1 - Social sharing sites are websites where common users of internet can share their experience, pictures or music such as Myspace, skyblog but also about your travel experiences that travel website provides such as opodo which search for you the place that correspond the best to your attendees.

2 examples :
http://www.myspace.com/ for pictures and music and http://www.dailymotion.com/fr for videos

2 - It influence consumers'choice because they can compare their experience in differents hotels for example and ask lot of questions concerning a specific travel or place. That is where they can get bad opinion of a hotel and then chose an other one. That's why hoteliers must really take care.

link article : http://www.corporate.canada.travel/corp/media/app/fr/ca/magazine/article.do?path=templatedata%5Cctx%5CmagArticle%5Cdata%5Cfr%5C2007%5Cissue04%5Cmarketing%5Cweb_tourism_culture

3 - Hoteliers must be more "opened" to their usual customers and to new ones. As they can't deal with "new surfing style" such as social sharing sites, they should adapt their marketing strategies to them. They'd better increase and incite the testimonials of their consumers even if it's good or not and don't hesitate to contact the consumers who didn't enjoy their stay to exactly know what was wrong and maybe try to make a marketing effort and maybe propose them to try again their hotel with a 20% rebate for example.

2 examples :
http://www.prixdesvoyages.com/ and http://www.bonkm.com/

4 - I think it's possible as long as it's well - prepared before. In fact, if it works, hoteliers will be more and more known and the way they democratize their marketing can attract consumers by its transparency. It will also permit to create a real confidence between professionnals and consumers because on a long term, only the consumers will be in charge of commercial and marketing of your hotel.
But hoteliers also need to take care, take part of this online conversation must be seriously done regularly. You want to create a new contact and relationship with your consumers, you need to be able and free to answer any questions at any time and even if the questions or the remarks are bad. You can't leave a message without an answer because you will risk to lose guests.
To my mind, it's the future of the travel industry which is taking place nowadays with the arrival of internet 2.0.

Secutity seal lifts Opodo sales

Opodo, the online travel agencysaw its sales growing up for about 10% in one week after the lay out of secured seal on their payment page.
They realised that the security for payment online is the most important need for e-customers. There is already a seal named paypal that you can find on EBAY for example. I think it's one of the reason why some people don't buy things (travels or goods) on internet.

http://www.hotelmarketing.com/index.php/content/article/061123_security_seal_lifts_opodo_sales/

An early look a the hotel of tomorrow

When you go to an hotel nowadays, you probably know what facilities you will find in; flat - screen televisions, wall - to - wall WIFI... The "hotel of tomorrow", the new idea of hotel is based on imagination and initiative. Actually, they want to offer new facilities that haven't been provide yet.

For example, you will find in this hotel a screen where you would be able to choose your room as you can select your ailine seats at the chek in. You can also adjust the temperature, the rate of humidity and the lights of your room depending on your needs.

I think it's a good idea to update facilities in hotels, because clients go to hotels by habits, they don't expect amazing things in there.

I think this kind of facilities will attract lot of customers because the basis of the human race is curiosity.

http://www.hotelmarketing.com/index.php/content/article/061129_an_early_look_at_the_hotel_of_tomorrow/

Amadeus add 9000 hotels

Since March 2006, Amadeus added 9000 hotels in its site. It reachs a total of 70000 hotels.
Its offers a large range of establishment located in downtowns, secondary cities and countryside. All traditionnal travel agencies can use it, but also online agencies which are connected with Amadeus system liKe Opodo for example.
Its help the hotel industry to grow up and travel agents in their work because they use only one computer tool to find the informations they need.
In fact, as M Antoine Medawar, the managing director explained, they growned up their inventory by 15% in 6 months.
Over 70 hotel brands (which representant 12000 properties) have signed up to its Best Available Rate which is a garantee for Amadeus to be supplied by hotels with rates that are the same or lower through over distribution sustems.

http://www.hotelmarketing.com/index.php/content/article/061031_amadeus_adds_9000_hotels/

Egypt.travel reports record visits

This article is about the new official website of the country of Egypt named "egypt.travel".

Nobody can forget the crash of Sharm el Sheikh, and it's a good thing to relaunch tourism that the Egyptian Tourism Authority had in creating this website.

It's a kind of "identity card" of the country.
There, futur travellers can learn more about culture, attraction, activities and information about customs formalities (visa, useful phone number in case of problem...). It's available in such a lot of languages like German, french or Russian.

The Egyptian Tourism Authority also provides a second website for travel agents and medias, whitch is available in 18 countries in 14 languages.

They also plan to create an online website where they add a series of online educational modules for agents.

To my mind, it 's a good thing to promote a country like Egypt whitch met such problems in the past (like terrorism or air crashes). It helps travellers know more about the country without going to a travel agency and it's something great because travelllers are becoming more and more selfcontained.


Please find under the link to the article :

http://www.hotelmarketing.com/index.php/content/article/060928_egypttravel_reports_record_visits/

Meet your perfect travel match online

In order to satisfy and attract more travellers, and also to grow up their travel market, Lonely Planet's, the online travel forum decided to fitt up a link on its website where you can find your "traveller soul mate".

In fact, a few years ago, meeting people on the web wasn't something widespread. But nowadays, people are often netusing, as internet became an ordinary object.

On this dedicated session, travellers who don't want to go on an organized trip with a group can advertise by themselves with all the criteriums that they want to find a travel friend.

It's open to everybody, singles, couples or also friends who want to share their trip for different reasons : financials, security or only for meeting people.

They have the opportunity to first meet in regular social events, to go on a group trip and also can access discounts through a partnership.

To my mind, it's a great idea to have created this website because nowadays, travellers are more self - contained, as they can book their trip on internet, but don't have inevitably a personn to travel with.