Hotel Blogs by Guillaume Thevenot

GHM Hotels new website

GHM Hotels - probably my favourite hotel group ever - has improved its new website and has a better navigation throughout. Having said that, the website is built in Flash, therefore not really SEO friendly. This is probably one of the common mistakes when building a hotel website.

I am not sure which next GHM hotel I should try on my next holidays. Maybe the Setai in Miami...

Trivop becomes VideoAgency

VideoAgency, the company behind Trivop (a leading online videoguide for hotels), has revamped its website and concentrates now on 3  task:

- Video  Production
- Video Search Engine Production (see the video interview with Marc Robertson from Reelseo)
- Digital Asset Management or how to manage  your videos to many video portals like Metacafe, YouTube,      Dailymotion

Video Agency CEO, Thomas Owadenko, has also launched its blog full of info and videos.

Have you heard of ReviewAnalyst?

ReviewAnalyst is a new tool that lets hotels take a proactive approach to consumer-generated hotel reviews, videos & images. The system aggregates user generated content via portals like TripAdvisor, Expedia or Yahoo Travel. With ReviewAnalyst, you can track, analyze and react to what people are saying about your hotel on the major travel and social media sites. The website advertises a start price at $99 per month.

This interesting service was developed by Standing Dog, a full service internet marketing agency in Dallas, Texas specializing in online travel and hospitality. Standing Dog is founded by the veteran hotelier Mike Wylie who stopped his blog in 2007.

Sheraton Roissy Paris Airport introduces the Link@Sheraton

The Sheraton Paris Airport located probably at the best location of Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport has introduced the Link@Sheraton. This new serviced oriented concept is about making the lobby a working area where you can connect free of charge to the Wi-Fi but also use one of their computers (webcam integrated). This is especially useful where you know your flight has been delayed. This new concept has been rolled out in 70 Sheraton hotels so far.

Have you experienced it already? Share your experience with us.

5 Internet companies that count for me back in 1998

I started to use the Internet for the first time, back at University in 1998 at ESSEC/IMHI School near Paris.

Now, at that time, you didn't have all the publicity around which websites you should go to and where to start. But I remember very well the services I used for specific queries.

Search Engine
in 1998: Dogpile
Today: mostly Google

Hotel Booking Website
in 1998: HRN (which became Hotels.com later on)
Today: too many too mention

Instant Messaging
in 1998: ICQ
Today: Skype or MSN Messenger

News Aggregator
in 1998: Net2One
Today: Netvibes

Email
in 1998: Essec university email (like 4543543tge@edu.essec.fr)
Today: Gmail mainly

What about YOU?

(HRN Homepage in 1998)               (ICQ Homepage in 1998)

The Milestone Hotel embraces Web 2.0

I am always looking for typical examples of how hotels have integrated web 2.0 tools in their B2C websites to disclose a bit more about what their hotel is a about.

The luxury hotel in London (a real 5 stars hotel!) The Milestone Hotel has added RSS feeds on its press section in order to get updates from the hotel and the hotel group Red Carnation. The site also explains very simply how to use RSS what is it for. Another step forward web 2.0 is the inclusion of podcasts with interviews from the general manager, the Food & Beverages manager or the hotel's butler. Quality of the podcasts is really good and the timing not too short and not too long. You could see that this hotel has really thought this through.

Did I tell you that the Milestone has one of the most exquisite tea time brunch in the city. in the winter, I enjoy spending a couple of hours with friends by the chimney on a Sunday afternoon in their library room.

Technorati Tags: milestones hotel, red carnation, travel 2.0, web 2.0, podcasts

Accor is getting into social networking

SuiteHotel - one of the Accor hotel brands - has launched the social networking NomadSphere. The website has been designed for new nomads who spend a  lot of  nights outside their home. The community has about 30 pages of registered members. Not bad after 15 days...More info here.

This initiative has been created by the agency Agence Clark.

Is it clean? I'd like to know before I get there.

You'd like to think that any hotel rated with even one star has at least passed the basic clean test. By that I mean that the linens were changed since the last guest, the bathroom has been cleaned and the towels are fresh. Beyond that, I would like to think that the higher the rating, the cleaner the hotel. But that is not always the case.

Elizabeth's Experience in Dallas

A 24-year-old friend of mine booked a hotel through a popular online low-fare travel site. The hotel had 2 stars and was inexpensive (about $71). Upon arrival, she found her room to be dirty, still not cleaned from previous guests. She asked the desk clerk for a different room. No problem, the clerk said. But Elizabeth's second room was even worse. Her room had not seen a thorough cleaning in months and certainly not even a cursory cleaning since the last guest. The bathroom harbored countless health issues starting with vomit on the toilet and floor. The tub had mold and was quite stained. Countertop was dirty. Dresser was sticky. The bedspread hid the visibly used linen beneath. Her list of filth went on and on, supported by digital photos that she took before leaving.

Two Hotel Bills for the Same Trip

Elizabeth could not stay there another minute. She checked into another hotel. But now she had two hotel bills for each night of the trip. She has been unsuccessful in contacting the booking site. She is now disputing the payment through her credit card company.

How Can Inexperienced Travelers Avoid a Hotel Nightmare?

• Visit the Hotel's Own Website. A start, but not always reliable. Elizabeth did check the hotel's site. It sounded just okay. The pictures were mostly of the Dallas skyline.
• Look at Prevailing Room Rates on the Hotel's Site. How do rates compare to the discount site? This hotel listed its regular rates quite a bit higher, giving the impression it was a more deluxe hotel.
• Hotel Description Might Be a Clue. This hotel's description focused on its close proximity to a convention center and hundreds of restaurants but not on its own amenities. Like the photos, the description was vague. And, upon arrival, Elizabeth found the neighborhood was indeed close to  the convention center, but in a very rundown area with vagrants milling about.
• Don'tt Go By an Impressive Name. Don't make the mistake of associating a luxurious-sounding name with quality. Ritz, plaza and other similar copycat names are just putting on the ritz!
• Check Reviews. Don't skip this step. Read all customer reviews provided on the travel site. Reviews were mixed for this hotel, most not good. But Elizabeth never read them before booking.
• Check TripAdvisor.com. This site offers forums on various cities. Tap into the city forum you need, search for hotel opinions. Or ask your own questions and someone will answer. It is a very active forum and my experience with recommendations there has been positive.
• How to Get a Refund. Internet commentary seems to say that it is very difficult to get online travel sites to respond. Elizabeth can dispute the charge through her credit card company. Beyond that, she can check with the hotel itself, even though she purchased through an online service. With the complaints she had about this hotel (accompanied by her photos), she can contact the Board of Health, Convention Bureau, Better Business Bureau and the Chamber of Commerce. She can also share her experience on TripAdvisor.com and other similar travel sites that accept comments.
• Do Your Homework Before You Book. Traveling on a tight budget doesn’t mean you have to give up basic cleanliness. But choosing a 1 or 2 star hotel may require closer scrutiny.
• Don't Count on Stars. Three major online discount sites rated this hotel with 1 or 2 stars. Only one major site did not list this hotel. Doesn't anybody check on the hotels they sell to unwary travelers?

Without a personal recommendation, choosing a hotel can be a gamble. I recently discovered a customer-focused online site that actually visits its Quikpick recommended hotels. Plus it does not require prepayment, permits cancellations and is very competitive with the other sites. You'll find it on my regular blog, along with additional information about the hotel rating systems.

Tish (Guest Blogger)

Travels with Tish -- Girlfriends' Getaway Guide

Next: More about hotel rating systems

The best non American websites to watch...

The magazine Business 2.0 has listed 31 new online companies outside the US which are worth to watch for the moment. Each venture has a dedicated page to capture a snapshot of what the business model is about, the CEO name and the funding.

On the travel side, I am glad to see that 2 exciting companies have made the list:

* Trivop
* Bezurk

You can also view on the Google maps where the start ups are located.

Technorati Tags: business 2.0, trivop, bezurk

The dotcom returns on Channel 4...

I have missed that video which is an extract of the news edition of Channel 4 (a TV channel in the UK) end of April. You can hear Brent Hoberman - founder of Lasminute saying it's easier to make profits on Internet in 2007 that it was in 1999 and VCs like Index Ventures talking about the return of the dotcom euphoria. I like the background music of Prince with his famous "1999" song...