Advice for the Cheval Residences website

 

 

BOOKING :

 

- Unable to book in the home page : fundamental to create a link in order to book directly

 

- Unable to book directly on line : "reservation enquiry" only : too long for the customer and not intuitive/ put a "book now" tab/button on the home page with the :

• Dates
• Tariff for the stay
• Offers
• Criteria

 

- Same thing for the mobile app : it has to be possible to book even on your smartphone

 

- Make it possible to click on each "hot-air balloon" to get on each residence page instead of on the tab " your London residences"

 

- Make a page for each residence with all the information as the "neighborhood"& "the plan your stay" tabs + a link for the blog

 

COMMUNICATION :

 

- No phone number directly (!!) : too much time spend on looking for it

 

- More option to reach them : Skype for example

 

- Put a "call me back" button to make it easier for the customer to get more information

 

- Too much links to see more details on all the subjects

 

- Video : too hard to find

 

- Improve the social media & make it more visible for the customer. Need more contents, video and so on.

 

COMMERCIAL :

 

- Put the promotion on the home page in order to "push" the booking process

 

- Infographic

 

- Not enough photos : too much text. Put more photos/rotation of properties

 

==> Too much sections structurally speaking : everything need to be visible in the home page

The navigation is not intuitive

Ritz-Carlton vs Renaissance online strategy analysis

Hotel Amour: Content strategy

Hotel amour content from MarieGodard

Lifestyle content

Created by the Dandy Box company, the leader of the Gift box for gentlemen. The Dandy Blog is the first men's physical magazine that offers to every caring man,  a concrete content, inspiring and above all entertaining. Indeed the Dandy blog proposes interesting advices and relevant articles on different topics such as style, grooming, lifestyle, food & drink, design & tech ...

The Dandy Blog magazine

 

 

How can a hotel without a 'lifestyle vibe' develop an effective content strategy?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Four principles for the open world by Don Tapscott

THINK answers:

Question 1: What is Don’s term for the generation that has grown up “bathed in bits”?

Answer D. Net Generation

Question  2: When Rob McEwen’s geologists were having difficulty identifying the presence and location of the gold in his mines, what radical approach did he take?

Answer B. Released his data and held the Goldcorp Challenge

 Question 3: What does Don mean when he says we have a “burning platform” for change?

 Don said that the global crisis created a burning platform. He gave the example of Wall Street saying that the core modus operandi of Wall Street almost brought down global capitalism. According to him the idea of burning platform occurs when you are somewhere where the costs of staying where you are become greater than the costs of moving to something. People usually do not like change, but we need it and open up to all of our institutions.

Question  4: According to Don’s four meanings of openness, what is the difference between “transparency” and “sharing”?

 Transparency is about the communication of information (to stakeholders of organizations: employees, customers, business partners, shareholders…). Sharing is more about giving up assets, intellectual property for example. Don spoke about IBM, who gave away 400 million dollars of software to the Linux movement, and that gave them a multi-billion dollar payoff.

 Question 5: What happens to power structures as knowledge becomes increasingly distributed?

Answer B. Power becomes decentralized

 Question 6:  According to Don, the internet did not give rise to an information age, but instead gave rise to:

Answer E. The Age of Networked Intelligence

Question 7: Don uses an example from nature to demonstrate his four principles for openness. Which example does he choose, and in what ways does it exhibit these principles?

Don used the example of  flock of Starlings, in the area around Edinburgh, explaining  “the murmuration” function refers to the murmuring of the wings of the birds when they’re flying all together. This collective power protects the birds from predator.In this example there's leadership,but there's no one leader. This is a huge collaboration, an openness, a sharing of all kinds of information,  a sense of interdependence.  It’s show us that it is in our interest as a human being to share our knowledge, skill and experience.

Phrase it !

The beginning of a love story

What is ASAT ?

1) What is ASAT? Give 3 non-traditional examples.

 

ASAT is an abreviation for Any Screen Any Time. It refers to the fact that device users can access the content they are looking for any time and any where, through all kind of screens.

 

One illustration of the term is the example on the plane when we see the following writting: "Could you please shut off your book?"

Another one is the example of the car where we can see that you can link your mobile device to the dash board, and a third one is the fact that you could plug your mobile device on a running machine, accessing therefore all your mobile 's applications ans so on.

 

2) What is meant by mobile enhanced experience?

 

A mobility enhanced experience concerns the fact that you can access all kind of information anywhere through any screen. For expample, we will talk about a mobile enhanced experience when a lot of touch points caracterize the customer decision journey. The customer is guided through their choice by many elements and all day long access wherever they are.

 

3) How could a hotel provide a mobile enhanced experience?

 

Hotels can use many tools to provide to their customers a mobile enhanced experience.

 

First of all, I do think that working through the SoLoMo concept can create a mobile enhanced experience.

Indeed, working with DISMOIOU app for example, allow customers to share information about your hotel and can be a decision maker for them.

 

Using the tool Twitter Vine, in which you can insert short videos, is also a very good way to enhance mobility experience. Hotels could put some video showing some guests feedback or interviews about the hotel, or also put a video of a staff member to attract customers.

By using Vine, hotels could also insert some "phrase it" in it.

 

4) List the customer journey digital touchpoint

 

The scenario number one is talking about the different steps that a customer experiences to make a booking for a trip. The digital touchpoints are the followings:

 

- An advertisment on TV

- A tourism advert

- Website through mobile

A Look at Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris' New Penthouse Suite

Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris introduced its new penthouse suite, which feature six terraces offering a 360 degree view of Paris and 1,630 square feet of space.

 

The Penthouse's architecture is designed by Pierre-Yves Rochon to emphasize its open spaces. The venue boasts soft tones of the travertine flooring reflected in the walls decorated with sycamore and majilite. Also available are floral arrangements created by Jeff Leatham, the hotel's artistic director.

 

The Penthouse's winter garden is decorated in floral fabric and separated from the living room by a wrought iron door. The terrace, shaped like the bow of a ship, provides an even wider view of the Paris. From the terrace, steps lead to an upper balcony perched even higher on the roof. The bedroom with its own terrace features a four-poster daybed.

 

Another gem in the suite is the beige marble bathroom, designed to be as luxurious as a lounge. Next to the walk-in shower stands a grand overflow bath fitted with jets and a chromotherapy system. Also featured are white orchids, and a large dressing room bathed in natural light and which is decorated like a boudoir.

 

The French interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon

 

The brain behind the apartment, Pierre-Yves Rochon, worked with the luxury houses including Baccarat, Lalique, Lelièvre, Edmond Petit, Veraseta and Bobic (a Slovenian company specializing in yachting) for the furnishings and fittings.
 

 

Click here to see the original article.

In class Work group: Foursquare and Starbucks

Starbucks & foursquare from Laura Fleury

A quick overview of the Hotel Tonight application

For those who don’t know about Hotel Tonight, the hotel booking application , let me present you this useful smartphone application that can help guests as well as hoteliers in the booking process.

Created on the beginning of 2011, in the United States, Hotel Tonight is the pionneer of hotel bookings on mobile phone.Indeed, the application is used by more than 3.5 million people. With a presence in over 60 cities in the U.S, Hotel Tonight  is continuing his expansion in 10 European cities such as Paris, Nice,Amsterdam and Brussels.

Available on Iphone, Ipad and Android in French, German, Italian  and Spanish.

 The application is free on the Apple Store and Google Play.

 

How does it works ?

 

Hotel Tonight offers a selection of the best hotels; every day, from noon to 2 in the morning, three big deals are proposed to you in order to book a hotel in last minute and this in less than 10 seconds.

The application allows to book hotel room thanks to personalized offers according to the profile of each user: his localization, his preferences and his budget.

You will not have to check on tons of websites for finding information and comments on hotels. Thus, the main objective of this application is to ease the long preparation time of a travel.

At this moment, the application covers more than 70 destinations such as New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, London, Miami, Chicago, San Francisco or Las Vegas to name a few.

 

How an hotelier can use this application ?

 

This application can be used as a complementary distribution channel  which will help hotel managers to acquire new customers and increase revenue. We can notice that there is none inscription fees or obligation of commitment, this is a good point for hoteliers . Hotel Tonight is paid on performance  with a commission on each reservation. The company has 1500 partners worldwide, for instance in  France, several luxury hotels work with Hotel Tonight. Le Burgundy, La Belle Juliette, Le Pavillon de la Reine or Jays in Paris, and in Nice the Hôtel Massena or the Boscolo Exedra.

 

To sum up, we have seen another time that  hotel managers can use mobile applications to promote their products and services in order to develop their sales. This application is very similar to french application that we have presented before, the VeryLastRoom.

If you want see the original article, click here.

Case study on the Foursquare apps and its brand partnerships

           
                                         

The FOURSQUARE application contains the SoLoMo concept

Here is a short presentation of the Foursquare app  who gathers all the SoLoMo concepts.

Accor bets big on India !

The Accor group has decided to take a new direction in their global strategies betting on the Indian market . Indeed the CEO of the company, Denis Hannequin,  has noticed that the Accor brand has a feeble presence in this specific market. Eventhough a big part of his revenue comes from Europe, the group is willing to extend  its contribution in developping countries such as China and India.

As the european leader in the hospitality industry, Accor holds 4,400 hotels all over the world but only 15 of those are located in India. That is why Denis Hannequin plans to deploy 90 hotels during the years to come, in order to develop the whole brand portfolio in this country making it one of its  key markets.

Because of a fierce competition established by Indian hotel companies  in the luxury segment the company aims to be essentially on the mid-scale, economy and budget segments.

Thus Accor’s  Indian porfolio  will be made of 33 mid-scale hotels, 45 economic hotels and only 13 luxury hotels.

According to  Mister Hannequin, the company has thoroughly studied the indian market, understanding that the needs differ from occidental demand. Thereby Accor has adapted its offer to the local market, which will ensure its future success.

This move  in the accor's strategy show us that to keep a leader position a company has to be in a constant research of new markets and being innovative. And that India offers great opportunities for hotel companies desiring to acquire new market shares.

Click here to see the original article

The Yelp app will make you cool, sort of ...

Fastbooking

Steps for developing direct bookings for independent hotel

• An interactive Website: well-designed, relevant contents (information, image, video), online booking service, payment security, location tools, facebook/skype/twitter links 

• Create a mobile application with a "book now" option for all devices, describing your assets ( location, services, prices...)

• E-reputation and visibility : social media platforms, trip advisor, ranking (Google)

• Etablish a marketing strategy in focusing the communication through the best channels and right targets ( Newsletter, hot deals, loyalty programs)

W, l'enseigne d'hôtel de luxe à la mode, lance son ouverture à Paris.

L’enseigne d’hôtellerie de luxe W a fait son entrée sur la scène hôtelière parisienne, à une date qui n’est pas des moindres, puisque c’est à la Saint-Valentin, le 14 février 2012, que cette ouverture a eu lieu. Ce fut un réel événement qui s’est préparé, en effet la chaine luxueuse (le célèbre groupe américain Starwood Hotels & Resorts) n’avait encore aucun hôtel de la marque « W » à Paris jusqu’à présent, le premier ayant été lancé à New-York en 1998. Ce groupe exploite plus de 1070 hôtels dans le monde, sous différentes marques, on peut donc imaginer que leur décision d’inaugurer un tel établissement ait été à la hauteur de nos espérances, tant sur le plan de l’innovation, du renouveau, du confort ou encore de l’excellence. Les travaux ont duré quelques années déjà : le propriétaire des murs, l'espagnol Meridia Capital, a eu recours à un budget de  85 millions d'euros pour mettre en œuvre cet immeuble haussmannien. Cet établissement ne comptera pas moins de 150 employés. Ce choix s’avère être stratégique, puisque l’ouverture du « W » n’a pas seulement été la création hôtel de luxe de plus à Paris, mais plutôt une révolution au niveau de la clientèle fréquentant cet hôtel. Ce projet a eu pour but de transformer l’habituelle clientèle fortunée d’un certain âge ayant ses traditions (restaurants de luxe, spa, suites traditionnelles) en une clientèle plus jeune, une clientèle « branchée » composée de stylistes, d’artistes, de mannequins, de jeunes issus de la « jeunesse dorée », plus couramment appelés les « beautiful people ». L’établissement compte 91 chambres, dont 20 suites de 26 à 70 mètres carrés, dans le but d’obtenir un classement 5 étoiles. Les prix moyens défient toute concurrence puisqu’ils sont d’environ 400 euros (alors qu’un palace demande minimum 700 euros pour le même service). Le directeur général de l’hôtel « W », Oliver Servat, explique qu’ils ont visé un taux d’occupation d’environ 75% pour la première année.

Ce projet a donc été révolutionnaire pour le monde de l’hôtellerie de luxe, puisqu’il ne propose aucun des services des palaces habituels que l’on trouve généralement à Paris, le but ayant été d’innover et d’avoir un réel temps d’avance. En effet, il n’y a pas de spa, ni de piscine, ni de hall d’entrée (remplacée par un « living room », où la clientèle peut aisément siroter un cocktail, tout en écoutant le talent d’un DJ à la mode). Ce lieu se révèle comme étant le lieu de rendez-vous branché de la capitale pour la jeunesse aisée de la scène internationale. Les habituels diners organisés afin de divertir la clientèle sont remplacés par des défilés de mode et autres expositions contemporaines, ce qui a le mérite de constituer une réelle mutation aux mœurs hôtelière. Nous pouvons légitimement constater ici que ce type d’hôtels constitue une réelle concurrence aux « palaces classiques », et que les clientèles que l’on a l’habitude (plus âgées) de voir s’y intéressent aussi.

Ce nouveau mouvement a permis de redonner une bouffée d’air frais au luxe hôtelier, d’innover, et surtout de surprendre la clientèle. Bien que le monde du luxe ne connaisse pas la crise, on a pu voir avec ce projet que les clients habitués à un certain confort recherchent quelque chose de nouveau, une idée novatrice qui les poussent à faire le tour du monde rien que pour profiter de ses services. C’est le genre d’établissement qui manquait à Paris, étant une ville capitale de la mode, du luxe et du romantisme. Cet hôtel est le 6^ème établissement en France du groupe  « Starwood Hôtels & Resorts », en plus du Westin Paris Ven­dôme notamment (inauguré en 2005). Cette ouverture a constitué un réel enjeu économique et marketing pour le célèbre groupe puisqu’en janvier 2011 il a perdu l'exploitation du Méridien Montparnasse, au profit du groupe Accor, qui l'a rebaptisé Pullman Paris Montparnasse.

Je pense que cet hôtel « W » a rencontré un franc succès, puisqu’il a proposé à la jeune clientèle aisée une gamme de services jamais rencontrés en France auparavant, et le tout à des prix très attractifs ! Nous n’avons pas fini d’entendre parler du « W », réel lieu en vogue à Paris. Fiers de ce succès, peut-être que le groupe envisagera d’ouvrir plus d’établissement de ce genre en Europe…

Résumé et commentaire extrait de l’article suivant :  

http://www.lefigaro.fr/societes/2011/10/10/04015-20111010ARTFIG00665-w-l-enseigne-d-hotel-de-luxe-a-la-mode-ouvre-a-paris.php

The development of direct booking for independent hoteliers

The Digital IQ of a company

What is meant by Digital IQ?

The Digital IQ, which means "digital intelligence quotient", is a new approach aiming to analyse and measure the companies performance in their uses of new online medias within their communication strategy. In reality, the digital Iq is a kind of assessment based on rankings with criterions such as innovation or creativity. Hence, companies with a very strong online stragegy will be a “Genius” earning more than 140 points, and on the other side those who are not present online will be characterised as “Feeble” with less than 70 points. The Digital IQ evaluates  how a company plans, innovates, measures results, interacts with customers, and ultimately creates value.


Top 3 Digital IQ hotel brands ranking:

1. Four Seasons hotels and resorts (150pts)
2. Hilton hotels and resorts (149pts)
3. Marriott hotels and resorts (143pts)


What are the components of Digital IQ?

The Digital IQ includes 4 components :
 
The mobile
Which counts for 20% of the digital IQ methodology It is related to the compatibility, optimization, and marketing on smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices.

• iOS Applications (iPhone & iPad): Availability, Popularity, Functionality, iPad Differentiation
• Android & Blackberry: Availability, Popularity, Functionality
• Mobile Innovation: SMS, Geo-local, Instagram, Other Mobile Marketing Innovation

The website
Which counts for 30% of the digital IQ methodology.
The effictiveness of a brand site.

• Site Technology
• Site Search & Navigation
• Reservations
• Property Pages and Destination Guides
• Customer Service
• Rewards/Loyalty Programs
• Social Media Integration

The Social Media platforms
Which count for 20% of the digital IQ methodology
Calculated according to specific criterias such as the brand presence, the community size, the content, or the engagement on major social media platforms on global and select property accounts.

 • Facebook: "Likes", Growth, Post Frequency, Applications, Responsiveness, Content, Interaction Rate, F-Commerce
• Twitter: Followers, Growth, Tweet Frequency, Online Voice
• YouTube: Views, Number of Uploads, Subscriber Growth, Content, Interactivity

The Digital Marketing
Which counts for 30% of the digital IQ methodology.
The efforts to search, display, and email marketing.

• Search: Traffic, SEM, SEO, Web Authority
• Display Advertising & Innovation: Text & Banner Ads, Retargeting, Cross-platform Innovation Initiatives, Presence on Emerging Platforms: Pinterest, Tumblr, Google+
• Blog & Other User-Generated Content: Mentions, Sentiment, TripAdvisor Reviews
• Email: Frequency, Content, Social Media Integration, Mobile Optimization

Four Seasons Digital IQ Strategy