Linchi Kwok, Ph.D.

Technology has become the norm in today’s society, which has greatly impacted the hospitality industry from all different angles.  Restaurants depend on easy to use point of sales (POS) systems such as Squirrel or Aloha, but what about other departments such as Revenue Management and Sales and Marketing?  The business intelligence goal is to solve this issue by providing the most efficient and up-to-date information on tracing booking patterns as well as maximizing promotional marketing to external outlets.  It is important for hotels to understand the efficiency that business intelligence can offer; it isn’t the technology that seems complex, but rather the algorithms used to collect all the data.  Of course, those who may use this program won’t have to worry about complicated calculations or data collection, even though they already have the experience of gathering the information. Business intelligence should be used hand-in-hand to complement the skill...

As technology advances in our society, it creates a myriad of changes that help improve people’s everyday lives.  A particular advancement, the creation of the Internet, has proven to be essential to the success of the hospitality industry.  It efficiently tracks, records, and provides information in a matter of minutes when it would have taken hours to do it manually.    In the past, people normally went to travel agents and spoke to them in person to arrange their trip.  When the Internet was created, travel agents took their business to the Internet.  Guests were happy to make the switch; after all, it was more convenient for them to book their travel online than in person.  Realizing that guests could book directly from the hotel’s website instead of from OTAs (Online Travel Agents such as Expedia.com), hotels have long tried to persuade guests to book through their own website.  After all, why pay someone else to do the job when you can...

I attended the Social Media Marketing World Conference 2014 in San Diego (#SMMW14).  I heard many case studies and real success on social media marketing, which were drawn from different industrial sectors and represented a variety of social media platforms.  In the end, I made one conclusion: Listening and responding to customers is the core principle of social media marketing.  Companies now can answer the following questions by analyzing the consumer data on the Internet: For what purpose or on what occasion do customers use a product/service? What do they like or dislike about a product/service? And for what reasons? Who is actually buying and using a particular product/service? When is the best time to communicate with the target customers on social media? Where is the best "place" to reach the target customers? Is it that simple?  Just "listen" to what customers said online, and then "respond" to what they need?  Check out my reflectio...

DoubleTree by Hilton shows us how to win customers with its signature chocolate cookies .  For over 20 years, the signature chocolate cookies have become the buzzword associate with the brand and a symbol of the company's "care culture."   This time, DoubleTree developed a series of marketing strategies around the signature cookies, including: Initiating a "pay it forward" event by giving two cookies to every in-house guest or a person on the street — one for the guest, the other for passing along. People are also encouraged to answer "Who else deserves some Cookie Care?" on DoubleTree's social media channels. Making Cookie Care tour stops. During this scheduled tour, the hotel will surprise customers in selected locations with Hilton Cookie Care giveaways. "#CookieCare" Sweepstakes on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other major social media platforms. Selling the chocolate chip cookie dough on the hotel's website in l...