Web 2.0 offers a number of opportunities for hoteliers in sales and marketing process. It became apparent that the economy is having a significant impact on customers travel plans. Consumers are smarter in every facet of their buying behaviour and marketers need to do a lot to ensure that they meet all customers’ expectations and offer something for everyone.

The customer is control and in Web 2.0 is “Seeking information and looking for perspective–like-minded experience and judgments–are currently trumping the straightforward hunt for the best price.’ (Douglas Quinby, Senior Director of Research PhocusWright, Quoted in Forbes 03/28/08). The good news is that price isn’t the only driver the bad news is that our customers don’t believe hotel marketers anymore – they don’t trust our pictures or our adjectives. They believe each other!

The hotel’s online presence is it’s ’story’. This is the story that presents to the potential online customer and they are all online in every market segment to one degree or another! The hotel’s online presence is not ‘one size fits all’ – the ’story’ must appeal to multiple niches or customers with specific interests in a way that appeals to them. Hold the adjectives, rolls out authentic images and post testimonials from satisfied guests!

In a slowing or recessionary economy, it is imperative that hotel marketers and sales professionals ‘get it’ – the consumer is under stress to spend their dollars as wisely as possible and this includes travel. I recently gave a keynote on this subject at the Newmarket/Delphi Annual Users conference in Las Vegas. The keynote was followed by a Drill Down session focusing on implementation strategies that flow from this seismic shift (sorry, I can’t think of another adjective to describe how profound it is). A few of the strategies that came out of this session are shared below:

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