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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288 | ‘The Big Pause’: Hotels retooling employment policies as business slowly returns
Two viruses emerged in the U.S. this year – COVID-19 and society’s backlash against racism. The coronavirus pandemic forced hotels to close or drastically cut back on their workforces as occupancy plummeted to unprecedented lows. And America’s streets resounded with the voices of citizens protesting racism as businesses began to respond by promising new and better commitments toward diversity, inclusion and equality in hiring and promotion. In Episode 288 of Lodging Leaders podcast, we explore the issues hotels are facing in bringing back laid-off workers and recruiting new employees in the midst of a health pandemic that seems to have no end and society’s desperate call for Corporate America to get serious about ending systemic racism.
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287 | The Long Haul: Extended-stay hotels show their strength in a crisis
Extended-stay hotels are weathering the coronavirus crisis better than their transient cousins, according to reports. The Highland Group’s half-year report shows economy and mid-priced extended-stay hotels are faring better than upscale extended-stay accommodations. Second-quarter earnings reports from companies such as Extended Stay America prove the resiliency of the sector, especially when sales teams shift their focus to new prospects such as college students, leisure travelers who value the kitchen and essential workers in it for the long haul. Long Live Lodging examines what gives extended-stay its muscle in a weak economy. This report is part of our ongoing coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hotel industry.