ReviewPro

Last week the ReviewPro team attended PhoCusWright@ITB 2011 New Media Summit. Here are some of the big ideas that were shared:

Collaborative consumption as a growing trend

The gap from “I want” to “you have” is shrinking as sites like AirBnB gain popularity. Additionally, consumers are grouping together to leverage collective buying power for discounts.

As hospitality companies, we must think how to work with this trend.

The end of the web, the rise of the “Splinternet”

The golden age of the web is ending, and we are seeing the rise of the “Splinternet” where most internet activity happens in applications and specific platforms.

Guests gaining inside information

TripAdvisor pioneered consumer-written travel reviews. Now, sites like Room77 and Seat Guru are growing around the concept that most reviews are too generic. Instead, they provide very specific recommendations about rooms within a hotel or seats on an airplane.

The web continues to push the boundaries of transparency.  Travelers are using technology to gain more and more inside knowledge.

Will sites like Room77 eventually lead to hotels selling room numbers?

Valuing social media endorsements

As we begin to understand the value of endorsements and recommendations on the social web, it will be interesting to see how hotels incentive these.

One concept proposed at PhoCusWright@ITB 2011 townhall brainstorming: What if you offered a discount code that people could only receive by scanning a QR code with their mobile phones, opting in to receive updates via SMS text message, checking into the establishment using Gowalla or Foursquare, and notifying their friends via Facebook and Twitter?

How much of a discount would you provide to gain that level of permission and coverage on the social web? Would the discount be tied to influence scores like Klout?

Some additional insights:

• Information gathering on the web has moved from “wisdom of experts” to “wisdom of the crowd” to “wisdom of my friends.”
• The little things count. What is a little amenity or feature you could offer that would tip a buying decision in your favor?
• Ask yourself: What is my unique selling proposition? What makes us special? (Tip: Use semantic analysis of reviews for ideas)
• Tell stories online by getting your guests to share their travel experiences.
• Promote free, easy access to WiFi if you want your guests to share experiences online. – Martin Schobert
• User interface and web experience is important for encouraging sales online – Bruce Rosard
• Listening to customers and staying on top of trends gives you a strong competitive advantage – Philip Wolf, founder, PhoCusWright