How to Be Successful with Google Hotel Ads & Hotel Metasearch

NEWSFEED

August 31, 2017

By Lisa McCreary of GCommerce Solutions

In the world of online travel first came the search engines, then the OTAs (online travel agencies, i.e. Expedia) and most recently the metasearch engine websites such as Trivago and Kayak. Hoteliers are forced to evolve and utilize new online channels to be visible and compete effectively online. But what is the most effective way for hotels to use these channels? Since the launch of Google's Hotel CPC program, hotels must now use a combination of search engine and metasearch campaigns just to be visible throughout Google's search engine features. What are you doing to ensure your hotel is visible and driving qualified traffic across these online channels? Let's break down what metasearch for hotels means, where it fits into your online marketing strategy and how hotels can be successful using this marketing channel.

WHAT IS HOTEL METASEARCH?

Unlike OTAs such as Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity, metasearch engines don't hold their own inventory of hotel rooms. Instead, metasearch engines pull data from other search engines to provide information to users about rates and availability. The metasearch engine will then direct the user from their website to the original source (i.e. OTA or hotel website) to book their stay. The metasearch engine will then receive a referral commission or CPC charge for sending the traffic to the hotel or airline website.

Examples of Hotel Metasearch include:

Kayak
Trivago
Google's Hotel Ads
TripAdvisor
Hipmunk
Skyscanner

Click here to read full article.

To learn more, visit

http://gcommercesolutions.com/hotel-digital-marketing-services/

Vacation Policy Best Practices

When considering offering vacation to employees, don't forget these best practices:

Be knowledgeable about all the legalities of vacation policies.
Keep absolutely accurate vacation accruals.
Write a clear and concise vacation policy, share it with all employees and have them sign their understanding of the policy.
Beware of decelerating plans -a vacation accrual rate that decreases over time.

Write a written vacation policy which clearly states:

The amount of vacation time provided.
The accrual rate of accrual and any cumulative increases in accrual.
Any limits placed on vacation accruals or a cash out policy (an option to get paid for any unused vacation time at the existing rate of pay at specific times such as monthly or annually).
The starting date for vacation accrual: upon hire or after a specific period of time.
Any conditions for advance notice for vacation requests, written requests or approval policies.
A vacation request form or documentation.
Any limits during the time of year when vacations are not allowed and how vacation requests must coordinate with other leaves of absence.
If vacation pay will be advanced to the employee prior to the vacation time being accrued.

CLIA Lodging Members can call the FREE CLIA Helpline at 916.925.2915 with questions about vacation policy and other HR questions.

The History of Labor Day

Celebrated on the first Monday in September, Labor Day honors the efforts and accomplishments of American workers. It was instituted by the labor movement in the late 19th century and became a federal holiday in 1894. Labor Day has come to represent the close of summer for many Americans. It is a day for picnics, barbeques, parties, parades and athletic events.

Labor Day was born during a dark period for American labor. In the late 1800s, at the peak of the Industrial Revolution the average American work week was 72 hours per week for minimal wages. Although it was restricted in some states, children were still a significant part of the labor force. Working conditions were often unsafe and unsanitary.

Manufacturing began to replace agriculture as the biggest source of American employment. Labor unions became more visible. They organized strikes to challenge poor pay and working conditions. Some demonstrations resulted in violence. Others created new traditions. The first Labor Day parade was held on September 5, 1882 when 10,000 workers took time off without pay to march from City Hall to Union Square in New York City.

Although the concept of a "workingmen's holiday" spread throughout the country, the actual founder is still not known.

Save The Date!

California Lodging Expo & Conference

November 6, 2017

Hilton Concord

Mimi Chakravorti, Executive Director of Strategy of Landor

Keynote Presentation: "Being Agile in an Age of Disruption"

The year's most popular Lodging Trade Show is just around the corner. Attendees can look forward to a full day of education, enlightenment and:

 Cash prizes
 Vacation getaway prizes
 Industry Luncheon
 Wine Tasting and Evening Reception
 Educational Sessions
 Networking, Fun and much more

Click here for registration and information

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