HFTP HITEC Conference – Disruption Gets Personal

An overview of the impact that Big Data, the demise of rate parity and the personalization of hospitality through the sharing economy have on traditional hotel industry distribution. Presentation by Robert Cole of RockCheetah for the Distribution Super Session at the Hospitality Finance and Technology Professionals 2014 HITEC Conference held Tuesday, June 24, 2014 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California.

Rainmaker Gaming & Hospitality Customer Conference

An discussion of the challenges facing hotel revenue managers as hotel distribution channels become more complex and chaotic. Presentation by Robert Cole of RockCheetah to the Raimmaker Revenue Management 2014 Gaming and Hospitality Customer Conference held Wednesday, March 26, 2014 at the Bacara Resort and Spa in Santa Barbara, California.

HTNG – 2014 North American Conference

An overview of the disruptive business models and technologies impacting the global hotel business by Robert Cole of RockCheetah. The presentation for the Hotel Technology Next Generation 2014 North American Conference held Wednesday, March 5, 2014 at the Rancho Bernardo Inn in San Diego, California.

ReviewPro Webinar – Top Social Media Strategies for 2014

A webinar sponsored by ReviewPro covering Social Media Strategies for hotels held December 10, 2013 featuring: Daniel Edward Craig, Reknown, Robert Cole, RockCheetah; Suzie Wotton, Red Carnation Hotels; and Adele Gutman, Library Hotel Collection

PhoCusWright Travel Innovation Summit Bingo

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.

HSMAI – Hotel Management Company Sales & Marketing Roundtable

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

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.

Google Redesigns Hotel Search with Big Integration

Google’s hotel search has to balance the needs of hotels, online travel agents, travelers and advertisers. By updating their hotel search, Google has certainly won more fans from the hotel community, but has not alienated advertisers – especially the OTAs. Their trick was to unify hotel search with other forms of local search and to smartly focus on the needs of the consumer.

Rental Car Pricing, Tax & Fee Demolition Derby

A fourteen dollar daily rate sounds like a great deal for an mid-size rental car – until the total for a three day rental comes to $83.56. That’s right, 98.95% in taxes and fees. If that seems excessive, one can always get to a lower percentage by renting a Mustang Convertible for $210.64 per day or $842.04 for three days – that’s works out to only 33.25% ($210.12) in taxes and fees. But the most disturbing part is the inaccurate calculations used for taxes and fees. With errors that never seem to work out in favor of the traveler.

A Hotelier’s Take on IATA’s New Distribution Capability

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.