A Hotel Guide for Avoiding OTA Panic and Rate Parity Games
OTAs are a fact of life in our industry. But there are so many negative feelings about them, constantly being
Meetings: The Black Hole of Hotel Revenue and Productivity
Meetings are the black hole of productivity. I’m not saying this just to be dramatic. There is plenty of evidence
Hotels Must Embrace Remote Work
After my last pandemic-focused article, my inbox was flooded with queries about remote work. I had urged hotels to embrace
The Post Pandemic Hard Reset
I wrote two articles during the pandemic, one around the beginning and one in the middle. It’s time to complete
RIP BookingSuite: Protecting Your Hotel’s Digital Assets
On November 30th of this year, Booking/Priceline is shutting down its BookingSuite product, likely affecting hundreds of hotels worldwide. In
Pandemic Pricing Principles for Hotels
This is my second pandemic-themed article, following the last magnum opus on Hotel Marketing and Revenue Management in the Time
Hotel Marketing and Revenue Management in the Time of Pandemic
As I write my first article during a global pandemic, my title inspiration comes from the Columbian literary superstar, Gabriel
Reality Check on Using Influencers for Your Hotel
As social media marketing continues to evolve and grow, one of the questions hotel owners/managers consistently ask me is whether
Hotel and Travel Conferences Need an Upgrade
When it comes to hotel conferences and trade shows, I will go ahead and show my age by saying I
How Google Reviews Is Crushing TripAdvisor
An interesting trend has been brewing in the travel business. Quietly but surely, Google Reviews has been expanding their
Hotel CRM Reality Check
On January 20, 2017, I booked a hotel in Seville, Spain. That is also the day that Meliá Hotels &
The Ultimate Guide to TripAdvisor for Hotels
When TripAdvisor was founded in February 2000 in a small office above Kostas Pizza on 315 Chestnut Street in Needham,
Is Your Hotel Booking Engine Destroying Your Profitability?
Almost every other day, I see a headline about the latest trend that is going to have a massive impact
Use Hotel Website Content to Increase Your Revenue
Contrary to what you might have heard, people still read. We read quiet a lot actually, but much of our
Last Click Attribution Is Killing Your Hotel Marketing Campaigns
Marketing success today can be measured using many diverse metrics. Analytics programs let you measure everything from who and where
The Shrinking Value of Hotel Loyalty Programs
My work revolves around travel. Every night away from home is spent at a hotel or Airbnb property. I was
The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing for Hotels
Hotel email marketing has become more important than ever. The cost of click- and impression-based marketing on search engines and social
My Top 6 Articles of 2016
2016 was a very interesting year and will surely be a memorable one. I have had the opportunity to grow and
BookingSuite: A Lesson in Direct Revenue Strategy
Throughout my career in revenue optimization for the hospitality and travel industry, I have always stressed the importance of owning
Hotel Website Design and Usability: Top 10 Mistakes
Hotel website design, like any kind of design, is subjective. Nothing is more painful than a website design “discussion” where
Super Metrics for Hotel Marketing & Online Revenue Optimization
Analytics metrics have evolved over the past few years. In my last article, I discussed the dinosaur metrics that have
Dinosaur Metrics Are Taking a Bite Out of Your Hotel Marketing Performance
Marketing is evolving as I am typing this sentence. I’m here to make sure you are not wasting your time, energy
Do You Really Need a Separate Brand for Millennials?
Almost every other week, there is an article about how hotels are trying to “embrace” the Millennial traveler. Basically, anyone
My Top 6 Articles of 2015
2015 was a phenomenal year for my site. I would like to thank all of my subscribers for participating, sharing, and
Marriott’s Acquisition of Starwood: Winners and Losers
Marriott’s acquisition of Starwood is great news for investors, but unfortunately not for Starwood hotel guests and employees. The quote that sums
Hotel Brands’ Struggle to Understand Airbnb: The IHG Edition
When I’m on Twitter, I’m usually catching up on some of my favorite comedians (mostly comediennes) and posting my own material.
The End of Hotel Rate Parity: Much Ado About Nothing
Over the past few months, there has been a lot of talk about the imminent “end of hotel rate parity” and what
Your Marketing Focus Must Shift To Hotel Value Over Price
It’s amazing how much time and energy gets poured into deciding the price of a hotel room. There are STR
The Free Website Trap: Lessons From Priceline’s Rebranding of Buuteeq
Last year, Priceline.com made a splash when it acquired Buuteeq, a digital marketing and website “cloud-based system” for independent hotels,
Google’s Mobile Update: Keep Calm and Get With the Program
Every time Google issues an update, hotel marketing agencies have a field day writing articles and trying to give you a reason
Let’s Keep It Real: The Truth About Hotel Meta Search
Hotel marketing types love trends. Every day there is the same old story about a new thing that changes everything.
Expedia Acquisitions Signal Tougher Times Ahead for Hotels
Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz walk into a bar. “We do not serve second and third rate Online Travel Agents here,”
Marriott’s War on Wi-Fi: Hotels Need to Stop Fighting the Future
Big hotel brands have seen unprecedented growth over the past decade. Even when the global financial engines slowed down, they
My Top 6 Articles of 2014
It’s time to say goodbye to 2014. It was an epic year for me, and I especially loved sharing my thoughts
The End of an Era: IHG Acquires Kimpton
How much is that boutique hotel in the window? Well, it’s around $430 million. Yes, that’s the price InterContinental Hotels
Why You Shouldn’t Sell Rooms for $7 on Hotel Tonight
This Thanksgiving holiday in the US was an eventful one for the hospitality industry. What got my attention was the
Front Desk: Ground Zero for Hotel Profitability
Want to increase your profitability, while improving your online reviews at the same time? Then start paying more attention to an
Do You View Hotel Marketing as a Cost or an Investment?
I am often asked, “What is the most important factor in a good hotel marketing strategy?” One of the top factors
Reality Check: 7 Questions for Your Hotel Marketing Agency
Everything digital, including marketing, changes rapidly. Hotels know that online marketing is crucial, yet they take a back seat on innovations. Most
A Brief Guide to Managing Your Hotel’s Digital Assets
One of the most crucial aspects of running a hotel or a lodging business is asset management. The same efforts
Priceline’s Acquisition of Buuteeq: Why Hotels Must Own Their Digital Assets
The hotel marketing and distribution world was recently shaken when Priceline Group (aka, The #1 Lodging Online Travel Agency in the
Euromonitor International Interview With Vikram Singh
I was recently interviewed as part of the Euromonitor International Interview Series conducted by Michelle Grant, Euromonitor’s Travel and
Hotel Pay Per Click: Your Single Most Powerful Marketing Tool
I have had a front row seat to the hotel pay per click (PPC) world for the past decade. PPC
Hotel Marketing Is Not a Substitute for Innovation
One of the trends I have been noticing is that hotels continually generate hype instead of value. Hyper-marketing on social media
How to Supercharge Your Hotel Revenue After Rebranding
A Tale of Two Brands (based on a true story) Once upon a time in December 2012, there was a
Hotel Marketing Cannibalization: Is Your Hotel Website Traffic Eating Itself?
Hotels, bed and breakfasts, and vacation rentals are all competing for their market share of today’s travelers, who are armed
Top 5 Resolutions Hotels Should Make to Boost Online Revenue
We have entered a new year of awesome possibilities. The hospitality and lodging business is poised for more disruption, innovation
My Top 6 Posts of 2013
This has been an amazing year for the Words of Vikram blog. I remember publishing the first post on a beautiful
How Airbnb Is Crushing Traditional Hotel Brands
In April, I wrote one of my first ever articles about Airbnb’s impact on the hotel industy. It started as
Google Analytics vs. Adobe Site Catalyst for Hotels
Marketing is evolving, especially the Internet kind. Website analytics have come a long way in the past decade. We have
Death by Data: How Misusing Hotel Analytics Data Can Hurt Your Revenue
Analytics is an amazing and powerful tool. Voltaire/FDR/Stan Lee (depends who you ask) has said, “With great power comes great responsibility.” This is
It’s Time to Burst the Hotel SEO Bubble: What Hotels Really Need to Know
Hotel search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most debated online marketing techniques in our industry. That’s because its
Hey, Airline Industry! It’s Time to Care Again.
I recently completed another round-the-world trip and got to experience a few different airlines and their cultures. It always amazes
RoomKey.com: Hotel Brands’ Misguided Attempt to Become an OTA
How many times have I heard the hotel brands say they are going to “fight and win” the Internet battle
What the Hotel Industry Can Learn From “Heads in Beds” by Jacob Tomsky
I recently finished reading Heads in Beds by Jacob Tomsky. To be clear: I am not writing a standard book
Biggest Myths About WordPress Perpetrated by Hotel Marketing Agencies
The hotel industry has always been a target for misinformation about new, emerging, and especially open-source technology. It feels like
Airbnb: More Than a Threat, It’s a Great Disruptor To The Hotel & Travel Sector
I recently read an article on Airbnb on Euromonitor that declared: “Airbnb.com Poses Only a Small Threat to Hotel Industry.”
Hotel Online Marketing Budget Disconnect: A Perpetual Case of Bringing a Knife to a Gunfight.
“Nice try kid, but it looks like you brought a knife to a gunfight.” This line from Indiana Jones and
Another Day (Not) Another Blog
This is not my first blog/dance/party/luau. It’s the fourth blog that I’ve launched since 2006. The other three blogs were focused