HM's Food & Wine Magazine » Jitendra Jain

The new era of Hotel Experience Marketing - Choice is the new King, All hail the King

Jitendra Jain — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 06:08:22 +0000

Following on from the earlier articles, Back to the Future: Meet the hotel guest of 2020, here are some thoughts on the role of Choice in successful Hotel Marketing of the future. I presented these ideas at the recent Revenue Management and Pricing Middle East Conference in Abu Dhabi…
As we mature into the Web 2.0 world and slowly inch our way to a more Semantic web, technology has made collaboration, connectivity and finding what you want easier than ever possible before. Combine available technology with the challenges posed by the recession and the timing for a Revolution of “Choice” is absolutely perfect!
Today, hotel guests have the option of various online tools that aid transparency, search and booking. However the research and booking process can still be pretty clunky and fragmented. I believe we need to move beyond the era of Search and Booking Engines to building superior “Experience Engines“.
The idea behind an experience engine is remarkably simple. Break down the units that constitute a guest experience like hotel rooms, spa treatments, restaurant meals, sport reservations, sightseeing, etc and make them bookable so guests can CHOOSE exactly what they want and BUILD an experience. >>Read More

Hotel Jobs - A Hoteliers Guide to Job Hunting in the New Online World

Jitendra Jain — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 11:18:30 +0000

Hoteliers are fantastic with people. Isn’t that what we’re paid for? But not all hoteliers are comfortable with technology…yet. Especially when it comes to getting the max out of the social revolution online. The good news is that every hotelier CAN make the best use of the Internet to boost their professional profiles as well as hunt for career opportunities more effectively. And all that needed is the drive, common sense and the vital skill hoteliers already have…that of dealing with other human beings!
Though the Internet has revolutionized the way we interact and access a wealth of knowledge and information, great job leads these days are still a matter of ‘who you know’. Therefore getting connected with the right people the right way is crucial to job hunting success. Here are a few do’s and don’ts from experience:
Finding Hotel Jobs Online – Do’s:
• Be very specific and focused: You HAVE to know exactly what you want to do, i.e. what department you’re looking to work in and even better what role best suits your abilities. Too often hotel professionals are plagued with emails and resumes from applicants who’re ‘looking for a suitable job’ or are open to ‘anything’. These requests usually end up in spam folders and dustbins very quickly. If YOU don’t know what you want to do and can do well, potential employers certainly won’t spend the time to try and figure it out.
• Do your research: Find out about the company that you want to work for and if possible the specific roles available and people looking to hire. Talking to your most accessible connections offline or online in the company can be a great help in finding out how things work too, i.e. does the company only accept resumes through an online system, who makes the decisions, what’s the urgency, etc. Also remember to read as much as you can about developments and new announcements in media and industry publications – if a new hotel is set to open and they’re recruiting, you know where to look, quick.

Future Hotel Trends

Jitendra Jain — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 05:35:49 +0000

It is the year 2020. The past twelve years have been a flurry of development in the areas of design, nanotechnology, robotics, medicine, the internet, security and law. Contrary to popular opinion, the hotel industry has not been slow on the uptake. It’s been the decade of hospitality renaissance. A coming of age, an evolution of service as it should be…and a tribute to true personalization.
Here’s a look at the hotel guest experience in the year 2020 and how guests have helped the industry become truly magnificent:
My stay. My choice.
I can choose and book all elements of my stay before I arrive, from my king sized bed, a fabulous view of the sea, non-allergenic pillows, a romantic dinner at the hot new fusion restaurant on my 3rd night, a pampering at the spa on the 4th, a round of golf on the 5th and a super chocolate sundae, served cold upon arrival (not to forget my airport pickup and drop with a virtual interactive city tour, of course).
Hotel revenue and inventory management systems have evolved to a level where every amenity and service can be chosen, packaged, sold and delivered.
I stay. I sell.
I choose where to stay and what to do based on the recommendations of my personal social network. Why should I trust all the hype, marketing and advertising when I have perfectly good friends & like-minded acquaintances who’ve been there, done that? If I like what I experience, I may recommend the hotel to my network…and get paid doing it. >>Read More

Beyond Rooms

Jitendra Jain — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 20:22:46 +0000

“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 its 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 happen 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. >> Read More