USA TODAY and Trip Advisor Reader Survey: After checking in?

As you may know, USATODAY.com and TripAdvisor.com periodically do reader surveys on various travel related areas. A few weeks back, they reported on the following answers to the question, “What is the first thing you do after checking into a hotel room?”

The results (in decreasing order) showed: 34% adjust the thermostat; 25% turn on the TV; 21% unpack; 7% check out the free toiletries;2% plug in rechargeable electronics; 1% find the gym; and 10% fall into the “other” category.

Seems like we should be doing something to take advantage of these statistics, no? C’mon South Florida, get creative!

Fake Online Reviews - Avoid At All Costs!

You may have read a recent news article about a company that was charged $300,000 in penalties for creating a "bogus grassroots buzz about a product".
Seems that employees were asked to post positive statements and glowing reviews on the web -- that is, to appear as satisfied clients.

In a related result, the FTC is revising its guidelines on the use of testimonials and endorsements to reflect the growth of online marketing.

As we know, Blogs and internet comments play an increasingly important role in affecting our income. Please make sure you avoid posting fake online reviews.

Do you have the back up to prove that the endorsements and testimonials you use in your advertising and promotional programs are from legitimate customers??

FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY OFFERS DEGREES AND CERTIFICATE IN HOSPITALITY AND EVENTS MANAGEMENT

Did you want to take a course or get your degree? There are a number of local colleges with opportunities.

Florida Atlantic University is now offering a special Meeting and Events Management Certificate Program starting on August 29 on 7 Saturdays, every other week, from 9 am to 3 pm. The curriculum is based on the Convention Industry Council’s guidelines for the 27 meeting planner industry functions.

Learn the language of meeting planning, discover the major responsibilities of a planner, and learn how to get a solid return on investment and handle logistics and negotiations. The program provides training for career development in this exciting field.

For More information on this Certificate program, contact them at 561-297-2544 or visit www.FAUContinuingEd.com or www.faumeetings-events.com, Other Executive Programs are viewable in their Fall 2009 course catalog at www.executiveeducation.fau.edu/Catalog

Building Brand Values (In Tough Times) – HSMAI South Florida’s July 22nd Meeting Presentation…

Our monthly educational meeting yesterday, July 22nd, at the new W Hotel – Fort Lauderdale was another sell-out event! We haven’t figured out why people still don’t believe us when we advise that they register early…

We’d like to thank Bruce Turkel, Turkel Advertising, for providing a highly educational and entertaining presentation (including some very talented harmonica renditions). His topic focused on branding. He noted that in these especially bad times, it’s harder to do business now. Everyone needs to accept that things have changed. We must figure out what to do about it and how to change the consumers’ perception of what you do or what your business offers them. In general, we should understand that you want people to do 3 things: remember you, recall you (the specifics) and then react to you, i.e. do something (like book your hotel?).

He offered us a list of seven techniques to change the perception of your business. If you change the perception, then you can change the reality and you will get a bigger piece of the pie (a larger share of the available business).

Here are his “Seven Simple Steps to Profitable Communications”:
1. All About Them – People care most about things that affect them. In order to reach them, you need to communicate in a way that tells them “what’s in it for me?”
2. Hearts Then Minds – People make decisions based on emotion and justify their decisions with the facts. To get someone to pay attention, you must get them emotionally involved.
3. Make It Simple – today’s world is a busy, confusing place. To make an impression and an impact, your message must be succinct and digestible.
4. Make It Quick – Things happen so fast these days that if you take your time, no one will wait around to receive your entire message.
5. Make It Yours – A message is truly powerful only if it is associated with you or your product. Make sure that the message you’re presenting belongs only to you and you alone.
6. All Five Senses – Conversations involved all of the human senses. To communicate effectively, make sure you’re engaging as many of your audience’s senses as possible.
7. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat – Your message must be repeated often enough that your audience can act on it. Ironically, this doesn’t give you license to be repetitive, but demands new and creative ways to reinforce your position.

And a special thank you to the W Hotel for their great service and a delicious meal. Quite a number of our attendees took advantage of the hotel tour after our event. We'll look forward to seeing Jay Guttveg's photographs posted on our website.

Plan now to book early for our August meetings so you don’t miss out! Visit our website for reservations and details: www.hsmaisouthflorida.org And if you're not already a member, won't you join now? Best, Julie Wernick, HSMAInsider, Managing Director, HSMAI-South Florida.

Monthly HSMAI Member Benefit – July 2009

Each month HSMAI offers a featured benefit. It’s a series of monthly messages highlighting exclusive HSMAI member benefits to help you get the most out of your membership. July’s is: Save on Exhibiting at HSMAI's 20th Anniversary Affordable Meetings National, and Event Technology Expo

HSMAI members can receive a $600 discount on exhibiting at one of the top shows for generating new business: HSMAI's Affordable Meetings National and Event Technology Expo, September 9-10, Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC.

Some of the show highlights are:
--They are celebrating their 20th Anniversary Year in 2009
--The Tradeshow brings in over 1,700 qualified meeting planners at the 2-day event.
--The Show delivers a 3:1 ratio of planners to exhibitors
--Over 90% of the attendees come looking for new resources and more than 56% of Affordable planners do not attend any other tradeshows
-- The profile of attendee planners at the National show is 28% association, 15% independent planner, 15% corporate, 15% non-profit, 13% government planner and 14% other
And:
--New this year is "networkNow!" This is a new electronic matchmaking service that links meeting planners in attendance with the show's exhibitors.

It has been said that: The Affordable Meetings National Show has always been a great way to connect with buyers from the Washington DC Metro area…Meeting many new planners that will utilize your hotels around the globe.

Welcome New HSMAI-South Florida Chapter Members

Here’s the latest posting of our new members in our blog since we did so on June 12th. As you know, they are listed on our Chapter’s website (and updated periodically) as well as recognized at our events and meetings. Please join me in issuing a warm welcome to the following members who have joined from June through today. They are:

Jame Anderson Dream South Beach
Michael Anthony Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
Dave Crory Cendyn
Madeline Daryadel Cendyn
Robin Deyo Cendyn
Cathy Ennis Sanibel Harbor Resort & Spa
Michael Fenick Broward College
Adam Fractenberg Cendyn
Mari Garci Hilton Ft. Lauderdale Marina
Erick Garnica Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel
Tracy Hutchin Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove
Robert Magliozzi Cendyn
Stanton Maines Innkeepers USA Trust
Liza Martinez Doubletree Miami Mart/Airpot
Lawrence Nagazina Florida International University
Minott Osborn ClickSquared
Bruno Perez Revpar Guru Inc.
Meghan Smith Cendyn
Gilda Steiger Cendyn
Caleb VanDyke Innkeepers USA Trust
George Vesa Strand Ocean Drive/Desires Hotels
Miles Volin Royal Caribbean Cruise Line

Best wishes! Cordially, the HSMAInsider, Julie Wernick, Managing Director, HSMAI-South Florida Chapter.

“Hotels to Stay In Before You Die” and other web articles…

Don’t you just love the idea of a hotel “bucket list”? -- Not the dying part, of course, just the experiential part. This was a recent article in Conde Nast’s concierge.com “World Beat” website. None of the hotels listed were in Florida, however, so I was thinking that one of our creative travel writers out there should develop a South Florida list. How about it guys? Any ideas?

There’s still time to participate in the Conde Nast “Win a $25,000 Dream Trip” promotion which ends on July 31st. Enter the promotion at: www.cntraveler.com/dreamtrip, then follow the rules and directions for the sweepstakes or even enter your winning photograph. Upload a photo from a trip and tell them what made it a great travel moment and you could win the trip to anywhere in the world. See the site for all details/requirements. Wouldn’t it be great if a South Florida picture was featured?

The following South Florida hotels were mentioned in the Conde Nast Traveler “Hot List Hotels 2009” North America list: The Regent (Bal Harbor), Viceroy (Miami), The Fontainebleau (Miami Beach) and the Mondrian (Miami Beach).

In a recent Fodor’s “Travel News” newsletter, was an article on the “Top Six Experiences in Florida’s Everglades”. The writer outlined the best ways to spend time in this “one of a kind” place. Categories included: Hiking, Walking, Boating, Bird watching, Biking, and Snorkeling.

And most recently, Fodor’s newsletter outlined “Miami’s 5 Best Beaches” for sun and fun. Found it interesting that one of the beaches listed was the Hollywood Beach! The other four beach locations were: Lummus Park, Matheson Hammock, Haulover, and the Cape Florida State Park. Parking tips for South Beach and pros and cons of each selection were also mentioned.

HSMAI South Florida’s “Around Town” Update – July 2009

Congratulations to Creative Focus Photography (and Jay Guttveg!) on celebrating 25 years in the business. In honor of their 25th anniversary, they are offering a 25% discount on any corporate studio headshot. This is the perfect time to update your image for websites, emails, or brochures. Contact Jay at: 954-753-3686. Note offer is good now through August 27th.

The Dania Beach City Commission cut pier admission fees in half for the summer to offer pier patrons a break and a low cost family friendly recreational activity. Fishing fees were reduced from $3 to $1.50 and sight seeing fees were lowered from $2 to $1.

The Riverwalk Trust is promoting its “Second on Second Thursdays” (the next one will be on July 9th) on Second street (Himmarshee Street) in downtown Fort Lauderdale. The networking happy hour costs $10 prepaid/$15 at the door and includes a free drink at each of the 7 participating locations. For more info, call 954-468-1541.

The Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale hosted the 69th annual Conference of the National Sheriffs’ Association. Room blocks were contracted with the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, Hyatt Pier 66, Marriott Harbor Beach and the Renaissance Hotel. More than 3,000 attendees provided an estimated economic impact of more than $6 million to our area.

Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB announced the return of Lauderdale Spa Chic. This month long promotion to be held in September 2009 invites guests to relax at local top spas for less – some with a savings of up to 50 percent. For a list of participating spas and/or to book your treatment, visit www.sunny.org/spachic.

In other news, we’ve learned that The Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB has added two more prestigious acclamations to its long list of industry awards: the 2009 World Class Award for outstanding service from Insurance & Financial Meetings Management, and a 2009 Distinctive Achievement Award from Association Conventions & Facilities. Each honor was awarded by the readers of these respective publications through open ballots inserted in recent issues. Congrats!

And to create a more welcoming and convenient experience for potential international visitors to Greater Fort Lauderdale, the GFLCVB has launched a new multi-lingual version of the destination's website, Sunny.org. In addition to the English version, the site can now be viewed in Spanish, French, and German.

Chris Thompson, the new CEO/President, VISIT FLORIDA, announced that the 2009/10 Strategic Marketing Plan and Budget has been approved, and their 13th fiscal year began July 1st. With reduced public funding and a newly optimized and realigned organizational structure, the strategic marketing plan is focused on maximizing the impact of core sales and marketing programs that create and add value for their industry Partners. Note: Financial commitments for cooperative partners have been reduced for most levels.

The Governors Conference on Tourism, themed “Selling the Sunshine – A Florida Tradition” will be held August 23 – 24, 2009 at the Fontainebleau Resort in Miami Beach. VISIT FLORIDA will be launching their new marketing campaign in a new format focused on getting the most value out of their programs, along with a roster of speakers on how to better compete in the near and long term. For more information go to visitflorida.org/gc

SW Florida – Be Alert for Counterfeit Cash…

The following information was recently passed along by the Lee Country Sheriff’s department: An elaborate scheme to pass counterfeit cash is affecting the way local companies do business in the Fort Myers area. It's also getting the attention of federal investigators. The bogus bills are getting past security measures and helping criminals pocket the real thing.

Three-thousand to $4,000 in fake money is spent in Southwest Florida every five days, according to the Secret Service. And if you think you know how to avoid being duped; they say the chances are that you're wrong.

Counterfeit bills (now turning up all over Southwest Florida) have watermarks, security strips and can even fool counterfeit-detecting markers.

The Secret Service says counterfeiters are bleaching five-dollar bills and reprinting them as 50s and 100s. That means the paper is authentic and it may be the same kind of counterfeit money that recently forced all local McDonald's restaurants to stop accepting hundreds.

Secret Service agent Jeff Kelly says there are ways to spot bleached bills.
"The watermark is of Lincoln instead of Grant," said Kelly, pointing out that the watermark on a counterfeit fifty shows the wrong president. He says the security strip is another indicator. In a bleached bill it will say "USA five," instead of "USA fifty." He says you can also check the ink of the number in the lower right hand corner. "It reflects back and forth much like a hologram does on a credit card," said Kelly. If you get a fake bill, agents recommend you don't confront the person who gave it to you. Ask for a different form of tender.

The bottom line is you need to take a few extra seconds to look over any bills you receive -- and that doesn't only apply to just fifties and hundreds.
According to the Secret Service, the most common counterfeit bill is the twenty!