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Archive for the ‘HeBS News & Press Releases’ Category
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
HeBS is pleased to announce the launch of the new Loden Hotel website: http://theloden.com/index.php. HeBS applied industry’s best practices to develop a modern and functional website to position the Loden as the ultimate Vancouver hotel for leisure and business travel.
 Loden Hotel website by HeBS The Loden is a downtown boutique hotel in Vancouver that offers luxurious accommodations, dining, spa services and event space.
HeBS’ award-winning team designed the original and visually appealing Loden Hotel website to be user-friendly and search-engine friendly. With a fresh and innovative look, the new website features stunning visual content, including a high-resolution photo gallery that highlights new photography, easy-to-use tiered navigation, an online reservations functionality, exclusive special offers, and an RFP for meeting planners, groups and events.
The Loden will quickly benefit from its new website in the form of increased conversion rates, new business and improved meeting and event bookings.
Some of the various features of this new website are:
- Breathtaking design with fresh look and feel
- Stunning visual content with high-resolution photo gallery
- Easy-to-use and consistent tiered navigation addressing the hotel’s services and amenities
- Website optimized for premier placement in the search engines
- Interactive mapping and hotel directions using Google Maps API
- Exclusive special offers
- RFP for meetings and events
Currently, HeBS is working on ongoing marketing plans with the Loden hotel including email campaigns and search engine marketing.
Please click here to visit the Loden Hotel website!
Posted in HeBS News & Press Releases, Website Design | No Comments »
Monday, August 30th, 2010
HeBS is pleased to announce the launch of the new Loews Hotels brand website: http://www.loewshotels.com/.
 Loews Hotels brand website by HeBS HeBs applied best practices in design, navigation and search engine optimization to produce a modern, industry-leading, revenue-generating website for the renowned luxury hotels brand.
This groundbreaking Loews Hotels brand website can be updated in real-time via a customized, state-of-the-start content management system (CMS). The most advanced CMS in the industry today, the system allows the brand to add and edit both textual and visual content on a 24/7 basis; publish and un-publish pages and hotel mini-sites; control the Featured Special and promo tiles; determine the photo selection on individual pages and in photo galleries; manage SEO and Omniture Analytics on every page; and more.
Here are a few of the innovative features of this new brand website and its corresponding CMS:
- Contemporary and user-friendly brand website design as per industry’s best practices with a modern wide-screen layout
- Easy-to-use and consistent tiered navigation addressing the brand’s key customer segments as well as individual properties’ markets
- Rich visual content including Flash animations, video and visual galleries
- Search engine optimized copy for premier placement across all search engines
- 24/7 real-time Search/Availability box for all Loews Hotels
- World-class website analytics and campaign tracking by Omniture Analytics
- Advanced hotel search functionality which incorporates geographic and interest-based (beach, golf) travel requirements
- Blog functionality for brand- and property-related news
- Property-level interactive Calendars of Events
- Interactive mapping and hotel directions
- Customized LoewsHotels.com content management system based on a multi-level authorization module featuring the ability to add, remove or update all content on the brand website including:
- Special Offers and Featured Tiles
- Custom background designs
- eRFPs, Calendars of Events, Blog, Maps
- Basic website text and meta data
- Main images, thumbnails, visual galleries
- Analytics and tracking
Currently, HeBS and the Loews Hotels brand are working together on further strategic marketing projects including restaurant and spa websites, Loews Hotels email marketing, interactive sales tools and more.
Please click here to visit the new Loews Hotels brand website!
Posted in HeBS News & Press Releases, Website Design | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 25th, 2010
HeBS is pleased to announce the launch of the Best Western Bay Harbor 30-Day Free Room Giveaway: http://bestwesternhoteltampa.com/sweepstakes/index.php.
 Best Western Bay Harbor sweepstakes by HeBS This interactive sweepstakes, designed and marketed by HeBS, allows participants to enter once a day for 30 days to win a free room at the property from August 16th to September 14th 2010.
One lucky grand prize winner will be awarded a free five-night stay plus two complimentary round trip flights on Southwest Airlines! To win, entrants must first be registered.
The contest also features a forward-to-a-friend functionality which awards a $250 cash card prize to the person who refers the most friends to enter the sweepstakes via the website.
Best Western Bay Harbor’s sweepstakes will encourage daily visits to the site, grow its opt-in email list, and promote the hotel as a premier Tampa hotel. Multi-channel marketing efforts to promote the sweepstakes include email marketing, Facebook & Twitter, strategic linking, online newswires, and the forward-to-a-friend functionality.
At Best Western Bay Harbor, guests will experience an escape from the ordinary with a comfortable atmosphere surrounded by lush tropical landscaping. Onsite amenities include oversized Tampa Bay hotel accommodations, dining at Crabby Bills, a poolside bar, a private dock with water sports equipment, an onsite fitness center overlooking the Bay and much more.
Click here to enter the Best Western Bay Harbor 30-Day Free Room Giveaway!
Posted in HeBS News & Press Releases, Website Design | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 24th, 2010
HeBS is pleased to announce the launch of the new Valencia Group website: http://valenciagroup.com/. HeBS applied industry’s best practices to develop a modern and functional website to position Valencia Group as the ultimate partner for premier full-service, independent hotel management and operations services.
 Valencia Group website by HeBS HeBS strategically designed the Valencia Group website to be user friendly, search-engine friendly and customer-interactive friendly. Combined with its edgy design and sleek layout, these capabilities will ensure the website will act as a robust brand-building, lead-generating tool for the group.
Valencia Group will quickly benefit from its new website in the form of increased leads, brand awareness and new business from targeted full-service, independent hotels seeking to provide guests with the finest of travel experiences and services.
Some of the various innovative features of this new website are:
- Modern and progressive website design to reflect Valencia Group’s industry-leading business model
- Easy-to-use and consistent tiered navigation addressing the group’s property holdings and key customer segments
- Optimized website description text, navigation and design for top search-engine placement
- Rich visual content including Flash animations and Visual Gallery
- Live Chat customer support functionality
- 24/7 real-time Search/Availability box for all Valencia Group hotels on all pages
Currently, HeBS and Valencia Group are working together on a strategic marketing plan to leverage the launch of the new site to generate new interest in the company’s services. HeBS also has ongoing marketing plans with each individual hotel property.
Please click here to visit the Valencia Group website!
Posted in HeBS News & Press Releases, Website Design | No Comments »
Thursday, August 5th, 2010
Part 3 of 4 from the Hotels Magazine Blog Article: “Hoteliers’ Action Plan to Capitalize on Rising Travel Demand.”
HeBS President and CEO Max Starkov has been invited to lead the “Successful eMarketing” blog on HOTELS magazine’s website. The following is an excerpt from Part 3 of 4 of Starkov’s article: “Hoteliers’ Action Plan to Capitalize on Rising Travel Demand.”
Action Plan: Engage your customers with social marketing
Social Media has changed how travel consumers research and plan travel, access travel information, and perceive credibility of information. eMarketer reports that more than 70% of Internet users under age 35 browse social networks. That percentage decreases for older users but is still significant, with 43.1% of those ages 35 to 54 and 18.9% of users ages 55 and older visiting social networks.
There is no doubt that Internet users are increasingly influenced by social media sites and peer reviews. By utilizing a comprehensive social media strategy, hoteliers can create social media “buzz” around the hotel, target receptive audiences, and ultimately stimulate hotel website visits, interactions and bookings.
HeBS’ 2010 Benchmark Survey on Hotel Internet Marketing Budget Planning and Best Practices showed that half of hoteliers surveyed (50% exactly) responded that in 2010 they are planning to create profiles for their hotels on the social networks.
Social marketing should become an important component of any hotel’s marketing mix and part of the comprehensive Direct Online Channel Strategy for any hotel company. Naturally, it is important to use the right ROI metrics to measure the success of social marketing efforts of the hotel.
As discussed above, social media and social marketing initiatives should be reviewed with “sober eyes” and within the context of the impact of the multi-channel marketing strategy of the hotel.
Instead of only focusing on bookings and revenue when measuring results from social media marketing, remember that currently the best uses of social media are:
- Serving as one important component of hotel’s multi-channel marketing
- Buzz-building
- Brand-building
- Interacting with and engaging customers
- Keeping up with the times, making the hotel look current, cool and up-to-date
- Driving engaged and relevant traffic to the property’s own website
What are the initiatives hoteliers can deploy in 2010 and expand in 2011?
- Facebook Fan Page with reservation widget, email capture functionality, custom design tabs, photo albums, hotel blog feeds, etc.
- Twitter Profile with customized look and feel design, contests and sweepstakes, SEO-friendly posts, etc.
- LinkedIn profile to reach out business travelers and meeting planners
- Flickr with photo albums addressing your main business segments
- YouTube hotel profile: virtual tours are out, videos are in. Develop hotel videos presenting hotel services and amenities to your different customer segments and post them on the hotel website and YouTube.
A word of caution: if your hotel cannot allocate bandwidth and resources or cannot afford to hire an external social marketing firm, do not start with social media initiatives such as Facebook Fan page or Twitter profile. The social media battleground is full of “corpses” of abandoned hotel fan pages and profiles that do more harm than good to their owners. Social marketing is a very engaging process that requires skills and consistent engagement with the travel consumer.
Action Plan: Utilize mobile marketing to communicate in real time with your customers
Mobile travel bookings are projected to grow 700% in two short years. U.S. M-Commerce will reach a staggering $1 billion in 2010 (ABI Research). Sixty-seven percent of business travelers already use their mobile devices to view hotel locations via maps (Sabre Travel Network Survey). Mobile marketing must become a vital component of the marketing mix for any hotelier.
HeBS own research and other industry sources show that between 1% – 1.5% of visitors to hotel websites already come from travel consumers accessing the hotel site via mobile devices.
Hotel guests—past, current and potential—are increasingly becoming mobile-ready, and hoteliers have to respond adequately to this growing demand for mobile services. This is the reason why all major hotel brands, travel suppliers and OTAs have mobile Internet initiatives in place, including mobile brand websites and mobile applications including iPhone apps, m-CRM and mobile marketing. In order to meet the enormous growth in consumer demand for mobile services, hoteliers must start with a clear understanding of current best practices in mobile marketing.
As shown by HeBS’ 4th annual Benchmark Survey on Hotel Internet Marketing Budget Planning and Best Practices, while a number of hoteliers surveyed were not yet planning on mobile marketing initiatives for 2010 (32.8%), many are taking some very crucial first steps.
What can hoteliers do in the remaining months of 2010 and 2011? Mobile marketing must become a vital component of the marketing mix for any hotelier.
An excellent first step is to create a mobile site, which by default is the “gravitational” center for all future marketing efforts: from text messaging and Google mobile ads, to mobile sweepstakes and applications. Budget limitations are no longer an excuse for not launching a mobile-ready hotel site.
Imagine the user experience of trying to squeeze your wide-screen hotel website, designed to fit screen resolutions at 1280 x 1024 pixels and above, onto the tiny screen of a mobile device. Our analysis shows that more than 90% of mobile users access the hotel website via mobile devices with screen sizes of 320 x 480 pixels. Accessing a “conventional” website via a mobile device, even the latest iPhone, often results in an undesirable user experience: the inability to find information needed and a predictable outcome of abandoned websites and reservations.
What should hoteliers plan for 2010 and beyond? In addition to a mobile-ready website, launching mobile contests, quizzes and sweepstakes as part of the hotel multi-channel marketing initiatives will allow you to “test the waters” of mobile marketing. Adding Google Mobile ads as part of a comprehensive search marketing strategy is another natural step. Also, start soliciting sign-ups to the mobile opt-in list (m-list) on the website via hotel email marketing campaigns, social media initiatives, interactive sweepstakes and contests.
Location-based services, m-CRM and mobile apps are initiatives in need of careful planning, sophisticated technology, and a better economic environment. Even so, hoteliers should start thinking about how to incorporate these initiatives in the upcoming years.
Read the full article, including case studies on the Hotels Magazine’s “Successful eMarketing” Blog. I look forward to our continued dialogue. Next week, we’ll conclude our eight-step action plan with metrics and achievable objectives for the rest of 2010 and 2011.
Posted in HeBS News & Press Releases, Mobile Marketing, Social Media & Web 2.0 | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 4th, 2010
HeBS is proud to announce the launch of the new Viand website: http://viandchicago.com/.
 Viand website by HeBS Viand’s website was designed and developed according to industry’s best practices and will serve to brand the restaurant as a laid-back, versatile and accommodating dining choice in Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood.
The award-winning team at HeBS strategically designed and developed Viand’s website to be user friendly, booker friendly, customer interactive friendly, and search engine friendly. Combined with its provocative design and modern layout, these capabilities will ensure the website will serve as a strong revenue-generating and brand-building tool.
Viand combines traditional comfort food with a thoughtful and carefully-crafted menu to deliver a contemporary American dining experience that celebrates the restaurant’s love of the grill. The restaurant is equipped to host intimate dinners or larger banquets in a rich dining space accented with warm details. Wine connoisseurs will delight in an extensive wine list, while brew masters will appreciate the variety of beers on tap, including microbrews from the Great Lakes region.
Viand will benefit tremendously from its new website through increased revenues, online event booking and new business. Other marketing services HeBS will provide for the website include paid search, email marketing, and social media profiles on Facebook, Twitter and Yelp.
Click here to visit the Viand website!
Posted in HeBS News & Press Releases, Website Design | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010
Hospitality eBusiness Strategies (HeBS), the hospitality industry’s leading Internet marketing and distribution consulting firm, today announces Chief eBusiness Strategist, Max Starkov, will present at EyeforTravel’s flagship Travel Distribution Summit North America in Chicago, IL, Oct 13-14. Starkov will speak during the Keynote Session, “The New Age – Mobile Strategies and Opportunities in Travel,” on day two of the conference.
The Travel Distribution Summit, now in its twelfth year, is North America’s largest forum for travel industry professionals. The conference will address trends, innovations, challenges, and opportunities within the industry. During his keynote, Starkov will outline a concrete mobile marketing action plan for hoteliers; offer case studies from the mobile marketing trenches; and discuss mobile booking engines, m-CRM, m-marketing lists, mobile advertising, location-based services and more. Hoteliers in attendance will gain a clear understanding of the importance of mobile strategies and learn how to launch and manage a robust mobile marketing plan for their hotels.
“Mobile travel bookings are projected to grow 700% in two short years, and US M-Commerce will reach a staggering $1 billion in 2010 (ABI Research),” said Starkov. “Mobile marketing must become a vital component of the marketing mix for any successful travel marketer and hotelier. In order to meet the enormous growth in consumer demand for mobile services, travel marketers must start with a clear understanding of current best practices in mobile marketing, and then launch a targeted mobile strategy and campaign—starting with a mobile website. As the professional development of hoteliers and travel marketers is our passion at HeBS, I welcome the opportunity to provide attendees with a step-by-step mobile marketing action plan on how to drive incremental revenues using a sound, cutting-edge mobile marketing strategy.”
HeBS is a pioneer of mobile strategies in hospitality, creating and implementing mobile websites and mobile Internet marketing strategies for its clients. HeBS’ principals have written influential articles and research papers on the subject including “Wireless in Travel and Hospitality: Hype or Necessity?” (September, 2001) and “Mobile Marketing & Distribution Strategy in Hospitality: the Future is Already Here” (August, 2009). The firm recently won an Internet Advertising Competition (IAC) award for Best Hotel and Lodging mobile application for The Allison Inn & Spa mobile-ready website. Starkov also led presentations on mobile marketing at the last EHTEC conference, as well as at HSMAI’s Revenue Management & Internet Marketing Strategy Conference this past June.
Posted in Guest Speakerships, HeBS News & Press Releases, Mobile Marketing | No Comments »
Monday, July 26th, 2010
HeBS is pleased to announce the launch of the new Silver Legacy Resort Casino 60-Day Free Room Giveaway: http://sweepstakes.silverlegacy.com/.
 Silver Legacy Resort Casino sweepstakes by HeBS This interactive sweepstakes, designed and marketed by HeBS, allows participants to enter once a day for 60 days to win a free room at the property and a $25 gas card.
One lucky grand prize winner will be awarded $1,000 in Casino FreePlay! To win, entrants must do one of the following: become a fan on Facebook, follow @SilverLegacy on Twitter, text Legacy to 71266 or forward the sweepstakes to 5 friends.
The forward-to-a-friend functionality encourages viral promotion by users, and the person who refers the most friends to enter the sweepstakes via the website will be awarded a $250 Visa gift card.
Additionally, users looking to experience the famous Reno casino online will enjoy the opportunity to try their luck at the BlackJack Challenge between daily entries. By tempting Lady Luck virtually, players immediately catch the gambling spirit right on Silver Legacy Resort Casino’s sweepstakes site.
Silver Legacy Resort Casino’s sweepstakes will encourage daily visits to the site, appreciably grow the resort casino’s opt-in list, and promote Silver Legacy Resort Casino as the premier luxury resort casino in Reno. Multi-channel marketing efforts to promote the sweepstakes include email marketing, mobile marketing, Facebook & Twitter, strategic linking, and the refer-a-friend functionality.
Silver Legacy Resort Casino, a renowned and expansive resort casino property located in the heart of downtown Reno, features six restaurants and eateries; over 85,000 square feet of 24-hour gaming; an award-winning spa; the Aura Ultra lounge and Rum Bullions bar; the Grande Exposition Hall and Catch-a-Rising-Star Comedy Club, and more. Known for its elegant accommodations and all-inclusive amenities, Silver Legacy Resort Casino is an ideal destination for travelers and casino enthusiasts alike.
Click here to enter the Silver Legacy Resort Casino 60-Day Free Room Giveaway!
Posted in HeBS News & Press Releases, Social Media & Web 2.0 | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010
HeBS, the hospitality industry’s leading full-service Internet marketing and direct online channel strategy firm, today announces its receipt of the Interactive Media Awards’ (IMA) highest honor, the ”Best in Class Award,“ for the Silver Legacy Resort Casino website. Additionally, HeBS was awarded three Outstanding Achievement awards from the prestigious IMAs.
Best in Class Award Winner:
Outstanding Achievement Awards:
Created by the Interactive Media Council, Inc. (IMC), a nonprofit organization of leading web designers, developers, programmers, advertisers and other web-related professionals, the IMAs recognize the highest standards of excellence in website design and development and honor individuals and organizations for their outstanding achievements.
The Best in Class Award indicates a website has excelled in all areas of judging criteria and has achieved a perfect, or near perfect, overall score. It is the highest honor bestowed by the IMC. Similarly, in order to receive recognition for Outstanding Achievement, a website must excel in Design, Content, Feature Functionality, Usability, Standards Compliance and Cross-Browser Compatibility.
“HeBS has been a great partner for Silver Legacy. Their commitment to brainstorm with us to develop new marketing strategies and their attention to detail during project execution has been a tremendous asset. This award is confirmation of those efforts” said Chad Hallert, Director of E-Commerce & Internet Marketing for Eldorado Hotel Casino and Silver Legacy Resort Casino.
“We are proud to have received four honors on behalf of our clients—including a Best in Class Award—from the renowned Interactive Media Council” said Max Starkov, HeBS’ President & CEO. “This year 45% of all hotel bookings in North America will be online. Today’s hotel website carries the burden and responsibility of generating the bulk of bookings for the property. At HeBS we are continuously striving to achieve the very best results for our clients by combining award-winning website design with a comprehensive direct online channel strategy that will produce significant revenues and meaningful ROIs. These awards are a testament to this methodology and the successful HeBS/client partnership.”
Hospitality eBusiness Strategies has won many top Interactive Media Awards as well as some of the most prestigious awards in hotel website design and hospitality Internet marketing. An impressive portfolio of clients has already partnered with the industry leader in direct online channel strategy—an agency that produced 2240% ROI for its full-service clients in 2009.
Posted in Awards, HeBS News & Press Releases | No Comments »
Monday, June 21st, 2010
HeBS is proud to announce the launch of the new Sceptre Hospitality Resources website: http://www.esceptre.com/.
The second website from HeBS’ strategic partnership with Richfield Hospitality and Sceptre Hospitality Resources, eSceptre,com was designed according to best practices for design, navigation and search engine optimization in hotel Internet marketing.
By offering flexible and cost-effective hotel distribution services, reservations, and eCommerce services and support, Sceptre Hospitality Resources provides global solutions for both branded and independent hotels to implement connectivity, generate booking conversions, and maximize revenues and ROI. Its new website will continue to brand the firm as the authority in reservations distribution and technology, hotel revenue management services, interactive hotel marketing services, property-level sales and marketing expertise, and online-based operations.
Click here to visit the Sceptre Hospitality Resources website!
Posted in HeBS News & Press Releases, Website Design | No Comments »
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