This is a roundup of product news and announcements for marketing in tourism and hospitality for March 2017.
Friday 31 March 2017:
Expedia in a SilkRoadRace
- The Media Solutions division of the online travel agency giant has partnered with Hangzhou Tourism Commission to create a campaign to connect China and Europe, focusing on the famous Silk Road idea. The goal, through a series of initiatives involving social media and a micro site, is to highlight the Hangzhou region as a tourist destination for westerners.
Tuesday 28 March 2017:GuestReady launches Airbnb service directory
- The property management services brand will include some 300 products on the directory for Airbnb hosts when looking for help managing their listings. These include price optimisation tools, key management and guest concierge providers.
AllTheRooms partners with
HotelPlanner- Inventory from the online group hotel booking service will now feature on the hotel metasearch service. HotelPlanner features content for those looking book rooms for business meetings, conferences, conventions, family reunions, weddings, extended stays, tours, military reunions, church events and group travel.
Monday 27 March 2017:Norwegian gets hotels via Expedia Affiliate Network
The airline will use EAN's Hotels.com for Partners service to power its co-branded website for passenger accommodation. Inventory will come via 300,000 properties and will include discounted rates for five million members of the carrier's loyalty programme.
Monday 20 March 2017:
Foursquare unveils analytics system
- The location data specialist is unveiling the analytics technology to help brands get a handle on foot traffic. The company says it already has a number of partners lining up to use the technology including a new hotel brand. Foursquare says the technology provides retailers with access to insight on loyalty, frequency of visits by customer group and sources of customer acquisition, all via a dashboard.
Thursday 16 March 2017:Pan Pacific Hotels Group signs TrustYou deal
- The hotel group will use TrustYou's platform to analyse, manage and obtain rviews guests across its portfolio of brands, feeding into the TrustYou Meta-Review platform which features on intermediary sites and search engines. The deal includes Pan Pacific Hotels & Resorts and Park Royal Hotels & Resorts.
Tuesday 14 March 2017:Expedia Affiliate Network launches Deals Finder
- The tool within the white label platform will allow third-party websites to select hotel deals to power their marketing campaigns. More than 650,000 hotel deals, available up to 18 months in advance, could be included on the platform.
Wednesday 8 March 2017:FlightSpeak rides with Lyft
- Airport experience app flightSpeak has unleashed a campaign rewarding passengers with a month's free rides via Lyft in return fo insight and tips at airports. Travellers earn points for sharing elements such as security wait times and rating airport stores and restaurants.
Monday 6 March 2017:Red Lion picks Cendyn for CRM
- The hotel chain will use Cendyn to power its CRM and loyalty programme across its network of properties, including a platform for reporting, analytics and guest communications. The deal includes the Red Lion Hotels, Hotel RL, GuestHouse, Settle Inn, Vantage Hotels and Signature Inn brands.
Thursday 2 March 2017:KLM uses emojis for directions
- Passengers using the airline's Facebook Messenger channel for customer service can now send an emojio (food, taxi, clothing) from their location on a mobile and receive directions to the nearest outlet or service. The tool is available to customers in all of KLM's markets.
Wanup claims €220K in travel
- The online hotel loyalty club says it has generated the six-figure sum amount for members in four months since its launch. The startup claims to have 560,000 users and works with 400 hotels in Europe.
Wednesday 1 March 2017:Expedia Media Solutions helps VisitBritain
- The online travel agency's marketing unit is working with VisitBritain on the next stage of its #OMGB campaign, aimed at highlighting the best of sport, nightlife, adventure and fashion in five destinations around the country. The activity includes an interactive video player so that users can explore on desktop or mobile each destination, with links to a suggested travel itinerary.
Yapta extends price tracking
- The corporate travel service will have its price tracking tool available for all international points of sale. The FareIQ tools (hotel and air) were initially trialled with users in Canada, France, India, Spain and the UK.
NB: Marketing image via Shutterstock.