The Gift-it app!

A great app idea for christmas!

The kayak travel app

Let me introduce you to the Kayak travel app!

Some people already know about the website Kayak that is said to be one of the best travel search engine in the world. For those who don't know about it, basically what this app includes is : flight and car search, hotel search and booking, and Flight Tracker and My Trips, so you can easily manage your itinerary.

Great isn't it ?! Well know you can have the very same service directly on your Iphone! You just have to download the app (this is free) and start searching for the best christmas trip deal! Also, based on your previous searches, the Kayak app gives you push notifications whenever a "Buzz deal" pops up. No more excuses to miss Granny's birthday in Marseille.... 

Say hi to Keppler 22-b!

Nothing to do with the hospitality business but still a great news! The NASA discovered very recently a new planet that might support life. This planet is really huge approximately 2,4 times the Earth, scientific think that this is a little bit too big to bear life...

Plus, this planet is 22 millions years away from us... So as long as we cannot go faster than light, this planet might just remain a nice picture for us. But this could mean that we are not alone after all. This planet is warm enough to contain liquid water (it is actually entirely made of liquid water) and has an atmosphere that protects the planet. Looking forward to hear some more news on this new planet!

PS : Seriously this planet really looks like Pandora :)!

Hotel du Petit Moulin

Self Assessment

It has been three weeks now that I have started this course and I must admit that I can still progress. I do not encounter difficulty when using the new tools that you show us. I also would not say that I am at a descriptive level since I try to find new trends and new technologies in the hospitality business for my blog post. I usually try to give my own opinion on this topic but I sometimes lack comparisons example. Also I sometimes lack of time especially this week....

For my next assignments I will try to go deeper and each concept that I post by trying to find relevant comparison examples and also try to expand my field of topic.

Hotels of the future

Just found this video on the hotel of the future...

Basically what is being said is that from the moment you start looking at a hotel until the moment you leave, their will always be somebody from the staff helping you. Using a mix a new technologies and pure personal service, hoteliers intend to offer the best experience to a client. This experience is ensured by offering to the guest the right service even before he or she could even think about it. On the paper that looks great but will it be really that awesome.

Relying too much on technologies can be harmful... After all, electronics do not always work perfectly and if one device is broken, the entire chain of service is down! New technology is also costly... Equip a hotel with all these devices and hire the people to make sure that they work represent a huge extra cost. And finally wouldn't it be annoying to already have someone on your back? It's like going to a store to buy a jean and having somebody behind your back saying "oh look I see that you like blue polos, well guess what we have a weekly discount on polos right here!..."

And you, what do you think about it ?  

Google Hotel Finder and hotels online visibility

Open publication - Free publishing

Influencing influencers

How do you create value on a hotel website ?

Good practices when working with OTAs

 

Is this the future of hotel beds ?

Somnus - Neu could represent the future bed of luxury hotels.

It features video projection tools, a dolby surround system integrated in the frame of the bed, an intelligent lighting system, automated privacy curtains and many other cool stuff that are displayed in this video.

Some people think that this could represent a "danger" for human kind. Imagine being able to do everything from... your bed! You won't have to move to watch TV, go to the groceries or even see your relatives you could do it all from your bed....

For my part, I think that since these kind of beds have been created and designed for hotel room, there is nothing to worry about. You do not spend your entire life in hotel rooms after all ! But what about you ? Give us your opinion !

 Please forgive me for the low quality of the video it was much more appealing on my computer... 

Concorde Hotels Group Digital IQ

Concorde Hotels Group Digital IQ

 

Ralph Lauren : A digital marketing genius...

Ralph Lauren was one the first luxury brand to understand that digital marketing would be the future of merchandising. At a time where most luxury companies were reluctant to open online shops, RL really led the way!

In 2008 the brand was the first to launch a dedicated mobile app. That app allowed you to scan the bar codes on clothes to get more information, discounts etc... 

(more on that here !)

More recently the brand created an entire "Digital Event" called the "4D experience" in order to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the website. The show featured 3-D imagery, digital sound effects and even scent diffusion! The show has been broadcasted in New York and London using light mapping imagery. 

Don't miss the video it's  5 minutes long but it's really worth it !

And don't forget : 

ralphlauren.com

The L2 Digital IQ Travel & Luxury Report

Analysis


 These two industries show some differences in their digital marketing mix. For example, the luxury industry seems to heavily rely on websites while deserting other digital means whereas travel related companies seem to use a well balanced mix of all technologies. According to the report, the luxury industry marketing communication is mostly done on websites that are using massive flash animations inaccessible for mobile users. These companies are still reluctant to use social medias maybe because of the nature of their business. Luxury is difficult to socialize without losing the exclusiveness of the brand! 


The travel industries, on the contrary, seem to have understood that digital marketing can help them reach tons of potential buyers while saving money! By using social websites such as Facebook, mobile apps to reach frequent users and digital marketing to create events, travel industries have achieved great success. Again, this could be due to the nature of the business. Unlike luxury industries, travel industries should try to reach as much customers as they can. Planes, hotels and even cruises have almost become common products that face fierce competition among each others. What a greater way to differentiate myself from my competitor than launching a fancy mobile app ?


We can therefore see, according to the report, that top 3 Digital IQ companies view social medias as a way to reach new clients but also as a way to strengthen even more the relationship that they have with their frequent users. Using Twitter to rebook flights, offer real time info (free of charge) and even post reviews really is perceived by customers as a "Service Plus".

The L-Touch Device : Interactive Bar Table

Introducing a new device that responds to hand gestures and real world object! 

The L - Touch offers a great way for people to interact with each other. This table allows users to share documents, interacts with objects and also connect devices such as phones, cameras etc... The quick video embed in this message shows you a small part of what this interactive table is capable of...

How does it work ? 

"L-TOUCH uses cameras and image recognition in an infrared spectrum to recognize different types of objects such as fingers, tagged items and shapes, then this input is processed by the computer and the resulting interaction is displayed using rear projection. The user can manipulate content and interact with the computer using their fingers only, instead of a typical mouse and keyboard." (extracted from the official website)

What are its implications for the hospitality business ?

Implications are almost limitless would you imagine a bar where all the tables would be made out of this device? It would recognize what's in your glass, it would allow you to share your latest party pictures with your friends or also allow you to order directly from your table.

Same applies for hotels lobbies. Fast check in/check out, concierge service available from kiosks even within your rooms ! Loyalty programs and loyalty cards could be used on these screens by the guests to get rewards and extra services!

More information on that ? 

Click here !