You have a great product, a great website and a great staff. The only thing that isn't "great" is the size of your marketing budget. Roughly $27 billion dollars will be spent in online advertising in 2008, according to eMarketer. With so many marketers occupying the same space, how can a company stay competitive while staying within its budget?

Don't resort to taking up offers from the snake-oil salesmen such as bogus SEO optimization services or overpriced and over-glorified affiliate marketing programs. Instead, use proven ways to compete toe-to-toe in today's online market without breaking your budget.

“We’ve come a long way, baby” claimed a high-spirited pop idol not so long ago, following up on the claim with an equally upbeat track. And so we have…in the world of Internet Marketing too. From the age of information (think glorified electronic brochure) on the web to the world of snappy online transactions…we’ve now moved into the age of an experiential and social Internet, all great leaps in a relatively short space of time. Hotel eMarketers can lay claim to that cheery phrase too, as far as marketing and distributing hotel rooms on the internet is concerned, in spite of the traditional, people-centric nature of the industry. But despite the eMarketer code to boldly go where no other hotel marketers have gone before, very few venture into the fuzzy world of online marketing beyond rooms.

There’s lots more to promote beyond rooms in a hotel, of course. The biggest being the exciting range of Food & Beverage outlets that hotels feature today. And then there are ancillary services like Spa, Sports, Recreation and more features, depending on the nature of the hotel and it’s location. For hotels that are already up to the mark on their rooms eMarketing, perhaps the biggest challenge is the fact that most of these services are very hard to track, since sales conversion usually happens offline. Another challenge is the low tech nature of these services, since most hotels don’t feel the need to invest in online reservation and information systems and for restaurants, bars and spas. And then there is the need to portray a strong hotel ‘brand image’ while still bringing out the unique character and feel of various outlets and signature services.

In most hotels in the Middle East, the Food & Beverage department holds a loftier position than in properties elsewhere. With the vibrant dining and entertainment scene in most developing cities in the region, dining contributes to almost half (in some cases) of hotel revenues, a figure unimagined in North America and Europe. Hence the importance of promoting and selling these other areas of the hotel become even more imperative. While the jury’s still out on what comprises a good ancillary eMarketing strategy, here are a few ideas to get the ball rolling:

• Start off on the right foot: Even though we’ve moved beyond a purely ‘information’ age on the web, it is still essential to ensure that customers can find all the relevant, accurate information on your outlets and services on your website. Ensure you’ve kept your descriptions concise, marketable and search engine friendly. Also avoid going the ‘Flash-only’ route or building too many microsites and websites for individual outlets unless absolutely necessary – it’s usually better to have one site with different sections to promote all the information and special offers you need, so you can promote that one website URL to guests for easy top-of-mind recall (and on outlet collateral pieces plus all offline advertising).

 
• Reach the right people at the right time and in the right manner: Customer Relationship Management for overnight guests has evolved considerably, thanks to advances in Property Management Systems and sophisticated tools now employed by hotel properties and chains. Unfortunately CRM for most F&B outlets, Spas and Recreation is still restricted to manual contact collection, Excel spreadsheets and spamming clients when promotions arise. A good CRM strategy is half the job, and then consistently applying it to ensure you’re reaching the right audience for the right promotions while respecting privacy is the other. Professional database management and a legal, tech-sound email contact strategy is a good place to start. Packaging hotel rooms with meals and ancillary services is also a wonderful way to upsell and offer exclusive value-additions for online bookers.

• Capture new customers: Are you ensuring that you reach the maximum number of potential customers for your outlets or services? Utilizing credible 3rd party advertising channels may be a great way to get the word out, from Paid Search Marketing leading to specific promotions / outlet pages to sending Email campaigns to qualified and relevant geographic databases. Search Engine Optimizing your content to ensure customers can find you on natural search results for the right keywords is also key to competing effectively online. Should you have a sizeable eMarketing budget at your disposal, banner advertising on popular guest-frequented portals and sponsored newsletters may also be an option to gain awareness and build your brand name online.
   
• Create a buzz: Utilize all that the Web 2.0 revolution has to offer and create a buzz! The range of ideas here is only limited to the eMarketers imagination…but must also be used with caution, given the fickle nature of the Webosphere. Ideas range from blogging and video-blogging about outlets, chefs, dishes, spa treatments and unique features of your product to intelligent viral marketing and even utilizing social networks to build communities driven by loyal patrons.
   
• Make things interactive: One of the key charms of the Internet has always been the level of convenience offered by the platform. After all, how else can you sit in one country and order a beer in another, for a thirsty stranger outside a bar, that you’ve just happened to be watching on a webcam? (gimmicky as it may sound, it’s been rumored to have happened!). Adding a level of interactivity always makes things more interesting, whether it is adding yourself to ‘local search’, going ‘mobile’ with your website, offering live video feeds, convenient online chats with hotel service agents, online guest feedback / reviews with visible results on operations…or even fun elements like games, contests and just being able to view a restaurant in 3d and make a booking, complete with special requests! Of course, depending on the region and the tech adoption level of potential guests, this may be money well spent for the future (and to stand out from the crowd) rather than directly impacting the bottom line here and now.
   
• Track right. Refine and repeat. The most crucial element. How do you measure if your promotions have been successful? Don’t let the offline conversions turn you off. While not as detailed or ‘accurate’ as online conversions, promotions for ancillary services can still be tracked in various ways. Basic tracking includes using coupons, tracking codes, asking guests to print off the promotion for redemption, etc. More advanced techniques employ the use of campaign-specific telephone lines, media-meshing and recently, online site-generated visitor id’s that tie in with web analytics packages and interface with live chat applications for live sales conversions! The options are out there for the picking…and are getting more advanced by the day.

So the next time you pass up that tempting F&B promotion in favor of a rooms campaign with a more ‘visible’ Return on Investment, think again…and get those creative juices flowing!

- Jitendra Jain (JJ)

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About the author: About the Author: At work, Jitendra Jain (JJ) is employed with Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Dubai as an E-Commerce Manager and handles hotel online marketing & distribution. At play, he is the founder of various online initiatives and free platforms like www.thetalentjungle.com, www.younghotelier.com (among others) that aim to connect, educate and shine the limelight on the true stars of the industry – the people that run it!

In a press release sent out by a hotel; it was stated that there was a "flu like illness similar to the highly contagious Norwalk virus or norovirus. This illness causes diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, cramps and other symptoms".

The report also notes that "Someone who answered the hotel's phone said no one there had any comment, then hung up".

Authorities responded by initially by "strongly discouraging people from entering or leaving" and subsequently eased off after identifying the type of illness and refrained from imposing a quarantine.

We have glamorous travel and entertainment magazines, superb trade publications, and niche editions which serve the Hospitality Industry.
They rightfully enjoy some of our advertising dollars, for they are targeted to the markets we wish to influence. As time is a constraint, sadly, they frequently decorate our coffee tables and office spaces, rather than serve as a 'must read', a resource, or even the definer of a 'Booking Decision' at our lodging, restaurant, attraction or retail venue.

About the only publication which does get perused energetically is the airline magazine, for they have a captured audience. But, this flight full of perspectives has other options for their time, too, whether it be a movie, a lap top or even a book. So, unless they have a specifically defined and targeted readership, magazines, although in the advertising 'mix', are losing their allure for our advertising dollars. Their circulation and ad revenues are declining, and their on-line presence is miniscule. Interestingly, the power of the print media lies in how well or not they have embraced the Internet. Where this is very evident is in the Newspaper business.

Edelman's director of insights explores the current evolution of the marketing and public relations landscape and explains why digital marketers need to focus on integration, not the latest technology fad.

If marketers want to succeed in this Web 2.0 world, they need to follow their audiences, not the technologies, says Steve Rubel. That might sound like surprising advice, coming from someone who spends at least two hours a day sifting through and digesting news regarding the latest in digital marketing platforms. But if there's one thing Rubel has learned in tracking more than 500 RSS feeds related to digital marketing, it's this: It's not about the channel. It's about how you use it.

The alarm goes off and you hear cats meowing a tune that sounds vaguely like the Bee Gees. In the bathroom, the side of your toothpaste entices you to try a new orange-malibu-jazz! flavor. Reading the morning paper, pages of coupons from your pharmacy spill out. Heading out, you step on a take-out menu from a local restaurant. Then you catch the gleam of a smile out of the corner of your eye—it’s your local news anchor, zooming by on the side of a bus.

Welcome to the modern marketing machine. Experts estimate that the average person gets beaten up by between 1,600 and 6,000 advertising messages daily, but consumers have learned to defend themselves with a simple tactic—they’re ignoring you.

All food business operators in Asia (whether they be producers, processors, importers or restaurants / food service vendors) have primary legal responsibility to ensure that the food, feed or ingredients they supply are safe. However, food safety is more than just meeting the law; a failure to deliver a safe product can negatively impact upon the value of a business's brand and its relationship with customers and employees.

In spite of increased industry and consumer awareness around food safety in Asia, some countries are still reporting a rise in the number of food poisoning cases reported. A report in the Malaysian News outlet ‘The Star' stated that: ‘Despite a perceived higher awareness about food hygiene, the country continues to be plagued with food poisoning cases. There were 11,226 cases from January till Sept 15 this year (2007), a 100% increase compared to the same period last year.' As a result of such findings food service operators and school canteen managers, ‘Would be monitored closely, while consumers must also be alert of hygiene when it comes to food.'*

The climate of the current economic environment is forcing franchised hotels to become more involved in their brand's marketing strategies and seek untapped, low-cost Internet revenue opportunities. In the first half of 2008, occupancy rates in North America fell by 2.4%; in Europe by 1.3% and in the Asia Pacific by 3.9%, compared to the same period a year ago (Smith Travel Research). Franchisees are starting to realize that the hotel chains' e-Commerce departments cannot possibly capture all available online revenue opportunities for their property, especially on the local level, and are looking for new and innovative ways to generate incremental online revenues. HeBS believes that launching a robust Local Internet Marketing Strategy, as described here, will help franchised hoteliers weather the economic storm and complement their traditional revenue sources and brand contributions.

We struggle to communicate our Brand Message, as we attempt to influence, often times not adhering to a very basic template.  Essentially, we have a product or service we represent, and it must be delivered to a targeted audience. We need to craft a message about our product or service, and we need to select a medium to carry that message.  A very straightforward template, one would think.  However, each aspect of this communication template is interrelated and must be integrated for the maximum effect.

Hospitality is one intriguing game we have chosen. We play in splendid venues; our Fans are enthusiastic with high expectations. Our competition often has the marquee players, bench depth, ace pitching and storied coaches. We field the best Team we can, mindful of injuries, slumps, steroids and scandals.

We are now at bat. We’ve got Product on third, Service on second base, and Facility on first. There are two outs, bottom of the ninth, the score is tied. From the dugout emerges our “clean-up” man, the one to bring the batting order home. Confidently, he strides to the plate, taps his cleats with the bat, glimpses at the Coach, frowns at the catcher, stares down the pitcher – and takes his stance – bountiful talent, all business, muscled and composed. The duel begins!