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Newsletters & Articles

Staffing Your Hotel Post-Pandemic

By James Kennedy, Assurance & Marketing Program Director An insightful article I recently read titled “When Demand Returns, Will Your Hotel be Staffed Correctly?” by the president of Hospitality Performance Systems, Inc., got me thinking. Among the points it made regarding hotel staffing post-pandemic was to consider focusing on the short-term needs of your hotel….

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Maximize Your Marketing Exposure with Your Brand

Taking a proactive marketing approach in a very competitive hospitality industry is important in order to stay one step ahead of other hotels in your market. If you’re with a national brand, understanding the marketing campaigns the franchise places and resources offered to assist your property at a local level are good starting points.  …

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Media Buying Tips for your Hotel

How to Buy Billboards Buying billboards close to your location can be a strong complement to the corporate brand advertising that capitalizes on the value message, and is one of the best ways to influence a hotel decision at a critical time.   Look for board locations that will be viewed by traffic heading toward…

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The Road Most Frequently Traveled: OTAs Post-COVID

By Ruben Reyes, Assurance & Marketing Program Director Revenue management continues to be fundamentally important for any hotel to strategically align itself against its competitive set, but also during any economic state. During the oil and gas drilling boom in Texas, for example, hoteliers noted the building of full-service and upscale brands in rural towns that,…

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How to Build a Local Media List

By Al Cohen, PR Consultant So, you’ve got some important news to announce about your hotel. You took the time to produce a press release that’s well written, informative and professional looking. Now what? Who do you send it to? Below are some tips on how to build your own local media list so your…

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Does Your Post-COVID Survival Kit Include a Modified Break-Even Point?

By Ruben Reyes, Assurance & Marketing Program Director Does the idea of having to figure out the formula for determining your break-even point post-pandemic have you tossing and turning at night? If it does, then you are not alone. In the 20 some odd years that I have been working in the lodging industry, I…

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You’ve Got to Show to Grow! The Importance of Professional Hotel Photos

By Penny Duelk, Assurance & Marketing Program Director “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” That quote was credited to Albert Einstein, but some argue who said it first. Either way, it is quite befitting when it comes to hoteliers who question why they are not increasing revenue or,…

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Low-Cost Marketing Strategies to Increase Your Hotel’s Marketing Power

Previously, we presented an outline for preparing a local marketing plan for your hotel. Understanding you most likely have a limited budget, here are a few tips to generate awareness and revenue at little or no cost for your hotel.   Your State Division of Tourism is specifically marketing to business and leisure travelers who…

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Understanding and Improving the Content of Google My Business Pages

By Bridget Lohnes, Creative Services Manager Your Google My Business page is a free opportunity for connection with customers across Google Search and Maps. Maintaining and ensuring the content is current and accurate is key to successful online customer connection, which, in turn, will help increase your hotel business. Google My Business is constantly changing…

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Photo Recap of hihotels 2023 Mini Conventions

Current and potential franchisees alike attended the 2023 hihotels Mini-Conventions. Held at Top Golf locations in Mt. Laurel, NJ and Spring, TX, it was an opportunity to not only meet with the corporate team, but to also enjoy some good food and drink and practice your swing.

2023 AAHOA Convention & Trade Show Photo Recap

AAHOA recently held its annual Convention & Trade Show in Los Angeles. The hihotels team was comprised of President & CEO Chris Guimbellot (second from right) and (l-r) Franchise Development Directors Paul Vakharia, Vic Vescovo and Pat Cheedie. Chris Guimbellot had the pleasure of doing a video interview with Glenn Haussman. Several hihotels franchisees were…

hihotels 2022 Northeast Mini-Convention Photo Recap

New staff members Patrick Cheedie (left) and Vic Vescovo (right) and Paul Vakharia help set up. hihotels franchisees are anxious to check in. President & CEO Chris Guimbellot welcomes the group and provides an update on the company. Suchi Reddy from our platinum sponsor, Visual Matrix, with an informative presentation on cybersecurity. Then, it was…

2022 AAHOA Convention & Trade Show Photo Recap

AAHOA recently held its annual Convention & Trade Show in Baltimore, Maryland. The hihotels team was in full force. President & CEO Chris Guimbellot met with several members of the media, including Glenn Haussman’s popular No Vacancy podcast. It was great to catch up with so many of our franchisees at the event. Here are…

Industry Publications and Online News

It is more important than ever before that you regularly read the hospitality trade magazines and subscribe to their online services. The magazine subscriptions are very reasonable and most of the daily and online news information services are free. Not only will you know what your competition is doing – but you’ll be able to…

Bolster Your Bookings with a CAGE Code

Looking for a free and easy-to-implement way to increase bookings at your property? Then consider obtaining a CAGE Code from the Department of Defense’s Defense Logistics Agency to be a government contractor.   What is a CAGE Code? A CAGE (Commercial and Government Entity) Code is a unique, five-character, alphanumeric identifier that is required for…

Photography is Key When Posting on Social Media

In the marketing world, where content is king, images are the emperor. As humans, we connect emotionally to images more than text or audio. People take action quicker and make more decisions when prompted by images, rather than reading text. Because social media feeds are bombarded and updated constantly with new content, having an image…

Something to Consider: How Healthy is Your Gross Operating Profit Post, Post-COVID?

By Ruben Reyes, Assurance & Marketing Program Director   According to AAA, more than 50 million travelers were expected to hit the road for the Thanksgiving holiday this year, and 95% of these vacationers were expected to travel by car. These travel statistics reached pre-pandemic levels and were just 4% below 2019 levels, according to…

Something to Consider: Performance-Based Marketing

By Ruben Reyes, Assurance & Marketing Program Director   In a recent article, I talked about the importance of working with online travel agencies – to increase your hotel’s bookings and improve your online presence. One of the perks that goes along with working with an OTA is that your property’s listing is not only…

Tips to Manage Your Hotel’s Social Media Program

Social media is a commitment, but not an overwhelming task. If you (or you and your trusted staff members) devote time weekly toward social media, you will see strong growth over time. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see results overnight. It takes time for your pages to gain traction, but once they do, you…