By now, you’ve all received a copy of our latest HSMAI-South Florida Quarterly newsletter. We’ve gotten quite a number of positive comments from our members and readers. Thank you to Gabriele Gannaway, our VP of Communications, and the rest of her committee, including Sheryl Cattell, for compiling and producing the recent newsletter, along with our Chapter President Stacie Faulds.
To be included in a future edition, do make sure you send in your people changes, promotions, happenings, and the like. We also would like to get some suggestions for a name for our newsletter. Any ideas?
Here’s one of the letters we received in response to the content in our newsletter as sent to our HSMAI-South Florida Chapter President:
“Stacie, I am very proud of the accomplishments of the South Florida Chapter, and being designated as the best chapter in HSMAI.
I first joined an HSMA chapter in Miami Beach in 1956, and the organization, through its chapter and national and regional conferences, enabled me to begin getting a resounding education from my peers. I learned the basics and the true meaning of being a hotel sales executive. I went on to enjoy a good career in our industry, and am still acting as a consultant to hotel owners and chains today.
The work you are doing leads to wonderful things for your members, who see the value in taking your programs seriously.
Congratulations, and from one old timer, thank you for your leadership.
Sincerely, Sig Front”
What a wonderful letter! Thank you Sig.
See everyone at the July 22nd lunch meeting at the W Hotel.
Don’t forget to reserve online as soon as you can. Best, Julie Wernick, HSMAInsider.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Tell Michael Mayo Where to Go….
Michael Mayo is a columnist for the Sun-Sentinel newspaper. In a recent article he mentioned that he was developing his own bucket list in “celebration” of his 20th anniversary in South Florida. He’s putting together a list of all the things he hasn’t done in our area and then plans to write about his experiences. In his search for suggestions, he’s reached out to his readers to come up with ideas as well as ways to help him make them happen.
Don’t you think our hospitality community is uniquely qualified to offer Michael some great suggestions? We certainly know our area – what to see and do.
So guys, put your creative hats on. Don’t just think travel agent FAM – think of things you enjoy and that you value about living and working here.
Write to Michael at: mmayo@sunsentinel.com
Looking forward to reading your ideas -- Best, HSMAInsider, Julie Wernick
Don’t you think our hospitality community is uniquely qualified to offer Michael some great suggestions? We certainly know our area – what to see and do.
So guys, put your creative hats on. Don’t just think travel agent FAM – think of things you enjoy and that you value about living and working here.
Write to Michael at: mmayo@sunsentinel.com
Looking forward to reading your ideas -- Best, HSMAInsider, Julie Wernick
Thursday, June 18, 2009
HSMAI-South Florida Offers Fact-Filled Webinar on June 17, 2009
About 25 people attended our presentation on Wednesday, June 17th on Web 2.0 Social Media/Networking, etc. The hour-long session was free to members; In addition, a number of non-members joined the group. We were pleased to have David Atkins, who sits on the Americas Board of HSMAI, join us for questions and comments after the viewing.
There was a lot of material in the webinar to absorb in one sitting. Seven basic areas were covered with specific sites and actions suggested. The major focus of the program was on search engine optimization of social media. This puts your property/company on the first page or in the first few selections that pop up when consumers are searching (e.g., by using Google, etc.) for your area, your product, or service. Some of the suggestions included tagging all the pictures on your website, submitting items to Wikipedia, posting videos to YouTube, getting a twitter account, doing a blog. It was noted that 46% of people will look at between 4 and 7 customer reviews before making a decision. Do you want the customer to get the information from you or from someone else?
In essence, you must begin to familiarize yourself with the various options that exist out there. Check out what consumers are saying about you. Get to know some of the sites and possibilities. You must know the rules in each site before posting any information. As a minimum, you can verify what is listed, enhance the information, provide links to the website, and tag them with keyword phrases. Formulate a plan for your organization. There are many ways to do this.
David Atkins offered some insights for us after the webinar. As some of us discussed afterwards, there is no such thing as a Social Media "Expert"; they all just know different bits and uses. David shared in an informal manner some of what he sees on a daily basis. He thinks that the best bet is to focus on the core business/consumer/visitor and objective, then view Social Media (or any media) thru that lens. “The key as with all forms of media, marketing and most business is to have a cohesive strategy for your business.”
For those who want more details he’s sent along a link to the Knowledge Networks data - http://www.knowledgenetworks.com/news/releases/2009/052009_social-media.html ; Another item discussed was a link to the Twitter monitor tool; This is www.twendz.com -- and there are many, many others for "reputation management" thru various Social Media platforms so you can more easily "listen" to what your customer is already saying and doing.
We also wish to send a special thank you to Stacie Faulds, our Chapter President, for hosting us at the Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB offices. See you at our July 22nd meeting at the new W Hotel or at the Hyatt Coral Gables on August 19th. Your HSMAInsider, Julie Wernick, Managing Director
There was a lot of material in the webinar to absorb in one sitting. Seven basic areas were covered with specific sites and actions suggested. The major focus of the program was on search engine optimization of social media. This puts your property/company on the first page or in the first few selections that pop up when consumers are searching (e.g., by using Google, etc.) for your area, your product, or service. Some of the suggestions included tagging all the pictures on your website, submitting items to Wikipedia, posting videos to YouTube, getting a twitter account, doing a blog. It was noted that 46% of people will look at between 4 and 7 customer reviews before making a decision. Do you want the customer to get the information from you or from someone else?
In essence, you must begin to familiarize yourself with the various options that exist out there. Check out what consumers are saying about you. Get to know some of the sites and possibilities. You must know the rules in each site before posting any information. As a minimum, you can verify what is listed, enhance the information, provide links to the website, and tag them with keyword phrases. Formulate a plan for your organization. There are many ways to do this.
David Atkins offered some insights for us after the webinar. As some of us discussed afterwards, there is no such thing as a Social Media "Expert"; they all just know different bits and uses. David shared in an informal manner some of what he sees on a daily basis. He thinks that the best bet is to focus on the core business/consumer/visitor and objective, then view Social Media (or any media) thru that lens. “The key as with all forms of media, marketing and most business is to have a cohesive strategy for your business.”
For those who want more details he’s sent along a link to the Knowledge Networks data - http://www.knowledgenetworks.com/news/releases/2009/052009_social-media.html ; Another item discussed was a link to the Twitter monitor tool; This is www.twendz.com -- and there are many, many others for "reputation management" thru various Social Media platforms so you can more easily "listen" to what your customer is already saying and doing.
We also wish to send a special thank you to Stacie Faulds, our Chapter President, for hosting us at the Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB offices. See you at our July 22nd meeting at the new W Hotel or at the Hyatt Coral Gables on August 19th. Your HSMAInsider, Julie Wernick, Managing Director
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
HSMAI South Florida Membership Overview Presentation
Great PowerPoint Presentation created by Julie Wernick on why everyone in the Travel & Hospitality industry needs to join HSMAI South Florida
HSMAI South Florida
View more OpenOffice presentations from gueste2b7e40.
Friday, June 12, 2009
New HSMAI-South Florida Chapter Members
It’s been a while since we’ve posted our new members in our blog. As you know, they are listed on our Chapter’s website and updated periodically, as well as welcomed at each of our events and meetings. Please join me in issuing a warm welcome to the following new members who have joined from March through today.
They are:
Catherine Garcia - Morgans Hotel Group
Saul Sarmiento - Morgans Hotel Group
Sharon Cowie - Ritz-Carlton
Shena Corrado - Florida International University
Rachel Schiff - Florida International University
Elizabeth Dexter - Regent Bal Harbour/The
Michael Futch - Westin Colonnade
Fred Bean - REBEL Travel Corporation
Edd Moss - Ramada Hollywood Beach Resort
Paul Royall - Sherry Frontenac
Michael Reich - Wyndham Miami Airport Hotel
Rosalie Hagel - M. Silver Associates
Marc Metz - Newport Beachside Resort
Cristina Valasek - Chima Brazilian Steakhouse
Merrill Shupnick - Sombrero Resort & Marina
John Allan - Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort
Billy Belack - Hotel St. Augustine
Estelle Bode - Howard Johnson
Julie Burnstein - Betsy /The
Nelson Garcia - Tecton Hospitality/Desires Hotels
Lilian Garzon - Tecton Hospitality/Desire Hotels
Katiria Gonzalez - Tecton Hospitality/Desires Hotels
Mark Schmidt - Tecton Hospitality/Desires Hotels
Chuck Acker - La Mar Excursions, Inc
Denise Gaines - Hollywood Beach Marriott Hotel
Josh Reich - JDRQuest
Mari Garcia - Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina
Dave Crory - Cendyn
Madeline Daryadel - Cendyn
Robin Deyo - Cendyn
Adam Fractenberg - Cendyn
Robert Magliozzi - Cendyn
Meghan Smith - Cendyn
Gilda Steiger - Cendyn
Stanton Maines Innkeepers USA Trust
Liza Martinez - Doubletree Miami Mart/Airport
Minott Osborn - ClickSquared
Caleb VanDyke - Innkeepers USA Trust
Best wishes!
Cordially, the HSMAInsider, Julie Wernick, Managing Director, HSMAI-South Florida
They are:
Catherine Garcia - Morgans Hotel Group
Saul Sarmiento - Morgans Hotel Group
Sharon Cowie - Ritz-Carlton
Shena Corrado - Florida International University
Rachel Schiff - Florida International University
Elizabeth Dexter - Regent Bal Harbour/The
Michael Futch - Westin Colonnade
Fred Bean - REBEL Travel Corporation
Edd Moss - Ramada Hollywood Beach Resort
Paul Royall - Sherry Frontenac
Michael Reich - Wyndham Miami Airport Hotel
Rosalie Hagel - M. Silver Associates
Marc Metz - Newport Beachside Resort
Cristina Valasek - Chima Brazilian Steakhouse
Merrill Shupnick - Sombrero Resort & Marina
John Allan - Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort
Billy Belack - Hotel St. Augustine
Estelle Bode - Howard Johnson
Julie Burnstein - Betsy /The
Nelson Garcia - Tecton Hospitality/Desires Hotels
Lilian Garzon - Tecton Hospitality/Desire Hotels
Katiria Gonzalez - Tecton Hospitality/Desires Hotels
Mark Schmidt - Tecton Hospitality/Desires Hotels
Chuck Acker - La Mar Excursions, Inc
Denise Gaines - Hollywood Beach Marriott Hotel
Josh Reich - JDRQuest
Mari Garcia - Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina
Dave Crory - Cendyn
Madeline Daryadel - Cendyn
Robin Deyo - Cendyn
Adam Fractenberg - Cendyn
Robert Magliozzi - Cendyn
Meghan Smith - Cendyn
Gilda Steiger - Cendyn
Stanton Maines Innkeepers USA Trust
Liza Martinez - Doubletree Miami Mart/Airport
Minott Osborn - ClickSquared
Caleb VanDyke - Innkeepers USA Trust
Best wishes!
Cordially, the HSMAInsider, Julie Wernick, Managing Director, HSMAI-South Florida
Thursday, June 11, 2009
FDLE Warns Hotels Statewide About Crank Caller Wreaking Havoc…
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE),in conjunction with Florida’s Regional Domestic Security Task Forces and business partners, has an alert system designed to bolster the ability of Florida’s businesses to protect themselves and their communities against potential threats. BusinesSafe, a counter-terrorism program created by FDLE, allows businesses statewide to receive timely electronic alerts on domestic security-related issues affecting their industry. It also provides businesses with sector specific safety tips that highlight ways to identify suspicious activity and better protect assets. Businesses are encouraged to pass on unusual activity.
BusinesSafe issued a statewide warning, today, about a crank caller wreaking havoc at a hotel, and stated that briefing employees of this potential threat could prevent thousands of dollars in damage to businesses across the country. Here is the information, in the alert, as provided by the Conway Police Department:
On Saturday, June 6, 2009, a telephone prankster posing as a sprinkler company employee caused havoc Saturday morning at an Arkansas Holiday Inn when he convinced an employee to set off the hotel’s fire alarm, smash windows, shut down electricity, and breaks a sprinkler head that flooded the building lobby.
….. According to police, Holiday Inn employee Christina Bergmann was at the front desk early Saturday when a male caller "identified himself as an employee of Grennel Fire Sprinkler service." The man told Bergmann that there was a problem with the hotel's fire sprinklers and that she "needed to pull the fire alarm to reset them," cops reported. "Bergmann proceeded to pull the fire alarm at this point, causing the audible alarm." Bergmann, aided by a hotel guest, would subsequently follow a series of directions from the caller that would result in about $50,000 in damages to the hotel's windows, carpets and electrical system. Hotel guests, who were evacuated during the incident, were allowed back into the Holiday Inn after police and fire officials determined that the caller was an imposter. Since a similar prank call was made to a Holiday Inn in Little Rock, Conway cops alerted fellow Arkansas law enforcement officials that "more of these calls could be coming in," according to the police report.
So, please, pass along this information to your employees and fellow hoteliers. As they say, better safe than sorry…
BusinesSafe issued a statewide warning, today, about a crank caller wreaking havoc at a hotel, and stated that briefing employees of this potential threat could prevent thousands of dollars in damage to businesses across the country. Here is the information, in the alert, as provided by the Conway Police Department:
On Saturday, June 6, 2009, a telephone prankster posing as a sprinkler company employee caused havoc Saturday morning at an Arkansas Holiday Inn when he convinced an employee to set off the hotel’s fire alarm, smash windows, shut down electricity, and breaks a sprinkler head that flooded the building lobby.
….. According to police, Holiday Inn employee Christina Bergmann was at the front desk early Saturday when a male caller "identified himself as an employee of Grennel Fire Sprinkler service." The man told Bergmann that there was a problem with the hotel's fire sprinklers and that she "needed to pull the fire alarm to reset them," cops reported. "Bergmann proceeded to pull the fire alarm at this point, causing the audible alarm." Bergmann, aided by a hotel guest, would subsequently follow a series of directions from the caller that would result in about $50,000 in damages to the hotel's windows, carpets and electrical system. Hotel guests, who were evacuated during the incident, were allowed back into the Holiday Inn after police and fire officials determined that the caller was an imposter. Since a similar prank call was made to a Holiday Inn in Little Rock, Conway cops alerted fellow Arkansas law enforcement officials that "more of these calls could be coming in," according to the police report.
So, please, pass along this information to your employees and fellow hoteliers. As they say, better safe than sorry…
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
HSMAI June 2009 Member Benefit of the Month
As you may recall, each month headquarters promotes a “Member Benefit of the Month”. This is a special series of monthly messages highlighting exclusive HSMAI member benefits to help you get the most out of your membership. It’s also a way of saying thank you for being a member of HSMAI.
June’s Benefit is: HSMAI Travel Internet Marketing White Paper: "Capturing Market Share & Driving Revenue Online: Effective Internet Marketing Strategies for Recessionary Times".
The HSMAI Travel Internet Marketing Special Interest Group is presenting a ten-part series of white papers, as part of its mission to increase members' awareness and understanding of emerging issues, opportunities and trends. The reports, published by the HSMAI Foundation, and sponsored by TIG Global, are offered complimentary to members.
The first paper in the series: "Capturing Market Share & Driving Revenue Online: Effective Internet Marketing Strategies for Recessionary Times" is now available.
The white paper is a compilation of ideas and feedback from the Travel Internet Marketing SIG Advisory Board, led by Christine Beuchert, director of e-commerce at Marcus Hotels in Milwaukee. "As marketers we cannot overlook the fact that consumers are increasingly becoming more Web savvy, instead we must determine the best practices for using this growing medium to grow our bottom line," said Beuchert. "The white paper dissects the components of an online strategy and offers tactical advice for travel marketers to consider."
This is just one example of the resources available through your membership that help save time by centralizing information. In the Travel Internet Marketing Special Interest Group area of the HSMAI Foundation's eConnect, you can also find the latest articles, publications and SIG newsletters highlighting news and resources.
If you have questions or comments, contact HSMAI headquarters at info@hsmai.org or (703) 506-3280. (Need your member number to log on? Contact me at hsmaisouthflorida@gmail.com)
June’s Benefit is: HSMAI Travel Internet Marketing White Paper: "Capturing Market Share & Driving Revenue Online: Effective Internet Marketing Strategies for Recessionary Times".
The HSMAI Travel Internet Marketing Special Interest Group is presenting a ten-part series of white papers, as part of its mission to increase members' awareness and understanding of emerging issues, opportunities and trends. The reports, published by the HSMAI Foundation, and sponsored by TIG Global, are offered complimentary to members.
The first paper in the series: "Capturing Market Share & Driving Revenue Online: Effective Internet Marketing Strategies for Recessionary Times" is now available.
The white paper is a compilation of ideas and feedback from the Travel Internet Marketing SIG Advisory Board, led by Christine Beuchert, director of e-commerce at Marcus Hotels in Milwaukee. "As marketers we cannot overlook the fact that consumers are increasingly becoming more Web savvy, instead we must determine the best practices for using this growing medium to grow our bottom line," said Beuchert. "The white paper dissects the components of an online strategy and offers tactical advice for travel marketers to consider."
This is just one example of the resources available through your membership that help save time by centralizing information. In the Travel Internet Marketing Special Interest Group area of the HSMAI Foundation's eConnect, you can also find the latest articles, publications and SIG newsletters highlighting news and resources.
If you have questions or comments, contact HSMAI headquarters at info@hsmai.org or (703) 506-3280. (Need your member number to log on? Contact me at hsmaisouthflorida@gmail.com)
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Bing.com -- the newest flavor of the month?
If you’ve seen the television commercials and read the hype lately, you’d think that Bing.com was the be all and end all of search websites regarding travel (and other areas) to come into existence. Some reporters are questioning whether Bing.com will outweigh more popular sites in the battle for web usage.
Well, at the moment, the travel portion has a long way to go. In fact, not every city is listed or included – even some that you think should be there. Having been to St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, I thought I’d look up some information on that destination to compare it to other sites I’d visited before my trip. If you choose the U.S. Virgin Islands and then click on destinations, the only city that comes up is Charlotte Amalie (in St. Thomas) and only one hotel there is listed as “popular”. St. Croix doesn’t exist according to Bing.
When I searched for Fort Lauderdale, the results were a bit more extensive. You click US, then Florida, then Fort Lauderdale to arrive at the most “popular” hotels. There are least 15 from which to choose on the pop-up screen right away. We can only assume that the skeptical consumer will be smart to question the choice of the word “popular”. The copy indicates that you will be able to compare reviews of these places, etc., but there aren’t any links provided to get these reviews. When you search for reviews (that is, type “reviews of Fort Lauderdale hotels” and then click on search), you get a list of sites like trip advisor and similar. If you click on a hotel’s name, you may get a few reviews. One featured hotel listed only 4 comments (from 2006 and 2007) and provided by “travelpost” (sorry I’m not familiar with them) which is a bit meager.
At the moment, Bing.com isn’t challenging anyone and has a way to go before becoming the champ it’s claiming to be. But like everything else technologically today, changes happen fast. So keep watching. Who knows, maybe Bing will be the new flavor of the month? Can it be just a few months ago that the world heard about twitter and now we can’t live without it? So South Flroida, what do you think about Bing?
Well, at the moment, the travel portion has a long way to go. In fact, not every city is listed or included – even some that you think should be there. Having been to St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, I thought I’d look up some information on that destination to compare it to other sites I’d visited before my trip. If you choose the U.S. Virgin Islands and then click on destinations, the only city that comes up is Charlotte Amalie (in St. Thomas) and only one hotel there is listed as “popular”. St. Croix doesn’t exist according to Bing.
When I searched for Fort Lauderdale, the results were a bit more extensive. You click US, then Florida, then Fort Lauderdale to arrive at the most “popular” hotels. There are least 15 from which to choose on the pop-up screen right away. We can only assume that the skeptical consumer will be smart to question the choice of the word “popular”. The copy indicates that you will be able to compare reviews of these places, etc., but there aren’t any links provided to get these reviews. When you search for reviews (that is, type “reviews of Fort Lauderdale hotels” and then click on search), you get a list of sites like trip advisor and similar. If you click on a hotel’s name, you may get a few reviews. One featured hotel listed only 4 comments (from 2006 and 2007) and provided by “travelpost” (sorry I’m not familiar with them) which is a bit meager.
At the moment, Bing.com isn’t challenging anyone and has a way to go before becoming the champ it’s claiming to be. But like everything else technologically today, changes happen fast. So keep watching. Who knows, maybe Bing will be the new flavor of the month? Can it be just a few months ago that the world heard about twitter and now we can’t live without it? So South Flroida, what do you think about Bing?
Monday, June 1, 2009
Summer Vacation
The word “staycation” is so overused now, that I almost cringed when I heard it on TV adapted to a moisturizer commercial the other day. Have you noticed that every product from coffee to doughnuts has been playing on the mini-vacation concept? Adopted or adapted the “stay at home and spend less” money idea? So, I’m going back to using my old “playing tourist at home” phrase until they come up with a new buzzword. I have been doing in-state Florida vacations, without any labels, for quite a number of years. One summer I tried to take advantage of my husband’s award points and visit almost every Florida beach/coastal hotel in the program for a weekend.
Now that summer vacation time is upon us, I’ve started thinking about where to go (back to) in Florida. I was reading the June/July issue of City & Shore magazine published by the Sun-Sentinel and fell in love with the “here & now” article written by their editor, Mark Gauert. It so captured warm feelings about a summer vacation in South Florida that I asked Mark for his permission to quote an excerpt in this blog.
The beginning of the article talks about Mark dreaming about going to Provence. He lists all the things he’s looking forward to doing – complete with all the sounds, smells, and tastes, when a “sweet” voice interrupts him to say there’s no way they can go to France this year. Mark answers: “I know there will be no sojourn in Drome Provencale this summer for me. No sunny bike rides down lavender-smoked hills. No croustillant of sea bass with olive tapenade just down the road.”
The article continues: “I am awake now. Fully conscious. Spending my summer vacation in South Florida.
I am gliding past the ocean on A-1-A in Palm Beach County, the sound of crushed seashells popping and pinging the spokes of my bike. The sun of South Florida warms my face. I can see ahead to the Royal Park Bridge crossing the Intracoastal, the blue water glistening beside the City of West Palm Beach. The scent of sea salt and aquatic life drifts up from under the bridge. It’s making me dizzy – or maybe I’ve just waited too long for lunch.
I’m dreaming now of a fresh grilled dolphin sandwich, with fries and coleslaw, at a place up ahead on the waterfront. A beer would be nice with that. Maybe a Cotes-du-Rhones. // I’m about to make up my mind when I hear the sweetest voice. “You must be dreaming” she says. No, I say, Not this time.”
Hey hospitality industry doesn’t this make you wish you could visit South Florida, too? Wait a minute, we live and work here. Why not invite your friends…
Now that summer vacation time is upon us, I’ve started thinking about where to go (back to) in Florida. I was reading the June/July issue of City & Shore magazine published by the Sun-Sentinel and fell in love with the “here & now” article written by their editor, Mark Gauert. It so captured warm feelings about a summer vacation in South Florida that I asked Mark for his permission to quote an excerpt in this blog.
The beginning of the article talks about Mark dreaming about going to Provence. He lists all the things he’s looking forward to doing – complete with all the sounds, smells, and tastes, when a “sweet” voice interrupts him to say there’s no way they can go to France this year. Mark answers: “I know there will be no sojourn in Drome Provencale this summer for me. No sunny bike rides down lavender-smoked hills. No croustillant of sea bass with olive tapenade just down the road.”
The article continues: “I am awake now. Fully conscious. Spending my summer vacation in South Florida.
I am gliding past the ocean on A-1-A in Palm Beach County, the sound of crushed seashells popping and pinging the spokes of my bike. The sun of South Florida warms my face. I can see ahead to the Royal Park Bridge crossing the Intracoastal, the blue water glistening beside the City of West Palm Beach. The scent of sea salt and aquatic life drifts up from under the bridge. It’s making me dizzy – or maybe I’ve just waited too long for lunch.
I’m dreaming now of a fresh grilled dolphin sandwich, with fries and coleslaw, at a place up ahead on the waterfront. A beer would be nice with that. Maybe a Cotes-du-Rhones. // I’m about to make up my mind when I hear the sweetest voice. “You must be dreaming” she says. No, I say, Not this time.”
Hey hospitality industry doesn’t this make you wish you could visit South Florida, too? Wait a minute, we live and work here. Why not invite your friends…
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