LODGING LEADERS
163 | 14 Ways to Boost Hotel Revenue and Profits with Rob Russell
LODGING LEADERS
Robert Russell has been an innovative leader in digital, social and mobile marketing for over 20 years. He has worked with major global brands and smaller companies in almost every aspect of digital marketing and e-commerce, including reservation and transaction software, mobile applications, social media marketing, search engine optimization, email marketing, and website user experience. His clients and leadership roles have included Hotels, Retailers, and Restaurant chains across the US, Caribbean and Latin America. He has been a featured speaker at leading hospitality technology conferences, such as HITEC, and written articles for many industry publications. He has recently published The Hotel Handbook For Online Revenue. Robert currently advises dozens of large and small hotels as President of Resort Income Optimization.
In This Episode, Rob Reveals …
14 ways to boost revenue and profits, including:
- Direct bookings may cost more than OTAs
- Deposits and cancellation policies may be scaring your customers away
- Discounting doesn’t have to mean lower revenue
- You get better promo results with “unique” offers for targeted groups
- High occupancy can signal a problem (prices are too low)
- Value-Add promos can be more profitable
- Your Facebook Followers are probably not seeing your posts (you have to pay)
- Email Marketing is still a killer app (and you own it)
- Content Marketing can be automated with software
- Google Maps is separate from Google
- You can place your direct booking engine on TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook, and other places
- Airbnb can be your friend
- Education is now in snack sizes – and perhaps better
- Revenue Management can be done remotely
Rob prepared a free 17 page guide for the listeners called Revenue Is Oxygen: Online Channel Management for Boutique Resorts
If you are struggling to understand how to combine channels, software, websites, clouds and services, then Rob’s Revenue is Oxygen guide is a great place to start.
Resources & Links
Rob Russell
- rob
@resortincome.com
Resort Income Optimization
LODGING LEADERS
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330 | Youthful Perspective: Industry leader Bijal Patel mourns the loss of ‘an entire generation’ of hospitality workers
Bijal Patel, 31, is CEO of Coast Redwood Hospitality and the youngest chair of the California Hotel & Lodging Association. He’s made even more history at CHLA by agreeing to serve an unprecedented second term as the lodging industry emerges from the coronavirus pandemic. Patel is a third-generation hotelier. Being so steeped in hospitality at such a young age is not new for members of the Indian American hotelier community, but Patel fears the pandemic has drained the industry of emerging talent. Lodging Leaders spotlights Patel, who represents a leadership demographic that is fighting for the life of the hospitality industry as they watch their peers veer toward other career paths.
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329 | Ruff and Ready: ADA gives hotels a short leash when accommodating guests with service animals
Many hotels these days have made room for guests with disabilities. Hotel managers and staff should also know what the Americans with Disabilities Act says about accommodating guests with pets. During the pandemic lockdowns, a lot of people added a pet to their household and now they’re bringing Fido along on vacation. Hotel employees need to know how to cater to both consumers who are pet owners as well as guests who travel with a trained service animal. Episode 329 of Lodging Leaders podcast reports on how the ADA defines a service animal and how a hotel is legally obligated to serve a guest who comes with a dog or any other animal.