E Commerce On Marketing Strategy Of Hotel Industry Marketing Essay

E Commerce On Marketing Strategy Of Hotel Industry Marketing Essay E-commerce is defined as the complete set of process that supports business activities in 1970s and 1980s; this would also have involved information analysis. The growth and acceptance of credit cards, automated teller machine (ATM) and telephone banking in 1980s were also forms of e commerce. The web first become well known among general public in 1994 and it took four years for security protocols (like HTTPS) to become sufficient developed and widely deployed. E commerce starts its relations with hotel in twenty first century, which was very different and complex than before. This way of business attract the hotel also for upgrading their business and here the marketing strategies of hotel industry become changed. Direct link with the customers through e commerce gave ideas to the hotel industry to change the customers expectations like when, how they want their needs and what is the budget of the customers for their product (rooms). The usual expectation of the hotels is that e co mmerce promotes friction-free-capitalism (CF. [Gates 1995]), with distribution cost reduced. It is easy to see that how this can happen, as the older communication system such as the post office, telegraph, telephone and the fax have all served but the cheapest, easiest, and time reduction way for the hotel revenue is e commerce. Many hotels have registration and payment done online. By the e commerce a customer can select the hotel, days and type of rooms from those automatically listed as available. Also hotels can order their supplies from companies that have e commerce services available. It also help the customers to choose their needs without thinking of time duration weather it is day or night at anytime. (www.school-for-champions.com) Although we all would likely agree that a balanced distribution strategy, which leverages both direct and indirect channels, including third-party sites and the GDS, is the best solution to optimize hotel revenue, if we will focus on the advantages of direct distribution. Specifically, we will look at how direct distribution is empowering hotels like never before to drive demand, generate profitable business, and maximize ROI for owners, regardless of the affiliation they may choose. Here is just one example of the power of the Internet to level the playing field across hotels of all types. What do the Royal Crown, Sofitel Brussels, Hotel Amigo and Hotel Metro pole have in common? They are luxury properties. They are located here in Brussels. They have different brand promises to their guests. They include an independent, a branded property, and representation company hotel. What they all have in common is that each of these hotels is placed on page 1 of Googles search results when s earching for Brussels luxury hotel. They are on the first page of a popular European OTA, Lastminute.com. And they are listed as a preferred placement on the GDS. (www.hospitalitynet.org) So, the Internet is an equalizer. Hotels can compete at previously unattainable levels. Now, no matter what the distribution strategy or marketing affiliation, hotels can compete effectively across all distribution channels. What this new playing field has done is give control for all channels of distribution back to hotels. In the excitement over the Internet as a new distribution tool, hotels unintentionally relinquished too much control of their bookings to third parties. With direct distribution, hotels can take back control of their pricing, their brand identity, their promise to guests, and their relationship with the customer. Most importantly, direct distribution allows hotels to take back control of profitability. To understand where the marketing strategy is leading in hotel industry by e commerce there is an example. In yesterdays model, hotels entrusted others to do their bookings. In Europes fragmented hotel industry there is not any coordinated effort for its distribution. Here, the mostly independent and small hotels are less than 30 percent represented in the Global Distribution Systems. The travel agents and tour operators were the lifeline to most hotels. In this model, the consumer had to use the travel agent and tour operators access to hotel information to make informed decisions, as there was little information available directly to the consumers. For those that did decide to expand their reach through electronic distribution systems, the Global Distribution Systems were the only alternative. In this model, the Brands provided the much-needed visibility. It gave hotels an identity, a way to be recognized. For the consumer, the Brand delivered a level of comfort. It was a pledge to the customer to deliver THE SAME as they traveled to unfamiliar territory. There were no travel- blogs or other review sites. In yesterdays model, the stars system was THE hotel review system that proved the level of Quality. Some hotels did see the Web as an opportunity to present their selves online, displaying information pages about their hotel, more like an online brochure than an e-commerce site. This while some Travel agents did embrace e-commerce and ingeniously moved their models online with dramatically increased inventories, promising mass volume, but at the cost of profitability for hotels. (www.hospitalityebusiness.com) Things are changing as it is mentioned before and it is crucial for hotels to stay abreast of the market. If they dont, their long-term success might be jeopardized by increasing and intensified competition. Hotels who do not diversify by leveraging the multiple channels can find themselves in situations that parallel the 70s in Spain, where tour operators dictated the room rates. The Center for Regional and Tourism Research reported that in Europe online hotel room sales increased by as much as 34 percent from 2004 to 2005 and reached over 25 billion in Europe in 2005. A further increase of about 25 percent during 2006 is expected. 120 million consumers are online across Germany, the UK, Italy, France, and Spain, according to Forrester Research. Broadband has become widely available, and prices have dropped dramatically. Phocus Wright statistics released last days predict that almost 40% of hotel booking in Europe will be booked online by 2008. Forrester, also points out that TWO of the TOP THREE most popular online activities for all users are travel related-researching hotel for holiday destinations and preparing booking online. (www.hospitalitynet.org) These changes cannot be ignored. Consumer behavior is changing and hotels need to adapt their relationships to reflect these changes, or be left behind. If we will focus we can say the e-commerce does appear to be leveling the playing field, and its transparency seems to be dictating the need for new distribution models. Now Why would a hotel encourage its customers to buy via the intermediary for less when it means even less yield for them? The Intercontinental Hotel Group, who was among the first to implement Best Rate Guarantees, even went so far as to implement a code of conduct and certification program for partner intermediaries. The hotel group eventually withdrew its inventory from Expedia and Hotels.com. Not surprisingly, then, we see why many hotels are moving to a consistent online pricing policy a nd have made their own web site top priority. In 2005, European direct travel suppliers booked almost TWICE as much business as the intermediaries with 66% of travel sales. (www.hospitalitynet.org) The Internets capabilities have matured to the point that it really is changing the way they do business. And so a new direct distribution model has emerged. This change in the online marketplace is not only changing how consumers shop, it is influencing what they shop for. Lets see what this means to competition for a couple sample markets. In London, where all parties are growing, independent hotels have had a growth of 21.3 percent, leading to revenue growth of 19.2 percent-well above the market average. Independents have been able to increase their ADR by 2 percent year-over-year, which has allowed them to see increases in revenue of nearly 20 percent. Reservations also grew for this segment, illustrating that independents can command the high price for the business. Independent hotels are also making gains in Paris. Independents saw an increase in bookings of 12.7 percent, leading to revenue growth of almost 10 percent. They are also seeing some other interesting trends in the Paris market. Independent hotels are commanding a $100 premium on their ADR as compared to the branded hotels in this market. While independents have taken small increases year-over-year to maintain this high ADR, branded hotels maintained their year-over-year ADR and experienced a loss in bookings and revenue. This data, from Travel CLICKs pr oprietary database, shows that independents can in fact compete with the brands today. (www.hospitalityebusiness.com) Indeed hotels have many choices. The choice of direct or indirect distribution is often related to brand affiliation and many times they go hand in hand. It is a business decision whether to go independent or fly a brand flag a decision that includes distribution capability, marketing, management expertise, and more that all together translate into a ROI. Recently, The Righa Royale, The Greenbrier, Grand American, and Grand Bohemian Hotel are just a few of the hotels that have left brand affiliations to go solo. Now the de-branding phenomenon is making its way to Europe. For example, here in Brussels, the Royal Crown Hotel recently de-branded. A brand is the product of experiences and is much more than a name or a logo. A brand is a pledge to consumers to deliver consistency in an effort to meet expectations. (www.hospitalityebusiness.com) Franchise/management company fees do, however, represent one of the largest operating expenses for branded hotels. When we look at the average GDS fees, we come to a sample reservation cost of $25; the average OTA reservation cost is $33. And a direct booking through Web site will cost only $7.50 in this scenario. These high fees can be over 10% of room revenue, which is as significant as having a  ¼ share partner! (www.hospitalitynet.org) Again, we come to the same conclusion. With a level playing field, direct distribution will yield hotels higher profits than third-party bookings. In the new model, every customer counts. It should be no surprise that positive consumer reviews have helped increases sales on Amazon.com and eBay for years and now are doing the same for Travel city, Expedia, and Sheraton. Today there are Central Reservation Systems and enhanced web booking engines that help hotels merchandise and differentiate their properties. New content management solutions help manage and distribute rich digital content including photos, video, room plans, and other brand-defining elements that need consistency across all channels. Today channel management solutions can quickly and easily manage the ever-increasing number of channels including GDS and OTA Web sites through a single user interface. All this, together with real time market based Competitive Intelligence, makes hoteliers informed and in charge of their distribution. In fact, those who have taken control of their destiny are being rewarded with higher revenues. Now that everything is so connected there is consistent 2-way communication. A wealth of market intelligence enables hoteliers to make even more informed decisions on their distribution and marketing strategies. And CRM-like applications keep hotels in touch wi th their most important assets their customers. Another way of e-commerce is Search engine marketing, which is an essential component of the hotel direct online distribution strategy. Almost 85 percent of Internet users rely on search engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN to locate relevant information on the Web. Marketing is an extremely dynamic field. Search algorithms change, new search techniques and formats are introduced, new search services are launched, and new challenges emerge daily those keep search marketers busy. The result of web traffic affects a lot on those hotels, which are on the first page. Approximately 50 percent of people on the first page went to the second page and so on. Which affects the hotel and its marketing strategy off course. So the conclusion drawn from above is that competing on the search engines by appearing as early and as often as possible is of increasing importance. How a Web site achieves top position is not simply an adjustment of the Web page, but a concerted effort that requires time, expertise, and resources in Web site optimization and search marketing. Now another mode of attraction for the customers are how the web page of the hotel is made up have like how attractive is it and how much is it easier for a customer to search any information related to their need? If we will see in past there is an example, which can make it easier to understand. In a highly competitive northern California market, a boutique hotel needed to outsmart its competition and boost ADRs, revenues and occupancy rates. Internet distribution and marketing strategy developed from scratch. Actions: HeBS launched an aggressive Direct Online Distribution and Marketing Strategy for the hotel, including an award winning des igned Web site, email marketing, search marketing and link popularity strategies. Results: Within 12 months the hotel opt-in e-mail list grew from practically zero to more than 10,000 recipients. The website ranks in top positions on all major search engines for most popular keyword terms. The hotel website, supported by powerful email, search marketing, link creation and online sponsorship campaigns has indeed become the first point of contact with customers and over 50% of hotel bookings come via the hotel website.( www.hospitalityimpact.com) Many hotel sites are performing poorly as far as online distribution and search engine strategy are concerned. Why? Many hotel sites have been developed by Web designers who know nothing about the hospitality industry, based on input and concepts by hoteliers who are not experts on Internet strategy, online distribution, and E-Marketing. And many of them were designed as online brochures without taking into account principles in fundamental search engine marketing and online distribution. Such hotel sites inevitably produce poor results and few bookings. Strong search engine rankings require systematic, ongoing Web site optimization. Only a fully optimized site developed according to the best practices in online distribution and marketing can produce robust revenues, top search engine rankings, and position your hotel company ahead of the competition. Website optimization takes a comprehensive look at the Web site and prepares it for its best performance maximum user experience, book ability and conversion rates and yes, the search engines.

Social, Economic and Political Factors Involved in the Spanish Civil Wa

Social, Economic and Political Factors Involved in the Spanish Civil War With reference to any civil war in the 20th century examine the social, economic and political background to the divisions in the society involved. To what extent were the problems which caused the war resolved in the post-war period? The state of Spain during the early years of the 20th century can be said to have been a state of great "unease". Spain was one of the first powers to loose her imperial influence, the state was politically unstable, industrially weak and had suffered some humiliating defeats. It can be said that these were the main causes that lead to the great instability of Spain during the Civil war and post civil war periods. Left-winged radicalism and nationalistic movements, such as the Catalan movement frequently came into conflict with the central government, which lead the government to use corruption more and more frequently as a form of control. The result was a military coup in 1923 lead by Miguel Primo de Rivera. Rivera preferred a more direct way of governing, with a strong Christian base and a very anti-communist attitude. He did not like party politics, preferring to govern pragmatically, at first with a military cabinet, but later on (1926) he decided a systematic government would be more efficient. So he introduced the `National Assembly' intended to represent different classes and groups, probably to soften the opposition; as well as the Union Patriotica, created to mobilize popular support for his regime. Rivera also managed to strengthen the Spanish infra-structure, but the funding had to come from loans from other nations, because the upper classes would not a... ...d. A great success was the 1953 Madrid Pact between Spain and the U.S.A, which provided Spain with quite a substantial amount of military and monetary aid in return for access to its military bases. This pact, as well as the better relations between Spain and the other powers and the great stability brought about because of the enormous repression that came with his regime, led Spain to booming years during the 1960's. The Spanish people saw a better Spain, economically, but it was still in a very primitive state politically and socially compared to other european nations, who were not under military rule (with a few exceptions, of course). The end of the Franco regime left many scars in the social and political side of Spain. People had been submitted to a suppressive state, where very little regard for any basic human right was given.

Dante Alighieri’s Inferno Paper Essay

Inferno is the first part of Dante Alighieri’s 14th-century epic poem Divine Comedy. Inferno is an allegory telling of the journey of Dante through Hell, guided by the Roman poet Virgil. In the poem, Hell is described as nine circles of suffering located within the Earth. Allegorically, the Divine Comedy represents the journey of the soul towards God, with the Inferno describing the recognition and rejection of sin. Because Dante is an educated Christian, he uses mythological references to make Hell visually appealing. Dante is guided By Virgil because he believes Virgil represents human reason, something very important to Dante. The two poets begin their journey to Purgatory by descending into the first circle of Hell. The first circle of the nine is Limbo. Limbo is â€Å"a region on the edge of hell for those who are not saved even though they did not sin† (University of Texas). In Limbo, there is a castle with seven gates which symbolize the seven virtues (historylis ts.org). This castle houses the great poets Homer, Horace, Ovid, and Lucan; it also houses great philosophers such as Aristotle, Socrates, Plato, Heraclitus, Orpheus, and Euclid. Dante uses the allusion of Aristotle as â€Å"[a] man with honor and respect† (http://apliterature-sasd.wikispaces.com). The second circle is known as Lust. Lust consists of the â€Å"people who were overcome by lust† (University of Texas). The souls in Lust â€Å"are punished by being blown violently back and forth by strong winds, preventing them to find peace and rest† (historylists.org). The strong winds symbolize the restlessness of a person who is led by desire for another person. Dante comes across a couple, Francesca and Paolo, who were murdered because they were practicing adultery. Lust is guarded by the mythological creature Minos. Minos’ tail determines which level each and every soul belongs. Once a soul has told Minos why they are in Hell, his tail coils around his body and e ach coil represents a circle in Hell. Dante uses Minos as the â€Å"king of sinners† because Minos himself was surrounded by sinner during his lifetime. The Third circle is known as Gluttony. Gluttony is where the Gluttonous sinners suffer under a cold and filthy rain. Gluttony is guarded by Cerberus, the three-headed dog. Dante â€Å"adapts him to be more monstrous by his large size and ravenous bite, an apt symbol for gluttony† (foxtwin.com). Dante uses particular names for particular people in each circle. A prime example of this would be when Dante and Virgil come across Ciacco the most gluttonous  man. He warns Dante that their hometown, Florence, will be destroyed. The fourth circle, avarice and prodigality, is known for housing those who lust for material needs and those who keep their wealth all for themselves. The punishment for this circle is to carry around large boulders and bump against each other. â€Å"The boulder represents money and the weight of the boulder represents its weight in their lives† (University of Texas). Here, Virgil and Dante come across Plutus, the God of Wealth. Dante uses Plutus to symbolize â€Å"those that squander and gather money† (foxtwin.com). The two Poets also come across Dame Fortune, the spinner of the world. As a result of her spinning wheel, things turn from good to bad. Dante uses Dame Fortune to represent chance in a human’s life. The fifth circle represents Wrath and Sullenness. â€Å"Wrath is anger that is expressed and Sullenness is and that is repressed† (University of Texas). Dante and Virgil are transported across the Styx by Phlegyas,† the infernal employee†. Phlegyas is in Hell because he set fire to the temple of Apollo. The sixth circle represents Heresy. In Heresy, the heretics lie in tombs made of iron and engulfed in flames. While in Heresy, the Poets are temporarily halted and must wait for the help from Heaven. While waiting for help, Infernal Furies taunt and curse them. The seventh circle, Violence, is divided into three kinds of violence. The first is violence against neighbor s on the bloody River Phlegethon. The river is not made of water, but of blood. Here, Virgil and Dante come across the Centaurs, the half-man and half-horse creature. The poets also come across the Minotaur. The Minotaur occasionally eats seven young men and women, in which Dante uses to symbolize violence. The second violence is against self in the Woods of Self. â€Å"The souls of those who destroyed their bodies or their substance are here to be made into thorny trees† (foxtwin.com). Since the souls destroyed their own bodies, they were denied any resemblance to a body in Hell. The leaves of these trees were painfully eaten by the Harpies. The third violence is against God, Art, and Nature on the burning sand. The eighth circle consists of the fraudulent sinners. This circle is shaped similar to an arena with â€Å"ten concentric ditches where the sinners are tortured† (foxtwin.com). Each ditch is composed with different types of fraudulent sinners: the Panderers, the Flatterers, the Simoniacs, the Fortune Tellers, the Grafters, the Hypocrites, Thieves, and Deceivers. In circle eight, the Poets meet the complex monster Geryon. Geryon would lure  in his victims and then devour them, allowing Dante to use him as fraud. Dante also uses Pope Nicholas II as a symbol as fraud. The final circle is known as The Treacherous or Cocytus. Cocytus â€Å"is the coldest place in Hell† (University of Texas). This circle consists of four smaller circles: Caina, Antenora, Ptolomea, and Judecca. Dante uses three unnamed giants to symbolize â€Å"pride and other spiritual flaws lying behind acts of treachery† (University of Texas). Dante, in his work Inferno, uses several historical and mythological figures to show his Christian devotion and Greek mythological knowledge. He also used these figures to make the poem a better read and to make modern connections of the t ime.

Compare the way in which poets create a threatening or...

Compare the way in which poets create a threatening or menacing atmosphere in four poems. Write about Salome by Carol Ann Duffy and compare it with one poem from Simon Armitage and two from the pre 1914 bank. The poem ‘Salome’, by Carol Ann Duffy, is written in the first person, seemingly from the perspective of a woman given indicators such as the fact that the person has been involved intimately with a man; ‘the reddish beard’. The first three lines of the poem, all of which uses enjambment, only come to make sense as the poem is read, meaningless on their own. Carol Ann Duffy then immediately establishes an ominous ambience to the poem with the line ‘woke up†¦head†¦beside me’. The odd singularity of the head being mentioned†¦show more content†¦Interestingly, as with ‘Education For Leisure’, another of the poet’s poems, the adjective ‘glitter’ is used to create an immensely disturbing atmosp here. It contrasts so starkly from the rest of the poem excluding perhaps the first stanza, where the adjective ‘beautiful’ is used that it immediately grabs hold of the reader’s attention once more, especially as it is used to describe the speaker’s eyes. The word ‘glittered’ is not generally used in relation to describing a person’s eyes, unless it is the expression, ‘glittered with malice’; this in regards to eyes. The following imagery in the final stanza, ‘sticky red sheets’ and ‘his head on a platter’ is decidedly gruesome and unpleasant, ultimately confirming the unbalanced, psychotic state of the speaker’s mind. This also relates to the film ‘The Godfather’ where a man wakes up to find the head of his horse on the pillow beside him, also a decidedly unpleasant scene, an idea which perhaps Carol Ann Duffy has used within her own poem to help create a menacing atmosphere. ‘Those bastards in their mansions’, a poem from Simon Armitage’s ‘Book of Matches’, also creates a menacing atmosphere, but in a different manner. The storyline is about the speaker, some kind of revolutionary and his crusade against the wealthy and the properties they own; ‘mansions’,Show MoreRelatedRastafarian79520 Words   |  319 Pagesleader of thousands in the United States quite an amazing thing. Those who would presage the arrival of Rastafarianism also witnessed and read about the dramatic struggle of Emperor Haile Selassie to remove the Italians from his homeland of Ethiopia, which became the ï ¬ rst African nation to effectively oust, by force, a colonial power. These were monumental times, and these men, fully steeped in the apocalyptic visions of the world, saw something important in all of these happenings. I grew up in JamaicaRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagesthought-provoking, witty and highly relevant for understanding contemporary organizational dilemmas. The book engages in an imaginative way with a wealth of organizational concepts and theories as well as provides insightful examples from the practical world of organizations. The authors’ sound scholarship and transparent style of writing set the book apart, making it an ingenious read which invites reflexivity, criticalness and plurality of opinion from the audience. This is a book that will become a classic inRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesrecession of 2008) when one could quite plausibly argue that a new era had begun. A compelling case can be made for viewing the decades of the global scramble for colonies after 1870 as a predictable culmination of the long nineteenth century, which was ushered in by the industrial and political revolutions of the late 1700s. But at the same time, without serious attention to the processes and misguided policies that led to decades of agrarian and industrial depression from the late 1860s to