The PhoCusWright Travel Innovation Summit has 30 companies pitching a panel of judges and audience on a wide range of new travel technologies and online services. Travel Innovation Summit Bingo was invented for those attention deficit disorder sufferers who struggle to maintain focus during the six hours of demonstrations. Grab a Bingo card, find a few friends to play with, and get ready to track all the buzz words flying forth from the stage.
Getting Rev’ved Up About Hotel Rate Parity
October 28, 2013 By 1 Comment
WIth the United Kingdom Office of Fair Trading deciding that hotel rate parity (resale price maintenance) policies must be abolished, the global travel industry must now prepare for a seismic shift in the balance of power between online travel agencies (OTAs), hotel brands and individual hotel properties. It’s a shame that British regulators got it completely wrong.
HSMAI – Hotel Management Company Sales & Marketing Roundtable
October 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment
A presentation discussing the changing hotel distribution landscape by Robert Cole of RockCheetah. The briefing was designed to address emerging trends impacting revenue management. The audience was the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International’s hotel management company sales & marketing executive roundtable held Thursday, October 10, 2013 at the Crowne Plaza Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia,
VFM Leonardo Webinar – Benefits of Marketing on Online Travel Agencies
September 25, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Robert Cole was invited by VFM Leonardo to participate in a webinar covering the benefits of marketing to OTAs and specifically how to The session was held online on September 25, 2013. It was stressed that the focus should be on business and marketing objectives and not solely the technologies.
Valuable Lessons from Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlours
June 6, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Bob Farrell and his eponymous Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlours created a legendary brand that was known for its birthday party and special occasion celebrations enjoyed by children, their parents and grandparents alike. Farrell’s secret? He ran the operation like a bar for kids. A concept that was lost after the business was acquired.
A Hotelier’s Take on IATA’s New Distribution Capability
June 4, 2013 By 3 Comments
The International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) controversial decision to adopt the Airline Tariff Publishing Company (ATPCO) XML standard based on the Farelogix Air Commerce Gateway that was supported by the now defunct Open AXIS group is misguided. Its focus is airline-centric, ensuring the airlines full control over search and booking transactions occurring within their ecosystem. Like so many other things in the world of airlines, it really should be customer focused.
How Big Data, Deep Web & Semantic Technologies Change Travel Marketing
April 17, 2013 By 1 Comment
Big Data, The Deep Web and the Semantic Web are all buzzwords that are bandied about, but they represent very real technologies that will dramatically alter the foundations of travel marketing. Robert Cole’s Keynote presentation to the 2013 Association of Travel Marketing Executives addresses the main benefits of deploying the technologies. Incredible opportunities exist for those who smartly plan to adopt the technologies to effectively engage with travelers.
Transforming Supplier-driven Travel Booking Experience
February 14, 2013 By 3 Comments
The personalization and customization of the customer experience will mark the greatest transformation for travel booking. To sustain relevance and foster loyalty, travel sellers and suppliers will need to focus on understanding the context of traveler behaviors to create sustainable value in an effort to extend lifelong customer relationships. A Tnooz-Monetate webinar titled “Transforming the Supplier-driven Travel Booking Experience” included presentations by RockCheetah founder Robert Cole and Monetate CMO, Kurt Heinemann.
ATME Presentation – Collision of SEO and Social, Who Draws the Creepy Line?
October 31, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Robert Cole presented “The Collision of SEO & Social – Who Draws the Creepy Line?” for the Association of Travel Marketing Executives (ATME) Annual Conference held on June 27, 2012 at the W City Center in Chicago, Illinois. Travel industry marketing leaders were challenged to think about the ethical and privacy implications of their strategies.
How to Get Found – Search, Social, Local and Mobile | SkiTops
August 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment
SkiTops, the Ski Tour Operator Association, invited Robert Cole to give the keynote presentation at its annual SkiTops University event on July 31, 2012 at Grans sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, Nevada. The subject was how Search, Social, Local and Mobile was impacting travel marketing and technology, as well as the ski industry. The conference also featured a presentation by Roy Tuscany of the High Fives Foundation, a non-profit that supports athletes that have sustained life altering injuries while participating in winter action sports.
