Travel Trends

Rebound or Dead Cat Bounce?

Martin Kelly — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:32:15 +0000

SO many people trying to talk up the travel industry at the moment but three "Sales" emails in three days from Accor Hotels Asia Pacific, Oaks Hotels & Resorts, and Mantra Hotels, Resorts and Apartments suggests that the recovery, if it's on, is patchy. No question some markets are doing well – Sydney had a huge events-driven February – but others remain soft or under threat; eg Melbourne hotel market is facing dramatic oversupply.

Conflicting signals also in travel retail. Flight Centre half year profit up 96% off low base, Jetset Travelworld down 68%. Meanwhile, online retailers like Wotif.com booming, wholesaler Cox and Kings optimistic, others not so sure. Rebound or dead cat bounce? Yes and no. Hard to not think that some of those on the floor may never get back up.

Mondial Assistance Australia

Martin Kelly — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 06:43:40 +0000

Mondial Assistance Group is the global leader in travel insurance and emergency medical assistance, with 10,000 employees operating in 28 countries. The Group’s global reach means we assist someone, somewhere in the world every two seconds.

In Australia, Mondial Assistance with 500 employees, ranks third highest in the Group in terms of turnover. In 2009, turnover was more than A$280million.

Our global group has invested tens of millions of dollars in people and technology in the last few years to develop a world-first ecommerce platform that has allowed us to offer un-paralleled ecommerce innovation and value to our partners worldwide.

Mondial Assistance Australia continues to lead innovation in the Australian market with recent speciality insurance products for accommodation and event/ticket cancellation.

Our current Australian partners include major airlines, offline and online travel providers, insurers and leading financial institutions.

Mondial Assistance Group is a member of the Allianz Group through AGF and RAS International, each holding a 50% capital stake.

For more information, visit www.mondial-assistance.com.au

Flight Centre Paid Search Account Up For Grabs

Martin Kelly — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:18:16 +0000

The massive Flight Centre paid search account – which covers several sites and worth in excess of $10m a year – is up for grabs with a decision expected over the next couple of weeks. Several agencies are fighting it out, including the incumbent, e-Channel. Flight Centre is renowned as an aggressive marketer no matter what the platform and is reputedly currently bidding on more than 200,000 key words.

Main site Flightcentre.com.au has been consistently ranked in the top two travel agencies for a number of years by Experian Hitwise due to its strong brand and heavy paid search spend, which is probably only second to the airlines – Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Blue – and maybe some accommodation sites such as Wotif.com. Flight Centre’s other sites, Escape Travel and Student Flights, also rank well. Meanwhile, Sydney company Switched On Media has won Flight Centre’s SEO business and reports good early results.

See Who's Coming to No Vacancy 2010

Martin Kelly — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 07:27:51 +0000

Just over a week to go until No Vacancy 2010 in Sydney on March 18 and things are starting to hot up. Bookings are good with representation from most major offline and online accommodation brands plus all leading industry groups. It should be a great day with an audience of around 200. Haven't booked yet? Don't miss out. See who's down as a delegate so far.

Country Manager, Sabre Hospitality Solutions
Online Marketing Manager, Best Western Australasia
Acting Editor, Travel Today
Deputy Editor, eTravel Blackboard
Revenue Manager NSW, VIC, SA – Oaks Hotels and Resorts
Owner, Johnson Road Motel
Chief Executive Officer, TA Fastrack
Marketing Manager, Wego.com
Area Revenue Manager NSW & ACT, InterContinental Hotels Group
Managing Director, iimagine Tourism Strategy
General Manager Sales and Marketing, Oaks Hotels and Resorts
General Manager eCommerce – Australia, Flight Centre
Group Director Sales & Revenue, Mantra Group
Global Manager eCommerce, Flight Centre
Chief Executive Officer Asia Pacific, Travelzoo
General Manager, Cambridge Hotel
Director, Cienna Group
Lecturer Rooms Division Management, International College of Management
Director of Revenue Management and Distribution, Voyages Hotels and Resorts
General Manager Australia and SE Asia, Travelzoo
Director, Skyview Enterprises
Group Manager Online Marketing, Tourism Victoria
General Manager, Islander Resort Hotel Gold Coast
Senior Director, Business Development, Circos Brand Karma
COO, Australian Resident Accommodation Manager's Association
Hotel Sales Manager, Travelzoo
Director of Finance and Strategy, Constellation Hotels
Director, Peppers Calstock
Head of Business Development, Expedia
Director, Accommodation Guru
Blogger, Project: Wander
Managing Editor, Hotel Management
Owner, Canberra Serviced Apartments
Regional Operations Manager, Myfidelio.net
Business Analyst, Flight Centre
VP Commercial, HotelClub
Managing Director, Levart Distribution Systems
Operations and Support Manager, Levart Distribution Systems
Director of Sales & Marketing, Micros Fidelio Australia
Head of Sales, totaltravel.com
Operations Manager, FreeSpirit Holiday Parks
Marketing Manager, Flight Centre/Quickbeds
Founder, Fossick.com
National Sales Manager, Hotel Management
Director, Bay of Plenty Lodges
Director, Bay of Plenty Lodges
CEO, FreeSpirit Holiday Parks
Regional Sales Operations Manager, Hospitality Solutions SoftBrands
General Manager, Airlie Beach Hotel
CEO, AAA Tourism
National Media & Communications Manager, Australian Tourism Export Council
Hospitality Manager, Perisher
Managing Director, rentahome.com.au
Managing Director, RMS (Aust)
Director of Marketing, Sydney Lodges
Managing Director, Seekom Ltd
Marketing Manager, Fairfax Digital
Director of Sales & Account Management, Pegasus Solutions
GM Marketing, AAA Tourism
Managing Director, BridgeClimb
Acting Managing Director, Micros Fidelio Australia
Director, Sydney Lodges
Affiliate Manager, Booking.com
Managing Director, Booking.com
Director, Online Encounters/BCL.com.au
Investment Manager, Gresham Partners
Sales & Marketing Manager, Quest Serviced Apartments
Director, Darwin Holiday Apartments
Head of Marketing, LateRooms
VP International Product Management, TravelCLICK
CEO, YHA Australia
Chief Executive, HMAA
Country Director, Agoda
Operations Manager, Central Apartments & Hotels
Director, Switched On Media
National Revenue Manager, Mantra Group
National Franchise Operations Manager, Quest Serviced Apartments
Marketing Manager, YHA Australia
Key Account Manager Online, IHG
Business Development Manager, GlobalCollect Asia Pacific
Managing Director, Johnson Road Motel
Director of Sales, Toga Hospitality
Managing Director, Online Systems
Director, The Hotel Windsor
Director of Sales & Distribution Aust, Accor Hospitality
Senior Product Manager, Stayz.com.au
General Manager – Sales, Hamilton Island
Accomodation Division Manager, Queensland Hotels Association
Director of Operations Aust-Northern States, Mantra Group
Director of Operations Aust-Southern States, Mantra Group
Global Sales Manager, RMS (Aust)
Director, Kcom
Hotel Manager, Y Hotels
Group Chief Financial Officer, Esplanade Hotels Group
Regional Revenue Manager NSW & ACT, Accor Asia Pacific
CEO, AHS Hospitality
Commercial Director, EZYield.com
Sales Manager, The Old Woolstore Apartment Hotel
Head of Design, Visual Response Pty Ltd
Leisure Sales Manager, Hamilton Island
Director, Visual Response Pty Ltd
Marketing Manager, YHA Ltd
Director of Marketing, Constellation Hotels
Distribution Manager, Federal Group
General Manager Marketing, Mantra Group
General Manager Product (Accomodation) Aust & NZ - Wotif Group
General Manager Revenue, Mantra Group
Business Development Manager, Soho Projects
VP Asia-Pacific, Hospitality Solutions SoftBrands
Director Reservation Services, Carlson Hotels Worldwide – Asia Pacific
Senior Manager, Central Apartments & Hotels
Director, Soho Projects
General Manager, Rydges World Square
Group Online Marketing Manager, Hamilton Island
Director, Global Gossip Group
Online Distribution Manager, Rydges
Revenue Manager, Hamilton Island
Director, The Phoenix Marketing Group
Executive General Manager Aust & NZ, Wotif Group
General Manager, Central Apartments & Hotels
Regional Director of Sales & Distribution NSW & ACT, Accor Asia Pacific
General Manager, The Macleay Hotel
Assistant General Manager Product (Accomodation) Aust & NZ, Wotif Group
President/COO, Agoda
National Account Executive, Quest Serviced Apartments
Front Office Manager, Airlie Beach Hotel
Visitor Centre Co-Ordinator, Barossa Visitor Centre
Advertising & Business Development,Resort Publishing
Regional General Manager NSW & ACT, Accor Asia Pacific
Web Consultant, AA Tourism
Director Strategy & Operational Performance, Tourism Tasmania
General Manager, The Salvation Army Geelong Conference Centre
General Manager Reservations Hamilton Island
Area Manager, Booking.com
Executive Director, AHS Hospitality
General Manager, Lido
Hotels Division Manager, Entertainment Publications
Operations Manager, Darwin Holiday Apartments
Director of Revenue Management, The Observatory Hotel
Marketing Manager, Flight Centre/Quickbeds
Chief Operating Officer, FreeSpirit Holiday Parks
CEO, Wotif.com
Managing Director, HSMAI Asia Pacific
Managing Director, Dransfield Hotels and Resorts
Managing Director, SiteMinder
Chief Executive Officer, Anthology – The Traveller’s Collection
Research Director, Hitwise
GM Distribution, Mantra Group
Managing Director, HotelClub
Vice President Australia, Accor Hospitality
Chief Executive Officer, Roamfree
Chief Executive Officer, The Windsor Hotel
Area Director of Revenue Management, Starwood Hotels and Resorts
Chief Executive Officer, Schwartz Family Company
Managing Director, Hotels Combined
General Manager, Stayz.com.au
General Manager Operations, Big4 Holiday Parks
Vice President Asia Pacific, TraveCLICK
Chief Executive Officer, Australian Tourism Data Warehouse

Marketing Manager Flight Centre/Quickbeds

Founder Fossick.com

Director Bay of Plenty Lodges

Regional Sales Operations Manager, Hospitality Solutions SoftBrands

General Manager Airlie Beach Hotel

CEO AAA Tourism

ATEC National Media & Communications Manager Australian Tourism Export Council

Hospitality Manager Perisher

Managing Director rentahome.com.au

Managing Director RMS (Aust)

Director of Marketing Sydney Lodges

Managing Director Seekom Ltd

Marketing Manager Fairfax Digital

Director of Sales & Account Management Pegasus Solutions

GM Marketing AAA Tourism

Managing Director BridgeClimb

Acting Managing Director Micros Fidelio Australia

Director Sydney Lodges

Affiliate Manager Booking.com

MD Booking.com

Director Online Encounters/BCL.com.au

Investment Manager Gresham Partners

Sales & Marketing Manager Quest Serviced Apartments

Director Darwin Holiday Apartments

Head of Marketing LateRooms

VP International Product Management TravelCLICK

CEO YHA Australia

Chief Executive HMAA

Country Director Agoda

Operations Manager Central Apartments & Hotels

Director Switched On Media

National Revenue Manager Mantra Group

National Franchise Operations Manager Quest Serviced Apartments

Marketing Manager YHA Australia

Key Account Manager Online IHG

Business Development Manager GlobalCollect Asia Pacific

Managing Director Johnson Road Motel

Director of Sales Toga Hospitality

Managing Director Online Systems

Director The Hotel Windsor

Director of Sales & Distribution Aust Accor Hospitality

Senior Product Manager Stayz

General Manager – Sales Hamilton Island

Accomodation Division Manager Queensland Hotels Association

Director of Operations Aust-Northern States Mantra Group

Director of Operations Aust-Southern States Mantra Group

Global Sales Manager RMS (Aust)

Director Kcom

Hotel Manager Y Hotels

Group Chief Financial Officer Esplanade Hotels Group

Regional Revenue Manager NSW & ACT Accor Asia Pacific

CEO AHS Hospitality

Commercial Director EZ Yield.com

Sales Manager The Old Woolstore Apartment Hotel

Head of Design Visual Response Pty Ltd

Leisure Sales Manager Hamilton Island

Director Visual Response Pty Ltd

Marketing Manager YHA Ltd

Director of Marketing Constellation Hotels

Distribution Manager Federal Group

General Manager Marketing Mantra Group

General Manager Product (Accomodation) Aust & NZ Wotif Group

General Manager Revenue Mantra Group

Business Development Manager Soho Projects

VP Asia-Pacific, Hospitality Solutions SoftBrands

Director Reservation Services Carlson Hotels Worldwide – Asia Pacific

Senior Manager Central Apartments & Hotels

Director Soho Projects

General Manager Rydges World Square Rydges Hotels & Resorts

Group Online Marketing Manager Hamilton Island

Director Global Gossip Group

Online Distribution Manager Rydges

Revenue Manager Hamilton Island

Director The Phoenix Marketing Group

Executive General Manager Aust & NZ Wotif Group

General Manager Central Apartments & Hotels

Regional Director of Sales & Distribution NSW & ACT Accor Asia Pacific

General Manager The Macleay Hotel

Assistant General Manager Product (Accomodation) Aust & NZ Wotif Group

President/COO Agoda

National Account Executive Quest Serviced Apartments

Front Office Manager Airlie Beach Hotel

Visitor Centre Co-ordinator Barossa Visitor Centre

Advertising & Business Development resortpublishing

Regional General Manager NSW & ACT Accor Asia Pacific

Web Consultant AA Tourism

Director Strategy & Operational Performance Tourism Tasmania

General Manager The Salvation Army Geelong Conference Centre

General Manager Reservations Hamilton Island

Area Manager Booking.com

Executive Director AHS Hospitality

General Manager Lido

Hotels Division Manager Entertainment Publications

Operations Manager Darwin Holiday Apartments

Director of Revenue Management The Observatory Hotel

Marketing Manager Flight Centre/Qui

DYNAMIC PROGRAM, NETWORKING AT NO VACANCY 2010

Martin Kelly — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:24:14 +0000

Hot topics, great speakers, big brands and excellent networking: No Vacancy 2010 has got it all in just one action-packed day in Sydney on Thursday, March 18, 2010.

Highlights include interviews with ‘Hotelier of the Year’ Simon McGrath from Accor, Robbie Cooke, CEO of Wotif.com, and Jerry Schwartz, Australia’s largest private hotel owner.

The spotlight is also thrown on less celebrated industry sectors such as remote accommodation and ‘Holiday Parks’ and there’s a focus on distribution, marketing, revenue management and online strategies.

Key themes are Distribution, Innovation and Inspiration while the program is packed with industry-leading speakers such as:

Yvonne Bristow, Chief Operating Officer, FreeSpirit Holiday Parks
Robbie Cooke, CEO, Wotif.com
Bernadette Dennis, Managing Director, HSMAI Asia Pacific
Dean Dransfield, Managing Director, Dransfield Hotels and Resorts
Sebastian Fontanarossa, Marketing Strategist
Mike Ford, Managing Director, SiteMinder
Grant Hunt, Chief Executive Officer, Anthology – The Traveller’s Collection
Alan Long, Research Director, Hitwise
Luke Jamieson, GM Distribution, Mantra Group
Chloe Lim, Managing Director, HotelClub
Simon McGrath, Vice President Australia, Accor Hospitality
David Oliver, Chief Executive Officer, Roamfree
David Perry, Chief Executive Officer, The Windsor Hotel
Prashanth Radhakrishnan, Area Director of Revenue Management, Starwood
Dr Jerry Schwartz, Chief Executive Officer, Schwartz Family Company
Yury Shar, Managing Director, Hotels Combined
Kirsty Shaw, General Manager, Stayz.com.au
James Shearer, General Manager Operations, Big4 Holiday Parks
Paul Southey, Vice President Asia Pacific, TravelCLICK
Peter Topping, Social Media Strategist
Liz Ward, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Tourism Data Warehouse

Bookings are strong and 200 delegates are expected. Tickets cost $549 + gst.

Please visit www.traveltrends.biz for further details.

Contact: Martin Kelly (02) 9882-1575

Optimised For Google Maps Yet? Well You Better…

Martin Kelly — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 01:17:52 +0000

Google is doing everything in its power to push people into Google Maps, one of Australia's smartest travel search marketers told me last week. Hard to argue. See response to 'Sydney Accommodation' below.

Everything above the fold either sponsored listings or maps (I had to crop right side sponsored column due to space). Not a single organic text listing to be seen. Good news for savvy suppliers, bad news for Online Travel Agents, which dominate text listings for this popular search term but have no relevance for Maps and so don't appear above the fold. So now OTAs must bid and buy top spot, enabling Google to make more money from the page. Of course further revenue could be generated by charging for Google Maps listings. Something that hasn't happened. Yet.

Counter Trends at Wotif.com and Qantas Japan

Martin Kelly — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:40:05 +0000

This is weird – counter-trends. After years of booking lead times contracting in our "just in time" world, the Wotif.com results for the last six months of 2009 reveal that the number of days between reservation and check-in blew out by almost 100% over the corresponding period in 2008 …. 13.35 days compared with 7.93 days.

Why? Perhaps it's because people, stung by the new financial and social reality created by the GFC, are becoming more considered in their decision-making. Or maybe the deals were so good, and time-sensitive, they couldn't wait. Time will tell. (Update March 1: Or it could be something as simple as Wotif extending its booking window – see comments…)

Also had a laugh at yesterday's news from Qantas it is increasing flights between Australia and Japan after years of cut backs. The reason is increased Australian leisure visitors to the Land of the Rising Sun, tourism payback after all the business Japanese visitors have given Australia over the years. Who knows, one day they may even return in large numbers. After all, a trend is only a trend until it ends (when it becomes a new trend)…

European Courts, Legislators Turn Against Google

Martin Kelly — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:02:57 +0000

GOOGLE, and social media for that matter, is under legislative attack in Europe. The contentious conviction by an Italian court today of three Google execs for allowing the download of a video in which an autistic boy is bullied came just a day or two after news broke that the European Commission has started an anti-trust (abuse of power) investigation. That’s not all. According to Electronista.com, the company is also the target of an anti-trust action initiated by Italian newspaper publishers who say Google unfairly keeps them from making money from online advertising; Germany has a similar case ongoing, while a government-commissioned panel in France recently began a related inquiry. You get the feeling there's a lot more to come. See Google's response to the Italian ruling here.

Traditional Wholesaling Moves Online with Orbitz For Agents

Martin Kelly — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:48:18 +0000

Traditional wholesaling finally moves online but not in the way we may have thought. That’s one interpretation of the launch by Orbitz Worldwide of a travel agency portal offering commissions of 10% on accommodation bookings and 4% on packages, rates that are much better than its existing affiliate program for online partners. It’s a move that makes a lot of sense, opening another distribution channel for Orbitz (which has 80,000 hotels on its books) while giving agents access to new product, some which would not be available through the GDS. What’s most interesting, I think, is the way it changes the relationship between online and traditional travel agents, many of whom resent their web rivals. There would certainly be some irony if this succeeds. www.orbitzforagents.com

First Class Idea In Premium Story With Delusions of Luxury

Martin Kelly — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 23:08:26 +0000

I love marketing and I love words but when the two collide the end result is often a verbal car crash with language the innocent victim. Marketers take a word, apply it to a product and manipulate it until the original meaning has been lost.

Travel marketers in particular have a lot to answer for with two words - luxury and premium.

Luxury has been abused for years while Premium is now on the slippery slope. Great example is Qantas Premium Economy, a pure marketing creation, merging two conflicting words to create a new product and revenue stream.

Brilliant marketing concept but the end of Premium as we know it (and First Class, for that matter)…