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  • Chicago to push tourist attractions through Foursquare

    gosselin07 20 h 02 min on 13 avril 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    Author: Linda Fox | 26 February 2010

    The Chicago Office of Tourism has teamed up with mobile social media service Foursquare to raise awareness of the city’s attractions, restaurants and other areas of interest. Users of the Explore Chicago section on Foursquare can earn three badges, themed around the city, by visiting up to 60 locations such as historic sites, film locations, restaurants and clubs. It is hoped that the partnership, which is a first for Chicago, will boost awareness of lesser-known areas of the city as well as established attractions. A spokesperson for the tourism office said the partnership was not based on any commercial model because it is likely to help both parties.

    From : http://www.travolution.co.uk

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  • chantale07 8 h 20 min on 30 mars 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: e-coupons, promotion, rewards

    Here are some e-coupons already received and they will be posted shortly on the website:

    - 20% off massage was offered 50 times. Available for a 60-minute massage or more for 1 or 2 peoples in Auberge du Littoral Hotel. Available until July 1st 2010. One ticket by reservation. This Hostel is located in Quebec City.

    - 10% off per night at La Maison Bourlamaque. From April 1 2010 to July 1 2010. One e-coupon per customer. Offered 50 times. This Bed and Breakfast is located in Quebec City.

    - 5% discount on the first week at Pied-à-terre, a website offering apartment rentals and more. Arnouville is located in France. Offered 10 times.

    Tons of future promotion soon, stay tuned.
    To get them you must register for free on the site and earn dollotrips. You will be able to get e-coupons with them.

    Best regards,
    Chantale

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  • chantale07 19 h 43 min on 26 mars 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    Tripsourcing.com launches its free « Make your promotion »

    Hello, we just opened the form of E-Coupons for Businesses on TripSourcing.com . We invite you to publish a free E-coupons and to be part of the first tourist centers companies that will have the privilege of being seen by thousands of travelers each month.

    Go to Form Google Docs Secured: http://bit.ly/dvLu9w
    (You can enter information in French if you want)

    Please contact us if you have problems or questions about the form of Tripsourcing.com or e-coupons.

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  • Big Week for Tripsourcing

    gosselin07 8 h 03 min on 14 février 2010 | 2 Permalink | Reply

    This week was a very special one, we have launched our english version of our french etourism startup TonTrip.com. We’ve developped this startup to help traveler in their planning process. A lot of people do not use the web to plan their trip, because they are not able to find relevant informations about their destinations or they cannot achieve to build realistic itineraries. They want to see everything in only few days of vacations. But with the help of our community they will have suggestions and feedback to validate and corroborate their diary. First, our community is an business ecosystem where business owners, tourism organisations and locals experts can help travelers and voice their opinion in Trips Plans for free. They only have to add their venues on the site for free, they will then be automatically notified when one of our member plan a trip in their areas.

    When our members post a Public Trip to build, promoters are notified by email, so they get the chance to help them, and attract them in their business. Of course, every travelers fill out a form with their specs, so owners know if their business is ideal for those travelers. After the trip is completed, they receive notification that their attractions (venues) are included in a diary, and they are able to adapt their marketing to those travelers when they come to visit them.

    For this first week, we already have about 100 of business experts who have joined us and about 150 venues added and promoted. As a travelers, your trips, will benefit of those experts advice and you will find and receive unique suggestions. You have the opportunity to plan your diary with the help of your friends and locals residents of your destination.

    Tripsourcing is like a game for traveler where locals, travel experts and business owners are your Heros.

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  • chantale07 13 h 32 min on 4 février 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    Hi everybody,

    I wanted to write you about the launch of Tripsourcing. As you probably know, we launched Tripsourcing this morning. There’s still some features that do not work as OpenInviter (inviting friends) and there are some small bugs to fix but be sure than everything will be settled by monday. We’ll probably be able to launch Tontrip.com during the next week but only the homepage translated for the next week. We are currently fixed a bug concerning the discussion system, but again, all will be settled by monday. It’s also monday than we will spread the launch to the world. We wish to start slowly for not attract a lots of members during the first days because of the bugs to fix.

    I’ll come back monday with news.

    Have a nice week-end.
    Chantale

    « Je valide l’inscription de ce blog au service Paperblog sous le pseudo chantale07 ».

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  • The Apple iPad - what it means for travelers

    gosselin07 14 h 36 min on 28 janvier 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    by Scott Carmichael on Jan 27th 2010 at 6:00PM from gadling.com

    Well, after 6 years of speculation, months of totally insane guessing, « leaked » photos and feverish anticipation, the Apple iPad has finally been revealed. At least 95% of all the leaks were fake, most tech gurus turned out to be full of crap, and those that went on Twitter claiming they were testing one, were « just kidding ».
    The best part of a big Apple event like this, is that it finally puts things to rest. And just like any Apple event, there is always a huge amount of disappointment. The device doesn’t do 3D, it does not have a TiVo built in and there is no solar panel on the back. It only comes with (optional) 3G, not 4G, and in its most expensive version, it still only comes with just 64GB.

    So, what can the new iPad do for travelers, and just how « magical » is it?

    Well, for starters, Apple claims ten hours of battery life. This sounds impressive, but many Netbook computers easily beat that, plus Apple is not exactly known for delivering on its battery promises. At least with 10 hours of battery life, you’ll make it through a long haul flight without the dreaded « battery empty » message.

    The display is reported to be stunning, and it supports multi-touch, just like the iPhone and iPod touch. Most importantly, it will offer a whole new array of online content, ebook (through the new iBook app), an office suite (iWork for the iPad) and of course multimedia content from iTunes.

    What it lacks is USB and a memory card slot. Apple will gladly sell you a photo kit, but this is obviously something that should have been included from day one. There is no VGA out without an optional adapter.

    A keyboard is available as an optional extra (price unknown) and the battery is not replaceable, keeping in line with their other devices. There is no camera, and no GPS – both things that could have made it really travel friendly. Update: the iPad does have A-GPS, but only on the 3G version, thanks Kraig!

    Pros:

    • Multimedia – 10 hours battery life, iTunes store and iTunes syncing
    • Online content – newspapers, magazines and more
    • iBook – eBook reader with a 9.7″ display and iTunes store support
    • Web browser – same awesome browser as on the iPhone, but on a larger screen
    • Email – better use of the large screen
    • Apps – support for iPhone apps and new improved iPad apps
    • Gaming – integrated accelerometer and the same high quality games as on the iPhone
    • 3G service does not require a contract

    Cons:

    • Keyboard – onscreen only or with an optional keyboard add-on (or any Bluetooth keyboard)
    • Storage – limited to 16, 32 or 64GB – not expandable
    • 3G – optional extra for $130 more
    • 3G service is $30/month, but will not work with your iPhone plan or existing sim card
    • No Integrated Expansion – no USB, no SD card slot, no VGA, no HDMI

    All in all – both impressive and underwhelming at the same time. Whether a traveler will be able to dump their netbook and pick up an iPad remains to be seen. The price does not make it all that interesting – the 16GB version (without 3G) starts at $499, which is about $100 more than a well-spec’d netbook.

    But as with the iPhone, the iPad will probably be a success not based on the hardware, but on the software. All iPhone apps will work on the iPad, and many developers are already hard at work creating iPad specific versions of their programs.

    One other detail that will help travelers is the optional 3G adapter. For an additional $130, your iPad can come with an AT&T 3G adapter « with micro sim card ». Most importantly, with this adapter, you can get online for just $30/month with unlimited data and no contract. Sadly, that won’t be of much use abroad, but that price point is very impressive. Of course, it does bring the total price of the 16GB iPad to $629, or about the price of three netbooks (when purchased with a mobile service plan). You do the math.

    The device will be available in 60 days, or 90 days if you want the 3G enabled version. For more comprehensive coverage of the iPad, head on over to our friends at Engadget.

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  • Geo-Location Services Get Social

    gosselin07 9 h 34 min on 27 janvier 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    By Dave Evans, ClickZ, Jan 27, 2010

    If Twitter is all about answering that seemingly simplest of questions, « What are you doing now? » then the newest location-based services are all about answering the more intriguing question, « What are you doing next? » Not to be confused with basic GPS-enabled location tracking services, the new location-based check-in services encourage people to share what they like, dislike, and generally think others might find interesting about the place they’re at right now in the context of the decision they’re about to make. As a marketer, these new check-in services, powered by social Web technology, are worth taking the time to understand.

    I’ve been a fan of location-based services for a while: working in Barcelona in the mid-’90s I thought about how cool it would be to have a heads-up display built into my Wayfarers that would guide me to the best spots. The early Google Maps mashups were another step in integrating data and location, making « being someplace » potentially more worthwhile by virtue of knowing more about that place. In my book « Social Media Marketing: An Hour Day » (2008) I wrote about applications like Dodgeball — acquired by Google in 2005 and shuttered in 2009 to make way for Latitude — and Brightkite. Read more

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  • The World Tweets, Should I?

    gosselin07 18 h 46 min on 25 janvier 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    VTV Channel is an online video series featuring weekly interviews with industry experts discussing the most important issues in online marketing, e-commerce, sales and distribution for the hotel industry with your host John McAuliffe, Chief Marketing Officer of VFM Leonardo.

    VTV Channel is a video blog where you will find short interviews with industry experts on the most important issues in online marketing, e-commerce, sales and distribution in the hotel industry. Each week, your host John McAuliffe, Chief Marketing Officer of VFM Leonardo will interview an industry expert on a single topic related to online merchandising in order to help you extract more value from your hotel’s presence on the Internet.

    Why VTV Channel?

    • Quick, easy to digest 15 minute episodes
    • Latest insights, knowledge and learnings from industry experts
    • A new interview on a single topic every week
    • Tips on how to extract more value from your hotel’s presence online
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  • Who is the Voice of Social Media in Your Hotel?

    gosselin07 8 h 28 min on 16 décembre 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , social media

    This is post from hospitalitynet.org | By Daniel Edward Craig

    When asked about social media strategy, I often hear hotel executives say they are “carefully monitoring” or “moving at a measured pace”. “Our strategy is pretty much to listen and monitor,” said another one.

    That’s not strategy. That’s hoping social media will go away. It won’t.

    On the other side of the spectrum are hotels that have leapt into social networking on all fours. They’re issuing Twitter updates every thirteen seconds and recruiting Facebook fans by the busload. But their messages carry the meaning and life expectancy of an air bubble, and their “fans” are not brand advocates but deal-seekers who signed up hoping for something for free.

    Social networking is not a contest to recruit the most followers. It is not a race to send out the most messages. It is less about talking than about listening. It’s about engaging consumers in meaningful dialogue and recruiting brand advocates who will do the talking for you. These simple truths apply to every social media platform, from Twitter to Facebook to blogs to user review sites like TripAdvisor, Yelp and Expedia.

    By now, most hotels have allocated funds for social networking. How best to spend this money? Given that participation in most platforms is free, the greatest expense is the time required to develop and maintain an effective program.

    The first step is to establish your hotel’s social media strategy. For most hotels, it should be simple: to utilize online networking tools to build a positive reputation and generate revenue. You need to determine the resources to dedicate, the distribution of responsibilities, the timeline, the tools to employ, and the standards regarding vocabulary, tone, imagery and responsiveness.

    The next step is execution. Who will manage day-to-day activities? Your hotel’s internet marketing company/search engine optimizer may seem like a natural fit given its expertise, but if it’s located off-property, especially in a different city, it’s a drawback.

    Effective social networking requires the hotel to have an authentic, compelling voice that evokes its personality and brand. To engage in meaningful, real-time dialogue, the owner of this voice must have a finger on the pulse of the hotel’s operations. Moreover, a system that requires hotel staff to feed information to an offsite company that in turn re-crafts and distributes it is inherently inefficient. Read article…

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  • Should hotels respond to online reviews (part 1)

    gosselin07 7 h 22 min on 15 décembre 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    This is post from London Hotels Insight. He gives some case studies how a couple hotels are doing this well with online reviews.

    Hoteliers in London often ask me how to deal with TripAdvisor comments.  A recent survey by TripAdvisor/Market Metrix found that 85% of hotels have no guidelines on how to handle negative guest reviews published online.

    It's not about whether a hotel gets complaints but how it responds to them

    In this two-part article, we focus on London hotels that appear to do this well.  We hope this will encourage others to follow suit in the knowledge that complaint recovery is one of the best ways to build customer loyalty.

    We all love to use TripAdvisor, but it does have faults.  It’s not surprising that this blog’s TripAdvisor User Guide is one of our most popular posts.

    Occasionally, people do also use TripAdvisor malevolently.

    I know one very solid London hotel for which someone posted a lot of negative comments when they returned home and asked friends and family (who had of course never stayed at the hotel) to do the same.

    These negative comments went against the grain of most other reviews in a hotel where I personally know the management to be very diligent.

    If the hotel can prove foul play in such cases, management should contact TripAdvisor directly to see if invalid comments can be removed.  TripAdvisor is usually understanding and even-handed in these situations.

    But back to the original question: assuming a negative comment is genuine, how should hotel management respond to it, if at all?

    Some hotels put in standard responses – the worst possible solution.

    By entering some “blah blah” about how you value their feedback, etc. (without addressing the specific underlying issue) a hotel’s management is simply being arrogant.  It’s better not to bother responding at all.

    Other hotels respond to negative comments by thanking the guest (a good start) and mentioning some specific steps they may have taken.

    Better still, they may actually give ownership of the issue to the hotel department head responsible for that area, who responds in person.

    That for me underlines that complaints are a genuine improvement opportunity – if the hotel in question is fundamentally well-run of course.

    One hotel that does this well is the Lanesborough.  We’ve featured this hotel several times on the blog and admire its management , the staff training, its hi-tech amenities (including free WiFi) and the ethos of transparent pricing which is so unusual in super-luxury hotels. Continue reading…

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