360DigitalInfluence

Hello, travelers and marketers, alike.  We know we’ve been a bit MIA lately but please know we are eager and willing to share our thoughts, perspectives and ideas about travel in 2010!  We’ve been putting together our editorial calendar, leaving room for spontaneous posts of course but at the onset, wanted to share some ideas about trends and hot spots in the industry that we’re keeping a close watch on:

- Let’s Make a Deal: travel is buyers’ market not more than ever

-  Rise of the Web: viral offers, reviews, experiences and new tools

- The -isms within tourism: eco, medical, religious, volunteer, etc.

- The Best of the Best: analyze our favorite and the most successful campaigns we are seeing come to life

- A POV on Thier POV: Watching travel watch travel leaders are saying and breaking it down

These are just some broad strokes of what we’re looking to get into this year - what else would you add? What are some of your favorite travel trends yet this year?  We’ll be watching our favorite travel brands (destinations, airlines, hotels, carriers and online aggregates) as well as our fellow travel bloggers (Jaunted, WorldHum, Earth, Matador and the Window Seat, to name a few) for inspiration and thoughts as well!

Looking forward to many traveling thoughts in 2010!

We saw it with The Hangover with Facebook promotions about Las Vegas vacations, there was so much buzz about Up in the Air promoting a global airline and hotel brand and now, watch out for travel trends from Alice in Wonderland?

This morning I was surprised but more than anything I was really excited to hear Oxford, the city of dreaming spires, has plans to leverage the buzz and excitement about Tim Burton’s latest adventure in Wonderland.  In college, I spent my junior year studying in Oxford and I was lucky enough to have an English courses that focused on the works of Lewis Carroll, headlined of course with Alice.  When we had completed the book and a deep dive into its’ meanings, our professor took us on the Alice Tour which took us to Binsley Village, Christ Church (where portions of the Harry Potter flicks are filmed), and along the River Thames, where the story was first told.

While Oxford didn’t aid in the filming of this movie, they can certainly stand to gain tourism revenue with the star-studded cast bringing to life a story that emerged from its’ backyard.  So, if you’re looking to attend the Mad Hatter’s tea party and follow Alice’s footsteps, take a trip across the pond and see it all first hand.  What a great way to recognize an international pop culture trend and bring it back to it’s roots.  Cheers, Oxford!

In the middle of World Travel Market, the busiest week of the travel industry calendar, a pioneering event was staged. Travel Blog Camp offers bloggers, key members of the media, travel industry professionals and PRs a chance to discuss the impact of social and online media on the travel and tourism industry. Darren Cronian of Travel Rants (@travelrants) started the Travel Blog Camp last year, and last night he successfully presented this year’s get together.

The interesting thing about the camp itself is its informal nature. The camp is simply some of the industry’s key experts and thought leaders all gathered in a cosy room in a bar on the Southbank in London, voicing their opinions and shared experiences.

From the evening’s discussion it became apparent that the vast majority of people have embraced social media and are excited about the possibilities that this new trend offers. However, there are still those who are cynical of social media, people who are apprehensive of the online arena and those who do not see its worth in terms of driving sales. What surprises me most is that there is little recognition for what social media actually is - an online manifestation of something that has been happening offline for decades - word of mouth. WOMMA (Word of Mouth Marketing Association) recently held a talk right here at Ogilvy Canary Wharf fronted by Emanuel Rosen, who explained that social media is a means of amplifying word of mouth, and word of mouth is widely recognised as the most effective means of marketing a product or service.

If a brand is serious about generating positive word of mouth and has good practices in place to deal with situations where something has gone awry, then I truly believe they have no reason to fear social media. If tools such as Twitter and Facebook allow a customer complaint to be seen by thousands as opposed to their ten nearest and dearest (as was previously the case), then surely as marketers we can use the same device to broadcast our proficiency in dealing with disgruntled customers? The question of whether a brand should engage publicly with criticism is one that was furiously debated one the evening in question, and will be for some time to come. But whilst the means of communication are changing the basic principle of customer service remains, and social media is another platform through which brands should listen and learn from their customers.

With the busy Holiday travel season and New Year’s resolution time around the corner, I thought it was a perfect time of year to look at the challenges of keeping up the fitness routine while traveling. Sticking to a fitness regimen is hard enough when you are at home, add thousands of frequent flier miles and it gets that much harder. We have all been there: You arrive to your hotel late at night, eat at the hotel bar, spend the whole next day working with unhealthy snacks mixed throughout, only to conclude the trip with airport Chinese food en route to home. Yikes…this is a recipe for disaster for any person trying to get in shape, or keep up with their regular routine.

A recent Wall Street Journal  article asked “The Biggest Loser” trainer, Jillian Michaels, how she maintains her healthy lifestyle when she is on the go more weeks than not. Jillian travels with fitness DVDs that she can easily pop into her laptop for a quick workout wherever she is. When ordering out while traveling, she recommends being even more strict than usual since you are probably not getting your allotted amount of cardio for the day. That means grilled chicken and fish with brown rice or veggies, people.

For extended stay trips, she recommends heading to the local grocery store and stocking up on fruits and veggies. A genius tip I had never thought of is calling ahead and asking the hotel to clear out the mini bar for you. Goodbye M&M’s, hello carrots and apples! As for working out, bring your running shoes and you can take a brisk walk or run in whatever city you are in. If you prefer the gym, the hotel concierge should be able to recommend day passes at local gyms, or make it a priority that you stay at a gym with a health club.

While that cheesy pretzel at LaGuardia might be tempting before you hop on the plane, think of that warm weather destination you will be escaping to for a much needed vaca later this winter. While wearing sweaters and puffy coats makes it easy to forget about the waistline, thoughts of Mexico, Miami and L.A.  in February should keep you on track. In the meantime, follow some of Jillian’s expert advice and safe travels!

Well, if you continue to live outside of social media trends, you might not know Twitter has rolled out it’s new latest functionality in the form of lists - and it’s all the rage.  Of course, it didn’t take long for users to complain about the list option - it’s interface, accessibliity and how it inevitably becomes a popularity contest of sorts.  In effort to get people back to the homepage, seems as though the leaders at Twitter have come up with something that’s both helpful and stirring some buzz.

In reality, the lists are great for new Twitter users who wonder what they should be doing there.  Lists provide a quick way to find interesting people to follow, by category and interests… enter tourism.   For those looking to be in the know on tourism trends, deals and more but are new to Twitter, lists provide a great solution.  If you’re not sure what your handle (read: name) should be or who to follow and how to gain followers, lists are the perfect solution to browse a selection of tourism enthusiasts and pick who’s right for your niche.  From tourism blogs to specific countries, hotels, influential tourism leaders and travel columnists, it’s all just a tweet away. 

Today’s Jaunted newsletter spotlighted the top five tourism lists which serve as a great kick start.  With that as ammo, you should have a great base to get out and start tweeting to build buzz and awareness of your destination, carrier or hospitality clients!  Or follow me @EEPR_17 and check out the influential travelers on my lists!

It is no secret that air lines, in an effort to keep the cost of flights low, began adding a-la-carte fees to previously free services. Want to bring luggage to your destination? That’s an extra $25.00. Want a seat someone larger than midget stature can fit in? Well, that could be an extra $100.00 each way – depending on your distance. Want something to eat or drink on your flight? That is an extra $6.00 for the beer and who knows how much they will price-gauge you for the bag of chips or sub-par sandwich. There is almost no service most of the regional air lines won’t give you for an additional price including a day in their red-carpet lounge. While this has become common practice for air lines, it appears that hotels are trying to jump on this a-la-carte fee bandwagon. Does this mean it is good for business, probably not!

According to the Wall Street Journal, there have been reports of hotels adding surcharges for safes in room, minibar restocking fees, baggage holding fees for guests leaving luggage with bell staff after checking out, and a “tray charge” on room-service bills on top of a service charge and an automatic gratuity. Facility use? Shouldn’t the pool and the fitness center be included in the price of the hotel room? Imagine showing up to a hotel to find out the room rate you negotiated does not include the safe in the room, or the TV they provided, and they are charging you $5.00 a day for toilet access. Even worse, you don’t find most of this out until check out.

The main reason this is a bad idea for hotels is because adding a-la-carte fees for services people may not want, or use, to begin with is a sure-fire way to lose customers. The airlines have a completely different business model that allows them to charge additional fees based on right-of-use. If you don’t want luggage handlers, who could possible lose your luggage, food or drinks on the plane or don’t mind sitting in a seat with less leg-room you have every right to opt-out of these services. However, providing you a service or amenity and then later coming to you with a hefty bill for it is certainly no way to win repeat business – particularly in a recession and especially when charging for services or amenities that guests may not have even taken advantage of.
 
I think businesses of all-types should be up front about costs. Don’t get me in the door by offering me a room at one price and then add a plethora of fees for things regardless if I use them or not. If I want to add in a massage, that’s fine, but don’t charge me $5.00 at check-out because the hotel decided to install safes, mini-fridges or TV’s in all the rooms. What do you think about hotels adding on hidden fees to their offered room rate?

Anyone who has seen the movie “The Holiday” with Cameron Diaz, Jack Black, Jude Law and Kate Winslet knows how the home-exchange works. Upon experiencing small personal trauma you look online for attractive place to escape current problems. Next, you stumble upon person (who happens to have extremely attractive, single brother) in the exact same situation as you and make the switch. The results: save money on travel accommodations, immerse yourself in local culture and fall madly in love with said attractive single brother.

All joking aside, home exchanges are a growing trend in the travel world. To many people the thought of swapping houses for a week with total strangers is absolutely terrifying. To others, it is no different than renting out a second home during peak travel times, or even staying at a bed and breakfast. During this time of economic uncertainty, it is especially attractive to people looking to still travel and experience the world, but now on a tighter budget. With airfares at record lows, and then adding in free house swap, one could come up with a very economical vacation package.

What do you think about this? Are you willing to give up your bed for a free week in Maui? I suppose the only kicker is that you have to live in a location that people want to come visit, equally as much as you wanting to visit their place. For example, my family in Omaha, Neb. might not be able to switch with someone in Maui…but I guess you never know, you could always be on the better end of the deal! Do I sense a Wife-Swap-esq reality show in the works?!

If this is something that interests you check out the full article that appeared last month in the Wall Street Journal for popular Web sites and other tips and tricks. While you may not fall in love with a Jude Law lookalike, or hang out with the funny Jack Black neighbor all week, you will have an insider’s look into the culture of a destination, without giving up all the things you love about home.

I love free things, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Last week, I saw a free theater performance in Chicago, got a certificate for a free haircut from the salon in our building, ate two free muffins from a local restaurant and a got a free burrito from Chipotle. Free is very satisfying – it makes you feel like you won something – even if it’s something small.

In the travel industry, now is probably the best time ever for incentives encouraging people to travel…discounts are almost necessary these days to get business, and free things are everywhere you look. The travel industry is doing everything it can right now to get people to spend money, and one of the most prominent ways is FREE STUFF.

Hotels across the country (and across the world!) are throwing in extras like free breakfasts, free nights, free side trips to area attractions and more. For example, the Joie de Vivre hotels in California are offering a third night free, hotels in Vegas are offering extras like passes to shows and VIP admission and the Rosewood Mayakobá in Playa Del Carmen even offers a free shot of tequila along with a free night.

There is a method to this madness, though. Extra days spent at the hotel not only mean travelers are more likely to book their vacation today, but also ensure more money spent at the hotel restaurant and local attractions, thereby benefiting the entire community.

Extras like free drinks at the hotel bar and free valet parking can upgrade a normal vacation to something a little more special – at no cost, and make travelers feel like they got something for nothing.

Does the “free” tactic work for you? And would it provide that extra incentive to make you book a vacation today, if you were hesitating…? In an industry of bargains, how do travel providers stand out above the rest of the deals?

What is couch surfing? No, it is not spending your vacation hopping from one friends house to the next to watch the new Gossip Girl or daily hot show on Primetime TV. According to their Web Site, “it’s a worldwide network for making connections between travelers and the local communities they visit” with 1,473,790 members.

Basically, you make connections with people online and they invite you to stay ‘on their couch’ (proverbial or literal) when you are traveling. The site is full of testimonials and the ‘CouchStories’ are both heartwarming and full of amazing couch surfing experiences. To date surfers have claimed 2,742,009 positive couch surfing experiences.

While it might be awkward to stay with someone you meet over the internet, think how cool it could be. Not only do you get to stay somewhere for virtually free – although I am sure it would  probably be proper etiquette to buy your host a dinner or at least a few drinks – you get the unabashed guidance of a local who’s willing, and free spirited enough, to let a complete stranger stay in their home free of charge. What more could you ask for?

I don’t know about you, but it makes me want to make a connection, buy a plane ticket and surf a couch!

From our colleagues in APAC.