"Signature Photos"

Richard just returned from the St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association's Annual General Manager's Retreat where he was invited to give a presentation on internet marketing.
One of the main issues during the presentation was 'Signature Photos' for each hotel. Since web bookers may be scanning a long list of potential offerings on Travelocity, Expedia, TripAdvisor, etc... is the photo of your hotel going to 'grab the users attention' and make them click on your listing?
I happened to use a listing from TripAdvisor as an example of how a great Caribbean hotels love to show photos of swimming pools when they have the best beaches in the world if they turn the camera in the other direction.
If I saw this photo - I might scan right past it if I was looking for a hotel with a beach.
As a consumer, I assume that a hotel will present their best feature - and this photo makes me assume that this hotel doesn't have a great beach - if they did, wouldn't they show it?
I made the remark that from this photo - this hotel could just as easily be in Kissamee, Florida as in the Caribbean... it was a rather generic photo...
Hoteliers love showing off the things that they build, maintain and walk past every day - walls, front doors, porticos, pools and furniture (especially beds) - while travel shoppers are looking for beaches, magical aquamarine waters, something different and special that will enhance a unique vacation Experience....
The GM of the hotel happened to be sitting right in front of me and very firmly told me that 'this pool is one of the top 10 pools in the Caribbean - we win awards all the time and it is a stunning infinity pool that overlooks the ocean".....
The woman sitting next to him said - "Oh, people LOVE infinity pools" - and she was right....
But this photo doesn't give the travel buyer any idea - it undersells the property...
If the photo captured the spectacular infinity pool with a palm tree, the magical blue/green water and perhaps a glimpse of the hotel or beach... it would be the type of 'signature photo' that STOPS SHOPPERS from scanning and converts lookers to bookers....
To be fair, this hotel does have some good photos on TripAdvisor that do show its unique position between ocean and bay and next to legendary Dawn Beach... but if travel shoppers don't respond to the first photo/listing they see - they'll never click on the hotel and then again on HOTEL PHOTOS to see the good stuff....
So, remember that consumers are assumers....
They will assume that you feature your very best photo....
and make snap judgments in the 'blink of an eye' as to what hotel in a long list will appeal to them.... Look for your own 'signature photo' that has a high information quotient that sets you apart from the competition....
You'll sell more rooms as soon as the change is made.....
Caribbean Consulting will be working with two new hotels in San Juan, Puerto Rico this week - and our first step is always to define a new client's 'signature photo' that forms the base of our product positioning and information distribution....

What is Web 2.0?

While everyone is talking about Web 2.0 - no one we talk to seems to know what it is? Simply put, its the 'next generation' of web design and development. For Hotel and Destination marketing - it means re-thinking websites that were created as copies of brochures adapted for a web browser (usually Internet Explorer).

Brochures follow a model where content and technology are fixed and users only have a few ways of accessing information (front to back, flip pages, back to front). Changes to brochures are expensive - and the information is often outdated before distribution is complete.

As many destinations have learned - this 'first generation' or Web 1.0 type of website is very expensive to produce and even more expensive to maintain with updated information. Unfortunately, many destinations have discovered that passive online versions of brochures with generic photos/text are not always effective in converting 'lookers to bookers'.

Web 2.0 seeks to move destination marketing to a more interactive model where visitors to the website get a better idea of the EXPERIENCE of a hotel or destination with constantly updated information and interactive content provided by recent visitors.

Updated information and content that share 'third party' EXPERIENCES from guests that have just returned from a vacation are much more important than the exact layout, photo resolution, font or PMS color matching.

Information Quotient or Experience Ratio are more important than Graphic Design.

Users may access information on a computer (using Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox or Apple Sahara) with different layouts, screen resolutions, video cards and browser functionality. Potential visitors may also want to learn about your destination on their cellphone, PDA, game box, IPhone, voice-only device, or translated to foreign languages through online language resources - none of which deal with brochures very well.

This is accomplished by releasing content from the fixed confines of a brochure and creating a flexible framework of technology that can adapt to the needs of the destination to update or add information or interactive 'Social Networking' elements easily and inexpensively without reinventing the entire project.

The best websites change content often to keep visitors coming back to revisit the site and encourage 'viral marketing' by offering compelling content that visitors want to recommend to their friends and family who will then forward the information on to their own friends and family - spreading the word of your destination or hotel.

Web 1.0 viewed destination marketing as an online brochure...
Web 2.0 enables destinations to view marketing as an online magazine, TV or even out-of-control 'bull session' if not edited and controlled.

Using videos, blogs, podcasts, forums, webcams, reviews, wiki's (user generated content), visitor photo albums, 'top 10 lists', partnerships, co-branding, self-proclaimed experts, destination guides, etc. - content is everywhere. Some of it is great - some is just incorrect or intentionally malicious.

Web 2.0 technology is flexible, extremely powerful and relatively inexpensive. However, CONTENT CONTROL is critical and completely new territory for most Tourist Boards and Hotels.

Caribbean Consulting is currently helping clients understand how to best utilize the new world of 'flexible technology' combined with 'unlimited content' to find the best balance that will command attention from target markets and convert 'lookers to bookers' while discouraging 'lurkers, scams and spam' as destination marketing moves into an exciting new phase.

Destinations that use Web 2.0 technology well can leverage their content to increase arrivals who are prepared to maximize both their EXPERIENCE and economic impact in your destination. But it requires a much more pro-active role for Tourist Boards and Hoteliers than the old 'print it and forget it' brochure model from Web 1.0.

Web 2.0 & Social Networking for Destinations

The focus of this weekend's CTO Conference in San Juan is Web 2.0 and Social Networking. This is all the buzz within the web development community - which is looking for new ways to entice Tourist Boards to incorporate 'new media' and 'interactive media' into their online marketing.
Most people we've spoken to don't have a good idea of what any of this means.
Caribbean Consulting spent last week working with the US Virgin Islands Department of Tourism to see how elements such as videos (ie: YouTube), photo posting sites, music, blogs, forums, podcasts, social networking (ie: facebook, myspace) and user-generated content (ie:TripAdvisor reviews) might enhance their new website.
There are lots of companies developing technology and software to facilitate adding these elements to Destination Websites. Marie and I have looked at a few of these and they range from basic software tools to very elegant online 'communities'.
Alarms immediately went up when developers explained how simple it all was!
We had one of those Deja Vu flashbacks to our days at IBM/Prodigy (all over again).
In the early 90's - we worked on similar concepts with Prodigy's 'Communities of Interest' and IBM created state of the art software to bring people together to share content interactively.
The software was the easy part.
The marketing was exciting - bringing people together to share experiences online.
The MAINTENANCE was a NIGHTMARE !!!
Not in programmers - but in human resources in order to review, screen and verify the information that was posted by tens of thousands of people every day!
After all, every word that appears on your destination website reflects on your destination - whether its true or not...
Before considering Web 2.0 and social networking, think about your ability to review every bit of content.
Do you have the staff to monitor every video, forum posting, photo, review or blog entry that is posted on your website?
How you implement and maintain interactive features can determine if Web2.0 and Social Networking increases tourist arrivals, room nights, economic development and GDP - or exposes your destination to spam, negative commentary, misinformation, 'ambush' marketing, copyright infringement, slander, libel or even pornography.

Caribbean Consulting can help you understand which components of Web2.0 will create the greatest benefit to your destination and use the best aspects of this very powerful evolution of the internet to increase tourism without the potential risk of 'open' interactive content.

Don't Stop the Carnival

Marie just returned from two weeks of 'hotel-sitting' at one of our clients. Like many potential hotel-owners, she envisioned a fairly leisurely two weeks checking out the island, chatting up the guests and finally getting some time on the beach (which we never seem able to do when consulting).
While Marie has years of experience in sales, marketing, back office operations and customer relations - she never had actual 'hands-on' management experience prior to this assignment.
It only took one day for Marie to understand that for a small hotelier - 6am quickly becomes midnight with the everyday parade of mishaps, adventures, surprises and unanticipated 'special opportunities' that experienced Caribbean hoteliers have long known as 'the charm of the Caribbean'...
We won't get the report card on how our client feels about Marie's stint as hotelier until they return from vacation in October - but from all accounts, Marie did a spectacular job with her crash course in 'Don't Stop the Carnival' hotel management - and has a new appreciation of the challenge of running a hotel in the Caribbean from the operations side of the front desk.
And even though she says she worked harder than anyone should.... she also enjoyed the challenges and rewards of making sure guests received the best Caribbean vacation experience possible.
So, if anyone needs a stand-in small hotelier for a few weeks - give us a call....

Cultural Tourism: Al fresco Opera in Old San Juan

Culture continues to be one of the most neglected aspects of culture in the Caribbean.
Saturday night there was a very nice outdoor performance of The Barber of Seville at the Cuartel de Ballajá, in Old San Juan. This enormous building has a spectacular interior courtyard which served as the stage for the Opera de Puerto Rico andOrquesta Sinfonica de Puerto Rico with an excellent cast performing the full-length opera with 'supertitles' in Spanish.
Plus, it was FREE and even started more or less on time (an oddity here in Puerto Rico).
The seating area was completely filled with a large number of people standing (too bad they didn't open the upper mezzanine areas for additional seating and better view).
It was so nice in fact that you could easily imagine yourself in Europe rather than the Caribbean - and we know that the combination of Europe and Caribbean is marketing magic for many islands.
It was a surprisingly good production and very well received by the audience - much of which left as we did, half-way through the second act, since there is no public transportation from Old San Juan after 11pm - even on weekends.
The turnout was especially surprising since it was very poorly promoted - I heard about it the morning of the event on the local English-language radio station. There was also an article in the paper the day of the performance.
There seemed to be very few tourists at the event, so I decided to check the Tourism Company's website to see if this was promoted as a tourist event.
While it was nice to see that www.gotopuertorico.com now has a calendar of events - it had disappeared for some months - I was shocked to find that events are listed alphabeticly.... not by date! Who goes to a tourist site to check alpha listings? I want to know what is happening when I travel to a destination!
They call it a 'calendar of events' but it is a 'list of events'.
Calendars are organized by dates.
Lists are organized by title.
Needless to say, I didn't find my opera - or anything else happening this weekend - since I didn't want to take the time to check every listing and hunt and peck for dates among the listings.
Why can't tourism departments 'think like a tourist' from time to time?
Certainly the government was involved in obtaining the space, providing generators, tents, employees, funding and permits for the event. It would have been nice if they had done a better job of promoting the event.
Events, Culture, Fairs, etc. are fantastic tourism advantages for destinations which want to increase visitors, extend stays and promote business at restaurants/bars/shops in the area of the events. Lots of planning went into this production - but no one thought about the audience...
If you island has a rich cultural heratige and/or special events - you can convert these into tourism dollars that filter throughout your local economy.
But you have to let the world know about it...
You have to give people access to it (and a way to get home afterward)....
Destinations that learn how to do this benefit greatly....

Saba: Captain's Quarters Hotel Demolished

Many thanks to Lynn at Sea Saba for forwarding this final photo

which is probably from The Daily Herald in St. Maarten.

Its been almost 9 years since hurricane Georges destroyed most of Captain's Quarters - the historic landmark that I owned/managed with my cousin Calvin Holm from 1993-99.
The 12-room hotel had been built in 1965 and was one of the truly special small Caribbean hotels.
Although the building had serious structural problems and was impractical for a hotel even before the hurricane, I always hoped that it would be saved as a part of the island's Museum or Tourist Office - the hotel was always a 'signature photo' of Saba.
Having hosted Queens Beatrix & Juliana of The Netherlands several times, Room #2 with its vaulted ceiling and photo-op balcony was a favorite of dukes, princes, diplomats, celebrities, honeymooners & world travelers for decades.
It is reported to have been the inspiration for several of the antics in Herman Wouk's Don't Stop the Carnival which he wrote while based at the Passangrahn Hotel in St. Maarten - looking out toward Saba.
It was a privilege to have been a part of Captain's Quarters' history and very sad to see it become just one more memory of a lost Caribbean.

Captain's Quarters Resort & International Arts Center

before the arrival of Hurricane Georges in 1998.

Intra-Island Marketing

A brief look through today's El Nuevo Dia shows a nice variety of islands who are aggressively seeking the 'off-season' bonanza that Puerto Rico can deliver when the entire island goes on vacation in July.
With major holidays on July 4, 25 & 27 plus a few minor holidays in between - Puerto Rico has a tradition of taking the month of July for vacation before going back to school and business in August.
Since this is usually a very slow period for most islands - Caribbean Consulting has been an advocate for looking to Puerto Rico for summer business for years.
The Dominican Republic traditionally gets the majority of business, followed by Orlando.
However, Sunday's paper shows major ads and promotions for St. Maarten, Anguilla and Martinique (with better photos than previous ads - thanks to Club Med) in addition to the DR.
The BVI has a full-time marketing person in San Juan and has concentrated their efforts on radio spots with ads on WOSO's 'Live from Club Nautico' show since yachts are a major market and its an easy way to reach the non-boat crowd as well...
The USVI has concentrated on a sales blitz to island travel agents.
The smaller islands are promoted through 4Seasons Travel Puerto Rico Residents specials throughout the region.
Nice to see that many islands are recognizing this very large and very close market that loves to travel in summer!
Some day they might also discover that the French islands go on vacation in September after their own summer 'bonanza' season in August when St. Martin, St. Barths, Martinique and Guadeloupe are overbooked when all of France takes the month of August for their vacations.

Noche de San Juan - Reality Report

Well, its been a few weeks since Noche de San Juan and I waited a while to post this so I could see if there was anything in the Press about developing the event into a tourism attraction.
Nothing.
Noche de San Juan was very nice.
We walked over to Condado at about 10pm and people were starting to accumulate along the beach. At about 11pm, police were positioned at all the dead-end streets that go to the beach to keep cars from entering to search for parking.
By 11:30 - there was a steady stream of people going to the beach.
The center of activity seemed to be the Atlantic Beach Hotel which had lights on a small portion of the beach.
There was no activity at all at The Marriott or the La Ventana al Mar park on either end of Condado's beach.
At about 5 minutes til midnight, thousands of people ran into the waves and at the countdown to midnight threw themselves into the waves. There were fireworks for about 5 minutes that could be seen from Ultimo Trolley Beach in Ocean Park.
Everyone was well behaved, everyone had a great time..
Almost everyone was between 20 - 40 years old.
Some of the bathing suits were quite amazing for midnight!
How often do you get a mass gathering of that age group without music, dancing and drink?
By 12:30, everyone was headed home...
So - while it was a very nice local event - most tourists probably didn't even know it was going on... a major cultural event that probably went unnoticed by most of the world.
Could it be that people in the tourism industry don't see the potential?
How many other great local celebrations throughout the Caribbean are ignored by the tourism industry? Tourists I meet all over the Caribbean crave local culture within easy access of their hotel.

Noche de San Juan

Tonight is 'Noche de San Juan' - the night to celebrate the patron saint of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Traditionally, the 23rd of June is when the citizens of San Juan go to the beach and wade into the ocean at midnight to celebrate St. John the Baptist (San Juan Bautista).
The tradition started in Spain, where they have bonfires at midnight to cast off witches spells. Here in San Juan, the use of bonfires has declined due to beach regulations - but a beach party scene has developed starting at about 9pm and running until late at night.
At midnight, local tradition dictates that you wade into the sea and throw yourself backwards into the surf in order to guarantee good luck for the coming year.
Opinions differ as to the number of times you should repeat the ritual for best results. Some say that three times is sufficient, others say seven times and serious devotees insist that twelve is the key to success in order to make sure all evidence of last year's bad luck is cast to the waves.
In the past couple of years, the event has started to be more organized - with the city of San Juan sponsoring activities and entertainment at the 'Ultimo Trolley' beach where Ocean Park meets Punta las Marias.
Local residents are annoyed by the rush of Puerto Ricans from surrounding towns that have started to overflow these normally quiet gated residential neighborhoods where parking is at a premium and beaches are normally empty at night.
I've never gone before, but 'word-of-mouth' this year is that everyone MUST go to the beach tonight.... Not only in San Juan, but now the tradition has taken hold all over the island - especially in Bouqueron on the west coast.
Is this the grass-roots beginning of a major international tourism event?
It seems like a perfect opportunity to promote a unique Caribbean tradition.
It also comes in low season for hotels - since June is almost always slow before all of Puerto Rico goes on vacation in July. It would extend the July high season by a few weeks.
I'll give a report after I attend the festivities tonight - since I can walk from my house in Santurce to the border between Condado and Ocean Park in about 15 minutes.
I was in Rio de Janerio a few years ago for New Years Eve which is now a major international tourism event - with fireworks along the beach and everyone dressed in white casting flowers into the sea while spiritualist provide offerings of flowers and fruit on the beach as they perform rituals to eliminate evil spirits from their devotees to the beat of afro-Brazilian music.
Apparently this was only a small local tradition in Rio until recently - but you now have to reserve your rooms a year in advance as New Years Eve in Rio is second only to Carnival as a source of international tourism.
Does 'Noche de San Juan' have to potential to elevate Puerto Rico's 'Noche de San Juan' into an international tourism event? Will this become of celebration of local culture, afro-Caribbean influence and the Salsa and Regaetton music that the world has embraced. Is this a chance for San Juan rediscover its pride and soul that has lately been covered over by too much concrete, international-brands and luxury condos wherever you turn?
The buzz on the street suggests we may be in for a fabulous night....
I'll update on 'Expectation vs. Reality' next.....

The 'right set of eyes'... part III

I just went to sign up for a new e-newsletter from Travolution about the online travel industry. After filling out all the required forms - there were some check-boxes to 'opt-out' of promo offers.
I checked a couple of them from 'partner offers' - but figured I'd welcome offers from Travolution so I left that one unchecked.
Well, when I submitted, I kept getting ERROR until I was forced to 'opt-out' of all items. Why offer them if you are forced to refuse them to continue. When the page finally let me submit, I got another error page with even more ominous errors (see below).
I guess I'm not going to get the email newsletter or the special offers.
Maybe this is temporary.
Maybe this has been a problem and no one ever tested or was advised of errors.
I sent an email to the editor, he replied right away and sent it on to someone else.
Nice response from Travolution - but your client's eyes are never 'the right set of eyes' to see errors like this.
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Server Error in '/' Application.

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Value cannot be null. Parameter name: url

Description: An unhandled exception occurred during the execution of the current web request. Please review the stack trace for more information about the error and where it originated in the code.

Exception Details: System.ArgumentNullException: Value cannot be null. Parameter name: url

The 'right set of eyes'... part II

Speaking of getting the right set of eyes to look at a project....

I was browsing through the travel section of the Sunday 'El Nuevo Dia' - San Juan's largest paper yesterday and came across an ad for Martinique - el toque frances del Caribe...

This was fantastic, since Caribbean Consulting has been advocating looking to Puerto Rico as a primary market for years... especially islands which have direct service (AA Eagle) and want to fill empty rooms during July when all of Puerto Rico goes on vacation.

Several years ago we worked with the BVI Tourist Board to broaden their horizons and look to 'intra-Caribbean' markets. The BVI now has a full-time sales office in San Juan and a very successful series of ads that are getting lots of attention among San Juan residents who are tired of the high taxes in the Dominican Republic and the legendary traffic jams or 'tapons' to get our to the west coast resorts of Puerto Rico. Its much easier to just hop on a plane to The BVI and discover Anegada, Jost van Dyke, Peter Island, Virgin Gorda and Tortola.

Back to the advertising for Martinique....
Besides the words in French - the was nothing in the rather large display ad that would possibly motivate most travelers to discover 'France in the Caribbean'.

The lead photo showed a bed with folded towels, bench, wardrobe, credenza, flat-panel TV and drapes. While this might lead me to a furniture sale if I needed a bedroom set - it didn't create an 'I gotta go there reaction' for vacation.

The ad listed a 'Plein Soleil' for $299 but didn't list what hotel I would be staying in if I was motivated to spend two nights with the furniture featured in the ad.

The next photo was hard to place, but was either a hotel lobby or a very large suite or condo with lots of chairs, ottomans, tables and plants. No people, no scenery, just impersonal, 'contract' furniture.

Photo three was the backside of an Adirondack chair with a Mr. Coffee machine on a counter and a glimpse of balcony railings against a green planty backdrop. This easily could have been a hotel in upstate New York, Canada, or Wisconsin. When I think of 'France in the Caribbean' I fantasize about espresso in a chic sidewalk cafe - not a 'Mr. Coffee' next to an Adirondack chair.
Besides - we have world-class coffee and nice chairs in Puerto Rico.

The final photo shows the corner of a pool, a 'tiki unbrella' and three empty lounge chairs against a railing with a scrubby green mass beyond that stretches to an ambiguous blue line that could be water or sky. Again, great ad if I'm selling pool furniture for the thousands of upscale Puerto Rican homes which have this scene in their back yard or condo.

The message seems to be 'Come to Martinique - we have lots of furniture'. I'm sure this isn't the message that the Tourist Board wanted to get across. There probably won't be much reaction to this ad - so Martinique might well decide 'there is no market in Puerto Rico'. This would be a mistake.

If the 'right set of eyes' had taken a fast look at this ad before it was printed - Martinique might have been portrayed as a fascinating and exotic melding of Franco-Caribbean culture, cuisine and cache only a short flight from San Juan. That combination should be irresistible for upscale Puerto Rican's who love to be the first to experience anything new, chic and European.

Its nice to see the French Caribbean starting to approach the 'intra-Caribbean' market...
but if this ad flops - blame the ad, not the destination or the market....

And please, por favor, s'il vous plaît!
Don't show me furniture - I have that at home...
Show me a vacation EXPERIENCE I can't have anywhere other than Martinique!

Is 'the right set of eyes' the key to success?

Caribbean Consulting is getting ready to do an online marketing campaign for ourselves - and its taken us several months to look at our own business and do the type of business analysis that we do every day for our clients. We just couldn't seem to get to the 'essential service' that we've provided to our clients for years.

We either tried to over-simplify it, or tried to convey the hundreds of steps we go through and got lost in the process....

We started asking clients for suggestions. They used terms like 'Problem Solvers' or 'Magicians' or 'Lifesavers' - but didn't really have an idea of how to explain just what it was that we did other than increase bookings, reduce costs and make running a hotel a lot more satisfying and profitable. That's not bad, but wasn't really the whole picture.

Finally, we relied on other consultants who helped us organize our services into four or five logical steps that we tend to loose sight of since we multi-task so much in our comprehensive approach to consulting. Once they pointed out that we were different from most consultants - since we approach hotel marketing through 'merchandising', things started falling into place. Since we've been doing this so long, we lost sight of the way we 'create a product' that can be easily presented, understood and purchased through the internet.

This is something we fought for in the early years of internet/online services when we worked with IBM/Prodigy and American Airlines/SABRE to develop EAASY SABRE as it evolved into Travelocity. Treating travel as a differentiated product is so critical to our methodology that we took it for granted and didn't include it in the equation....

Which just goes to show - a second pair of eyes can often put things into perspective - if its the right set of eyes...

Merchandising - what a difference a name makes.

I was at the local 'Plaza del Mercado' yesterday to buy ingredients for 'Sofrito' - the basic seasoning 'salsa' of all Puerto Rican cooking. After finding the perfect garlic, cilantro, recao (wild cilantro), onion, green pepper, tomato, salt and lots of colorful 'aji dulce' which look like scotch bonnet peppers without the fire - I noticed a new selection of Creole spices.

What really caught my eye was a spice called Malagueta - which I recognized as the mystery spice I had found in a friend's kitchen when I was looking for nutmeg and had assumed was all-spice or cardamon since the jar didn't have a label. At 69 cents a package - I bought a pack and figured that I couldn't go wrong even if I didn't use it.

When I got back home, I got online and did some research.

The spice is actually a fragrant form of pepper which is native to Africa, but is used extensively throughout the Caribbean. It is also known as: Alligator Pepper, Ginny Grains, Ginny Papper, Graines, Greater Cardamom, Grenes, Guinea Grains, Guinea Pepper, Guinea Seeds, Maniguetta, Maniguette, Melaguata, Meligetta Pepper, Paradise Grains, Paradise Nuts and GRAINS OF PARADISE.

GRAINS OF PARADISE - what a wonderful name!

Doing a search on 'Grains of Paradise' - I found that my 69 cent quantity of Malagueta was being sold in a fancy tin on Amazon.com as 'Grains of Paradise' for $7.50 plus shipping and handling.

So, I was very happy with my purchase and will use the new spice all the time.... probably in place of pepper in my pepper mill, since most Puerto Ricans do not use black pepper.

The people purchasing on Amazon weren't so happy. They report that the fancy tin was mostly empty - containing a deceivingly small amount of spice compared to the image/container that they bought. Delivery was also an issue - not received in the amount of time promised.

Same basic product.... different price / packaging.... and very different 'expectation vs. reality'..... both in product and customer service.....

So - you can take a basic commodity and merchandise it online to command a premium price... but if you can't deliver what was implied or promised on your website, you probably won't get a repeat sale....

The psychology of 'Expectation vs. Reality' is one of the core elements of our work at Caribbean Consulting.... and the beds at your hotel are not all that much different than the spice at the local 'Plaza del Mercado'.

Price and its implied level of product/service doesn't always equate to product or customer satisfaction - BUT IT SHOULD!

Is the Caribbean starting to look like Florida?

We've been meeting with other consultants who work in the Caribbean and what constantly comes up in conversation is how the current development of luxury condo-hotels, resorts and fractional ownership has an impact in the region.

Part of the 'charm of the Caribbean' has always been the small hotels, funky resorts, island culture and 'island time' that often caused tourists to complain. But once they got used to the fact that they were in a different world - they eventually calmed down, chilled out and grew to love the unique madness that Herman Wouk so wonderfully describes in 'Don't Stop the Carnival'.

Any hotelier and most guests to the Caribbean could read 'Don't Stop the Carnival' and swear that they had experienced exactly the same charming clash of cultures, resources and attitudes against a backdrop of stunning natural beauty that used to be the hallmark of Caribbean travel. For better or worse, life under the Caribbean Sun was unlike anything else on earth.

With the huge increase of luxury hotels, condo-hotels, condos, fractional ownership and the commerce that follows - are the islands starting to look alike? Cable TV has reduced accents, local cafe's can't compete with fast food chains and upscale clients demand instant service and 'international standards'. Starbucks is the first choice for tourists - where they buy Kenya Gold Decaf or 'Bold & Beautiful Blend' even on islands famous for their own coffee!

Tourists and the new 'owners' demand the same standards they have 'at home' but want it enhanced by the Caribbean and the label of 'luxury', 'prestige', 'exclusive' and 'privileged' that is promised in the sales brochures.

In the short term - its bringing more business as construction booms and new properties come online....
In the longer view.... will we all start to look the same?

Is the Caribbean starting to look a lot like Florida?

How do we differentiate our products - our islands, culture & experience... so that the 'luxury living box on the beach' in St. Lucia, Provo or Aruba is worth a premium over the same physical accommodations on Florida's Gulf Coast - which is easier to get to and doesn't require a passport.

With high fuel costs, limited airlift, service issues, customs, departure tax, imported food & beverage, hotel taxes, etc. is the resort in the islands competitive in the price/value/experience equation....

This will be the main issue for hotels/resorts/destinations in the next few years as travel planning moves almost exclusively to the internet and our product becomes 'globalized'.

We're looking at ways for our clients to easily position themselves in the global market - now that our competition is not necessarily another island in the region - but Florida, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Mexico, Fiji or anywhere in the world that builds a compelling tourism product at an attractive price.

Everyone in the tourism industry should ask 'why should someone want to come to my island?'
but then calculate the price of the visit against other destinations/products worldwide...
and see if they have a competitive product and a compelling story to command a premium in price and travel time.

In today's tourism market - you're just one more product on the shelf of the travel store...
In a market filled with expert shoppers - how can we close the sale?
And what will happen once Cuba is added to the product mix for the US market?

Caribbean Consulting is encouraging our clients to start thinking about this now....
since we're seeing consumer buying habits changing much faster than destination marketing strategy on most islands....

Destination-based Travel Agents

As I'm planning my vacation - a few thoughts:

I'm using a travel agent in Bali for my 4 night/5 day stay in Kuta/Ubud.
I'm using a travel agent in Bangkok for Thailand and it turns out that their primary base is in Cambodia so we'll use them for Angkor Wat and Phnom Penh as well.

When I went to Prague, I had a local agent reserve the budget hostal I used and arrange airport transfers.
When I went to Lima/Cuzco/Puno, Peru - my agent was in Lima.
When I went to Brazil - I found a local travel agent in Rio on the internet and they booked by hotel, tours, and an excursion to Iguassu Falls and Sao Paulo.

Why don't travel agents in the Caribbean do more internet marketing?

All of the travel agents I found on the internet were located just down the street from the hotels, attractions, tour operators and transfer services they offered. They knew much more about the destination than most travel agents in my home town - and had much better prices.
Hotels tended to give us priority - since they knew that if there was a problem, my agent would walk through the door instead of trying to phone or email. The local agent was also a steady source of business - so they wanted to make their customers happy.

The only problem with this is telling who is a reputable travel agent online.
I've been very lucky - doing a lot of research to make sure agents were legit... and even then - I was a bit nervous about wiring money for Peru to a numbered account in Miami... until I found out it was a subsidiary of the largest travel agency in Peru.

Except for one of our clients - 4Seasons Travel in San Juan - www.virtuosocaribbean.com - I can't think of any Caribbean-based travel agents who actively promote themselves on the internet for travelers coming to their islands.

We've suggested that several of our client Tourist Boards promote travel agents on their own islands - at least as much as they promote travel agents in Ohio, Alabama, New York or Los Angeles on their websites.... but its a hard sell.

Caribbean Consulting is working on a new program to help promote 'island-based' agents sell their home destination to travelers from around the world... we just have to figure out how to explain to governments, associations and travel agents how it benefits a destination to have local expertise, new client/revenue sources and the quality-control aspect of agents inspecting hotels in their own destination.

If a travel agent in Tortola has an email request from a potential guest - they may suggest a different hotel or island within the BVI to meet the client's personal style and need. A local travel agent in Des Moines may say 'hey, why not look at this hotel in Puerto Vallarta - they have a great special and the website looks great (even tough the agent's never been to Mexico)...

Something to think about.....

The value of travel agents and online review sites

I'm planning a trip to Tokyo, Bali, Bangkok & Angkor Wat for Christmas/New Years and found a very helpful travel agent in Bangkok to help with travel arrangements and recommendations.
I was rather adamant about using a particular hotel in Siem Reap for our side trip to Cambodia and Angkor Wat - because the website looked spectacular, sounded great and the prices were reasonable by comparison with other hotels.
The agent told me he had received several similar requests - and I could indeed use that hotel if I insisted - but he requested an email with the specific request in writing... since he had recently visited the hotel and found that it was very attractive - but the service was horrible! Even worse, the restaurant was one of the most visually stunning eateries in Asia - serving food that reminded him of a second-rate bus-stop diner. Needless to say, I went with his original recommendation.
If I had not used an agent - I would have probably been very upset on arrival.
There is nothing worse than failure to meet expectations.....
The agent then went on to say that he now inspects all hotels - since he found a fabulous hotel on the internet in Saigon and wanted to use it for his programs.... However, when he arrived - he found that it was a 'pet hotel' catering to Koreans who traveled with their pets! But he didn't even feel it was suitable for the animals - much less the owner!

Are you making the most of TripAdvisor?

Hoteliers tend to hate TripAdvisor - because they have no control over the content - but your clients love reading reviews posted by other travelers. Marie van Rooyen from our Consumer Marketing Office just spent a day at TripAdvisor's corporate offices - meeting with executives to explore how our clients can work with TripAdvisor to help promote their hotels. Marie came back with lots of great ideas that will be of special interest to Tourist Boards and Hotel Associations.

Who says the Caribbean can't change?

It wasn't long ago that CHA sponsored a workshop that Caribbean Consulting conducted with the Curacao Hotel Association. With a cross-section of the tourism community assembled, we asked
'what is Curacao better at than anyone else in the world?'
no response...

'well then, how is Curacao better than anyone else in the Caribbean?'
still no answers...

'OK, well - is there anything that Curacao does 2nd best in the Caribbean?'
blank stares all around....

finally, one timid hand raised in the back....
'Could it be something that we're 3rd best at...?'

Well - what a change a few years can make.

Curacao has taken the lead in the Caribbean to create new target markets, build a cultural identity and show the world why they should make Curacao their number one choice for a tropical vacation. Diving, Culture, Shopping, Cruise Conversion and now Gay Friendly Travel have been identified as major sources of new business.

We've been impressed by their efforts for a long time, starting with the buzz that their cruise conversion efforts created among cruise passengers who came back with a CD that made them want to go back and stay on the island longer.

Now, Tourism Review highlights the efforts to make Curacao a major gay-friendly destination.... not bad for an island that had one of the most closeted gay populations less than a decade ago... They have even created www.gaycuracao.com to highlight this stunning change in attitude - taking a lesson in gay-friendly marketing from their tiny sister island of Saba which pioneered gay-friendly travel in the Dutch Caribbean in the early 1980's.

TripAdvisor Forum Comments on Travel Agents & Evolution of Online Marketing

Marie van Rooyen in our Consumer Marketing Office found an Interesting thread on TripAdvisor Provo, Turks & Caicos forum that gives a good overview of online travel marketing from a former travel agent's perspective.
Check the forum topic for travel agent vs making own reservations