But the success of 2010 did not come easy. In today's OTA-obsessed environment, finding alternative sources of revenue is necessary. Driving group business, banquet business, F&B outlets and other local, property-level revenue streams was key in 2010 and will continue to be in 2011.
One of the benefits hotels realize when focusing on property level marketing is the abundance of raw data they collect on their property owners and end consumers. When analysed, this data can lead to smarter local marketing campaigns in the future. When aggregated, this data leads to keen marketing insights that make the brand more responsive and relevant to consumers and to franchisees alike.
Because of the complexity and sheer amount of information involved with property specific marketing, more and more hotels have realized the need to automate the process. Naturally, there are complex creative challenges that hotel brands bring to the table.
For example, how can the brand control what the franchisees do to maintain brand compliance without strangling their local expertise? And once those brand rules or guidelines are established, how are they maintained? How do the franchisees access brand appropriate assets and information, customize it for their property, and deploy it in a meaningful way to a targeted audience? These questions merely scratch the surface of the complexity of local marketing automation in the hospitality industry.
The integration points between local marketing and larger hotel IT infrastructure can be a concern for some companies, but only the inexperienced avoid it and head for cover. Those who embrace the challenge head-on build brand loyalty and discover increasing sources of cost savings and revenue.
