Travelling “socially”

The impact of Social Media on the travel industry

With the influx of new apps, platforms & services being released daily, even luxury travel couldn’t outrun the reach of social media. It seems as if travel plans are now almost completely reliant on social channels. Travelers find inspiration on Pinterest, track down deals on Twitter, browse popular hotels on Facebook, and get dining tips on Foursquare. Social media has quickly become the go-to travel agent.

Mobile Me
Boosting social media’s prominence in travel is the fact you can easily access sites through mobile apps. When traveling, it’s imperative to have a mobile device, meaning everything you need to check-in, eat and book is right at your fingertips. For example, on your way into town, you can simply pull out your phone and browse on Foursquare where friends have had dinner. Filled with thousands of listings, pictures and reviews, this app provides you with an idea about a restaurant, lounge, coffee shop without having ever visited. The app Foodspotting is similar, as you can post a picture of a dish after checking-in. Craving shrimp scampi? Browse the app for appetizing matches in the area. Gauging the general consensus regarding a particular place can save you from bad service, overpaying and an unflattering meal.

Share, Ask, Comment
The biggest advantage of using social media while traveling is word-of-mouth. Suggestions and tips from friends is one of the best sources of travel guidance, and can be attained instantaneously. Either by posting a question, or inquiring directly, social media allows you to receive true feedback from friends who’ve had similar experiences. In addition to asking questions, browsing reviews and sentiment of certain properties/eateries is easily accessed on social platforms.

Can You Help Me?
Business are catching on and riding the social media wave as well. Nearly every restaurant, hotel and airline has a Facebook and Twitter profile. By following/becoming friends with company pages you can learn about news, special offerings and events. You can also engage and interact with them directly. For instance, if you’re unfamiliar with the area, simply tweet the hotel using their Twitter handle. In most cases, they will respond right away with suggestions. This is also a great way to mediate personal complaints, as these platforms are transparent, and quality customer service is paramount.

Social media is ever-present in this tech-savvy generation, and the travel industry is diligently following suit. On your next trip, don’t ignore the flurry of check-ins, tweets and comments, as they are extremely helpful during your expeditions through uncharted waters

Authenticity – have it and win!

When searching for a new car, what do you take into account before making the final decision?

Price, gas mileage efficiency, and safety features are all common answers. But even more importantly, the authenticity and dependability of the car and brand weigh significantly into your decision.

The same is true when deciding which hotel to stay at. You look for properties that are committed to the guests and offer authentic services. The Boutique and Lifestyle Lodging Association (BLLA) resonates with this idea of authenticity and ensures that this theme is apparent in every aspect of the organization. Within the hospitality industry, it is imperative not to confuse imitation with legitimacy.

In uniting boutique and lifestyle properties all around the globe, BLLA assures authenticity is displayed in all areas of involvement in order to enhance the image of the members. When securing a new property, a vetting process is conducted to uncover all features of the hotel. It is essential for the property to exhibit dependability with their interactions with guests, vendors, as well as their own employees. This commitment to the authenticity of their approach is vital to BLLA. Without credibility, boutique properties lose their main asset, customers. Guests become apprehensive if they believe the endeavors or service offerings are fabricated.

In addition to obtaining credible boutique and lifestyle properties, the authenticity of BLLA events is highly regarded and paramount to the organization. In connecting boutique/lifestyle properties and suppliers, again this theme of authenticity must be presented by BLLA itself, projecting their legitimacy within the hospitality industry. BLLA makes sure that all aspects of their conferences and programs are genuine, ranging from the speakers to the actual venue. It is critical for BLLA to demonstrate authenticity to strengthen the reputation of their properties and the suppliers that sustain them.

It’s a Wrap!

The Inaugural Boutique & Lifestyle Leadership Symposium, held last week Oct. 22-24, 2012 at the Hollywood Roosevelt, a Thompson Hotel, was a smashing success!

The event, produced by BLLA (Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association) shot off into new space not seen by the industry in quite awhile, if at all.  It’s a simple concept but one that seems to have been overlooked by most conferences today.  That is …. taking care of attendees as if they were checking into a five star hotel. 

CEO Panel Discussion

From the non-commercialized and professional-looking conference garb (lanyards, bags and the such) to the tidbits of surprises during the panel discussions such as the hotel chef serving up oxygen-laced popcorn, the event was seen as innovative and inspiring from start to finish.

Here are some of the words used to describe attendees experience (from non-solicited emails received the day after the event):

achievement	environmental	leadership	specialty
advantge	excellence	networking	spectacular
agility	excellent	new	streamed live
amazing	exceptional	opportunity	success
appreciation	extraordinary	passionate	talented
approachable	fantastic	perfect	technological
assembling	fresh	perserverence	the best
attention	fun	personal	think-tank
caring	heavy-hitters	perspective	thrilled
compelling	historic	positive	thrilling
competitive	honor	powerhouse	trends
congratulations	immaculate	preferences	unique
connectivity	individual	privilege	valued
current	inspiring	productive	vision
deeper	interesting	proud	warm
delight	intimate	refreshing	well-executed
dreams	intriguing	relationship	well-planned
electrifying	knowledge	relevant	well-run
engaging	leaders	smart	wonderful

Further testimonials are available here:  http://tmcomponents.travelmarket.com/modules/TM_Attachbank2/upload/940/Testimonials2.pdf

We will be writing more in the coming days of the panel discussions, entertainment and other events surrounding the Symposium.

Signing off for now.

BLLA Founder, Frances Kiradjian

Good news for the hospitality industry!

Hi there everybody,

As you know, the last few years have been plagued with the negative effects of the U.S. recession. Finally, things are starting to look up. In fact, for the travel industry, data has shown that the upcoming year will be extremely profitable. According to a survey taken last month by LowFares.com, we can expect a 44% increase in the number of people planning to take a summer leisure trip this year versus last year, with nearly half of the leisure travel remaining within the U.S.

So how do boutique hotels capture this new market? According to LowFares.com, travel websites offering user reviews and articles significantly outpaced Facebook as the preferred source of vacation destination ideas, receiving 62% of the vote from summer trip planners. Vacationers rely heavily on user reviews. If boutique hotels can ensure that customers enjoy their stay enough to write about it, they are much more likely to attract new customers. And let’s not forget about the importance of social media. Many vacationers also look to social media sites when making travel plans. Facebook was the preferred source for 31% of respondents expecting to use online social media to help them select a destination.

What about business travelers? American Airlines released a survey last week indicating an increase in travel among small business owners. Approximately 86 percent of responding SMB travel managers project that their companies’ travel will either stay the same or increase up to 24 percent over the next year. Another 6 percent anticipated a travel increase of 25 percent or more over the next 12 months.

Business travelers also noted their preferred hotels include large hotel chains that have rewards allowing them to earn and redeem airline miles. Because of the enormous amount of travel, small business travelers prefer to stay at hotels that benefit them. In order to compete with large hotel chains, boutique hotels in major metropolitan city centers need to ensure they are focused on the real needs of business travelers in order to take advantage of this potentially profitable market.

This is good news for the hospitality industry. Both work and leisure travel throughout the U.S. are expected to increase over the upcoming year. And this increase in American travel provides huge opportunities for boutique hotels. While more Americans want to travel this summer, they do not want to spend more. 74% of summer trip planners expect to spend the same or less than they did in 2011. Boutique hotel’s unique offerings and cozy environments may be just what these people are looking for.

Learn more about how to attract guests to your property, how to optimize all facets of social media to promote your property, the enormous economic effects of promoting the U.S. as a travel destination as per the Travel Promotion Act, and more at the BLLA International Leadership Symposium  from October 22-24 in Los Angeles!

Click here to register.

We hope you found this helpful and look forward to seeing you at the conference! Don’t forget to comment and send us your opinions and reactions to our post.

Until next time,

the BLLA-gger