Have You Answered the Call for Mobile?

Measuring the effectiveness of online marketing activities was the number one concern expressed by hoteliers at a series of summits hosted recently by SynXis, the Sabre Holdings business that provides complete hotel distribution and Internet marketing services globally.

More than 250 of SynXis' customers attended five global revenue and distribution summits around the world to share ideas and best practices for staying competitive in a difficult economic environment. Summits were held in Washington DC, Denver, London and Hong Kong, with a special session for gaming properties in Las Vegas, with each discussing regional trends.

SynXis customers including chains, independent hotels, casinos and value-added resellers gathered to listen to SynXis experts speak on the topics of: revenue management, pricing strategy, GDS marketing and Internet marketing, including strategies for leveraging social media as a distribution channel. Throughout the summits customers were polled on a variety of topics and the presentations were adjusted to address the specific outcomes. Several notable trends emerged:

• Where there once was a clear delineation between revenue management and marketing responsibilities, it appears a convergence is taking place with two-thirds of the attendees responding that they oversee and/or influence both revenue management and marketing activities.

• In every region, one of the top three biggest areas of concern was measuring the effectiveness of online marketing activities; yet less than a quarter of the attendees use web analytics or reporting as an integral part of their daily business.

• Other top areas of concern for the attendees included: competitive actions, business mix and shorter booking windows. These concerns were consistent throughout all regions.

• More than half of the attendees have experimented with social media for their hotels as they search in this environment for a form of differentiation, increased customer loyalty, and incremental bookings.

Based on these survey results, each regional event was customized for that audience's need, with the end goal being a focus on what each participant can do to immediately generate incremental revenue for their property.

'We found the day enormously beneficial - a day very well executed. The talks were relevant, topical and informative,' commented Duncan Bramwell, managing director for Distribution and Revenue Management Specialists. 'Certainly with this sort of initiative SynXis is demonstrating how it can sell more than just a technology solution; a powerful point of differentiation and advantage.'

"The traditional marketing role has evolved and is today, more fiscally accountable than ever before,' said Bruce Hyatt, vice president, marketing and strategy for SynXis. 'Marketing initiatives need to return a good level of investment and there is a lot of pressure to find new ways and new technology to make and save money for the company. An integrated marketing and distribution strategy is paramount in achieving this success; and SynXis has invested significantly in capabilities that enable us to be not just a technology provider but a true marketing partner to our hotel customers."

About SynXis(R)
SynXis, a Sabre Holdings company, provides complete distribution and Internet marketing services and technology for hotels around the world. SynXis connects hotels with their guests through increased exposure via all channels including GDS, third party travel sites and the hotel's own website. SynXis operates full-service global call centers offering private label reservation services. SynXis is the technology source for thousands of hotels, resorts, and destinations, including: Harrah's, Interstate Hotels & Resorts, The Peninsula Hotels & Resorts, Millennium Copthorne, Destination Hotels & Resorts, Shangri-la Hotels & Resorts and Jumeirah Hotels.

SynXis' corporate headquarters is in Southlake, Texas, with offices in Bethesda, Maryland, Amsterdam, London, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Montevideo and Buenos Aires. More information is available at www.synxis.com.

Sabre Holdings connects people with the world's greatest travel possibilities by retailing travel products and providing distribution and technology solutions for the travel industry. More information is available at www.sabre-holdings.com.With so much being written recently about mobile technology it is not difficult to hear the 'call for mobile.' What might be more difficult is determining exactly how and when to answer. With marketing budgets already in place, and in many cases slashed for 2009, if a mobile presence was not already in the plan, will you have to wait until next year? Like an online booking engine and Website before it, you don't want to be the last hotel on the block to 'go mobile.' Projections from the International Telecommunications Union estimated over 4 billion mobile subscribers at the end of 2008 representing over 61percent of the world's population.

E-site Marketing, a Sabre Holdings company and the Internet marketing arm of SynXis, has introduced its Mobile Website solution that gives hotel properties and chains a simple and affordable way to capture the growing number of consumers using mobile devices. E-site Marketing developed the platform to work in conjunction with the Internet marketing solutions and tools already available through SynXis. A recent PhocusWright study (PhocusWright's 2009 Mobile the Next Platform for Travel) found that when frequent business travelers browse the Web on their mobile devices, 77 percent use it to find local attractions and services and 69 percent use it for maps and navigation services.

'Our customers have been asking us what direction they should take when it comes to a mobile solution for their property,' said Robert Dawson, chief technology officer for E-site Marketing. 'With the vast majority of mobile users still just interacting with maps and phone numbers that functionality seemed like the most logical place to start. Our turnkey solution features one-click on address and phone number that invokes directions map and automatic dialing. We will soon be rolling out our mobile booking engine to help properties take their mobile solutions to the transactional level.'

The SynXis Mobile Website Platform enables hotel Websites to be rendered on all major smart phones and cell phones. The proprietary software automatically detects and redirects visitors that are using a mobile device to hotelier's customized mobile Website. And unlike other freeware available, SynXis' Mobile Website works in conjunction with the hotel's URL which means it can take advantage of existing search engine rankings and linkage partnerships from the mobile device. The proprietary Content Management Tool allows for easy and direct access for hotel staff to update their own mobile website content just like they would the traditional Website. SynXis mobile solutions also include a booking engine, soon to be released, which enables mobile users to check availability and book a reservation using their mobile devices. As an extension of any Internet Marketing program, SynXis can customize a mobile marketing program that includes pay-per-click advertising, local search and opt-in SMS marketing. More customized mobile solutions are also available for the iPhone.

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts is using the mobile Website platform for many of its hotel websites (eg: http://mobile.rosewoodsandhill.com/) and Corporate Director of Marketing Christine Jackson comments, 'We recognized that our target audience is the exact demographic that is using smart phones to do everything from 'Facebooking' to researching travel, both business and leisure. The new mobile Website solution ensures we don't miss out on these very valuable travelers and provides us an invaluable guest services contact point for guests en-route to our properties."

About SynXis and E-site Marketing
As an integral part of Sabre Holdings' hospitality businesses, SynXis and E-site Marketing provide innovative technology and services in the areas of distribution and Internet marketing, with solutions focused on helping hotels generate revenue and effectively merchandize their properties in all distribution channels. SynXis and E-site Marketing have corporate headquarters in Southlake, Texas and Bethesda, Maryland with offices in Amsterdam, London, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Montevideo and Buenos Aires. More information is available at www.synxis.com and www.esitemarketing.com.

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