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Understanding the significance of price intelligence tools in the travel sector

IN-DEPTH: Travel companies can be proactive by having systems in place to consistently watch out for competitiveness and make use of advanced business intelligence tools that are capable of feeding rates into RMS or provide the ability to fire reports on demand, says Vishal Jain, Head, Product Management, RateGain.

By Ritesh Gupta

Retail travel businesses are increasingly looking at incorporating data mined from the web in order to optimise pricing decisions.

The web-based price intelligence tools facilitate real-time monitoring of product rates for businesses like online travel agents, tour operators, wholesalers, airlines, cruise lines and car rentals across various competitor websites.

With the ever decreasing brand loyalty in the online world and where rates are constantly changing, travel companies need to be consistently updated about their competition’s future pricing strategies.

“Travel companies (whether suppliers or intermediaries) by and large fall under oligopolistic competition category or monopolistic competitiveness and under both it is important to know what the rest of the market is up to. The pricing is hardly relevant if you choose a cost based or ROI based pricing model. Pricing has to be referenced and benchmarked against the competition and that is where a BI tool providing most updated transient rates/fares can help you fine tune your pricing and rate structure,” says Vishal Jain, Head, Product Management, RateGain told EyeforTravel’s Ritesh Gupta in an interview.

Jain, who is scheduled to speak at the forthcoming Product Development Strategies For The Travel Industry Conference in London (November 3-4) this year, spoke about competitive price intelligence, the maturity level of data-as-a-service in the travel sector and lot more. Excerpts:

The number of options available for travel planning and booking, and also the number of screens/ gadgets to access content continue to rise. The online travel sector, especially both OTAs and travel meta-search engines, continues to witness newer challenges. In this context, how do you see the need to remain competitive for businesses in the online travel sector? How are various stakeholders trying to be proactive?

Vishal Jain:

Back to basics, there are two things to be addressed here, staying competitive in terms of price, value as well as contractual obligations. Travel companies (whether suppliers or intermediaries) by and large fall under oligopolistic competition category or monopolistic competitiveness and under both it is important to know what the rest of the market is up to. The pricing is hardly relevant if you choose a cost based or ROI based pricing model. Pricing has to be referenced and benchmarked against the competition and that is where a BI tool providing most updated transient rates/fares can help you fine tune your pricing and rate structure.

To create differentiation audit of your own BRG and staying competitive in eyes of your consumers or online partners like OTAs, it is imperative to check if your rates are being distributed in the desired manner. For the OTA, it is important to stay credit worthy in terms of offering the most competitive rates combined with easy UX and excellent customer support team.

You can be proactive by having systems in place to consistently watch out for competitiveness and make use of advanced BI tools that are capable of feeding rates into RMS or provide the ability to fire reports on demand.

Some of the companies have integrated the whole workflow into a seamless way of ensuring the right data extraction from multiple sources, correct mapping rules for apple to apple comparison of the data, applying business rules to finally driving actionables as job/ticket assignments to various stakeholders (like Market Managers) within the company. This form of end to end automation and logical workflow helps them drive the right ROI from their BI initiatives.

The industry has witnessed the emergence of web-based services that make it easy to acquire, organise, manage, and analyse large volumes of complex, interrelated data. How do you assess the maturity level of data-as-a-service in the travel sector?

Vishal Jain:

The maturity of the data from the technical point of view is only as good as the technology that is involved in culling it out for you. It is important for you to know that the data they are referring to is fresh and not aged; it has to be consistent and accurate from source and unit level point of view (not just the cheapest). Such data sets when culled, can be organised in easy to analyse formats that can be further used by revenue and pricing professionals to analyse at the granular level (apple to apple) and arrive at the most relevant pricing decisions. This effectiveness reflects the maturity offered by the data vendor.

Although data extraction for business decision making has matured in the sense that a lot of the suppliers and intermediaries get this internally or externally. But from a perspective of being able to use that data to its fullest and take action on it is something that is limited to very few companies. Resources, both in terms of numbers and skills, are something that becomes a bottle neck in most cases. This presents an opportunity for data providers today to move up the value chain and actually provide not just data but professional services that help with the right and full consumption of that data for their customers.

What do you recommend to travel businesses in order to become nimble and make the most by measuring their competitiveness? What sort of benchmarks can they set to assess their competitiveness/ or be proactive?

Vishal Jain:

There are two issues:

1) a soft approach in terms of using the right reports, data vendors and frequency and

2) the hard approach of training your team to check the sites competitiveness on an ongoing basis. Speaking to suppliers or member hotels (in case of Hotel Chains) who breach the contractual agreements from a consultative point of view is an important aspect and will benefit the industry a lot.

The need is to educate the industry people to understand the criticality of contractual agreements and how it can positively or negatively impact not just the future reservations/bookings but also their brand integrity in the longer run.

OTAs should show flexibility in providing a choice or pricing options to match the rate merchandising capability of a booking engine in terms of restrictions, dynamic packaging and promotional derivatives of standard rates/fares. For example, majority of the OTAs loose out when they are not supporting the FPLOS (full pattern length of stay) pricing strategy of a growing number of Hotel Brands, they start appearing more expensive than the brand sites and unwittingly contribute to the “billboard effect” more than they should.

Corporations are capitalising on the techniques of business analytics to achieve new breakthroughs in process performance. Which according to have been critical breakthroughs in data mining over the past few months? How do you assess the maturity level of these offerings as of today?

Vishal Jain:

The capability of data mining on a consistent basis is worth mentioning. The ability to hedge around the risk of IPs being blocked or rates getting reflected as an image / Captcha reader, which your data provider cannot read are important breakthroughs. Also to add the ability to present the data in terms of calculating tax and charges incl. or excl, good product/rate mapping (with advances in NLP technology this has significantly improved matches) is important for a true apple to apple comparison. Additionally, the data representation tech on the web is also evolving and this presents an on-going challenge to the data mining business.

Lots of CRM and Enterprise solutions (CRS/PMS/RMS) are exposing their APIs for 3rd party systems, it has led to ease of automating the BI driven action items. However a lot of this is secondary. The primary focus is to have audits and checks in place to even know if you are facing the issues mentioned earlier.

As a specialist in this arena, can you elaborate on what factors should one take into consideration when it comes to data aggregation and implementation strategy?

Vishal Jain:

It is important to maintain consistency in terms of access to fresh and consistent data, ability to customise, to present insights by using the data mash ups, to co-relate two separate kinds of data e.g. competitive fare to own yield, customer satisfaction to ADR, and more.

Implementation to the desired level of format and data presentation is important as it will ease out the consumption process at the RM’s desk.

What do you think is critical when it comes to relying on data management for new product launches?

Vishal Jain:

Measure, Measure and Measure ….the age, the accuracy, the source, the conversion, the entire data scope of what was shopped and presented.

Only when you have audited that something works correctly, you can rely on it for something as important as your pricing decisions for new products.

Consumer interactions are taking across new web platforms such ones related to social media and also mobile platforms. As both suppliers and intermediaries are vying aggressively for the online customer, can you reflect upon what is being done by the BI solution providers to monitor and measure brand perception and respond on a real-time basis?

Vishal Jain:

The BI around reviews and guest commentary is also provided on similar data extraction principles as rates are extracted. However, we must consider that consumer interactions are happening all over the place and not necessarily in a structured display format for any vendor to extract. The tools available out there are of all sorts. One must try and work with partners offering a sound sentiment engine behind the tool so that the first round of analysis of all consumer commentary can be done and categorised for the business user in an easy to relate format. These tools should have high precision in terms of retrieving relevant data so that the aggregate is a qualified one and not just a sentiment from select sites or sources.

The commentary is the voice of the customer, it is important to use this to hear the guest feedback and make necessary changes in service and product standards. If done well you can even tie it to the value proposition and charge a premium and hence get a breather from the never ending pricing battle with the competition.

There is a growing demand from industry players to integrate business intelligence with their existing or new revenue management systems. These companies are looking for an integrated solution through which they can control their pricing as well as execute an analytics based competitive pricing strategy. How is this arena shaping up?

Vishal Jain:

Previously RMS would just look at your own historical data but the scenario has changed now. Now by taking feed from price intelligence tools they are able to calculate more accurate hurdle rates. This area has a lot of opportunities as the consistency of data gets defined better and the data consumption becomes more structured. It is however important to know that the RMS and data feed provider are tightly integrated and can identify the data feed in the right manner. In hospitality industry, specially the smaller hotels that do not use RMS’s still are continuously looking for data feeds in their CRS or channel management solutions.

There is a need though for RMS players to start thinking beyond rate BI and move towards evolving their models to take into consideration BI data around self as well as competitive customer satisfaction, online reputation, social recommendations (tied to consumer influence index) and its impact on rate recommendations that they churn out.

 

Product Development Strategies For The Travel Industry Conference   Vishal Jain, Head, Product Management, RateGain is scheduled to speak at the forthcoming Product Development Strategies For The Travel Industry Conference in London (November 3-4) this year.   For more info, click here   Or   Contact: Marco Saio Global Events Director +44 (0) 207 375 7219 marco@eyefortravel.com   or   Tim Gunstone Managing Director +44 (0) 207 375 7557 tim@eyefortravel.com

 

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American Airlines’ sweepstakes to highlight mobile product offerings

American Airlines has come up with a new campaign, “Get Mobile. Get Moving” sweepstakes, a promotion highlighting the airline’s array of mobile products.

The sweepstakes, which runs through Sept. 27, will reward one grand-prize winner with 280,000 AAdvantage miles. In addition, four weekly winners will each receive a Nikon D3000 digital camera.

Richard Elieson, American’s Managing Director - Interactive Marketing, said the initiative is a great way to remind customers about the benefits of American’s mobile products.

Participants can enter the “Get Mobile. Get Moving” sweepstakes up to five times per week by submitting one photo through each channel. American will feature select photos on AA.com/promo and Facebook.com/AA during the promotion.

Each week during the sweepstakes period, a different American mobile product will be featured as participants are invited to consider various travel-related questions, including:

• Week 1: Where do you want to go? You can book your flight to get there at mobile.AA.com.

• Week 2: Who do you want to go with you? You can keep everyone updated on your travel plans with American’s mobile notifications.

• Week 3: What will you bring with you? You will always have your travel information available with American’s mobile app.

• Week 4: How do you want to get there? When you fly on American you can have your boarding pass sent directly to your mobile device.

Participants are encouraged to snap photos based on each week's question and submit them through one of five channels:

• Online at AA.com/promo

• Via email to AApic@fly.aa.com

• At Facebook.com/AA

• Via Twitter (hashtag #AApic)

• Via Instagram (hashtag #AApic)

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Jetsetter App for iPhone and iPod touch enhanced

Members-only website Jetsetter has shared that its Jetsetter App for iPhone and iPod touch has been updated with new travel tools and features.

The company has developed a suite of travel tools to assist members before and during their vacation. The app will translate directions in the native language so users can recruit a local to point them in the right direction of their hotel, the airport, nearby hospital or bathroom. Translations are currently available in Spanish, German, Chinese, French, Italian, Greek, and Thai.

Also, all of Jetsetter’s travel tools are available offline. This means one can access destination maps, Jetsetter itinerary, and Jetsetter member support number in offline mode.

Some of the highlights:

• The app now offers immersive, 360-degree images that provide a virtual window into the company’s hand-selected, verified hotels around the world.

• Jetsetter utilises iPhone and iPod touch’s gyroscope to map the orientation of the device to Jetsetter’s 360-degree photos. When gyroscope feature is enabled, the iPhone or iPod touch becomes a window into a destination by allowing users to pan around the images on multiple planes.

• Several new design elements make searching, reading, and daydreaming on the Jetsetter App even easier. Users can now flip through vacation pages without returning to a results page or homepage. Sorting by price category has been added for value-conscious travellers.

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Novotel HK’s property launches game on Facebook to celebrate YouTube milestone

One of Novotel’s hotel in Hong Kong is launching its “Video Detective” game on Facebook this week.

Novotel Hong Kong Nathan Road Kowloon has taken this initiative as it achieved a milestone on YouTube, crossing its first 100,000 video views-mark.

From 2 September to 4 October, a Facebook game will be launched on its page, calling all “YouTubers”, Facebook fans, and Twitter users around the world to participate.

In order to play the game, one needs to become a fan. Over the next five weeks, every Tuesday and Friday, a question will be posted on its Facebook page which will lead fans to a clue. The clues need to be solved. The first five to collect and submit all 10 correct answers on the answer form will be awarded with a voucher for a 1-night stay in a suite at the Novotel Hong Kong Nathan Road Kowloon, including breakfast and dinner for two persons. Additionally, there will also be five runner-up rewards which will include the SQUARE restaurant dinner buffet for two persons. Entries close on 11 October 2011.

The hotel’s YouTube video channel was launched in July 2009. Since then 30 videos have featured, including videos of the hotel, how to videos, acts from bar singers, plus 1,700 friends.

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A mathematical model unveiled for search optimisation process

A new piece of academic research promises to save advertisers’ time and investment, as well as avoid costly commercial mistakes, in their search optimisation process. The study focused on activity within the travel sector.

The project, undertaken by a team within the Department of Mathematics at University of Sussex in conjunction with digital marketing technology company DC Storm, has resulted in a mathematical model that gives advertisers the ability to predict results from any changes they wish to make in their optimisation activity.

The team set out to really understand the relationship between all the variables of PPC, so that they could help advertisers to more intelligently optimise their rankings. The study was initiated to explore, define and test the relationship between bid, position, click through rate, cost per click and conversion rate.

Seth Richardson, CEO of DC Storm, says: “Currently, brands have to rely on timely, and often costly, testing to complete the optimisation of their Search rankings.”

“The study allowed the team to develop a very valuable equation which advertisers will be able to apply to their PPC activity, giving them the ability to make informed decisions on whether it’s worth investing more to increase their rankings, or on the flip side, to what extent a decrease in expenditure will impact volumes. The findings will therefore help advertisers get to their most efficient positions quicker and save them money in the long term too.”

“This is an exciting piece of research, which will ultimately aid brands’ understanding of how digital marketing can be used more effectively to support the growth of their businesses. It is our goal to always stay ahead in terms of understanding the needs of our market, and this project will equip us to support clients with more knowledge and more guidance to ensure their online campaigns are optimum in delivery,” said Richardson.

DC Storm won a South East England Development Agency grant to help fund the project.

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“Search engines are not just assessing the face-value quality of your content”

Every trade has its clichés and in the world of online marketing the phrase “Content Is King” gets bandied around so often it has almost lost its original meaning and has become a euphemism for the kind of mass-produced, churned-out content that seems to have taken over much of the Web.

There was a time that a travel agency website could get by with a few pages of itinerary descriptions copied from their operator, some destination descriptions, hotel pages and a contact form. Throw in some paid links and a few other shady tricks and it will have stood a reasonable chance of competing in the search engine rankings.

The major search engines have been the driving force behind this change, taking an increasingly aggressive approach to discerning between high and low quality content. These changes made headlines earlier this year with Google’s now famous Panda Update which saw a huge number of sites fall foul of the increasingly stringent rules, bombing out of the search rankings as a result.

Because of all this, the meaning of “quality content” has changed significantly. Content that is simply unique to your site and not published elsewhere first, is no longer sufficient. To classify as good quality these days, content has to fit a number of requirements:

• It has to offer something of genuine use or interest to your audience
• It has to be trustworthy
• It has to be written by someone who knows their subject
• It has to be accurate; factually, grammatically and in spelling, and be well edited
• It should include original information, reporting or analysis
• It should be comprehensive, substantial and detailed

Sure, some of this stuff is beyond the ability of even the latest search engine algorithms to detect but remember – you’re not writing for the search engines. You’re writing for people.

You’re not chasing the latest algorithm change, you’re creating a content-rich website that visitors will want to share, “Like”, comment on and link to.

Search engines are not just assessing the face-value quality of your content, they are also looking at the resulting clicks, interactions and links. And to achieve that, you need to invest in creative, compelling content.

What does that mean for travel websites? Well, we’re more fortunate than most sectors because we operate within a “content rich” industry. Just think about the resources your website could potentially offer:

• Short destination guides, broken down city-by-city or into individual attractions. Host as a .pdf file to get SEO value, but also request email addresses in return for the download = future marketing opportunity
• Travel stories and trip reports – a blog is the perfect place for this
• Restaurant reviews & guides
• Self-guided walking tours
• Special interest how-to guides (adventure sports, bird watching, surfing, photography, etc)

The list of possibilities goes on and on. It could even include other media such as photography, video and audio – the initial investment is higher but the reward is often greater.

This is the kind of material that a successful travel site needs to publish. Each page represents a new resource for the search engines to index and rank, and each resource represents something new for your customers – a reason for them to visit again and eventually buy from you.

All in all, the phrase Quality Content Is King is still a cliché, but the thing about clichés is that they tend to be true.

(This article has been contributed Matthew Barker, managing partner of Hit Riddle and author of the Hit Riddle travel marketing blog).

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STR Analytics launches new forecasting tool

STR Analytics has launched a new forecasting tool, DataCast. The company says it alters the landscape of hotel forecasting methodology by allowing the user to adjust the forecast to better evaluate market potential.

DataCast is designed to provide direction and allow users to adjust the forecast within data-driven parameters.

The report has the ability to modify and better devise practical forecasts, including fluctuations in the economy. DataCast also evaluates each historical metric and summarises them in a unique visual readout.

“DataCast is not merely a report, but an actual forecasting tool developed with the understanding that everyone has a different perspective on future performance,” said Steve Hennis, director of STR Analytics. “Particularly given recent uncertainty in the market, we acknowledge that there are various outlooks for the lodging industry. Using parameters derived from historical data gathered by STR, DataCast provides the guidance for our clients to evaluate performance potential in a new way.”

The new product is intended to improve the forecasting process for budgeting and business planning, risk assessment, hold/sell analysis, transaction underwriting and due diligence, appraisals, marketing studies and feasibility studies.

 

Product Development Strategies For The Travel Industry Conference   EyeforTravel is scheduled to conduct its first edition of Product Development Strategies For The Travel Industry Conference in London (November 3-4) this year.     For more info, click here

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Inspiring travellers to post stories about the places they visit in real-time

IN-DEPTH: Each piece of digital content that is created tells a story. Each time any LBS app is used, one includes location as a part of the narrative being shared with their network. It is the most honest look at how someone really lives their life, says Andy Ellwood, Director of Business Development, Gowalla.

One can tweet, like, blog, and “+1” things from sitting at one place. But to share real experiences around the places, one has to actually go. So this is a huge opportunity for the travel industry.

By Ritesh Gupta

Recently, a report indicated that 53 percent of the on-the-go U.S. audience are willing to share their location to receive more relevant content.

According to JiWire’s Mobile Audience Insights Report, mobile consumers under the age of 34 are more eager to share, with 60 percent offering their location for better information. The U.K. trends even higher, with 69 percent willing to share location information.

As people become increasingly mobile, they are looking for more relevant content and deals at their fingertips.

According to the same report, sales and promotions are the most popular types of information that mobile consumers are looking for when engaging with location-based services. The study examined how consumers rated various services when one mile and 10 miles from a location. Sales and promotions took the top position at both distances in the U.S. However, product availability and directions are of more interest at the 10 mile range, indicating consumer preferences for certain information begin to change with distance. Customer reviews were the location-based information most sought after in the U.K., regardless of distance. The data shows that proximity becomes a key factor for brands to consider when leveraging location-based advertising.

Location-based mobile check-in services are seeing rather impressive adoption among smartphone users. It is highlighted that the ability to interact with consumers on this micro-local level through special offers, deals and other incentives provides brands with the real-time opportunity to engage consumers through their mobile device.

From service providers’ perspective, the LBS market is highly fragmented. The market is expected to continue to fragment as the space evolves, and also one can expect many more vertically oriented apps that serve specific purposes or niche markets.

EyeforTravel’s spoke to Andy Ellwood, Director of Business Development, Gowalla about the latest trends. Excerpts:

It is considered that the use of location-based-applications that allow users to 'check-in' at a location is still dominated by early tech adopters. What’s so compelling about these early adopters is that they tend to have high levels of influence. How do you think the travel industry is making most of the opportunities?

Andy Ellwood:

Each piece of digital content that is created tells a story. Each time I use Gowalla (or any other service) to associated myself with a place, I am including that location as a part of the narrative I am sharing with my network. It is the most honest look at how someone really lives their life. I can tweet, like, blog, and +1 things from my couch. But to share real experiences around the places that I go, I have to actually go. This is a huge opportunity for the travel industry to inspire people to tell better stories and share them in real-time with their friends and followers.

It is being pointed out that Gowalla started out as a horizontal app and is evolving into a vertically oriented travel app. It enables you to push check-ins to Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare and features a virtual passport. Can you take through your focus as of now?

Andy Ellwood:

From day one, Gowalla has set out to answer the question "What if you could use your mobile phone as a passport?" Being able to share, discover, and record the places that you go and the things that you experience have always been core to our company. As we've grown in users and use cases, we've found a lot of value in being able to share those stories across additional services as well.

On-the-go audience is increasingly willing to share location for relevant content and promotions. How do you think location-based services are capitalising on this opportunity?

Andy Ellwood:

The real currency that all of social media and the digital web trades in is social validation. The real core of why people share is because they are wanting to include others in their story and invite them along. There are so many discounts, deals, and coupons out there that it is no longer a competitive advantage. Flip open any service these days and there is some way for you to buy one and get one free. But what Gowalla is striving to do, and what I think you will see more of in the future, is create real meaningful experiences that have stand alone value whether or not you got 10% off.

Sales and promotions are the most popular types of information that mobile consumers are looking for when engaging with location-based services. What new trends have you witnessed in this arena?

Andy Ellwood:

Sales and promotions are the most popular types of programmes that brands are currently running as they are looking for ways to engage around location based opportunities. But, I wouldn't go so far as to say that it is the main thing that consumers want. We are working with a lot of brands right now that have run a discount, deal, or coupon with limited success and are now looking for a deeper engagement and one that isn't just based on lowering the price of the goods or service.

It is highlighted that the LBS market is highly fragmented. Can you elaborate on challenges associated with monitoring location-based engagements across multiple locations and conducting ongoing competitive analysis for traffic and engagement? How should travel companies go about this?

Andy Ellwood:

Like all things in social media and the digital web, what you put into it is what you will get out of it. There are services that are great for deals and there are services that are great for social. There are services that are good for content and there are services that are good for engagement. Different brands are going to work better on different services. If your brand truly has a unique voice, pick the services that allow the voice to come through the most and in a way that accomplishes the goals that you've set out for yourself.

Local deals are increasingly an integral part of the mobile shopping experience. Can you elaborate on what has been your focus when it comes to m-commerce? How are you looking at this arena?

Andy Ellwood:

It is the noisiest space out there right now and not something that we are pursuing. The engagements and experiences that occur with Gowalla are not based solely on "what will you give me" but on "what is my story?" If it is just based on the discount, deal, or coupon the engagement ends when the gimmick does. The stories we tell last a lot longer.

Location-based technologies are changing the way consumers engage with travel brands. How do you think travel marketers are trying to make the most of the data that is being generated through location-based service apps?

Andy Ellwood:

There are two questions that I ask all of our partners as we start collaborating on how we should be working together:

1) What is the experience that you are looking to create?

2) Where are the places that you want that experience to exist?

From these two questions, we are able to work backwards into which of Gowalla's features and branded engagements will make the most sense for their brand. The goal is for the experience created to be something that will sought after and shared. Brands have the opportunity to create stories and invite their customers to be a part of them. By curating and creating experiences that are consistent with their brand voice and the places that should be associated with that brand voice, the brand is taking the interaction with its consumer from an ad to an interaction.

A recent study found that found consumer brands with brick & mortar locations missed more than 70% of local customer feedback. This “local blind spot” is the direct result of the exploding consumer adoption of mobile, social, and location-based services. How do you think businesses can make most of the opportunity when consumers share their location and generate content while being at the same location?

Andy Ellwood:

Listening on a local level is best done by those on the local level, not from a corporate office. Empowering the folks on location to take their local brand into their own hands is a huge deal. Each location on Gowalla and other location based services has its own page that can be claimed, customizsd, and monitored. There are thousand of businesses around the world that have their location page(s) open for frequent monitoring and to look for opportunities to engage and interact. The more you care about your customers experience in the digital world the more they'll care about experiencing things with your brand in the real world.

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Frommer’s to provide enhanced destination info on AA.com

American Airlines has tied up with Frommer’s Unlimited, the B2B business of Frommer’s, in order to improve the travel planning experience.

The airline has chosen to work with Frommer’s for destination content on American’s website, AA.com.

With this rollout, AA.com now features travel-related information from Frommer’s for more than 170 domestic and international destinations served by American and American Eagle.

Frommer’s destination information on AA.com includes an exclusive overview of the city, along with recommendations and details about upcoming events in the area.

Select cities feature in-depth content about popular restaurants, shopping, nightlife and other attractions. American Airlines travel deals and other customised information pertaining to each destination are also featured.

Richard Elieson, American’s Managing Director – Interactive Marketing, said not only its customer will be able to learn more about their planned destination, but the airline also hopes that they will be inspired to embark on adventures to other exciting places in the future.

Emotional Engagement

Airlines have been looking at inspiring customers to see cities in a new light via such content.

For instance, Virgin Atlantic has been working on the editorial of its social travel community site, vtravelled.com. The site hopes to inspire users to travel. It will not only be a practical site where users who have already booked can research things to do and places to visit during their trip, but it will also try and encourage users to try out new destinations. The editorial is based around each of Virgin Atlantic’s global destinations. Instead of generic, Google-researched content that many of the other sites have, the vtravelled site chose to have a tone of voice, a personality and writers that the audience can identify with.

“It is about emotional engagement and if you can empathise and see the writer who is creating the content on a particular city trust levels rise exponentially. Virgin Atlantic customers will be encouraged to engage with the site and in doing so they will be rewarded for their contributions,” Tremayne Carew Pole, Publisher and Founder, Hg2 told EyeforTravel.com’s Ritesh Gupta in an interview recently. City guide publisher Hg2 | A Hedonist’s guide has been working with the airline.

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Travelocity’s new daily deals offering to shows date availability at time of booking

Online travel company Travelocity says it has put a new spin on flash sales with its new offering, Dashing Deals.

Via Dashing Deals, travellers are able to book the daily deals directly, instead of receiving a coupon or voucher for future travel which can be tedious for hotels to manage and for travellers to redeem. By allowing travellers to book at the time of purchase, travellers can make sure they select the dates they want.

“Travelocity’s Dashing Deals programme provides customers with deep discounts at great hotels,” said Carl Sparks, President and CEO, Travelocity Global. “We have upped the ante in the travel flash-deals world. By displaying the actual dates and room availability at the time of purchase, we provide travellers an easy way to find great travel deals for the dates they want and hotels are involved in a sale programme that is easy for them to manage.”

The company says Dashing Deals adds instant “get-them-before-they’re-gone” deals to Travelocity’s already in-demand hotel deals.

Providing a new sale every day, Dashing Deals offers three-to-five star hotels at 50 percent or more off standard rates, and will often feature perks like breakfast, show tickets or valuable spa credits, stated the company.

Travellers can sign up for the Dashing Deals alert emails or visit Travelocity’s website and mobile site to view and book the deal of the day.

Travelocity guarantees the lowest prices through a complete price protection plan, elimination of booking fees and search tools.

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