How can an Airplane Disaster's effect Hotel Bookings ?!

How  can an Airplane Disaster's effect Hotel Bookings ?!

Just after I read the news of Asiana plane crash in San Francisco , I check the rates in the Hotel's in the area of San Francisco International Airport on Trivago.com . TRIVAGO needs approximately 30 minutes to synchronize the Prices from the main Booking portal such as Booking.com or Venere.com.

On Trivago the prices was around 80 $ for a room , but if you click to book and Trivago sends to you on Booking.com , immediately I found that all the room's was on RackRate. More than 300 $... shortly after the crash showing the some hotels had boosted their prices dramatically – one over 600%. In an example that they highlighted, the Best Western in South San Francisco was returning room rates of $999 for the night of the flight cancellations. A normal night at the hotel costs around $149.

What happened ?!

After cancellations of all flight's in San Francisco Airport, was a terrific demand of room's to spend the night until the airport run normally. Thousand of people wanted a Hotel near to the Airport to be sure that when their flight will be ready they will take it. Revenue manager fast modify the prices directly in Rackrates to afford the demand, and to take fully advantage of the situation. Half of the room needed for the flight staff of the company and the other half for poor travelers. Airplane Company have contract with Hotel near to the airport for their staff ,so the Hotel's can't modify the price for them . But for travelers of course

It is moral to do after a disaster like this where 2 people die and a lot injured, when people spend all the day in the airport waiting for a flight witch delayed.... I don't judge

Business is Business

I remember The 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajòkull Volcano in Iceland witch cancel all the flight's in Europe for more than 4 days.

I was in Anversa Belgium on Holiday and get stuck there for 4 day's , Hotel price go up in all the Area of Brussels International Airport and Charleroi Airport . Personally had to pay this High rate's but in my hotel in Rimini people who should take a flight , stay 4 days more .

It isn’t OK for the consumer I understand

But when a disaster like the South Pacific Tsunami in Indonesia cancel all the booking of the hotel's for more than 3 month's . Who compensate the Touristic Industry witch is the most important industry in that Island ?! Earthquake in Tahiti ?! The Arabian Spring protest ?! Egypt Protest ?! Occupy Gezi park in Istanbul?!

So one time you can take advantage from a disaster and one time suffer from one.

Just like every business we try to survive in this difficult economical moment.

And the Touristic Industry is the first Economical Industry that suffer from the crises , Remember just 5 years before the hotel and vacation Rate was 30 % higher than now,  when everything cost more and we earn less .

But be optimistic thing will change 

See you

Klement Hasaj

The Science of Sorting

Many hotel revenue managers live and die by their page position on OTA default searches. From Expedia’s Most Popular picks, to Orbitz’ Best Bets, to Agoda’s Recommended, all of these listings are at the top of search results because the specific OTA made a (very subjective) decision based on a million possible factors, including the relationship that a property has with their OTA market manager, the commission that a property is paying, payment status (paid in full, late payments, etc.), amount of inventory (including last-minute inventory) listed on the site and the pictures included in your property’s listing, among many others.

Some revenue managers (mistakenly) believe that being the top (or one of the top hotels) listed on a given OTA default search, will positively impact their bookings and revenues. They aspire to always stay in that high position, because they believe that if their competition were to overtake their page position, they would most likely also steal their customers.

In our experience working with OTAs and examining consumers’ booking habits, we have decided that we disagree with this very common belief among hoteliers.

The default search results don’t reflect consumers actual search habits

According to Expedia, 95% of all transactions on their site take place with hotels listed on the first page of a consumer’s search results (source: HotelNewsNow) ­ which is true. But what this stat doesn’t specify however, is that the hotels that show up on the customer’s sorted (not default search) results are the only properties that have a greater chance of getting the booking. Let’s look at an examples:

I did a search on one of the major OTAs for a hotel stay in Miami Beach, FL from July 20-22 and, as always, the default results showed ads first and then a list of other hotels (according to the default sort criteria). The first property was listed at $310 (4.5 stars), $89 (2 stars) and $139 (3 stars). Even to a consumer who isn’t aware of which factors affect a hotel’s page position, they will be able to see that this list of results are all over the map, and that they don’t show the property with the best value (which is the primary factor that most consumers use to select a hotel).

When I change the filter to sort by price (which is the most common sorting method for consumers), the properties are listed in ascending order according to price. After sorting, the first property is listed at $48/night (1.5 stars), $69 (2 stars), $83 (1.5 stars), $89 (2 stars) and $94 (2 stars). The next step most consumers will take to filter the results is to select the star rating(s) that they prefer and, in most cases, this will be three, four or five star hotels. From there, a consumer will search for the best combination of rate, star rating and amenities to determine which property is the best value for their specific needs.

This is the standard search method for the majority of consumers who use OTAs to book a hotel stay. While there may be a few people out there who use only the default search results, most consumers understand online searching enough to know that filtering their results will make it quicker and easier to find the property that best suits their specific needs.

In short, unless your property is listed on search results that reflect consumers’ actual search habits, you are highly unlikely to secure a higher number of bookings ­ even if you are listed first on the first page of an OTA’s default search results.

So how can you improve your page position on sorted search results?

While we would never advocate for discounting, price is the most important factor in securing a higher page position on the sorted search results ­ and therefore, obtaining the most bookings from potential customers. Instead of discounting, ensure that you are constantly monitoring your competition’s room rates, the demand in your destination and your inventory levels and adjust your prices regularly according to that info. Because you will automatically earn a higher page position if your rates are better than the majority of other properties in your destination, this will be an effective solution to generating more bookings and increasing revenues.

And of course, the best way to monitor all of the ever-changing factors that affect what entails the best price at any given time is an automated revenue management system. A sophisticated RMS will monitor all of these factors in real-time, will analyze the data, suggest the best rate and then update all OTAs with that price. In short, a sophisticated RMS will help a property to generate more bookings and revenue through the online channel, without the revenue manager being overburdened with the constant, tedious processes necessary to do so.

Luggage Tag ?! You can print it directly from Home…

Contracting betwen Airlines and the Several airport , decide who is going to do the check-in . Often i remember in Milan Malpensa , that the check-in of the luggage is made from the S.E.A ( company who run both Milan Airport ) . So the Airline company pay for the service Directly S.E.A

A New Idea

Airlines are constantly thinking of ways to simplify the check-in process and save time for both passengers and staff at the airport. Any work that they can transfer from the airline to the passenger means that fewer staff can be employed and the airline can save money.( and we can buy cheaper ticket’s ) This is already evident in kiosks that are spreading through departure halls around the world – the increased volume of automated check-ins means that staff only need to be on hand to handle problems and luggage.

MyBagTag ;)

The latter half of those costs are now being targeted by the airlines. Iberia, Spain’s national carrier, just announced the launch of MyBagTag, a tool that allows passengers to print their bag tags at home. Affixing the tags through a specialized envelope developed by the carrier, the passenger only needs to enter the weight of each bag and then print the tag on a home printer. Upon reaching the airport, they simply hand over the luggage.

MyBagTag is a clever way for airlines to move some of the work to the passenger’s responsibility, but it doesn’t completely remove the need for staffed check-in desks. A human being will still have to be on hand to receive the bag and double check that the passenger didn’t fabricate the bag weight. It’s likely that someone will also have to review each tag to ensure that the passenger printed the proper document and mounted it correctly. But the volume of staff needed to do this will surely be less than the current crop that are needed to process each bag.

Watch The Video ;) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2IbASkEZJxk

Iberia , the National Spanish Airline Company

Iberia’s program is currently being tested in Spain but will roll out to international destinations shortly. Expect other major carriers to watch closely as Iberia vets the program – if it’s successful, the process will surely spread.

See You

Klement Hasaj

Sad Hotel's !!! Just what customers don’t want…

Personally i have travel a lot around the globe , and sleep in different kind of accommodation , From the floor of every Airport, to Hostel 10 person in one room with common bathroom , to the luxury 5 star Hotel’s member of ‘’Leading Hotel of The World’’ . I have worked in 4 different Hotel’s and own 3.

What consumers want most from a hotel in 2013 ?!

Hotel offerings such as wireless Internet, babysitting services or even an on-site bar can make or break a consumer's decision to book a particular hotel property. So, what do consumers really want in a hotel?

Promotional offers/discounts: When it comes to searching for a hotel, consumers are looking to get more for less. On Orbitz.com searches for promotional offers and discounts such as free parking and airport shuttle service took the top spots.Pool: Swimming pools by far get the kids excited when on vacation, and if you're traveling to Vegas or Miami, are more about the scene than actually swimming. But, as one of the top searched hotel amenities this proves that whether you're a single, couple or family swimming pools will likely remain one of the most important hotel amenities.The extras: There is strong consumer interest surrounding hotels that offer amenities that go beyond the basics. The number of hotels that welcome pets is rising and, surprisingly, so are consumer searches for pet-friendly accommodations.

Spa Service : There was also very strong interest in hotels that provide spa services and fitness centers. 

Quality of Sleeping : More and more booking website’s ask to the client’s to give a mark of the quality of sleeping. And they aren’t wrong because the main purpose of a hotel is sleeping in it ;) .

The helpful staff is really appreciated so as the fully accomplished of costumers need’s .

But the most important thing in a Hotel i think is :

The atmosphere

I think that the most important thing is the atmosphere in the hall when you enter in the Hotel , If you see half dark no light chill-out music, it makes you feel as a horror Movie .

I think that everybody has experience a sad Hotel in their life and remember it .

Hotel manager think that a 4 star hotel or a 5 star one have to be just serious , but their are wrong , don’t use the full potential of the Hotel . When people travel don’t want just a room , they want an experience, to feel it to remember and to tell to friend’s or family when they come back home.

In Rimini area for example we have 2 five star Hotel’s ( The Grand Hotel and the Isuite ) and more than 150 four star Hotel’s.

The five star Isuite organize ofter pool happy hour and party for guest’s and people from outside

 and in the grand hotel you can find party in the stile of ‘’The Big Gatsby’’ movie

And the 4 Star’s ?!

Absolutly nothing, just a few organize one time per week a party with their guest’s :/ , often you see a lobby like this : 

The sad think is that personally i think that a 70 room’s 4 star hotel near to the beach , should have by law Animation for kid’s , Babysitting service , for a couple that want to discover the city or the surrounding and be ‘’free’’ for a couple of hour’s etc etc etc . A birthday gift in the spa with massage and all the relax.

And every too day’s a Cocktail party in the Pool when guest’s spend their money on you exotic Cocktails and not Outside.

My dear reader's and Hotel Manager’s just Remember that Fun has no age, just give to your typical guest what they want, An exclusive hotel in Venice should make a masked party like this , and will be an amazing experience for they wealthy clients.

The Hotel should be just as a Cruise Ship, where Guest find every service they need inside the Cruise and Spend all their money Inside.

So you can make guest’s ore happy , earn some extra Money from Services , and get better reviews from the Guest’s .

And more the Hotel is full of people more you have fun , it is just as a Disco , more people are inside more you want to make the row for the entrance .

The Negresco is an example to follow :

The best Hotel in all the Cote Azur , National monument of France, protected by UNESCO . Founded by Henry Negresco a Rumanian Violinist , Who organize the most famous party in his Hotel for guest’s as Pablo Picasso , Salvador Dali  ‘’hôte fidèle de l'hôtel’’

So just entertain your guest’s and don’t’ run a Sad Hotel please , i don’t want to book in one of this ;)

See you

Klement Hasaj 

How can survive TRAVEL AGENCY'S & T.O in 2013 ?!

How can survive  TRAVEL AGENCY'S & TOUR OPERATORS in 2013 ?!

With the massive internet use this last 10 years , Travelers are building thyself their Holidays. And don't use anymore the traditional channel of reservation Travel Agency's. You always see in the street's travel agency Going out of Business ( I have lived in 5 city's the last 10 years and never see a new one opening ) . And when I go shopping at The Mall I never see someone inside at the only travel agency.

I'm afraid that we are going to forget a scene like the photo below... At least in Western Europe and in the States... :(

So every year data show that this business is suffering the technology change's . Just with a credit card in the main on-line Booking website such as : Booking.com ,Expedia.com , HRS.com etc etc you can book a Hotel Room worldwide in a few click … And you can compare the price at the meta-search engine such as Trivago.com , Kayak.com , or the newest Google hotel finder.

You can book a cheap Low Cost Airplane Ticket , directly at the website of the company , or use many website that compare prices and availability such as Skyscanner.com , cheapflights.com , fly.co.uk …

But technology advanced so much that the new and complete meta-search engine , can find for you the best price for The Hotel, Airplane, Rent Car, Travel Insurance, Train , Ferry etc etc , in just few click's you can book your own made holiday. As you need it... And I bet that it cost less than a ready one in a Travel agency , and it is more personalized.

So what to do to survive ? Any Ideas ?!

The old adage “knowledge is power” is wrong. At least, partially wrong. You can have the greatest ideas in your head, but if you don’t put them into practice, they become worthless. The true mark of success lies in having the courage to invest emotionally, physically and financially in your idea.

SO I SUGEST TO YOU NOT JUST TO READ THIS POST BUT TO PUT IN ACTION NEW IDEAS.

Whats the right street to take, I think that are three .

1- Work with the 4 Faster Growing Country Travelers. BRIC

In this sense, we want to focus today’s post on the always-thriving majority of the market that comes with the so-called BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China).

In this new confederation of states, which represents the nations with the biggest economic development the world (we should also note that all of the most recent billionaires around the globe hail from these countries), the average income continues to grow, therefore also raising the potential amount of tourist spending.

The growth of spending from these countries has just about doubled in the last few years and is forecast to grow exponentially between now and 2016.
The tourists who spend the most are undoubtedly the Russians, who in the sector of leisure travel spent something close to a billion Euro between 2011 and 2012. Livening up some of the most famous locations in Italy, they are considered some of the most avid users of online tourism.

Business Travelers , are dominated by Indians, who arrive in Italy for meetings and conferences throughout the entire year. Although the e-commerce in India has shown slow development, the travel sector has been the exception, yielding more than three-fourths of the overall transactions done online.

Regarding the Chinese, there is still not enough data to make a comparison with the other countries of the confederation, but according to an evaluation done by eMarketer Chinese travelers in 2016 will spend significantly more than the other BRIC countries combined.

The main word is , big numbers and tourist who avoid online tourism. I personally work a lot during winter with the Main Russian Tour operator like PAC Group , Danko , Travco , 6tour etc. That use Rimini as loading city where they can find cheap hotel during Winter, and start the Italy Tour from Rimini by bus. The language gap , the problem of frequent flight's, avoiding using credit card on web ( and in this country’s credit card aren’t diffuse as in Western Countries, make that they heading to travel agency to buy a holiday.

So my advice is to do two thing's, close your travel agency in Europe and with your experience move to a BRIC country , you can earn a lot in 10 years, less payed employers, cheaper rent, less taxes ,or the second one , the cooperation with a Big BRIC Tour operator to assist them during the stay of their guest's in Western Europe .

NO PAIN NO GAIN ;)

2- THE COUPON STRATEGY

I bet that all of you have heard of GROUPON , and maybe by stuff's or service in this GOOGLE website. So what's your biggest problem ?! You can't reach with advertising campaign you potential client , so why not use the biggest marketing company in the world and share the profits with them . If you are good dealer and purchasing a lot of holiday packet from BIG TOUR OPERATOR , you can use the groupon as a reseller for you . We all know that more you sell , you have bonus in discount of the final bill. You can just try it once , at east remember you are the one who decide the price and Google earn only if you sell Groupon ticket's.

3 – Creating a packet that isn't on the market

If you read the other post on my Blog you will understand my rule '' Give to the Client's what they want, not what you think is the best'' . In the year's I have heard a lot of interesting ideas about different kind of holiday's. Not the same old boring holidays. RESORT JUST FOR SINGLE UNDER 30 YEARS OLD , Only for families with dedicated space for children, Resort for pet's etc etc I wanted to tell you about the 2 most interesting I have heard.

1-THE DUREX LOVE BOAT http://www.lovebeatboat.com/

It's a 4 day Holiday in the Mediterranean for young people in a Cruise organized from the famous condom company DUREX . From Barcelona to Rome , with different kind of activities like quick ''speed dates ''on boat, The Durex buffet with only ''aphrodisiac appetizer'' , and the ''tuppersex'' meeting , to know the latest sex toys . Or the ''treasure hunt'' game where the prize it's hide in the '' G point of the Ship '' . The cost is around 200 euro for a person with 1000 people capacity. ( interesting idea to offer to your client's )

2- Sex and the City Hotspots Tour

I have read an interesting article about a travel agency of New York that sell a Holiday named ''Sex & The City'' ( like the famous sit-com ). When you can live you holiday as one of the actress of the famous Sit-Com / Movie . Sleeping in the best hotel's of New York , happy hours where Samantha and Carry usually go , The restaurant, wearing the famous Manolo Shoes ;) .

So don't sell a Tour that show's to you guest's the old city of Florence , the museum's the old boring thing's. Invent a Tour around Tuscany just to taste the Wine directly in the ''Cantina'' of Chianti or '' Brunello di Montalcino'' … Where to eat the real food of the hills of Tuscany , after Riding a horse. The next day the Montecatini famous Thermal water maybe . Something exclusive.

Remember people now day's are lacking of real experience, true adventure and contact with nature.

Offer them emotion , passion, breathtaking views , make them feel alive again.

Reinvent Reinvent Reinvent

TURN THE BAD INTO GOOD

Rejection is a part of our everyday lives: often a phone call does not go through; a relationship turns sour; an investment does not pay off, and so forth. Instead of dwelling on the negatives, successful entrepreneurs have learned “how to find strength in the highs and the lows, ups and downs.”

AND REMEBER : NEVER GIVE UP

As important as knowing which direction to go to is your ability not to give up until you reach your goals. When obstacles appear; when calls aren’t returned, remember what brought you to where you are, in the first place. It would make no sense for you to give up now. Keep pushing. Keep striving. Keep facing the sun. For each rejection, ask yourself, “What can I do differently? What can I learn from this situation?” Finally, say to yourself: “I am bigger than this.”

I hope that your business will go better :)))))))))

See You

Klement Hasaj

Want a new career ?! Read this

Working in Hospitality... What to know to reach success

Always I was fascinating about the tourism world. The white sand, the quite mountain , the exotic island and the Happy tourist that you always see in movies , commercial or travel agency catalog . When I was 13 years old my favorite TV Show was '' Professione Vacanze” ( Profession Holiday Nd. In English ) It was a late 80s comedy about a South Italy resort , managed by a hilarious Director ( Jerry Calà ) who always meet beautiful women during their holidays, and as a typical Italian Man , try to take them to bed and with hilarious sketch and problem with the staff and most of the client's , but always at the End of the day he will find peace and have a lot of fun. With free drinks ,delicious dishes every day, beautiful South Italy Sun in my teenager head start's to evolve the idea what should I do in my grown adult life.

A job like this ;) :

So I choose a high school of tourism management and after 5 years I was suppose to know a lot about tourism , 2 foreign language : German and English , and the Principe of economic. But WRONG , and WRONG and WRONG .

So I moved to FLORENCE and register to the University of Florence in : Economy and management of tourism … But all my life I hate school and find a job as a receptionist in a 3 star hotel in the Historical Florence City Center. By the way a wonderful city that I suggest you to visit once in lifetime ;)

After 3 years of work there and becoming from a simple receptionist , the Front desk Manager I became more ambitious and decided to move to Rimini and together with my Brother, to open our own Hotel .

I moved here in 2008 and Business is doing quite well.

So Everybody after 10 years of work in tourism after 14 years of study about tourism I think I know well this field and I'm going to try to give you the best advices.

Why Choose this career ?!

It's a wonderful world, when you can meet interesting people from all over the world . Start to know different culture , from your colleague ,employers or guest's , that make different job's , different life's and different way of thinking . It's a worldwide business so you can move in any place in the globe . Because the work is quite the same, if you work in a hotel , resort or a Cruise ship . It's well paid , and if you want you can work just 6 month a year. Now days seasonal job's are well paid and if you work 3 month in a summer location and the other 3 in a winter one , I think you earn enough to live well for the rest of the year. It's a sector always in growth and always need new employers with different preparation. And don't forget that you have endless possibility to make carrier , and if you have the right work spirit it will come fast a promotion. It's a team work and I can sure to you that you will became close friend's with all you colleague ( I suggest you that the first one should be the CHEF , so you will have the best of the kitchen just for you ;) . And the least but not the last , you have endless possibility to know your soul mate during your work , with knowing hundred of different people every week ;) .

So apply please:

What skill's should you have to be a perfect candidate to work in tourism ?!

I think that we all agree that the first and most important skill is knowing a lot of foreign language . Personally I think that 2 are not enough. The second important thing is to be really open minded with the different culture and Races and And let me borrow the FIFA Slogan ,SAY NO TO RACISM , and really GAY friendly . You will work with different kind of people as Client's or Other employers . Good organization skill's and really a Team member or a Team Leader . PUNTUACTILITY is fundamental , because every time schedule that doesn’t accomplished is a unsatisfactory of the client . Wear a smile all day long and go ahead. If you have this bases I think that you are the perfect candidate for the job . Don't worry all the rest you will learn day by day , and trust me I am still learning every day something new.

So I will give to you my 10 Personal Rules of the perfect Tourism Employer :

1. Action and Urgency – Get the job done, on time.
2. Positive attitude -We will find a way
3. Recognition - Recognition and respect for all
4. Owners Mentality – operate the business as it is your own
5. Personal training – Reaching your true potential
6. Real teamwork – Collective Spirit
7. Innovation – Creativity leading to differentiation
8. Accountability – Always responsible of your action's
9. Transparency & Openness - Sharing information and knowledge
10. Energy – Determination to keep going

I hop to see you all like this ^_^

I want to close this post with wishing you a wonderful July

See You ;)

Klement Hasaj