To blog or not to blog? That is the question...

Throughout the last few months I've come to the conclusion that a lot of companies out there in the hospitality world just don't blog.  I suppose it's relating to the transparency issue, and not wanting too much information out there.  Or maybe they just don't understand the potential of online posts.  Is there just one big obvious reason that I'm totally missing?  I've been able to find some great examples of companies that are blogging, and blogging well, but far too few for the number of companies out there, small local, and international alike.  The sad thing is, because our industry is built on using a personal touch to serve, and building relationships I think many are missing out on some great opportunities to let our customers/guests into our world.  (and some missed opportunities for a little bit of self promotion, and brand awareness)  
However, having said that, I know that social media is changing, and changing fast.  Companies are jumping on the Facebook and Twitter bandwagons, maybe blogs will be the next thing. 
My suggestions for those in the industry who are contemplating starting a blog...

1. Find a style that's right for you, depending on who you think your audience will be, use language that they understand.
2. Find things to write about that are relative and interesting.
3. Keep in mind that our industry can be sometimes a bit stuffy, remember your etiquette

 If you have an interesting example of a blog, or write one yourself, would love to hear about it.

Thank you for reading!

I "like" you

I have 14 "likes" on my facebook page.  I don't know if that's "only 16?" or "wow, 16", but I''m thinking it's a small number judging from my other friends online.  Generally I've clicked the "like" button, because the product has some level of interest to me (medium to high), and I like to get my insider information and get deals or freebies if and when available.  (I love deals and freebies!)  Does everyone else do the same?  How many likes is the standard?

Going back to lodging, out of my 14, one of companies that I've been watching is Shangri-la Hotels and Resorts.  Why?  I believe out of many of the hotel chains, they have actually embraced social media.  (many of the big(est) hotel chains are absent - as I've mentioned before)  They've recently become more interactive, and involved.  Their facebook page is a decent one with over 100,000 fans, and lots of interesting information about the goings on with different properties and company news and promotions.  Their flawless professional photos are there but they also have fans post their own photos of their stays, and are running a contest right now for photo submissions (for the Shangri-la Hong Kong) which I'm sure will entice people to reply since the prize is a vacation including airfare to their Tanjung Aru Resort in Malaysia.

Their interaction is good, usually most comments are answered, I notice more so recently.  And I really like that their individual properties contribute gourmet Asian recipes and pictures every so often.  Plus they have a birthday deal for dining on one of their properties for Facebook fans (50% off for 2 people - here is their landing page for more info).

However in the future I hope to see them add more user generated photos of their different properties, and have individual locations join them, (it's nice to have even more insight into their world - and it can only grow and strengthen thier brand) add a section where fans can make reservations quickly and easily, and to see their fan base grow.

I like them, do you?

What's the word on Westjet?

I've been reading lots of blogs recently for research to aid me in my own blog (and for assignments for my social media class).  I've always thought that for our industry looking at main travel advisor sites (like Tripadvisor), monitoring one's own blog, and associated social media sites were enough to get a good idea of customer's, and opinions of the general public were enough.  I never thought about how beneficial measuring the other hundreds of other tiny conversations, forwards, and tags (etc) going on elsewhere in cyberspace could be and how it could greatly impact a company's reputation. 

To do a test of my own, I wanted to use for an example, a company that I've been following, Westjet.  They have a great way of keeping connected with their customers (I thought especially through social media), both on and offline, have amazing customer service.  I assumed with the way they are so interactive, and being in the service/hospitality industry, they would have some great up to date feedback that could be analyzed.  Also a great opportunity to judge whether or not people saw the company with the same views that I had, and if there was any negative feedback, and how to use the different types of tracking websites and tools available. 

There are many tracking sites out there, offering tracking even specific to one particular platform of social media (like Twittalyzer and Topsy specifically for Twitter) I had tested about 10 different sites before choosing to use 2 that included a variety of sites:  Addictomatic, and visibility from Howsociable.

Howsociable allows tracking of social networks such as: Twitter, Facebook, FriendFeed, YouTube, Digg, Google etc, and allows you to see what people are saying about you, your company, a new product, or any topic across the web's social media sites. 

A few comments regarding service rated positive or negative: 

An article from Reddit posted about rising fairs from Air Canada and Westjet with comments (I chose this article because of the negative nature to see if there were any positive comments - unfortunately not, but I expected this) :

black_as_nails 2 points3 points4 points 19 days ago[-]  Air Canada + WestJet...Bell + Rogers...Yeah, I see where you're coming from.

shawnpeps 0 points1 point2 points 19 days ago[-] Remember when everybody loved Westjet?

and comments via Twitter and Facebook

terrible service from delta airlines this wknd, missing flight due to flat tire on the highway. seriously, nobody tops @westjet (twitter.com/multikaren/statuses/49659547727568896)

I can't remember the last time a @WestJet flight I've taken has been on time. Delays suck.(twitter.com/irisdias/statuses/49642382664282112)

Too bad WestJet does not fly to Boston.....(twitter.com/aykate/statuses/49636804709711872)

Addictomatic "searches the best live sites on the web for the latest news, blog posts, videos and images" and allows you to personalize the results on your dashboard.  It includes posts through channels like Wikio, Friendfeed (Twitter posts), and Wordpress.

A few more recent notable posts about Westjet while searching via Addictomatic:

"Westjet, my favorite airline wins prestigious award..." from Wordpress.com

"The top 7 reasons to fly Westjet..." from Wordpress.com

Some pictures of the planes via Flikr and comments

Generally comments were positive, unless of course people were tweeting about delayed flights and price hikes.  There were very few service related complaints.I also came across this additional site Socialmention which had tools to determine frequency of sources, top users and keywords, and rank percentages of reach, likelihood of discussion in social media, "passion" - posts written by the same author pertaining to the company, and a ratio calculator of positive vs negative conversations.  Which I found useful and interesting.  A few notable comments via socialmention:

@WestJet You have one heck of a customer service rep at Vancouver Airport. Props to Tyler for keeping it professional!

twitter.com/MellaMooney/statuses/49698673864609793
well if @WestJet starts flying to IAH straight from Calgary or toronto, then im good ( twitter.com/texastoker/statuses/49687554106208256)

Ultimately, I think that although social media tracking is useful in improvement strategies and tapping into what peoples may be about a certain topic, sometimes the results can be biased depending on the sites they choose to review and that a mix tracking sites must be used to come to conclusions.  (and I still think they're doing great for comments and visibility through social media, but I think a good thing for them to do would be stretching out a little further still and even commenting on articles to give their side of a story.)

After that long post, what sites do you use to track your social media progress?  I'd love to hear any new ones to try or pointers on how to use...

Press Release - American Airlines aid to Japan

I haven’t been able to sleep the last few days over the devastation in Japan, and have had my TV on, glued to the Japanese 24 hour local coverage news channel.  I’ve just donated to the Red Cross Japan relief effort myself and happened to come across this information.  The following press release is from American Airlines in response to the 8.8 earthquake and following tsunami in Japan.  They seem to be one of the first companies in the hospitality industry to come forward offering aid, but I hope that more follow suit.  It’s a nice incentive for those donating anyways, and strengthens loyalty, while reinforcing their status as a socially responsible company in the travel sector.

*
AA ADVANTAGE MEMBERS CAN DONATE VIA AMERICAN AIRLINES TO AID RED CROSS

American Airlines
4333 Amon Carter Boulevard

Fort Worth, TX 76155

Media Relations 817-967-1577
MediaRelations@aa.com

• AMR Corp, Parent Company of American Airlines and American Eagle Jointly with the American Red Cross, will be providing aid to those affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan

• AAdvantage Members can help by donating to the Red Cross to provide shelter, food and other assistance to earthquake and tsunami victims

• Members can receive a one time award of 250 AAdvantage bonus miles for a minimum donation of $50 or $100 or more to the American Red Cross Japan and Pacific Tsunami Fund

full details on Red Cross website here

“Help is urgently needed in Japan.  By partnering with the American Red Cross, we can ensure that contributions will support timely efforts to provide much needed assistance to the millions of people affected by the earthquake and tsunami,” said Kurt Stache, American’s Vice President – International.  “We invite our customers to join us in supporting the American Red Cross.  We are relieved and grateful that all of our Japan-based employees are safe and accounted for, but others living in Japan need our help.”

further details on AA's press release here


Other related links:

Red Cross Canada Asia Pacific Fund
Foreign Affairs and International Trade - Travel Advisories

We're getting left in the SM dust

Considering I just recently started this blog, I’ve to also join Twitter in addition to my Facebook account (which I SWEAR I’ve already had for years – just so you know I’m not completely out of the loop) to try and integrate more social media into my life, and for research purposes of course.  I decided to start following all the big players in categories of hotels, airlines, and local attractions like:  Starwood, Marriott, Holiday Inn, Shangri-La, , American Airline, Air Canada, Westjet, Alaska Airlines, Continental Airlines, Virgin Airlines, even Southwest Airlines, and Whistler Blackcomb, Grouse Mountain, and even some smaller players like some of the individual Wyndham hotels (Super 8 - yup they have social media platforms established)

I was surprised when searching that some of the chains that I expected to be extremely well represented, especially in a social media site like Twitter where the age demographic fits very well into their target market(s) weren’t even present.  And at least one of the large chains doesn’t have any presence on Facebook at all.  (look for them, you'll be surprised who's not there!)  Very few of the companies even show that they have any social media engagements on their main websites to generate further traffic.  Most don’t have blogs.  Some of the only ones I came across were this blog by Bill Marriott of Marriott Int’l. (informative but not my favorite read, and not very interactive), this one from Southwest Airlines, and of course Virgin Airlines (I figured at least they would be a sure thing, that if anyone in the industry had incorporated SM is would be them - I also like Sir Richard Branson's little speech bubbles!).  I find it strange that large companies wouldn’t have the resources to manage a proper social media campaign.  I've been taking a SM class that explains the many benefits of being part of communities, creating interaction. So the question is why don’t more engage in much related to Social Media?  Is our industry just not ready to jump on the social media bandwagon?  Is it the "professional" (traditionally stuffy?) personality we're trying to uphold?

So, I'm a germaphobe, you would be too!

I've been working in hotels, and in the hospitality industry a while so I can't help but have slightly quirky habits when I travel.  After all, I know what goes on behind closed doors.  I also have too many friends in airlines, tour companies, other hotels, cruiseships.  We have our dirty little germy secrets. 
 
Crazy(?) things I do when I travel...

I always bring my own travel pillow and blanket
I can't tell you how many of my friends have told me stories of movement they've seen under a blanket, sometimes with one person, sometimes with two.  Generally the pillows and blankets aren't sent to laundry unless visibly dirty.  Enough said.   

I never rest my face on my armrest or press my face on the chair in a tourbus.  
Bus seats are not cleaned very often, nor are the armrests. People touch goopy things when sitting around for hours and smear them places they can reach.

I always bring slippers, when staying overnight somewhere
Please don't walk in bare feet.  Carpets are cleaned maybe once a year, tile floors aren't mopped or washed every time.  Many people are really messy if they know that someone else is going to clean up after them.  I've seen lots of mess on floors, all manners of dirty clothes, and food, pets and small child messes.   

Beware the floral bedspread... and bed
If it's not white and crisp, I'd rather freeze with only a sheet.  Patterned bedspreads typically aren't/weren't sent to laundry unless visibly dirty (that takes a long time if it's patterned sometimes).  I also fully open my sheets to make sure there's no hairs in the made bed towards the foot (who wants other peoples hair in their bed?!?) check for bedbug splatter on the wall behind the bed and on the corner and side of mattress (it looks like small dark brown splats).  Trust me, you don't want to be bitten by bedbugs, or take them home with you, (super gross, and so hard to get rid of) Plus you really DON'T want to see your mattress move in the middle of the night.

I bring antibacterial wipes and wipe handles, faucets, switches and toilet
This people think I'm crazy for this, but those people have never seen a blacklight audit.

Do you do anything quirky like me?  Or am I totally phobic?

On that note, hope you like my videos.  I'll be doing a 4 part series on a hotel room blacklight audit, though part 2, 3 and 4 are yet to come.
Part one is pretty tame, glad I didn't find anything...  

How do you pick your vacation spot?

It's my favorite time of year... the time to pick my vacation spot.  One of the best perks of being in the hospitality / tourism industry is the opportunity to travel on a pretty small budget so as long as you're a little flexible with your travel dates.  So, the question now is where to go?   How do you pick a place to go if you can only choose one for the entire year?  (Any pointers?  How do you pick your vacation spot?)  I’m having a really tough time picking a destination this year, and have been doing a fair bit of research, one thing I’m thinking is that I’m going to keep it within the continent.  To help me with a decision, I’ve compiled a top ten list of cities to visit in North America, would you pick the same #1?

#10 ORLANDO
I've never been to Disney anything in my life so I'm thinking go bigger than Disneyland, and head for Disneyworld.  There’s so many things I’ve found you can do there, from waterparks, to shows, and Epcot it’d be a one stop destination.

#9 SAN DIEGO, CA
Sunny skies and 70 miles of beaches (can't complain!), aquariums, zoos, and all sorts of water sports.

#8 LOS ANGELES, CA

Hollywood, Sunset and Venice beach, shopping on Rodeo Drive, riding the roller coasters at 6 flags, and of course a stop at Disneyland.

#7 MIAMI, FL

I had a dream about riding on an airboat through the Everglades and have thought about it evern since.  Would love a walk around Miami Beach and the amazing nightlife wouldn’t hurt.

#6 ATLANTA, GE

This city has so much history, civil war museums, Martin Luther King Jr. Historic Site, and things like World of Coca Cola, and arenas where the Atlanta Braves, Thrashers, Hawks and Dream play (that would be for my husband, he really loves his sports).

#5 SAN FRANCISCO, CA

Riding the cable cars, shopping in union square, taking a walk through Fisherman’s Wharf, and visiting the Golden Gate Bridge.

#4 SAN ANTONIO, TX

The Alamo, strolling the beautiful River Walk, the many theme parks, and the chance to watch a Spurs game.

#3 MONTREAL, QC
Beautiful architecture, Saint-Denis Street & Saint-Laurent Boulevard, POUTINE (love it!)  

#2 TORONTO, ON
This one is mostly to visit my good friends that recently moved and was thinking about combining my top 3 since it's somewhat in the general area.  My husband does really want to go see the Hockey Hall of Fame though, and of course I really wouldn't mind a visit to the Path. (their main shopping area)

#1 NEW YORK
I think this one is my frontrunner, I need my own picture (with me not photoshopped in) of the statue of Liberty and the Empire State building.  I hope to catch a show or two on Broadway, and am definately  going to take in some of the museums.  Last but not least, I'm a die hard shopper and can't wait to excersize my credit card arm, and am really looking forward to wandering around the different neighbourhoods.


Then it'll be a loooooooooong waiting game till I step on the plane.  At least it's something to look forward to...

What?!? Not my $5.50!

"The budget U.S. President Barack Obama submitted to Congress on Monday proposes to slap a $5.50 fee on every visitor from Canada who travels to the U.S. by air or by sea..."

Thumbs down. It's about the principle after all and the anti-Canadian sentiment that I think is behind it. We'll see if tourism in the States suffers because of it, if and when it's passed.

Ooooh Risque!

It's been up since 2006, but I came across the blog for the Yaletown Opus Hotel the other day.  It's actually an  interesting read, filled with (controversial and questionably inappropriate for the industry?) pictures/situations, (see?!), and videos, that would NEVER be acceptable in a big chain hotel and probably be shut down in a day.  But luckily the Opus is an independent boutique style property, so no walking on eggshells there.  And I'm happy for it, because it kept me pretty entertained while reading.  Having worked in hospitality, I couldn't help but literally LOL over some of the scenarios since they've actually happened to me or people I know, with a little more or a little less drama.  In fact, I'm sure that there are so many people out there that can one up any of the Opus' or fellow bloggers comments/scenarios.   I do wonder though, if there are previous or current guests that follow the blog, how they feel about possibly being the inspiration for a post...

They're catering to the lifestyle and interests of its patrons fairly well I think, and albeit a smidge risque at times, they still inform readers about the property, things around the city, and provide insight to the internal workings of the hotel and industry.  Plus, particularly within the industry, they're really tapping into the "something different".

This particular post that I added to my Digg account, is one of a series of 5 written through the eyes of a fictional (?) guests, publicizing their newly renovated rooms "chicklit" style.  I love the concept, though not too sure how I feel about the writing style of the personas.

Thoughts?

PS Happy Valentine's Day!  I'm sure the hotels will definately be busy!

... now what are you going to do?

Outdoor Adventures Whistler is a fairly large and well known company.  Their business supplies a hospitality service to locals and tourists alike which is dependent on a delivering a positive experience, and become a big part of someone's vacation experience.  They're selling their reputation, and representing their city.

Big, bad things happen sometimes.  How you deal with the situation that ensues is what what will define you.

I'm writing about the recent event of sled dogs that were euthanized by a Whistler dogsledding company (Howling Dog Tours Whistler Inc.)  that, when faced with a slow business period following the Olympics, decided to lessen their financial burden of feeding and housing 100 of its 350 dogs.  An employee was required to shoot and kill the dogs, the employee claimed post traumatic stress disorder, the accounts from the employee are very graphic and disturbing.   At the time of the incident, Outdoor Adventures Whistler had investment in the company, but was operated by it's own general manager.  The company is now fully operated by Outdoor Adventures Whistler.

On their website there are 4 statements issued.  The general feeling I understand, is that Outdoor Adventures Whistler only recently became aware of the incident, and what measures it had taken to ensure the "good life" of the dogs as soon as it had taken over operations, that Howling Dog Tours Whistler Inc was a completely seperate entity, and complete attempted deniability of any previous events.

If it's the intention of the company to continue to operate any of it's other branches of activity, (ATV, snowmobiling, horseback riding...) they really should be giving interviews, blogging and doing more damage control than what's been done so far.  Most people in light of the tragedy won't care if you were 10%, or 100% invested in the company and decisions at the time, because you are the representation here and now.  Yes, it's VERY unpleasant to have have insults and negativity thrown at you, and to have to accept blame if it really wasn't your company's choice.  (Although it's difficult to believe, when there is an investment resting in a company that a loss of 100 dogs wouldn't be questioned or missed.)  But it's about accountability, and something like this will not go away anytime soon.  In any situation no matter how one sided it may seem, you will hope there will be those that will give second chances and have an open mind, but only if there is someone to give the other side of the story and explain.  It's worse (in my opinion) to do nothing but issue faceless statements denying any fault, and to let people get into a mob mentality and have rumors and speculation run rampant.        

Two+ Faced

I’m confused.  And I’m riddled with hypocrisy.  On the one hand in my personal life, I’m a fairly strongly opinionated,  passionate, stubborn, hasty, realistic and honest but cheerful  (so I’m told) with slightly obsessive controlling tendencies.  At work, I’m definitely less opinionated, conservative, open, leaning toward optimistic, patient (I bite my tongue VERY hard), professional, polite, and overly excited (for the most part).  My outward appearance usually changes to match where I am as well, on my time off a little bit more fashion forward, trendier makeup and hair, at the office, hair pulled back, glasses, conservative neutral makeup/sometimes more severe, with a suit.

This made me think about the need for a poker face especially in this industry, or the need to have two or more “different faces” or personas to suit the situation and to appeal to different types of customers or consumers.  Regarding my last post on transparency, should I disclose everything being truly transparent?  Does my client/guest really need to know in my personal life that I’m having a bad day, do I need to show a more decisive/hard side, or am I being too harsh?  In certain situations with the right customer or if we’ve built a close enough relationship yes we can chat/laugh about a few personal facts and relationship build, but with those that are on time constraints or less than chatty, real Type A personalities, they want to just see me as the professional business person, and probably prefer to just talk business, get done, and go. 

I relate the cosmetics industry and their general advertising campaigns of before and after shots, and how they identify a need for people to match their different personas with the outside package and the feeling they want to portray.  Their products have the ability to transform even the plainest looking people into visions of glamour and drama, and have countless different ways to make a “day look” and a “night look”, severe or light, suited to any situation.  How do you use your outside appearance to reflect the persona you want to be associated with at your workplace, or personal life?    

I’ve tried to find a balance with my personality to my life’s tasks, and how others see me, identifying the best way to use it, but still a work in progress.

Should we leave the blinds open?

Transparency is a very delicate topic in the hospitality industry, open window and transparent or blinds shut and opaque.  Since we're selling and providing an experience, whether it's flying on a plane to your vacation, dining in a resort 5 star restaurant, or taking a trip staying with your family, we as hospitality industry people want it to be a positive one.  We try to sugar coat sometimes negative things, and in hopes that a positive experience does not have to suffer.  Obviously serious issues, and or things that you anticipate will create a situation personally for the customer/guest have to be disclosed before a disturbance can occur, but in the most diplomatic way possible of course.

When a customer/guest is not happy, they most likely will not return, and may feel the need to share their negative experience with friends, family members, co-workers, and even on a public forum or blog.  (“have a good experience tell 2 people, have a bad experience tell 10-20 people”).  This article written by the chairman/co-founder of TripAdvisor writes about why it’s very important to address these issues when they arise, giving perspective from the hotel standpoint in addition to allowing the customer/guest to have some closure about their issue.  This way, readers of the blog or future potential customers can draw their own conclusions, and the result of accusations hopefully not as damaging. 

One thing about transparency is that you would never want to fully divulge all types of information, relevant or not relevant if you foresee the possibility of this having no ill effect personally for your patrons, and for them to be better off if they don’t know the ugly truth.  For example: I don’t tell you that there was a jumper on the roof this morning at a hotel, neglect to tell you that a part of the wing fell off on an airplane yesterday night (although it’s fixed now), perhaps leave out the fact that we have a bedbug infestation on the lowest floor which is closed and being fumigated, don't show you what your airplane seat or hotel carpet/furniture/comforter look like under a black light.  In certain cases it’s better to be opaque, ingnorance is bliss, and please leave the blinds closed.

How can I be your host?

I have a love/hate relationship with the industry that I've called home for almost all my working life.  I started in restaurants as a busser/host, and a hotel switchboard, then moved through various other positions, departments and companies.

Sometimes the expectations of the industry itself can be challenging and frustrating, being the type of "bend over backwards to please" business. (The strange requests and scenarios alone could be the topic of a whole other blog)  But the exciting fast pace of multiple things on the go, love of good food, interest in new experiences and different attractions, meeting new people, and an insatiable travel bug keep me here.  I wonder if many other people think the same way, it's something that justs in your blood?

I'd like to share some things that I've found to be useful, or interesting, and hope to hear from other people experiences within the industry.  Seek out new opportunity in a different branch or to see what else might be waiting for me out there, and how my experiences can fit.