There are travel verticals that will allow users to look for hotels near landmarks or filter by distance from the “city center” (or centroid). And almost all of the popular travel search engines allow you to see the hotel location on a map. Google Maps itself will allow you to find a point or destination and then “search nearby” for hotels.

Yet Google’s “Hotel Finder‘s” new ability to filter hotels by travel time (by transportation method) is unique and quite useful. Although Hotel Finder is generally available for a broad array of destinations, Google says that transit time search “is only available in cities where we have partnered with local transit agencies to integrate their data into Google Maps.”

Here’s a practical use case: if you were coming to an SMX event in New York, for example, and wanted to be within reasonable walking distance from the glorious Jacob Javitz center where the conference is held you could use the tool.

Read More at SearchEngineLand

1. Hoteliers will invest in reinvigorating properties to take advantage of the market.

After years of delaying capital expenditures, hotel companies are betting that now is the best opportunity to renovate their properties. In 2012, we’ll see even more hotels renovating lobbies, restaurants, bars and fitness centers, as well as replacing beds, TVs, and more. Hotel sales, an absolute outcome of an improved market, will spur even more renovations since sale contracts always contain a provision requiring the new owner to upgrade the property.

2. There will be little to no new development dollars on the debt or equity Side.

This is good news for most, but bad news for the developers who genuinely have enviable sites in great markets. Despite that, optimism reigns. A great deal can, and will, get done. We’ve seen it. In fact, we’re working on one ourselves.

3. Online booking will continue to (modestly) grow.

The number of U.S. travelers booking and researching online is still growing. More than 114 million people will research travel online this year, while 94 million will actually book reservations. While more than 50 percent of travel bookings are made on the Internet, the online travel market has matured and I expect modest growth and stabilization.

4. There will be more mobile bookings and research.

More and more travelers will be turning to their mobile devices to not only research lodging and travel options, but to book and communicate room preferences directly with the hotel. Mobile channel booking has increased four-fold between 2008 and 2010 according to Forrester Research. Plus, Google is projecting that mobile will overtake PCs as the most common Web-access device by 2013. With travelers adopting smartphones and tablets at such a rapid pace, it’s crucial for hoteliers to optimize their website for mobile usage to capture potential mobile transactions.

Read More at HotelMarketing.com

Kinnitty Castle, Co.Offaly celebrate their 17^th week at the top of the list, Well done.

Download the list as a PDF here

(List correct as of 28^th November 2011)

The list is by no means final so if you feel we’ve missed you out, please let us know by commenting below and your hotel/group could appear on next weeks list.

The list is based on the number of fans the Facebook page has and is open to all hotels in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

This list only considers Facebook Pages as opposed to groups and personal profiles.

A Page or a Group, which is better? Well the answer to that depends on you and what works for your business.

Facebook Groups:

1. Set up for more personal interaction, they are highly active and require constant engagement.
2. Connected to the profile of the people who administer them.
3. When you post something as a group administrator, it appears to be coming from you and is attached to your personal profile.
4. Groups are great for organizing on a personal level and for smaller scale interaction around a cause.
5. If the group is under 5,000 members, group admins can send messages to the group members that will appear in their inboxes.
6. Permissions settings make it possible for group admins to restrict access to a group, so that new members have to be approved.
7. Groups can’t host applications.
8. You can advertise your group.

Facebook Pages:

1. Access to a Page, however, can only be restricted by certain ages and locations.
2. Page admins can send updates to fans through the Page, and these updates will appear in the “Updates” section of fans’ inboxes.
3. There is no limit on how many fans you may send an update to, or how many total fans a Page can have.
4. Pages can host applications, so a Page can essentially be more personalized and show more content.
5. Pages can benefit from social ads that publicize the fan connection between a Page and a specific user.
6. Pages are better for brands, businesses, bands, movies, or celebrities who want to interact with their fans or customers without having them connected to a personal account, and have a need to exceed Facebook’s 5,000 friend cap.

Neither Groups nor Pages have great moderation features. If someone posts spam on your Group or your Page, you have to remove it manually, and you can also remove specific members.

So it’s up to you who best suits your business right now and going forward.

Be sure to check back every Monday to see if your hotel has made the list!

Mobile is still only the third-most-popular area for travel content marketing investment expansions, however. Both social media marketing (65%) and brand content (55%) are even more likely to see increased investment.

Apps appear to be a favorite among travel companies.

In fact, the iPhone continues to get the most love from the 350 travel organizations included in the research, performed in late September. Seventy-nine percent of travel marketers are planning to develop iPhone apps in 2012. Almost half of these companies already have an iPhone app in the field, and another 30% will support the platform.

Similarly, 39% have an iPad app and another 36% plan to support one in the coming year. When it comes to the increasingly important mobile Web, the Frommer survey finds that 42% of travel organizations currently support a presence, but 32% plan to.

Read more at mediapost.com

Kinnitty Castle, Co.Offaly celebrate their 9^th week at the top of the list, Well done.

Download the list as a PDF here

(List correct as of 26^th September 2011)

The list is by no means final so if you feel we’ve missed you out, please let us know by commenting below and your hotel/group could appear on next weeks list.

The list is based on the number of fans the Facebook page has and is open to all hotels in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

This list only considers Facebook Pages as opposed to groups and personal profiles.

A Page or a Group, which is better? Well the answer to that depends on you and what works for your business.

Facebook Groups:

1. Set up for more personal interaction, they are highly active and require constant engagement.
2. Connected to the profile of the people who administer them.
3. When you post something as a group administrator, it appears to be coming from you and is attached to your personal profile.
4. Groups are great for organizing on a personal level and for smaller scale interaction around a cause.
5. If the group is under 5,000 members, group admins can send messages to the group members that will appear in their inboxes.
6. Permissions settings make it possible for group admins to restrict access to a group, so that new members have to be approved.
7. Groups can’t host applications.
8. You can advertise your group.

Facebook Pages:

1. Access to a Page, however, can only be restricted by certain ages and locations.
2. Page admins can send updates to fans through the Page, and these updates will appear in the “Updates” section of fans’ inboxes.
3. There is no limit on how many fans you may send an update to, or how many total fans a Page can have.
4. Pages can host applications, so a Page can essentially be more personalized and show more content.
5. Pages can benefit from social ads that publicize the fan connection between a Page and a specific user.
6. Pages are better for brands, businesses, bands, movies, or celebrities who want to interact with their fans or customers without having them connected to a personal account, and have a need to exceed Facebook’s 5,000 friend cap.

Neither Groups nor Pages have great moderation features. If someone posts spam on your Group or your Page, you have to remove it manually, and you can also remove specific members.

So it’s up to you who best suits your business right now and going forward.

Be sure to check back every Monday to see if your hotel has made the list!

“TripAdvisor has launched the new Management Centre and accompanying educational series to provide hospitality business owners with helpful resources and actionable strategies for increasing bookings,” said Christine Petersen, president of TripAdvisor for Business. “As part of our ongoing efforts to help great businesses thrive, we’re offering the content business owners demand most.”

The new Management Centre includes the following resources and enhancements:

• How-to videos: Two-minute clips providing an overview of TripAdvisor’s free tools
• How-to guides and tip sheets: Quick overviews and advice on the most effective marketing activities
• TripAdvisor for Business blog: Regular updates on TripAdvisor news and resources, property success stories and industry updates
• Easy-to-use design: Straightforward, intuitive user interface based on owner feedback

Read More at tripadvisor

To get the most from the rewards programs, experts suggest you focus on the hotel chain you use and like, get a co-branded credit card and use the services of that chain’s business partners such as airlines or car rental companies to rack up points faster, and possibly jump to a higher rewards status.

“The frequent-flier program has devalued,” said Anne Banas, executive editor of Smarter Travel, explaining the growing popularity of programs now offered by all major chains and even groups of independent hotels. “It’s hard to get a flight for free. With hotels, you can redeem the points much more easily.”

Experts and frequent travelers differ over which hotel loyalty program is best.

Smarter Travel has named InterContinental Hotel Group’s Priority Club Rewards as its editor’s pick this year. That’s because the chain, with more than 4,500 hotels, is in every major U.S. metro area and many international markets. It offers brands at a range of prices, from Candlewood Suites to Holiday Inn to InterContinental. The points needed for free rooms and other perks are easier to earn than in other programs. And the chain offers generous promotion programs, especially for summer, Banas said.

For budget travelers, Smarter Travel also finds Wyndham Rewards “a solid choice,” with more than 6,500 hotels under such brands as Days Inn, Howard Johnson, Super 8, Travelodge and Wyndham.

Marriott rewards recently took the most honors at the Frequent Traveler Awards, including Program of The Year for both the Americas and Europe/Africa. More than a million people from nearly every country worldwide cast online ballots for the honors. Travelers liked, for example, that Marriott rewards are easy to redeem, have no blackout dates and can be used for airlines, cruises, car rentals and more.

Read More at Baltimore Sun

Anyone who has a social media webpage knows that the whole point of it is to add friends, followers, etc. The most popular social media website currently is Facebook. Just about everyone and every business owns some sort of social media page. In order to make the magic happen, you must first add people because you want to be their friend. Do your best to be as genuine as possible because if you’re using your social media marketing strategies just to get people to look at your product or business, then you’ll fail miserably.

When you post status updates, talk about other things besides your business such as the weather, current events, etc. This will especially work when you are using social media for sales. People must first find you interesting before finding your products interesting. If you’re only posting updates about your business, that is perfectly fine, but you may end up getting deleted because posting constant business updates can be very annoying to some users that only use social media websites for friends.

When it comes to the benefits of using social media marketing for business, there are plenty. First, you have the opportunity to post videos demonstrating how your product works. This also gives you the chance to let your friends and followers get to know your personality. You want to try to be as upbeat as possible when posting videos since it can have a very positive affect on your success.

Another thing you can do is provide sporadic tidbits of information on your business and products in your updates. Providing detailed information will give your friends a better idea of what you are offering and intrigue potential buyers into making a purchase. You may also want to submit links to various websites and blogs out beside your status just in case someone wants to click.

Read More At Steel On Stales

The online travel booking poll, carried out by user experience consultancy, Webcredible, revealed that 29 percent of consumers consider positive reviews on sites like TripAdvisor as the most likely factor to make them book a holiday online, emphasising the importance for online travel sites in offering a reviews section or link to a reviews site, to satisfy user needs. The research polled more than 1,000 online users between December 2010 and May 2011 on what would make them more likely to book a holiday online.

The only factor identified as more important than reviews was price, with 38 percent of consumers identifying online prices and deals as the factor most likely to make them book a holiday online.

As per the findings, 13 percent of respondents said that a reputable brand, airline or agent was the most important factor, while 11 percent identified inspirational information and new ideas as most likely to make them book a holiday online. Nine per cent felt that the availability of flights or accommodation was the key factor.

“The research findings show the importance of satisfying users’ needs for greater interaction and access to user-generated content when it comes to making purchases, and those sites that don’t take heed could find themselves fighting a losing battle,” said Trenton Moss, director at Webcredible.

Read More at Eye For Travel

Perhaps more interesting is the fact that people are as likely to return to social media after they have visited the site. Travel sites are part of a social media experience online and brands should do more to capitalise on this behaviour.

The latest L2 Digital IQ Index for travel report evaluates the ‘digital competency’ of brands in the travel industry, from their own site, to their digital marketing, mobile experience and use of social media.

Airlines lead the pack (with Delta, Southwest and American Airlines taking the top three spots) and hotels chains follow. This is no surprise given that nearly half of airline bookings are made online and big efforts have been made to use Twitter and Facebook for customer service in some parts of the airline industry.

However, the main message coming out of this report is the role of social media in the travel booking process, and the work that those in the industry could still do to get greater value from this.

The analysis of traffic to and from the main sites for the travel brands in the study shows clearly the role social media plays in the users journeys online:

-For 78% of sites, social media was a top eight source of referral traffic, and overall 7% of traffic to travel sites came from social media.

- For 90% of sites, social media was a top destination site after visiting their site (accounting for 11% of downstream traffic overall).

This reinforces what we see from the way people use social media when researching, choosing booking travel online. Social is a key part of how customers experience travel online and social media sites are contributing significantly to the success travel brands are seeing online.

Read more of this story at E consultancy