Pioneering Luxury Camps in Remote Wildernesses: A Journey with Luca Franco
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:48 — 40.9MB) | EmbedSubscribe: RSS | More In the world of adventure travel, there are individuals who have transformed their passion into a thriving business. One such trailblazer is Luca Franco, a true connoisseur of experiential travel, and the founder of Luxury Frontiers. In this episode, we will delve into Luca’s remarkable journey and the evolution of luxury travel. We will also explore the importance of sustainability in this industry, the challenges and opportunities it presents, and the strategic partnerships that have propelled Luxury Frontiers to success. The Birth of Luxury Frontiers: From Passion to Business Luca Franco has been an adventurer at heart since childhood, always seeking unique and immersive experiences. However, it was the global economic crisis of 2008-2010 that triggered a shift in consumer behavior. People began valuing memories over material possessions, giving rise to the experiential travel trend. Luca noticed the success of experiential travel concepts in Africa and decided to bring these unique experiences to North America. Initially met with skepticism, Luka persevered and embarked on a journey to establish Luxury Frontiers. The concept of luxury tented camps in remote wildernesses, a model already successful in Africa, was met with doubt in North America. However, ten years later, Luxury Frontiers has forged partnerships with some of the biggest players in the industry and stands as a pioneer in the luxury outdoor hospitality sector. The Evolution of Luxury Travel: From Transformational to Sustainable Over the last two decades, luxury travel has seen a significant shift in consumer behavior. Two key events, the 2008 economic crisis and the wake-up call of the COVID-19 pandemic, have led to transformational changes in the industry. Experiential travel, sustainable practices, regenerative tourism, and a growing focus on impact awareness have become central themes. Travelers now seek not just to accumulate experiences but also to connect with the natural world, local communities, and host properties in a more empathetic way. Luka aptly describes this transition as “empathetic travel,” where travelers want to engage in more meaningful and sensitive ways during their journeys. Sustainability as a Guiding Principle Sustainability is a fundamental aspect of Luxury Frontiers. It is not just a marketing buzzword but a deeply ingrained principle. The company’s approach is based on biophilic design principles and mimicking nature, creating a harmonious relationship with the environment. They respect and collaborate with landowners, ensuring that their projects are not just sustainable but regenerative, giving back to nature and local communities. Luka emphasizes the need to move beyond superficial “greenwashing” and adopt a holistic approach that addresses every aspect of a project, from sourcing materials to food production. Nature, which has sustained itself for billions of years, holds valuable lessons for how we can ensure our practices are truly...
read moreStand Out in a Crowded Market – Hotel Branding Strategies , discussion with Marc Dardenne
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 51:15 — 70.4MB) | EmbedSubscribe: RSS | More Join me with my guest hospitality expert Marc Dardenne as he shares insider tips and anecdotes from career-launching iconic hotel brands, like Armani Hotels, The Address, and Patina Hotels. – Learn Marc’s perspective on what makes a successful branding, from identifying your market niche to crafting memorable experiences. – Discover the intricacies of brand creation – from selecting the perfect name to instilling a vibrant culture that brings your brand identity to life. – Gain invaluable insights on brand storytelling, designing for your target demographic, flagship properties, maintaining integrity as you expand, and avoiding common pitfalls. – Whether you’re looking to launch a new brand or strengthen an existing one, Marc imparts his wisdom on standing out in a crowded hospitality marketplace and connecting with guests through...
read moreWhat matters for hotel brands Culture vs Strategy
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 39:06 — 53.7MB) | EmbedSubscribe: RSS | More In the competitive world of hotel brands, what truly matters – culture or strategy? Join us in this thought-provoking video as we delve into the importance of culture and strategy for hotel brands and discuss which one truly reigns supreme. Culture, often referred to as the heart and soul of a hotel brand, plays a vital role in shaping the guest experience. It encompasses the values, beliefs, and behaviors that define the brand’s identity and create a unique atmosphere. We explore the significance of being the guardian of the culture and the impact it has on delivering promises to both colleagues and guests. On the other hand, strategy plays a crucial role in guiding the direction and goals of a hotel brand. It involves making calculated decisions about distribution systems, loyalty programs, and brand positioning. We discuss the strategies employed by top hotel brands such as Marriott, Hilton, and Accor and how they adapt to the evolving hospitality landscape. Through engaging anecdotes, we illustrate the changing dynamics of the workforce, with a focus on the needs and expectations of the young generation. Discover how the new generation of colleagues and customers are reshaping the industry and how hotel brands must adapt to stay relevant. We also shed light on the evolving landscape of the hotel industry, where lesser-known hotels are emerging as top contenders, surpassing traditional luxury brands. Through real-life examples, we highlight the power of creating a truly special experience that transcends brand recognition. So, if you’re curious about what truly matters for hotel brands – culture or strategy – this video is a must-watch. Gain insights from industry experts and gain a deeper understanding of the elements that contribute to a successful hotel brand. Subscribe to our channel and hit the notification bell to stay updated with the latest content and explore the fascinating world of...
read moreThe neglected heroes in coffee
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:18 — 40.2MB) | EmbedSubscribe: RSS | More In this episode I will discuss with Maria Antonia Velez about coffee, specifically about Colombian coffee and the forgotten heroes in coffee. Maria is from a family of coffee growers that have grown coffee for the past 200 years in Colombia.She is now based in Malta operating her own coffee house. She will share the unique story about the concept of her coffee house and the challenges of getting the place open..We will also talk about being a women entrepreneur in a male dominated food and beverage business, and share tips for aspiring women...
read moreWhy your Personal Brand is more important than ever before
In 2023 Time Magazine might name “You” the Person of The Year. Ten years later, “You” are the Brand of The Year. Personal brand building online for executives, employees, and students will continue to dominate. It may have been considered clever two, three, or four years ago to say, “I am a technological dummy,” but it’s not clever anymore. It’s irresponsible. As brands push to further humanize and engage with consumers in new ways, they’ll look to their workforce to lead the charge. Executives will become micro brands within organizations. Poised to buoy social media content distributed by the brand. Does it really work? Building my personal brand has changed my life. When I wanted to get into social media, in a serious way I opened the Facebook Page The Social Hotelier – Home | Facebook . I started to go LIVE every Wednesday and talk about things the most to tourism-related folks. That also gained the attention of Mediterranean Tourism Forum which has an annual conference in Malta. In 2018 I moderated a panel discussion on the topic, ¨Technology Re-defining the Hospitality of the Future¨. These opportunities gave us visibility in front of 1000 delegates. More important the opportunity to network with like-minded people. Networking is a start of a relationship. The relation in turn may create a business opportunity. In 2014 a Finnish Business Daily published a blog I wrote about the potential of Chinese Tourism to the Gateway of Europe, Finland. This article was read by several hotel owners and it provided me with leads to several assignments. The B8B Hospitality brand was another way I could reach more people with my service offers. I am often asked what B8B stands for. This gives a chance to tell the brand’s unique story.… a bit of storytelling…anyway, this is how it goes 😜 . B8B is the philosophy of my business ¨Business Eterne Business¨. The purpose is to provide hospitality services in the various cycles of my client business that endures all time. I work side by side with clients in all phases of their venture and provide value, and provide solutions that Transform the Hospitality Assets of his business. In the brand logo the Greek symbol Infinity is displayed as numerical 8. The numerical 8 is very important. In Asia where I spent a major part working. It is customary to regard even numbers as being more auspicious than odd ones. No. 8 has been regarded as the luckiest number in Chinese culture. With the pronunciation of ‘Ba’ in Chinese, no. 8 sounds similar to the word ‘Fa’, which means prosperity, success, etc. It is no coincidence why the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 were opened on August 08.08.08.08 pm, and why my company is called B8B Hospitality. How do I start building my personal brand? Taking control of your personal brand doesn’t have to be hard. Here are five simple ways to get started: Become active on the top social media sites (Linkedin, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) by contributing to conversations in your industry. Start your own Facebook Page and provide value with LIVE video from your desktop Lifestreams with Facebook. Live is the episodical videos and lifestreams are on the go going live with tour mobile device. Repurpose evergreen topics to your YouTube...
read moreDo you want to be more valuable in 2018?
Messaging Apps and the case for Facebook Messenger Marketing! Messaging Apps is the next wave of marketing that has taken the online marketing world by the storm. In Asia, for example Kakao Talk is dominant in Korea, and in China WeChat has been dominating and is dominating the domestic market for a reason. With these Apps you can chat with your friends, communicate with businesses, make calls, play games and even call your taxi. For the Marketers in US, Europe, Middle East and Central and South America Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Slack are the leaders. In Africa, Blackberry Messenger, Google Hangout, Viber and Jongla are popular. Even I live in Finland, I have not paid attention to Jongla a Finnish startup. Jongla has become a huge hit in Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya, as they released a data light app that saves money and data. With the strong push from Facebook with its over 2 bill. Users their Messenger App is where the attention is on for Messenger Marketing. The trend is that the messenger marketing is the next wave that will take the online marketing world by storm. The driver are the opportunity to create automation with the chat bot Apps like ManyChat. How do you deal with guest inquiries from Facebook? I visited hotels, resorts on Facebook Pages to check how they use the Messenger functionality on their page. The survey revealed that, most hotels have a Simple Send Message, Book a Room, Call Now, Send Email. These inquiries will end up to be dealt up by one of the staff right..? The common questions by visitors to your Facebook Page could be …what is the weather forecast? What special events do you have coming up for the holidays? Are Pets allowed? What sports activities are available? What Offers do you have?.. And many more questions. I talked with one resort owner in Lapland, and they are overwhelmed with emails and messages. The backlog takes couple of days to clear. If you have similar issues, and you know what the bulk of questions may be. I am sure you track the questions there is a solution that will help you. That is where Message Marketing tool is the route to provide faster and better customer service. It provides an option to have a digital assistant that can provide information to the popular questions and optionally direct the visitors to a person. So this leads me to the solution which has yet to be taken on board by most.. tourism related businesses, hotels, restaurants, bars, activity services, equipment rentals. That is the Facebook Messenger bot such as ManyChat and Facebook Messenger Marketing opportunity. What is Facebook Messenger Marketing? Facebook has recently opened up the floodgates for all marketers and business owners who have a Facebook Fan page or Business Page. A chatbot is a friendly way to integrate great customer service for Page visitors . It is intuitive and has great functionality. It’s allowing simple “one click subscribe” and the ability to automate the distribution of your value through automated follow ups. One can use the Chatbot tool exactly the way you would an auto-responder. So Say No to a Dormant Message Button and consider the use of the ¨Digital Assistant¨that works 24/7 never sleeps...
read moreAre you prepared for instant broadcast by anyone, anytime in your hotel or restaurant?
Have you noticed people taking videos with their smartphone, and you are not thinking more of it? There is a very interesting recent development where smartphone users are testing their skills in broadcasting. Anyone that uses Twitter already knows that Twitter recently launched the live broadcasting app Periscope for iPhone and for Android. Facebook has joined the game and launched their own live streaming service, using the Facebook platform. Who can broadcast live on Facebook? I am afraid this by invitation only, The person has to be certified by Facebook, a public figure, and need to down load the App. There is another recently launched App called Meerkat and much touted My Eye. My Eye ethos reads; Life isn’t a rehearsal – Share every single exciting, unplanned second as it unfolds. Capture every surprise, smile, late night early morning, anywhere in the world. Connect, discover, share – no scripts, just life as it happens. What does this mean for the restaurant and hotel industry? A lot, but we will get to that in a minute. First, let’s talk about live broadcasting of content. This is basically the ability for anyone, anytime, anywhere in the world to instantly broadcast through their smartphone what is happening in their life as it happens. These Apps allows anyone to stream live, unedited content to the Internet with just the smartphone. Live Streaming Content is Everywhere With live broadcasting utilizing the smart phone Periscope, Meerkat and My Eye has fast become the hottest trend, you can be sure that your guests will be live doing a live broadcast of their visits to your restaurant, or of their stay in your hotel. From the very moment they are greeted by your host staff to the time they are bid farewell with a smile on their face, everything will be broadcasted to anyone who tunes in to the broadcast around the world, as it happens. Consider the positives it will bring. It shows that you care about your guests’ experience and want them to be completely satisfied with every visit. This is something that will show up in the live broadcast, in their commentary, and it will show in every interaction they have with your staff. This can be both good and can be a serious challenge. Good in a sense that you are getting virtually free advertising as your guests are doing a live promotion for your establishment and hopefully you will be getting more customers. A challenge in the sense that anything that goes wrong, poorly handled service situation, bad meal, poor customer experience will instantly be spread throughout the social media for people everywhere to see, followed with a tweet ¨This restaurant sucks¨, the hotel staff did not even say goodbye when I left. (If you listen closely, you can hear managers are everywhere cringing.) But remember, live broadcast can be a restaurant owner’s and the hoteliers best friend so embrace it and be prepared for broadcasting app on guests smartphones to start showing up at your doorstep, if they have not done that already. Prepare your hotel or restaurant for Live Content How do you prepare yourself for something like this? Be sure that you are offering free WiFi at your establishment, and monitor your bandwidth to ensure that you have enough...
read moreSoLoMo is so slowly catching on with hotels, and video is the King of Content
In 2015, social media promotion and video go hand in hand and hotels companies can no longer ignore the importance of video. In order for the hotels to remain relevant, with their customer groups, they will need to respond to the ever changing behaviour of consumers and craft social media strategies to include locally relevant video content. With the new Facebook Video feature, social media posts with video content are taking over Facebook’s newsfeed. The video posts are driving a higher organic reach versus image only posts, 8.7% vs. 3.7%. Facebook also released new video metrics that provide great insights into your ongoing social media effort. b8b hospitality recommends developing short videos (up to 30 secs) to share with your Facebook fans to increase engagement and friends. The costs associated with these videos are very limited, mobile phones produce a high enough quality, so your focus should be on making a concise video that will resonate with your followers and able to be easily shared. Once you upload a video to Facebook you can optimize it via Facebook Video Feature for higher engagement. To invite views to take further action and explore more visual content you can add a Call to Action “Watch More, Book Now”. I searched in random hotels in Helsinki, Malta, Dubai in Facebook to see what engagement some hotels have accomplished. In Helsinki, the new Hotel Indigo has taken the lead, with some personal videos. Hotel Arthur has a nice promotional video. In Dubai The Address Downtown Dubai have some slick promotional videos of their hotels. In Malta Marina Hotel Corinthia Beach Resort have great features on their You Tube channel, ¨Take me to Marina¨ Mayfest 2015, video shot with GoPro, which could be shared in their Facebook page. I argue that more can be done to engage the customer in more ways than this. Create some interesting competitions, and the winner is announced on the Facebook video channel. Have a small narrative on the video by the staff. It makes the clip more personal. Place your YouTube videos on your Facebook page. Hilton Eugene, Oregon, USA , took advantage of the video feature by announcing the winner of their Mothers Day Facebook Newsfeed contest. They developed a 24 second video on their mobile device, shot the video in the hotel’s kitchen with the chef announcing the winner. The video format made the content relatable and captured the attention of viewers in a way a text or picture post could not. The video generated great buzz (207 views in less than a week) and terrific engagement (101 Post clicks and 44 Likes, Comments and shares). Consider also a live streaming or broadcasting app by Twitters, such as Periscope. Live streaming has come along way in the last decade. Luckily today we have mobile devices that can record in HD and stream over 4G and/ or wifi. The user experience is a lot better for live streamers and viewers. The Periscope is true audience participation because with live integrated hearts and comments while you broadcast. It is the instant feedback that traditional broadcasters have been dreaming for years. You can engage with the audience as you present, and that’s what the makes this app a game changer. The broadcast will expire from the Periscope channel in...
read moreTop 10 ¨Must Have¨ skills for hotel marketers
Editor note: Original post 2015. Latest update June 2019. Independent Hoteliers whom I discussed with in Malta, Dubai, Phuket, Bali or Helsinki for that matter have similar concerns. How can we deal with the fast pacing changes in hotel marketing, which is changing by the month, and to ultimately build stronger relationships with a fickle travel market on their terms, who are going to intermediaries, focusing on rate only. The industry can only blame itself for jumping on the Best Available Rate (BAR) scenarios. I would argue developing strong relationship is important as it may result that eventually the relationships could convert to direct bookings through the hotels website. Direct bookings through the hotel website increases your average rate by around 15%, commission free revenue. Today’s buzzwords are, cross-channel marketing solutions, content marketing, and finally contextual marketing. Contextual marketing is touted as the next ¨big thing¨ in marketing. Contextual understanding of consumers, and the ability to engage continuously with them on their terms, enables hotels to deliver on the promise of customer-centricity. When executed effectively, context opens new opportunities for hotels – enabling them to deliver value to their guest in new ways and to build stronger relationships. Hoteliers I talked with, realize that their websites are simply not sufficient enough, or engaging enough to drive more visitors to their website and ultimately enticing them to book directly with the hotel. Many of the basic jobs could be handled by the team in the marketing department, rather outsourcing the assignments. So the list of ¨Must Have¨ skills are not only for students aspiring to become digital marketers, but also for professionals in the hotel marketing department, as a starters to stay abreast with the fast changing world of hotel digital marketing . #1: Writing and Copywriting Travelers enjoy reading about the destinations they will visit, and tips what to do. Writing skills are important for writing blog posts and website content, something more and more marketers are being asked to do. And since writing website content is something any digital marketer may get asked to write at some point, it’s also important to pick up basic copywriting skills so you know how to write persuasively and how to get people to take the action you want them to take. A good source I can recommend for improving one’s skills include but are not limited to: Writing with Style by John R. Trimble Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy The Adweek Copywriting Handbook by Joseph Sugarman Marketing Bullets by Gary Bencivenga The Copyblogger Blog #2: WORDPRESS Have you noticed people still list Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint as skills on their resume? At this point one is expected to know how to use Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint if you grew up at any point after 1970s. More importantly, WordPress, to me, is the new Microsoft Word when it comes to relevant skill for the modern hotel marketer. Not only do you need to know how to write a post in Word, but also need to know how to upload it and schedule it in WordPress. It is more impressive to be able to say you know how to use WordPress than you say you are fluent in Word. #3: Creating beautiful posts for Instagram There are now so many tools...
read moreLessons learnt from Bob Gruen, the legendary photographer, about success!
I have been fortunate to make a career of my passion for hospitality business. I have been privileged and given the opportunity, to travel to exciting destinations round the world, working with nice people, meeting interesting personalities, enjoying fabulous food, and staying in great places. Yes, I am an hotelier at heart. I had the privilege of managing hotels for a number of years in Asia and Middle East. Young professionals, graduating students, have asked me the secret of success, to get a top job, preferably as fast as possible. They wonder why aren’t people jumping at the chance to offer the best opportunity in their company? The problem is that nowadays many jobseekers and young employees are used to seeing instant success stories in the media. They have come to expect the same for their career advancement. Secondly, employers complain that many of them are more interested in ‘what a job can do for them – not what they have to offer an employer’. Such an attitude won’t get you very far! On average, it takes 10-20 years to groom a talented individual into a competent general manager of a flagship hotel in a major city or top resort destination. Here is some advice I learnt along the way in my career: First need to be passionate about the things you do. It is a marathon, not a sprint. The fuel you need is passion! Be a good listener, and always have an open mind. Strong analytical skills and good communication skills to persuade or influence others are also important. Be open to learn every day, and it does not have to be in the classroom, but from people smarter than me. They way I learnt, was by asking questions and express interest in what other people do. I also was open to do any job, in a hotel. The jobs I held were receptionist, reservation agent, bar supervisor, kitchen steward, waiter to restaurant manager in different styles of restaurants, ranging from fine dining to fast food. Later on I was given more responsibility to be assistant manager, executive assistant manager of a hotel divisio and eventually senior management roles. Make every person you meet, feel they are special. Luck in being in the right place at the right time. Sometimes you can create your ¨luck¨, but not always. So what has this all to do with my meeting with the legendary photographer Bob Gruen? In fact quite a bit, Bob is a fabulous photographer who captured the spirit of freedom in an era of rock bands and new wave bands of the seventies and eighties, with his iconic photographs. Many of his photos ended up as posters in teenager’s bedrooms. He is an incredible down to earth person, and passionate what he do, and obviously master in his craft. He was at the right time at the right place, and developed close friendship with people who were difficult to approach due to their celebrity status, or in the beginning of their careers. The couple of hours listening to Bob Gruen fascinating stories while we viewed his iconic photographs in the exhibition hall, made me realize that passion takes you a long way, in what ever you are chosen to do, and more importantly they way you go about...
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