With the BP oil spill in mind, how can hotels effectively market themselves amidst factors beyond their control? By Jennifer Rodrigues, TravelInk’d The BP oil spill has dominated headlines lately for many good reasons. It is the largest environmental disaster in the history of the United States; it has caused untold ecological destruction to wetlands, shorelines, and to the Gulf of Mexico itsel...

A verdict comes in on how hotels handled the demand conditions caused by the recession By Jennifer Rodrigues, TravelInk’d The Cornell Center for Hospitality Research issued a report last week that indicated that though discounting was the most prevalent tactic used to offset the demand-killing effects of the recession, hotels were unlikely to repeat this strategy. Given their choice, the survey...

By Jennifer Rodrigues, TravelInk’d The Baby Boomers- that generation defined as having been born between 1946 and 1964, the oldest of whom are turning 64 this year- are far and away the most influential consumer segment the country has ever seen.  Most hoteliers have long acknowledged this, and have tailored their marketing strategies accordingly.  In the 1980s and ‘90s, when Boomers were ov...

By Jennifer Rodrigues, TravelInk’d If you’re anything like me, you’re probably getting very sick of reading new predictions released daily about what 2010 will bring for the hotel industry. Have you noticed a theme in all of them yet? I have, and it goes something like this: bad news, bad news, bad news and more bad news. So, to lighten the mood, I’ve decided to put together my list of u...

By Jennifer Rodrigues, TravelInk’d Hotels and lodging companies are facing a difficult reality in today’s market. Even as the recession seems to be waning, revenues, occupancy and ADR are still down and the next 12 months are still looking hazy for the hotel industry. Budget cuts are still in effect and hotels don’t have money to spend on marketing or PR or social media outreach or, well a...