I recently had the chance to meet with Karlheinz Illner founder of KARLHEINZ ILLNER MARKEN & TONKULTUR, an international brand expert in the field of Sound Branding and Acoustic Identity. We are all familiar with the main dimensions of branding, however Sound Branding and Accoustic Identity are often forgotten though they have an obvious emotional… [Read more…]
September 26, 2010
Virgin announced on September 20th the launch of the latest addition to its portfolio of brands: Virgin Hotels. So far, the group has reportedly over 300 branded companies, covering everything from mobile phone operator, financial services, Megastores and Formula 1 racing to soft drink, space tourism and, most notably, airlines. After a failed launch in… [Read more…]
September 16, 2010
We are all thrilled by new technologies and how innovation can influence the way we live and how we run businesses. The challenge we all face is that technology is evolving so fast that by the time we just comprehend the way it works it is already too late. I came across this futuristic, yet… [Read more…]
September 12, 2010
Last July I wrote this post Should Internet access be Free in Hotels. After numerous feed back online and offline and having read several related articles, each one pushing a different opinion, my thinking has slightly evolved over time so I have decided to write this follow-up post. I also felt it was important to… [Read more…]
September 4, 2010
This remains one of the biggest taboo question in the hotel industry and I have to admit that I have actually hesitated for some time before publishing this post. Should hotels provide condoms in the rooms? We know that in some cases hotels already have them for sale as part of the mini-bar but the… [Read more…]
September 2, 2010
I was reading this statement on Twitter. “The sooner you make your digital marketing personal and human, with stories from and about your customers..the quicker you’ll find success”. I cannot agree more. The way businesses have jumped opportunistically into the Social Media game has always bothered me because I don’t think they are utilising it… [Read more…]
August 26, 2010
I was reading this quote posted on Twitter by Dan Shawbel and inspired me to write this article. “The single biggest reason companies fail is they over-invest in what is, as opposed to what might be.” – Gary Hamel In our daily professional life we often make references to Best Practices when trying to figure… [Read more…]
August 22, 2010
When listing the features that really matter in a hotel we usually find: a comfortable bed, a fast/reliable internet connection, a powerful hot shower and great breakfast in the morning. To this coherent list I would like to add the bathroom amenities. It’s like the restrooms in a restaurant, you don’t choose a restaurant because… [Read more…]
July 25, 2010
A few days ago, I posted about What the Internet has changed in the hotel industry. I quickly got great comments online and offline from players in the industry that highlighted the fact that it has mostly revolutionized the life of small independent hotels, for the best, but also for the worst. The best because… [Read more…]
July 12, 2010
The Internet in the hotel industry has been a revolution. No doubt about that. It has completely changed the way we find, discover and book hotels within 10 years. I would personally put the big turning point in 2002. However, how much the Internet has actually improved the bottom line in the hotel industry? Have… [Read more…]
July 6, 2010
Interested about branding, my eyes always stop on articles about the great brands of this world. If you look at any chart, you will always find that all the brands listed are always brands that came up with great innovations. Whether it is 5 years ago, 20 years or 50 years ago. Each single one… [Read more…]
June 28, 2010
I was reading recently this report on hotel-blogs.com. “According to the hotel research company MKG Group, over 80,000 hotel rooms have been added to EU hotel supply (reaching 147,000 hotels and 5.2 milions rooms), half of which in Spain, Germany and Italy. According to MKG Hospitality, the EU is experiencing a certain level of restructuring,… [Read more…]
June 13, 2010
The reason why innovation is such a challenge for most companies is because our life revolves around preconceived ideas and concepts that we have learnt since young age and accepted them as being the norm. Innovation is a change in thought process, so looking at something from a total new angle does require to put… [Read more…]
June 7, 2010
The iPad has become the best PR tool for the travel industry since the introduction of telephone handsets in hotel rooms or plane business class seats. I cannot remember how many press releases or articles I read about a hotel or airline introducing the iPad for their guests to use. You can hear the “Wow”,… [Read more…]
October 23, 2010
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