MOVING FORWARD , PERSONALIZED CONTENT IN THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY WILL
ONLY BECOME MORE COMMON , ESPECIALLY AS ANALYTICS
TOOLS GROW IN SOPHISTICATION AND TRAVEL BRANDS LEARN TO BETTER TRACK CONTENT
PERFORMANCE .
TECHNOLOGY
MOVING FORWARD , PERSONALIZED CONTENT IN THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY WILL
ONLY BECOME MORE COMMON , ESPECIALLY AS ANALYTICS
TOOLS GROW IN SOPHISTICATION AND TRAVEL BRANDS LEARN TO BETTER TRACK CONTENT
PERFORMANCE .
– RICH DISTEFANO , HILTON WORLDWIDE
bile-friendly and content rich , throughout the chain or brand . That may sound like a heavy undertaking , but experts say the payoff is there .
“ From a booking perspective , mobile web continues to grow , and underscores the need not only for mobile-enabled , but mobile-optimized websites ,” says Alissa Montbriand , vice president of global integrated marketing communications for Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group . “ Both apps and mobile web have a role to play in the hotel industry .”
Content is king As is the case on the web , content is also king of the mobile world . But the difference with mobile is a tricky one : For content to be truly effective , it needs to be hyper-responsive to that user ’ s wants and needs at any given moment . This is achieved through multiple means such as data mining and responsive and adaptive design , as well as geo-locational services like GPS and the use of beacons . When it applies to travel , this means mobile devices
need content that keeps up with the traveler at every stage of the trip .
“ People connect best to content that is personalized to them and where they are in their travel journey ,” DiStefano says . “ We make it our goal to deliver hyper-local , relevant content that reaches guests with the exact information they need when they need it , no matter if they ’ re researching a trip , booking a hotel or planning an excursion .”
DiStefano adds that the HHonors app is packed with little extras for this purpose : For example , the app shares weather data based where the guest is traveling so they can appropriately pack for their trip . It also contains a Local Scene feature , with a curated list of the most popular restaurants and nightlife locations in select U . S . cities , chosen based on their drop-off and pick-up popularity with Uber riders . It ’ s intended to help guests quickly select a venue that matches their preferences without needing to research it .
“ When you create content that caters to where your audience is in their travel
CIO Forum Choice Hotels ’ Todd Davis
Keeping pace in today ’ s mobile travel market is challenging enough for any single hotel brand , let alone a massive global franchisor like Choice Hotels International , which has more than 6,300 franchised properties in more than 35 countries . Leading the charge for Choice is CIO Todd Davis , who recently talked with HOTELS about his company ’ s global mobile mission .
HOTELS : What ’ s more crucial for bookings : mobile web or mobile apps ? Todd Davis : From a macro perspective , the traditional mobile app versus mobile web discussion tends to center on user experience trade-offs and total cost of ownership to develop and maintain a particular approach . However , when analyzing which approach is best to drive mobile bookings , we believe the conversation fundamentally shifts from that of mutually exclusive tactics to a complementary holistic mobile strategy .
H : So , essentially , are you saying that both channels are important and mutually interconnected ? TD : The truth is that both mobile apps and mobile web are necessary and play a major role in driving mobile bookings . Mobile web provides the widest consumer reach and is the underpinning of mobile organic and paid search strategies that drive customer acquisition . Mobile web is how consumers , that may or may not be brand loyalists , discover and shop . Mobile apps tend to be used by brand loyalists , which can represent a sizable segment of mobile booking traffic . Given that mobile apps provide a richer , deeper experience than web , mobile booking capabilities are essentially “ table stakes .” To ask “ Which is working best ?” perpetuates the idea that one is superior to the other . The more appropriate question may be “ How are you leveraging each to their maximum potential ?”
52 HOTELS March 2016 www . hotelsmag . com