Chris looks at 8 TripAdvisor marketing mistakes that hotels and motels often make and discusses strategies and tactics for replying to reviews, ensuring all communications are appropriate, how small hotels have a distinct review request advantage and considers the merits of both the TripAdvisor Review Express and Business Advantage features.

Check out our hotel marketing blog at https://www.locusfocus.co

Check out our hotel marketing consulting services at https://www.locusfocus.co/consulting/

What is Locus Focus marketing strategy and how can it help your hotel attract and delight more guests?

In this jam packed episode Chris ties everything together and explains the philosophy behind the Locus Focus approach to hotel, motel and B&B marketing.

Discover the key elements of Locus (your location) including product, service and value and how these are reflected in your Focus (your branding and online presence) and enhanced through better visibility, clarity and conversion.

Check out our hotel marketing blog at https://www.locusfocus.co

Check out our hotel marketing consulting services at https://www.locusfocus.co/consulting/

Improving the coffee guest experience in your hotel or motel might be as easy as upgrading your instant coffee sachets and being more generous with them, or as complex as installing Nespresso machines in every room. In this weeks podcast, Chris discusses some of the reasons why coffee is such a powerful compound and how you might consider your coffee guest experience. He also discusses the merits of placing a coffee machine in your lobby or reception area or guest room, and runs through all the options for improving coffee in guest rooms.

A poll from on whether guests prefer Coffee machines in reception areas or rooms:

http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/10/12/hotels-coffee-wrong/

View the show notes for this episode at https://www.locusfocus.co/sharper-hotel-marketing/coffee-strategies

Check out our hotel marketing blog at https://www.locusfocus.co 

Chris explores the very real problem of controlling cockroaches in hotels, and how to reduce the chances of these pests ruining your reputation. He also discusses an innovative Australian made product called Grate Seal that can eliminate the most common entry point for cockroaches.

Branding style guides are the blueprint for your branding identity which gets replicated across your online presence and real world marketing. In this episode, Chris explains what a branding style guide is and why it's so critical for hotels of all sizes.

View the show notes for this episode at https://www.locusfocus.co/sharper-hotel-marketing/branding-style-guides

Check out our hotel marketing blog at https://www.locusfocus.co

Content strategy is the basis for solid email marketing campaigns. In this week's episode Chris will break down exactly the difference between content marketing and content strategy and then discuss the types of content that gets results over time in email marketing for hotels. He also talks about segmentation of your audience and what content will appeal to most guests while still taking into account special interests. Finally, he finishes with some powerful examples on how you might want to structure your email messaging to get the best open rates and engagement.

View the show notes for this episode at https://www.locusfocus.co/sharper-hotel-marketing/email-marketing-strategy

Check out our hotel marketing blog at https://www.locusfocus.co

Chris dives head first into what is Content Marketing for hotels in 2017 and why it is perhaps the most important foundation for hotel marketing in general.

Topics include how one of the first examples of content marketing was in the hospitality industry, Skift and their success with content marketing, defining exactly what content marketing is, what it isn't... and giving explicit and practical examples of content marketing strategies for hotels using their blog.

Chris also cheekily answers the questions raised by a recent Skift Research Report into Content Marketing - in his own words.

Finally he gives some examples of how all hotels can start their content marketing strategy using multiple hotel blogs.

The State of Content Marketing in Travel 2017
https://research.skift.com/reports/the-state-of-content-marketing-in-travel-2017/

This Old Marketing Podcast (Recommended)
http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/pnr-with-this-old-marketing-podcast/

View the show notes for this episode at https://www.locusfocus.co/sharper-hotel-marketing/content-marketing-for-hotels

Check out our hotel marketing blog at https://www.locusfocus.co

Chris established one of New Zealand's first successful 24 hour gym brands "Burn 24HR Fitness" in 2009 so he has plenty of valuable advice from all perspectives.

In this value-packed podcast he talks about his recent bad guest experience at a top Brisbane hotel gym, the main road blocks to a great guest experience at hotel gyms, how you can provide an exercise solution if you don't have space for a gym, opening your gym 24 hours and the problems with security and safety, and practical advice on choosing the best equipment and accessories.

View the show notes for this episode at https://www.locusfocus.co/sharper-hotel-marketing/hotel-gym-best-practices

Check out our hotel marketing blog at https://www.locusfocus.co

Chris delves into the top 10 mistakes many hotel marketing website are making. He also covers the importance of the right mindset for hotel website design including not treating it as a project, considering the complete guest journey and the importance of relevant local and neighbourhood content.

View the show notes for this episode at https://www.locusfocus.co/sharper-hotel-marketing/top-ten-website-mistakes

Check out our hotel marketing blog at https://www.locusfocus.co

Nick explores the ways in which smaller hotels, B&Bs and independent operators should think about their branding. Hint: it's a lot more than just a fancy logo and perfectly chosen fonts.

View the show notes for this episode at https://www.locusfocus.co/sharper-hotel-marketing/branding-for-hotels

Check out our hotel marketing blog at https://www.locusfocus.co