only 24 Twitterers. If everyone was using Twitter at this frequency, it would mean that on a busy day, I would follow a conversation of 480 messages in one hour.
So here's come my frustration with Twitter: I can hardly follow a conversation or keep up to date with what bloggers want to say via Twitter. Also, I am really amazed to see the growth of how many people follow HotelBlogs and I would really like to return the favor by also following these new suscribers.
But how can I do this if I am already struggling with 24 feeds ???
Maybe this is because I don't know how to use Twitter properly as a reader.
Maybe this tool is not for me after all.
Or maybe I am just frustrated at the moment with it.
Now about the comments which I reproduce below.
I'd call that verging on spam, a single tweet and a link would have been sufficient.
Maybe someone needs to publish a tweet etiquette guideline, might help a lot of publishers not frustrate their followers.
Posted by: Al
| Saturday, November 29, 2008 at 01:39 PM
Because you are limited to 144 characters, people tend to publish multiple tweets to get all their stories out. Etiquette? Not sure about that, we've already failed with emails, how can we succeed with Twitter.
Guillaume:
Not sure what point you are trying to make here, Guillaume. We did not use it to drive traffic to the site. We use Twitter to live blog events, and many people know we do this.
So not sure if we are "taking too much advantage of Twitter".
Twitter is a microblogging phenomenon as it allows you to produce rapid updates of an event. It works very well for us and I'm not going to change our policy. In fact, so well did the Twittering work at PhoCusWright that we have added almost 150 followers in a week. Some people clearly like what we do with it.
'A1': You might say it's "spam" but that is wrong. Spam is generally one-way and you cannot do much about it. People subscribe to our Twitters update and therefore actively interested in what we produce. Or not.
At the end of the day if they don't want to read it, then they just unsubscribe - in the same way i can unsubscribe to the RSS feed of a blog.
Maybe I'm wrong though……
Posted by: Kevin May
| Saturday, November 29, 2008 at 02:32 PM
Well I am sure you got my point here. Posting links about an article via Twitterfeed looks like a way to drive your followers to go to your website and read your article and consequently drive traffic to it.No?
Your usage of Twitter during PhocusWright was indeed fantastic and I believe this is where Twitter beat the blog because you can update people with a very quick message if there is something exclusive before you take time to develop the story via your blog when you are back to your computer. I also liked the fact you can use Twitter via SMS on your mobile phone but unfortunately this is not working anymore in the UK
And by the way, you will both probably remember how people recoiled in horror every time it was suggested the blogoshere adopt some kind of guidelines or 'etiquette'.
Would be the same for Twitter.
Posted by: Kevin May
| Saturday, November 29, 2008 at 02:46 PM
I agree with you. Having said that maybe Twitter could only allow you to send 2 or 3 Tweets an hour, that would help followers to follow and engage in the conversation more than being frustrated by it (where I am today).
I agree Kevin
Twitter messages only ever feel like spam when the content is totally useless and doesn't aim to share the latest news, as it happens in real time.
The PhoCusWright coverage was a prime example of how Twitter helped me feel like I was in the same place as the Twitterer, at the same time. I find sharing a digital stream of consciousness in this way absolutely invaluable.
There's always the freedom to stop following if the updates are boring or useless.
Posted by: Sandwagon
| Saturday, November 29, 2008 at 02:49 PM
But I don't want to stop following Travolution or other Twitter users. I find the people I follow very useful to read. It's just too much noise to follow, that's all. Plus sometimes, people feel to share things like "I am going to bed, Good night!". How useful this Tweet can be?
Source: Guillaume Thevenot
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Where most airlines have clearly demonstrated that they
control their fares on any online distribution channel, hotels still struggle
with rate parity and how hotel rates are displayed to the public. But the
online travel consumer - known as the “ best deal” shopper these days - has
access to some great tools in the last 2 or 3 years. Meta search engines
started off with airfares but slowly but surely duplicated the model with hotel
rates. And today the shopper has a plethora of websites to choose from: HotelCombined,
Kayak, Travelsupermarket, Wego, VibeAgent, NexTag even TripAdvisor and more.
When looking into Google, the search “hotel search engine”
comes back with 628,000 links. If you add “meta” on the query, 300,000 links
get back to you.
So how can the consumer decide which hotel search engine to
choose from? Are they already getting loyal to some and disappointed by others?
Are we all driven by price when we use these online tools or is it something
different we expect in terms of online travel search experience.
In the next coming weeks I will try and give my honest
opinion on all these players and see how they compare in terms of user
interface, level of content, accuracy with information displayed and most
importantly how fast they are able to return results.
Just watch this space…
Source: Guillaume Thevenot
Where most airlines have clearly demonstrated that they
control their fares on any online distribution channel, hotels still struggle
with rate parity and how hotel rates are displayed to the public. But the
online travel consumer - known as the “ best deal” shopper these days - has
access to some great tools in the last 2 or 3 years. Meta search engines
started off with airfares but slowly but surely duplicated the model with hotel
rates. And today the shopper has a plethora of websites to choose from: HotelCombined,
Kayak, Travelsupermarket, Wego, VibeAgent, NexTag even TripAdvisor and more.
When looking into Google, the search “hotel search engine”
comes back with 628,000 links. If you add “meta” on the query, 300,000 links
get back to you.
So how can the consumer decide which hotel search engine to
choose from? Are they already getting loyal to some and disappointed by others?
Are we all driven by price when we use these online tools or is it something
different we expect in terms of online travel search experience.
In the next coming weeks I will try and give my honest
opinion on all these players and see how they compare in terms of user
interface, level of content, accuracy with information displayed and most
importantly how fast they are able to return results.
Just watch this space…
Source: Guillaume Thevenot
The European Hotel Design
Awards, presented by Sleeper Magazine on Thursday, 6 November 2008, is the
premier celebration of outstanding innovations in the hospitality industry and
hotel design in Europe.
"This was perhaps the most hotly contested decision I
have seen the judging panel have to make in the six years I have been involved
in these awards. But I think it is fair to say that the eventual winner is a
hotel that stood out from the competition in all aspects of its conception. Not
just it's design and architecture, but also its use of technology, it's
marketing, its future development potential and most importantly, the seamless
integration of all these into a product that offers the guest a rewarding
experience. The winning project was acknowledged by the panel to be a radically
new hotel concept that will have considerable influence on others in the
industry for years to come." Says Matt Turner, editor in chief Sleeper
Magazine.
The Dutch hotel group citizenM hotels has won the
grand prize:
The European Hotel Design Award of the Year and three awards in the categories:
THE INNOVATION AWARD
"The
judges looked at the added value for the guest, the concept design,
various use within the hotel, the building, the property, guest experience, use
of information database, to check out and unanimously award the hotel who has
accomplished to achieve this within all aspects of a hotel." Ahmed Akudi,
International Projects Director, Grohe AG
THE TECHNOLOGY AWARD
"… We've seen moving facades. The
innovation of this hotel gives a scope and a degree of innovation… There's
one clear winner.. citizenM hotels!" Guy Dittrich, journalist.
THE GRAPHIC DESIGN AWARD
"The art
within hotel design illustrates a choice, a brand, an unique website, an
experience recognisable through website, brochures and overall decor…" Juliet Kinsman, editor in chief, Mr & Mrs Smith.
citizenM hotels, which opened their first property in
June at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, was also among the four finalists for
awards in the categories:
Best Architecture (Newbuild)
Best Interior Design (Standard Branded Guestroom)
”We are thrilled by the recognition of the European
Hotel Design Awards jury. Our team and partners worked hard to create an
innovative, contemporary hotel for the cost conscious traveller. We looked at
every business process to enhance and improve the stay of a guest in our
hotels. The result citizenM hotels has made is a quantum leap in innovation,
which now is prestigiously recognised by hotel industry professionals from all
over the world.” says Michael Levie, CEO citizenM hotels.
The European Hotel Design Awards recognise the
ambitious work of architects, designers, developers and hotel owners across 18
different categories. Judged by an international panel of leading hospitality
experts and journalists, the European Hotel Design Awards is one of the most
renowned events in the lifestyle travel industry of the world.
Source: Guillaume Thevenot
The world first zero star hotel
Author:
According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, Switzerland will open soon the first zero star hotel called "Null Stern Hotel". The hotel has no private bathrooms, no TV and no daylight. Looks like a bunker converted into dorms. Quite a lot of pictures here.
Thanks to Alex from TourCMS for the tip.
Source: Guillaume Thevenot
Among other re-openings, The Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami, Florida must be one of the most anticipated hotel opening of this year. The celebration gathered numerous celebrities as shown on the video and $1B was spent for the renovation and celebration of this grand hotel.
I remember this hotel from my first visit in the US in the 80s where my parents took us in Florida for Winter holidays. This is probably where all my passion towards the hotel industry started. I was 14 years old at that time and I still remember how big that hotel was and also how delicious was the breakfast. I am sure it has all changed now, especially it is not managed by Hiton Hotels anymore.
Source: Guillaume Thevenot
This
was our 2nd visit in an Oberoi property and this hotel in Lombok was
loyal to the standards of the hotel chain.
We arrived in the evening and were
greeted by the front desk outside with the general manager. After the welcoming
drink and a short visit of the public areas, one of the receptionists took us
to our room – an individual pavilion facing the ocean. The room is absolutely
huge with high ceiling with everything you need during your stay. The bed is at
least a king size if not more. I could sleep vertically in it without touching
each edge of the bed. In the morning, you can open the private balcony from
your room with sliding doors and enjoy the sunrise with a cup of coffee. I
would have liked to get a better TV that the one they have in the room. Having
said that, the TV comes with a DVD player with a huge selection of DVDs to
choose from the library (nearby the reception). You can also listen to music
with a personal hi-fi stereo that you can plug with your ipod (don’t forget
your cable though). Finally, there is a lounge area with a sofa and a table
where we enjoyed one night a private dinner. The bathroom is absolutely a dream
with a separate shower and a sunken bath overlooking a private garden patio:
very nice after a day in the sun. The bathroom is all made of marble. You also
have 2 huge cupboards where you can easily store your clothes for at least 2
weeks if you dare to stay in the resort for that long. Because this hotel is
really outside of nowhere, you are limited to the restaurants of the hotel. Besides
being very expensive, the restaurant delivers some very nice meals with a
European/Asian flavours. Every day comes a new theme like dinner at the beach
with almost feet in the water or Indonesian dinner. You can also have privacy
by booking a table under one of the 4 pergolas on the swimming pool or ask for
even more privacy by booking an intimate dinner alone on the beach or by the
cliff underneath a big tree looking at the ocean and the Gili Islands. For
dinner, expect to pay 30/40 £ per person depending of the wine you choose
(which tend to be overpriced unless you try the Balinese wines).
Private dinner
in the room is always a nice option for not much premium in terms of price. We
did thid once and we loved it. The hotel can also organize tours with their 4
wheel drive cars and they work with a scuba / snorkelling company who can take
you to the Gili Islands for half a day by the jetty on the left side of the
resort. This will cost you about $35 per person with the equipment. The
swimming pool is very nice overlooking the ocean with fantastic colours when
the sunset happens around 6pm. You can relax by the beach on the grass or enjoy
one of the 4 pergolas in the shade by the pool. Breakfast is not a buffet but a
la carte. Because we had American breakfast included in the package, we could
take whatever we wanted. I would advise to book the room with this option. In
the morning, you don’t want to bother looking at prices when ordering
breakfast.
In
public facilities, you have the library with 2 computers with free Internet
access and an impressive collection of DVDs and books. You can also enjoy the
superb facilities of the Spa where we took 3 massages treatments and
sauna+Jacuzzi: nothing better to end the day with 2 hours in the Spa.
Finally,
the staff dedication is absolutely superb and high class. I have never been
that impressed with the level of individual attention brought to us. Every day,
we had a personalised letter from the management informing us of a special menu
or an invitation to a cocktail party with the General Manager. Staff was really
looking after us from the restaurant, breakfast, swimming pool or reception and
were calling us by our last name after only 2 days. You just can’t go wrong
with Oberoi, they just impress you all the way. But this comes at a price, no
doubt about that
Source: Guillaume Thevenot
After different attempts, I have finally managed to increase the font of my articles when you receive Hotel Blogs by email.It was something I had to change with Feedburner in case other bloggers have the same problem. Enjoy.
Source: Guillaume Thevenot
With the actual economic crisis, most of the companies in the Leisure travel industry would tend to be very cautious about any extraordinary spending in marketing for the end of the year. But this doesn’t apply to the hotel group One & Only who has launched yesterday one of the most expensive party for a hotel opening. Indeed, $20M has been spent this week to host the opening party of the much awaited hotel Atlantis The Palm in Dubai. Celebrity guests (probably paid for the event) were invited for this event like Kylie Minogue, Janet Jackson, Michael Jordan, Wesley Snipes and more.
The Atlantis The Palm takes inspiration from the original Atlantis hotel in the Bahamas opened many years ago (can anyone remember which year?).
Again, it features a fantastic aquatic park with apparently ten of thousands of sea creatures. I believe this park will probably put the Wadi Wadi water park in the shade for now.
Atlantis The Palm has been already categorized as a 7* hotel competing directly with the Burj Al Arab, property of Jumeirah.
The hotel has more than 1,300 rooms with about 60 suites. It also employs 550 chefs for all the restaurants units…Everything has been designed with a purpose that you don’t need to go outside the resort for entertainment. And most of all, you are located at the top of the palm island that we have all seen on TV and even Google maps.
I will definitely pay a visit on my next trip to Dubai.
Source: Guillaume Thevenot