The Internet has changed forever:

• The way customers plan and purchase travel

• The way customers access information

• The way customers perceive credibility of information

Here are some of the implications of CGM for the Hospitality Industry:

• Credibility of “official” content: do travel consumers believe offcial hotel website content/descriptions or peer reviews?

• Need to monitor and react fast to CGM postings: what are those consumer reviews that may hurt your hotel and what to do about them?

• Need to establish corporate policy regarding CGM: do you know who among your employees are active CGM posters? What are they saying about thwe hotel in the discussion boards?

Building a Corporate CGM Strategy is a must for any hotel company. Here are the main four aspects of any corporate CGM strategy

• Brand Defensive Strategy

• Corporate Policy Regarding Employees and CGM

• Brand-Sponsored CGM Initiatives

• CGM as a Marketing Medium

Food for Thought: credibility of official vs. CGM content

• Credibility of offline accreditation (star rating)

• E.g. Campton Place Hotel: AAA 4 diamonds

• Fodors.com: 3.2 stars out of 5

• Frommers.com 2 stars out of 3

• Expedia: 4 ½ stars

• Trip Advisor: 4 stars

• Orbitz: 5 stars

• Credibility of content: hotel website vs. blogs and customer reviews

• In 2006 28% of travel planners research CGM sites vs. 4% in 2005

• Instant content delivery: I want it now! vs. print brochure

This entry was posted on Monday, April 30th, 2007 at 10:14 am and is filed under Social Media & Web 2.0. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.