There's a lot going on in the world of hospitality. Here are some important tidbits we noticed recently.
ADR is up for North American hotels
Key points: According to a new report, “the combined ADR across all travel segments (group and transient) in the top 25 North American markets is up 4.2 percent for the second quarter of this year (April through June), compared to the second quarter of 2014.” The one area not showing growth was transient business reserved occupancy.
Takeaway: An industry analyst advised hotels to grab more transient business “ with advance booking incentives to stimulate early occupancy gains.”
Amazon is—or is not—launching a travel service
Key points: Amazon Local debuted a Destinations section for a few U.S. cities. Part wanderlust inspiration, part travel service directory (including commission-based hotel listings), the end game of this feature depends on who you ask. It’s either a small addition to services the brand has been offering for years, or an entirely new product.
Takeaway: It’s possible that Amazon itself doesn’t know where Destinations is going (sorry). This could all be the testing phase of a larger project, which will be determined by how users respond, and what they purchase. In any case, it’s worth keeping an eye on.
Facebook’s algorithm update affects Pages
Key points: Stop me if you heard this one: Facebook updated its algorithm… Yes, again. People will see fewer notifications of a friend liking or commenting on a post. This is notable give the decreasing organic reach of Pages—now it’s going down even further.
Takeaway: As always, quality content is better than quantity. But now more than ever, assume your hotel’s Facebook posts won’t be seen unless they’re interesting and/or useful.