DIGITAL MARKETING FOR HOTELS AND RESORTS IN A MULTISCREEN WORLD

Produced by Tim Peter, President & Founder of Tim Peter & Associates, LLC in conjunction with Joe Hyman, President & CEO of Vizergy

Travel shoppers and guests constantly research and book rooms on multiple screens and devices, often shifting from

screen to screen without even thinking about it. The opportunities available to hospitality marketers due to this

“anytime, anywhere” access to information far outweighs the downsides — so long as you take advantage of them.

2 / Digital Marketing for Hotels and Resorts in a Multiscreen World

The Multiscreen Environment

Hospitality marketers already face myriad choices in how

to reach their guests and targeted travel shoppers, whether

through search, social media, display media, or email market-

ing. And recent changes in how consumers access information

only serve to compound this challenge. These changes have

been driven by the emergence of new devices that allow con-

sumers to access media and services where and when they

want, using one — or more — of four key screens:

• Television

• PC (desktop or laptop)

• Mobile (specifically 3G, 4G, and

Wifi-enabled smartphones)

• Tablet computers (such as the iPad,

Nexus, Galaxy Note, or Kindle Fire )

This “4 screen” landscape offers a variety of challenges for

hospitality marketers. However, the opportunities avail-

able to marketers due to this “anytime, anywhere” access to

information far outweighs the downsides — so long as you

take advantage of them. According to recent research, nearly

90% of all media consumption every day occurs across these

4 screens. Televisions, PCs, mobile devices like smart phones,

and tablets have replaced newspapers and magazines as many

consumers’ go-to source for information and entertainment.

Your ability to reach your customers going forward depends

on your ability to reach across these 4 screens at the right

time to engage and attract potential guests. This paper seeks

to help you adapt your efforts to do just that.

Core Questions

Because of the growth of multiple screens and mobile

technology, the digital travel lifecycle now encompasses all

steps in your customer’s journey, including:

1. Research. Guests discover options for where to stay.

2. Booking. Guests choose the property that meets

their needs and reserve their stay.

3. Experience. Guests arrive on-property. Mobile

and multiscreen allow effective marketers to

reach guests on-property in ways that haven’t

existed before.

4. Relive. Guests post photographs and share stories

with friends and family on social networks, reliving

their experience again and again.

5. Return. Guests engage with the property post-stay,

increasing the likelihood of a return visit.

Throughout the aforementioned digital travel lifecycle, provide the right content

in the right screens to nurture and grow travel shoppers into return guests.

3 / Digital Marketing for Hotels and Resorts in a Multiscreen World

The most effective marketers going forward will be those

who adapt their efforts to reach their customers at each

step in the process and on each screen. While this may seem

a daunting task, you can meet and exceed customer expecta-

tions in the multiscreen world by continually asking these

three key questions:

1. What screens and devices do my guests use?

2. How do my guests use that device?

3. How can I support my guests and deliver

my message on that device?

The following sections seek to answer these questions and

provide a framework you can use to continue answering them

in your hotel every day.

Overall Multiscreen Activity

Thanks to the growth of the multiscreen world, your guests

can access information about travel when and where they

want. Television still represents the king of media-consump-

tion devices, with consumers logging more than 43 minutes

per day in front of the tube across 114.1 million households.

But, TV is no longer “the idiot box” it once was. eMarketer

research suggests almost 25% of all US households use

Internet-connected TVs regularly and projects that number

to increase to roughly 53% within 4 years.

In addition, due to multiscreen shopping behavior, guests

don’t need a “smart” TV to connect with the information they

want. Today, many consumers use 2, 3 or all 4 screens at some

time during their travel planning experience. According to

Google, 77% of consumers use another device while watching

TV, with smartphones representing the most common “second

screen” and tablets close behind. One notable effect of this is

that TV often drives search activity (whether on smartphone

or tablet), based on what consumers see on-screen. As the

IAB states, “...[d]igital dominates product research; 72% of [4

screen] respondents’ sources are online.”

Over time, both the actual screens your guests use and the

total number of screens used may shift. In fact, according to

Nielsen, TV ownership has declined by over a million homes

in the last two years as consumers watch more video online,

and smartphone use now trails TV by only a small margin.

Additionally, just as television ownership has declined slightly,

PC sales have fallen over the last several years due to the

introduction of inexpensive but powerful tablet computers

(and, in some cases, mobile phones).

By contrast, it’s possible that Google’s Project Glass and its

competitors — computing devices worn like eyeglasses or wrist-

watches — may take the place of a consumer’s smartphone. In

any case, the following data from Pew Research illustrates how

common Internet-connected devices have become:

i  Device

Mobile PhoneSmart PhoneTablet computer (iPad, Android, Kindle Fire, etc.)Desktop computerLaptop computer

% Of American Adults Who Own i

85%45%25%58%61%

4 / Digital Marketing for Hotels and Resorts in a Multiscreen World

This all adds up to tens of millions of consumers in millions

of households that are using multiple devices and screens to

research and book travel.

Your Guests' Multiscreen Activity

Of course, none of this data matters if it doesn’t reflect your

guests’ activity. Fortunately, many tools exist to help you

understand and react to that activity. We recommend the

following steps to find and reach your multiscreen customer:

1. Review your website data to drive your digital marketing

decisions. Industry statistics may be helpful at times, but

nothing is more relevant than your customers’ actual activ-

ity. Your web analytics provide actionable insights into the

devices your customers use both today and in the future. To-

day, mobile often accounts for 10% to 20% of website traffic.

Work with your agency to review your data for the past 6-9

months and note both the total amount of mobile traffic and

the growth in that traffic. While no growth curve continues

indefinitely, the data outlined previously suggests mobile

volume will likely continue to increase over the next several

years. Ultimately, marketers achieving the greatest success

with multiscreen guests do so by letting the data drive their

decisions. As the market continues to change and as guests

adopt an increasingly diverse set of devices, you can no lon-

ger rely on instinct or feel to know what’s most appropriate.

Monitor your site’s data regularly and use that data to drive

your digital marketing decisions.

2. Target your actions to your guests’ most common devices —

and their expected outcomes. Research from Google shows

that guests use the device most appropriate to their goals at a

given time. Additionally, 90% of consumers move across sev-

eral screens to accomplish those goals, starting on one device

and moving to others as location, available time, and desired

goals shift . For example, roughly 75% of travel shoppers use

tablet computers in their home, as opposed to the almost two-

thirds of smartphone shoppers who use their device outside

the home, with the single greatest percentage of that time

(28%) spent in their car. These different contexts lead to very

different consumer behaviors. Among “true” mobile users (as

opposed to those using tablets), 33% look to purchase within

the same day, reflecting the “on-the-go” reality these travelers

face. Leading brands in mobile marketing across such diverse

industries as hospitality, travel, publishing, entertainment,

and financial services have learned that success comes

from using the best screen available to the consumer at a

given time and tailoring your message to that situation. First,

review what information these guests are searching for and

on which screen (again, your website analytics can help you

understand this information). Then ask, “How can I enable

guests to accomplish their specific goal (research, booking,

loyalty, mapping, calling, etc.), given their conditions (avail-

able time, location, etc.)?” For instance, some hotel chains

offer “Hotels Near Me” search functionality on mobile devices,

allowing guests to find hotels quickly without entering infor-

mation already available to the device. Others have removed

their requirement for guests to provide a credit card during

Additionally, 90% of consumers move across several screens to accomplish those goals, starting on one device and moving to others as location, available time, and desired goals shift .”

”

Digital Screens & Content Development

Travel Shoppers

Digital Landscape

Content

Multiple Devices &

Screens

Segments

Time Travel LIFE CYCLE

What information are different groups searching for?

When and how is content accessed?

Hotel Internet marketing is complex to say the least. Marketers need to be experts on the various digital devices/screens, the proper content to serve on said screens, and the consumer behavior of travel shoppers, which all converge in the ever-changing digital landscape.

When in the cycle is information accessed? RESEARCH

BOOKING

EXPERIENCE

RELIVE

RETURN

Target Market

Which screen are they are using, and what are they doing?

GOOGLE GLASSImage Credit: Google

5 / Digital Marketing for Hotels and Resorts in a Multiscreen World

booking process on mobile devices, streamlining consumers’

ability to book when in a time-constrained environment. It’s

also important to put yourselves in travel shoppers’ shoes

from time to time. Evaluate your Web presence across each

screen to make sure you’re providing seamless transitions

and the information needed.

3. Ensure consistent messages across channels. In a world

with consumers accessing information on 2, 3, or 4 screens,

“offline” rarely exists any longer. In fact, according to one study,

44% of cell phone owners sleep with their phones to ensure

they’ve got access to the information they want, when they

want it. This “always on” behavior explains why guests shift

devices as needed to accomplish their goals. For example, while

one-third of mobile users book within the same day, that still

leaves two-thirds not ready to book who will continue to seek

additional information at a later time and, often, on another de-

vice. Providing clear, consistent messaging across experiences

helps potential guests retain valuable information and “pick up

where they left off” as they shift devices.

Check out the following infographic that breaks down the digital screens and content development considerations.

6 / Digital Marketing for Hotels and Resorts in a Multiscreen World

4. Leverage email marketing. Email offers an excellent

tool to ensure consistent messaging across devices, and

also dramatically increases the likelihood to book, literally

putting your brand in your hands. Along with accessing the

Internet, reading and sending email remains one of guests’

primary activities across all screens. Additionally, guests

opting to receive email communication from hotels and

resorts frequently convert at a higher ratio relative to other

marketing channels. Delivering timely, relevant and mobile

optimized email offers ensures your hotel remains in front of

your guests when they’re ready to research, shop, and book

regardless of the screen they use to connect with your hotel.

Having data with a high level of integrity in your property

management system or eCRM system enables you to send

targeted and personalized emails.

5. Explore cross-device functionality. Guests frequently

access your hotel’s information on several devices across

multiple sessions prior to booking. Explore ways to aid them

in saving and sharing information across those devices, for

example through loyalty programs or customer logins. Make

it easy for guests to move across devices and you will increase

their likelihood to be engaged and make a purchase. You

should also encourage guests at the property level to post,

tweet and pin their own user generated content, as mobile

devices have made this such an easy task. This way, guests

become brand advocates, and their sharing becomes viral,

spreading across their social networks like wildfire.

6. Responsive design or separate mobile website? You may

have read about or already be using responsive design, where

your website morphs and changes to fit any screen in the mar-

ket. Responsive design works well in most instances, but can

also be complex. Many times, a separate mobile website, in

addition to your traditional website, is just as effective. Read

more about this topic here “Responsive Website Design for

Hotels — Is it Your Only Option?”

Future Trends

Guest activity across multiple screens continues to evolve. For

instance, Nielsen notes, “...the smartphone is not just a tool

meant for quick, impulse info and decision making, but that

it’s also utilized as part of a longer and more informed mobile

path to purchase.“ One mobile use exhibiting surprising growth

is video consumption. According to BI Intelligence analysis of

Nielsen data, the US mobile video audience increased 77% to

36 million viewers over last two years.” The Nielsen data also

shows, “...almost half of videos watched on smartphone screens

are 10 minutes or longer.” Recent data from VFM Leonardo

supports that conclusion, with the company noting guests using

tablets and smartphone viewed 40% and 50% more video con-

tent, respectively, than those on desktop or laptop computers.

Additionally, data suggests that “...almost half of mobile travel

users go on to make a purchase related to the activities they

completed via their mobile device — with 29% completing the

purchase on the smartphone itself.” However, for those not

purchasing on their mobile device, moving to another screen

as part of their shopping experience may mean starting the

process over again. This trend may shift over time as screen

sizes change and guests become more comfortable booking

on mobile devices.

Hospitality marketers must continue to explore ways for guests

to collect information as they move across devices. But, by

monitoring your hotel’s website data and targeting your activi-

ties to the needs and goals that data suggests about your guests,

you put yourself in a strong position to meet your guests’ needs,

regardless of which screen they choose today or in the future.

7 / Digital Marketing for Hotels and Resorts in a Multiscreen World

Conclusion

Serving guests across 4 screens is not simple.

As a result, making the transition from a

“single screen” marketer will not happen over-

night. Guest behavior will continue to evolve

as guests themselves grow more comfortable

with multiple screens, retire some, and adopt

others. Your marketing activities will likely

need to evolve with those changing behaviors.

But, great hoteliers already know how to

listen to their guests and accommodate their

needs at any given time. In a multiscreen

world, “listening” and “accommodating” simply

translate to:

• Using your data to drive your

digital marketing decisions

• Targeting your activities to your

guests’ chosen devices and goals

• Ensuring consistent messaging

across devices, including email,

SMS and exploring cross-device

functionality.

While no one can predict whether guests will

use their television, PC, smartphone, tablet, or

a combination of devices to find and research

their next stay, this framework enables you to

find customers and accommodate their needs

no matter how, where, and when they choose

to connect, today, tomorrow, and in the future.

This means to increase engagement and rev-

enue for your property.

Tim Peter is President and Founder at Tim Peter & Associates,

LLC, a full-service e-commerce and digital marketing

consulting firm. Tim Peter & Associates focuses on the

growth of the social, local, mobile web and its impact on both

consumer behavior and business results. Previously Tim

served as Managing Director for the premier independent

luxury hotel representation firm and led e-commerce and

digital marketing for the world’s largest hotel franchisor.

Joe Hyman, President & CEO of Vizergy, is an experienced

entrepreneur with an extensive background in sales,

marketing and management, with over 18 years of

hospitality experience. Joe started Vizergy, a leading hotel

Internet marketing company that works with management

companies, branded properties and independent properties,

in 1998. He was named one of HSMAI’s Top 25 Most

Extraordinary Minds in Sales and Marketing in 2009.

Tim Peter

PRESIDENT & FOUNDER

Tim Peter & Associates, LLC

Joe Hyman

PRESIDENT & CEO

Vizergy

Endnotes

g   Open Parachute Blog, http://openmarketing.com/blog/the-importance-of-all-4-screens/, Retrieved December 2012

g   Google, “The New Multi-screen World: Understanding Cross-platform Consumer Behavior,” August 2012

g   Vizergy SEO Super Reporter® Portfolio Stats and Trends, 2012-13

g   Number of TV households declines for second year, Nielsen reports. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/tv-column/post/number-of-tv-

households-declines-for-second-year-nielsen-reports/2012/05/03/gIQAdNDyzT_blog.html, February 2013

g   eMarketer, “A Quarter of US Households Now Have a TV Connected to the Internet,” Retrieved from http://www.emarketer.com/newsroom/index.php/

emarketer-quarter-households-tv-connected-internet/#wUtjKLfSB4bdKB3Y.99, January 2013

g   Pew Internet, Mobile data, Retrieved from http://pewinternet.org/Commentary/2012/February/Pew-Internet-Mobile.aspx, December 2012

g   Google, “The New Multi-screen World: Understanding Cross-platform Consumer Behavior,” August 2012

g   xAd, Telmetrics, Nielsen “Mobile Path to Purchase Study,” August 2012

g   xAd, Telmetrics, Nielsen “Mobile Path to Purchase Study,” August 2012

8 / Digital Marketing for Hotels and Resorts in a Multiscreen World

About Vizergy®

Vizergy is an award-winning digital travel marketing company

that empowers hoteliers to know more, do more and achieve

more — with the ultimate goal of delivering maximum online

revenue. The company uses best practices and data driven

decisions to provide strategic guidance in the evolving world

of online marketing. Online marketing services include search

engine optimization, pay-per-click and display advertising, local

marketing, website and mobile website design and develop-

ment, reservation software and advanced analytics. Since 1998,

Vizergy has propelled thousands of branded and independent

hotels, resorts and hotel management companies to success.

For more information on Vizergy and its services, please visit

vizergy.com, call William Bellis at 904.389.1130 Ext. 171 or

william.b@vizergy.com. Join us on Facebook, LinkedIn and

Twitter.

Do you have any other burning questions that we did not

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