White Paper Reveals Key Internet Marketing Strategies

With the dramatic growth of the Internet and the increase of travel shoppers who research online, many hospitality professionals still struggle to use a cohesive Internet marketing strategy.  To better understand these trends, a new white paper by HSMAI, in conjunction with VIZERGY, explores through a survey of hotel executives how hotels and resorts can implement effective strategies.

The white paper, Best Practices for Maximizing Your Hotel’s Online Revenue & ROI, written by Kathleen Cullen, provides results from actual hoteliers who shared their experiences and areas of focus as it relates to Internet marketing and help for hoteliers to establish a comprehensive Internet marketing strategy.  It takes an in depth look at Website design best practices, effective marketing strategies and the importance of understanding analytics.  The white paper also reveals practical ways to avoid common pitfalls often seen in hotel Internet marketing.

“This white paper provides the results from actual hoteliers who shared their experiences, areas of focus as it relates to marketing, key metrics and best practices,” says Inspire Resources Founding Partner Kathleen Cullen.  “The goal is to provide an educational resource whereby hotel professionals can review the white paper and use it as a tool to assess current strategies, understand the areas for improvement and create a plan to action.”

The paper is broke down in three categories: Websites, Marketing and Measurement.  Each category includes the survey findings related to the respective topic, as well as recommended best practices and implications for each.  Some of the most interesting highlights of this study include the following discoveries:

• 70% of properties see their greatest returns in online investments


• 40% of respondents do not have a social media strategy


• 83% of hoteliers are using search engine optimization (SEO)


• 65% only spend 1 - 5 hours a week evaluating their online presence