We'll Leave The 'Like' On For You

Now that more people are taking vacations rather than stay-cations, the hospitality industry is focusing less on just surviving and more on competing and thriving.

And lately, we're seeing more and more hotels working to build buzz and get room bookings rather than worrying about the dollars themselves.

For instance, I just read how the Hyatt Regency Cambridge is offering customers a chance for free Wi-Fi for one night. The catch? You have to "like" them on Facebook.

This move by Hyatt just goes to show the extent to which hotels will go to establish a social media presence. And considering the per-night charge for Wi-Fi at the Hyatt is $12.95, they are essentially paying 13 bucks for a Facebook like.

This could prove to be a good move on Hyatt's part, but considering how many hotels are offering free Wi-Fi already, it's hard to say how this promotion will play out.

What we do know is that the decline of the stay-cation should signal the rise of the hospitality industry.

The Milk And Cookies Approach

I just returned from a trip to San Jose, and even though I'm still shaking off some jet lag, I came away with a great impression of the hotel I stayed at.

The room itself was nice, but what I remember the most is that the hotel would put out free milk and cookies for the guests. It wasn't much, but it was definitely memorable and helped me connect with the hotel.

Speaking of connections, there was a great article I saw today about the different social media tools some hotels are utilizing to connect with their guests, like personalizing customer service through Twitter to allow for fast, direct communication with clients. Also, these social media tools are being used to help keep employees informed about what's going on at the hotel.

But the story went on to talk about some often overlooked aspects, such as connecting with the mom blogger demographic, because of how many women are online and how many of them go to mom blogs for advice.

Lastly, the article discussed the storytelling aspect of social media, where clients' stories are paramount, not just the number of bookings. This is the part of the article I agreed with the most, because the nature of social networking lends itself so well to this more personalized message.

I like the idea that service still reigns supreme in the hospitality industry, and that these tools simply help increase and diversify that service. The personal service and connection are what all of these social media efforts aim to accomplish.

Even This Cloud Has A Silver Lining

Who would've thought one little ash cloud would cause so much trouble?

Okay, shrugging off one of the most far-reaching natural disasters the world have seen in years as "one little ash cloud" is a bit much.

And while last Wednesday's volcanic eruption in Iceland fortunately hasn't resulted in any reported casualties, it has caused enormous logistical problems for 20 European countries.

Those problems include a huge drop in visibility, airline flights, and traveler patience throughout Europe over the past 6 days.

However, the ash cloud did cause a major spike in something other than the number of frustrated vacationers, with revenues of several airport-adjacent hotels showing huge increases for the week, and occupancy levels increasing 90% in some areas.

With major airports like Heathrow, Frankfurt Rhein-Main and Amsterdam Schiphol having postponed all flights since the eruption (and most likely staying cancelled until at least Thursday), the thousands of people who are stranded will continue to keep the surrounding hotels busy.