I’m in the process of writing a chapter in a book about hotel management. They asked me for a summary of the main ideas that I wish to convey… AND I decided to use this blueprint to make this post, share it with My Touristologists and, if I’m lucky (I always am!!!) get some insights from their experience.
As I always say….
My Touristologists are the best audience in the entire world AND I love to learn from them. I was their mentor; nowadays… well they mentor me back!!!
So, in a nutshell these are my ideas…
1) Tourists have always wanted to get backup/support and manage the trip from the beginning to the end.
2) New internet orientated technology allows these features in a personalized, syndicated and pro-amized way (Does Web 2.0 business model ring a bell for you?)
3) Using these new technologies, some members of the trip’s phases (Touristologists like to call them members of the chain of value!) help the tourist to manage the trip, gaining their trust giving the 3 C’S when and how the tourists need them. Let’s see some examples, shall we?
We can talk about booking or kayak and in the picture below we can see their influence in most of the members of the chain of value and, therefore, in all the servuction inside it.
They appear above most of the hotels in google and they have fancy facebook’s pages with thousands of followers. You go to kayak and see in a single website or mobile app the 3C’s from different members of the chain of value… other Central Reservations Systems, On-Line Travel Agencies, the Property Management System of the hotel… you name it!!!
They can do that using the techniques (Web Services, Web Scraping…) that we talked about here and that you, so much, enjoyed in OUR class!
We also can talk about AirBnB and how using the same techniques, can share content, commerce and community across the chain of value. We saw this in this post where I strongly recommended this article which highlights the necessity of a new job title “Growth hackers”… people with both technological and business model skills. By the way, it sounds like a Touristologist managing the chain of value, to me!!!
We talked about WorldMate here and its features that allow the tourist to get the 3C’s (content, commerce and community) in the way we describe in Web 2.0 business model. One mobile application is all I need! Far from perfect BUT as you know I see things not for what they are today BUT for what they can be! This allows me to see the brilliant future of Touristology when I see My Touristologists… This allows me to see what worldmate or other mobile app (maybe one created for My Touristologists!!!!!) can end up being!
4) Hoteliers don’t make the most of this new technology and the desire of their customers to manage the whole chain of value. They are still focus on providing a good service at home (I mean at the hotel!) leaving the job of bringing customers to infomediaries and intermediaries. Forgetting, that if you don’t control the chain of value others will!
5) Hoteliers! The Internet can be both a blessing and a curse. You experience firsthand the curse (that forces you to mark down the price, to use intermediaries with higher commissions and ever tighter conditions) Are you ready to experience the blessing?
I think is time to recover the control over our prices and the loyalty and trust of our customers! Embrace long tail theory and remember some Touristology’s rules:
A) If you want to serve everyone you are competing against the big 500kg gorilla in new economy jungle, using the strategy they are masters of… Economies of scale. It sounds an unequal battle to me!
B) Instead you’d better focus on the most profitable segments of your business (Does Segments Accountancy ring a bell for you?)
C) Find the relevant people inside this segment (Does The Tipping Point ideas ring a bell for you?) and Help them to help you!
D) Then deliver excellent servuction from the beginning to the end of the trip throughout the chain of value!
So, this is my blueprint, Touristologists! What do you think? As you know I, strongly, appreciate your opinion. Do you have any ideas? Can you help me to improve this blueprint? Can the future of the best sector ever, help an old chap?
Is there anybody out there? I know you are! You can use this post or send a direct message to share your ideas!!! I Love Touristology’s games!!!
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