Today's Conversation - RM

Reputation Management - How to be prepared for jobs that do not exist right now.

1. Set up a specific Gmail - for newsletters, Google Alerts and collecting information

2. Use the same Gmail to set up a Twitter account

3. On Twitter follow a select few experts + hotel companies - see how they use Twitter

4. To follow, use a Twitter reader - I use Tweetdeck

5. Use Slideshare for briefs on the latest

6. Use Google image search to find PPTs on topics

7. Take free webinars

8. 'Surround' yourself - to be come known for your expertise

9. Keep a 'note block' - use your portable to post notes

10. Be curious - don't just follow hospitality - follow industry leaders.

Design thinking - learn how to imagine solutions

Final Exam - Hotels for Online Distribution Plan

Final Exam Question - Create Online Distribution Plan for your assigned Hotel.

Hotel 1 - Hoxton Hotel

Hotel 2 - Royalton Hotel NYC

Hotel 3 - Casa Camper Berlin

Hotel 4 - Hotel Jules Paris

Thank you for your candid comments and insights.

Final - Personal Learning Assessment Click here to take survey

Course Evaluation Click here to take survey

Final Exam Jan 21 + Assignments for Class Jan 28

As discussed Last week, the Final Exam for this semester. is Jan 21. In class today, we'll cover the topics you will need to be familar with for the exam.

The exam is 'open book' - open computer - NO TEXT messaging allowed.

You need to understand the concepts + customer acquisition strategies behind key channels:

• OTAs
• Hotel portals
• Regional portals
• Specialty sites
• Community sites
• Meta data - aggegator sites
• Review sites
• Last minute, Last Moment sites

Concepts that you must be familiar with are in the following articles:

OTA - hotel relationships

Aggregator sites in Travel

PPC and Distribution

Decision Criteria for selecting channels - which we will discuss today.

Jan 28 - The Brand of You - Online Reputation Development.

The pre-class assignment and In Class exercise will be 10% of your grade.

Jing Presentation - sample

This is a presentation from the previous MBA course. The student did an excellent job of her presentation.

Does your look similar? If not, a bit more practice!!

Exercise for Class 14/01 - Post Due 11/1

To prepare for class discussion, you will need to research and analyze 'aggregator' travel sites, also known as Meta-search sites.

Kayak is an example of an aggregator site. Use Jing to create your presentation.

Advice - do NOT leave creating the presentation until the last minute, as Jing will take some time to get used to.

Your presentation should include:

1. a definition of an aggregator travel site - link to the source, in your blog

2. compare 2 aggregator sites - you cannot use Kayak

-who is the target audience

-what are the benefits of using an aggregator site

-which booking sites do the aggregator sites search

-what partners are in the 2 sites you have chosen

3. How do travel experts feel about meta search travel sites - what info has been published? Link to source, in your blog

4. What is YOUR perspective on the contribution of meta search sites to the travel experience.

Reading Assignment for Class 14/01

As usual, a brief review on an article of your choice is due on Jan 11. The cross comments are due on Jan 13.

In addition, please read this Harvard Business Review article - linked here. A blog post on this article is also due on Jan 11.

Your post should include YOUR perspective on:

• what skills are needed for contemporary career success
• how are those skills different from past requirements
• how will you learn those skills
• what is the relationship between 'formal assignments' and 'connector skills'

Here is an excerpt on the NEW NATURE of career success.

This changes the nature of career success. It is not enough to be technically adept or even to be interpersonally pleasant. Power goes to the "connectors": those people who actively seek relationships and then serve as bridges between and among groups. Their personal contacts are often as important as their formal assignment. In essence, "She who has the best network wins."

Today

In Class Exercise 07/01 - Twitter for Hotel Bookings

While I am looking at your online collaboration from the Community exercise...get started on Twitter.

This exercise should take 45 minutes.

As a group of 3, review Twitter and some booking sites - prepare to brief the class:

1. What is Twitter? How does it work? How does it relate to your blog? Facebook?

2. Inogo uses Twitter - how? Who does it reach? How does a hotel get distributed on Inogo?

3. Articles advise consumers on cutting travel costs. How does Twitter fit in?

4. How does Jet Blue use Twitter? Find a hotel group uses it the same way.

5. How does Hyatt Hotels use Twitter? How does it differ from Jet Blue.

State your group's conclusion on the pros + cons of Twitter asd an enterprise tool. Post in your blogs.

Flash Mobs, Twitter + Twitter Booking Sites

Some online tools created for fun-communication are now being used for business puirposes...Twitter is a key example. Video brief.

This is a Flash Mob - assembled by SMS and Twitter