Preparing for HSMAI European Travel Awards

The HSMAI European Travel Awards is being held for the first time ever on Thursday 5 May next year, according to the weekly letter (in Norwegian) from Ingunn Hofseth, president and CEO, HSMAI Division Europe and Chapter Norway. The event will be taking place in London, but the exact venue is yet to be decided, as we understand.

“You should however reserve the day already,” Ms Hofseth underlines, making a point of the event’s long overdue premiere. “HSMAI is prepared to refocus on pan European activities, and for the first time in HSMAI’s 80-year history, there will be a European competition and awards night, featuring representatives from the travel and hospitality industry throughout Europe, with a daytime conference to accompany the event”, Ms Hofseth, recently returned from the U.S. HSMAI Adrian Awards, says.

The European president and CEO will be taking up residence in London shortly, both in preparation of the upcoming event, but also the pan European activities for the next couple of years, including:

2010

• HSMAI Lodging Chief Marketing Officer Roundtable Conference in London
• Consolidate and develop the level of activities in national chapters
• Special Interest Groups Revenue Management and Travel Internet Marketing
• Revenue Management Certification programme
• Webinars
• A digital European magazine; European Marketing Review, four times a year
• European Advisory Board meeting, twice a year
• Starting up chapters in new markets

2011

• HSMAI Roundtable Conference in London Thursday 5 May 2011
• HSMAI European Travel Award, the evening of Thursday 5 May 2011
• Starting up chapters in new markets

“Also, I’m happy to announce that American Express Global has signed up as official HSMAI Europe sponsor, with new sponsors in the pipeline, to be announced as new activities are unveiled,” Ingunn Hofseth informs.

HSMAI Honours Travel Marketing Excellence At Adrian Awards

The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) presented the winners of its 53rd annual Adrian Awards at the New York Marriott Marquis on Monday night. The Adrian Awards honour the top companies and individuals in hospitality, travel and tourism advertising, public relations and web marketing. The evening also featured speciality awards from DEPARTURES Magazine, Google, TRAVELCLICK, and TripAdvisor.

“This year’s Adrian Awards was a night filled with undeniable talent and innovation,” said Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHA, president and CEO of HSMAI. “HSMAI is proud of the 2009 winners for their creativity and immense skill.”

USA TODAY reporter Barbara De Lollis opened the Gala and gave the audience insight into her move from print to digital media through her “Hotel Check-In” blog. “Today, online is where so many travellers go for their information,” said De Lollis. “It’s immediate, it’s interactive and it’s lightening fast.”

The 2010 Adrian Awards received nearly 1100 entries from around the globe. The prestigious Platinum winners were judged to be the most extraordinary entrants from a selection of 123 Gold winners. Chosen from the Platinum winners, the highest distinction of Best of Show for the divisions of advertising, public relations and web marketing went to:

Advertising “Best of Show”

The San Diego Zoo and their agency M&C Saatchi for their entry that spread the message of conservation of the world’s animals. The campaign launched the Zoo’s new exhibit by telling the story of Phil and Harry, a pair of computer-generated mammoths living the good life in Southern California circa 12,000 B.C.

Public Relations “Best of Show”

Tourism Queensland and their agency Cummins Nitro for the “Best Job in the World” campaign that generated 34,000 candidate applications from 197 countries vying for the position of Island Caretaker, along with worldwide media coverage.

Web Marketing “Best of Show”

“Life of a Brown Paper Bag” video by the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau. The destination took one of its most treasured holiday traditions and added compelling content and humour to create an original holiday greeting video that was shared extensively and generated a tremendous ROI.

ADVERTISING PLATINUM WINNERS

• Company (Agency)
• Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (R&R Partners)
• Lindblad Expeditions
• Maine Office of Tourism (Swardlick Marketing Group)
• Marriott International (McGarry Bowen)
• Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism (Target Marketing)
• San Diego Zoo (M&C Saatchi)

PUBLIC RELATIONS PLATINUM WINNERS

• Company (Agency)
• Elite Island Resorts (Pomerantz PR)
• Fontainebleau Miami Beach (Weber Shandwick)
• Hotel Sax Chicago (Zapwater Communications, Inc.)
• Moroccan National Tourist Office (Spring, O’Brien)
• Omni Hotels (Weber Shandwick)
• Pennsylvania Tourism Office (Tierney)
• Tourism Queensland (Cummins Nitro)
• VisitScotland (Laura Davidson Public Relations)

WEB MARKETING PLATINUM WINNERS

• Company (Agency)
• Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Dolce Hotels and Resorts
• Morgans Hotel Group (ZAAZ)
• The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism (Weber Shandwick and phearcreative)
• Tourism Queensland (Cummins Nitro)
• Howard Johnson (Berlin Cameron)

HSMAI Adrian Awards Gold Award winners were honoured throughout the Gala and displayed during the Gold Award Gallery Reception, presented with partner Expedia Media Solutions, prior to the Gala.

In addition to its Adrian Awards, HSMAI recognised the Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Sales and Marketing and presented two individuals with the top honour of Lifetime Achievement. The awards recognised the recipients for their significant contributions and lasting impressions on the hospitality and travel industry.

HSMAI’s annual Albert E. Koehl Award for advertising and marketing was awarded to Sol Kerzner, Founder, Chairman & CEO, Kerzner International Holdings Limited. The Winthrop W. Grice Award for public relations excellence was bestowed upon Vivian A. Deuschl, Corporate Vice President, Public Relations, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.

“So many of you here tonight have contributed to my career and I am incredibly grateful,” said Deuschl in accepting her award.

“I’ve been in this business for 45 years, and I’ve loved every day of it,” said Kerzner during his acceptance speech. “It makes the world spin around.”

A new addition to the Adrian Awards line-up was TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Best Hotels and Brand Awards. Their top brand award went to Ritz-Carlton.

The DEPARTURES Magazine Luxury Marketing Achievement Award was presented to Abercrombie & Kent Residence Club and ISM.

TRAVELCLICK paid tribute to the best integrated eMarketing programme in the hotel industry with the eMarketer of the Year award, presented to Joie de Vivre Hospitality.

Google’s Wisdom of the Crowds Award, which recognises an integrated marketing campaign that today’s travellers and HSMAI members choose as the best in its class, went to the San Diego Zoo.

Founded in 1957, the Adrian Awards embraces every segment of the industry, including hotels, airlines, cruise lines, car rental companies, destinations, credit card companies and more. Winners are selected from a field of 1100 entries by senior industry and media experts. For more information, visit www.adrianawards.com.

Joie de Vivre Hospitality as 2009 eMarketer of the Year

Monday night, the global leaders in the world of hospitality assembled in New York for the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Adrian Awards Gala to recognise inspiring best practices in sales and marketing for the hospitality industry. During the black-tie event, TRAVELCLICK®, the leader in hotel ecommerce solutions, and HSMAI named Joie de Vivre Hospitality the 2009 eMarketer of the Year—a recognition that reflects the superior ability to attract and convert guests through the industry’s most effective channel, the web. Joie de Vivre is the first—and only—repeat winner of the eMarketer of the Year award. The company received the award also in 2006.

Sponsored by TRAVELCLICK, eMarketer of the Year recognizes the best integrated emarketing program in the hotel industry. Contenders were judged on the strength of their web presence and booking performance driven by world-class online marketing, including website design, search marketing, emerging channels, and community development through social marketing.

Despite a recessionary economy in 2009, Joie de Vivre increased web traffic by 65 percent and grew web business by over 50 percent. The largest collection of boutique hotels in California, the chain has 35 hotels that span from the northern wine country to San Francisco to Silicon Valley and down the coast to Los Angeles. Using a creative combination of strategies, including integrated brand campaigns, alternate channels, social marketing, search engine optimization, and pay-per-click advertising—coupled with an enhanced web platform and booking engine, and strong relationships with third-party sites—Joie de Vivre has demonstrated extraordinary success in driving demand and converting bookings online.

Joie de Vivre, who won in the competition’s Chain category to qualify for the overall award, has been exemplary also in its use of social networking to grow business. From its “Five Little Words” contest on Facebook to a “Sowing the Seeds of Love” earth-friendly Valentine’s package, the company has evolved social networking into a true booking channel. Their “Twitter Tuesday” and “Facebook Friday” campaigns delivered more than 1000 room nights and expanded an already loyal community to over 10,000 fans and followers.

Accepting the award for Joie de Vivre was Chief Revenue Officer Linda Palermo. “We are delighted to receive the eMarketer of Year Award,” said Palermo. “Joie de Vivre has worked hard to understand how and where our potential guests are shopping—and which channels will bring us the greatest return at the lowest cost. We are pleased with how rapidly we’ve been able to connect guests to our brand online to generate high-value, repeat business.”

Along with naming the 2009 eMarketer of the Year, TRAVELCLICK recognized the following winners in the finalist regional and chain categories:

• Asia/Pacific Region: Zeavola Resort, Phi Phi Island, Thailand (www.zeavola.com)
• Europe/Middle East/Africa Region: Hotel Stureplan, Stockholm, Sweden (www.hotelstureplan.se)
• Americas Region: The Westin Copley Place, Boston, Massachusetts (www.westin.com/copleyplace)
• Chain Category: Joie de Vivre Hospitality, San Francisco, California (www.jdvhotels.com)

“In 2009, and more than any year before, we’ve seen the Internet come of age—marking what many have called, ‘the decade of digital disruption,’” said John Hach, Senior Vice President of TRAVELCLICK’s Digital Agency. “Today, effective emarketing is a serious science that demands true expertise. All of our contenders for the 2009 eMarketer of the Year Award have leveraged this marketing science for maximum value. We applaud them, our category finalists, and winner Joie de Vivre for their tenacious use of proven strategies that drive revenue, build brand, and expand community.”

During the gala, TRAVELCLICK also unveiled its new community, Hotel Conversations, where hotels from around the world share insights and experiences for connecting hotels and guests. To watch their video stories and join in the dialogue, visit www.HotelConversations.com.

Record Year for Rezidor

In 2009, the group opened 36 hotels and created 4000 jobs, according to a press release. The Rezidor Hotel Group announces yet another record year of openings. In 2009, one of the fastest growing hotel companies worldwide brought 36 hotels, with 7100 rooms into operation across Europe, Middle East and Africa, and created a total of 4000 new jobs in these properties.

With these numbers Rezidor was even able to surpass 2008, with 33 openings with 6500 rooms, the group’s record year so far. And looking at 2007–2009, Rezidor notes an impressive 41 percent cumulative growth in rooms in operation.

“We are proud to have achieved these results together with our owners and developers”, comments Kurt Ritter, President & CEO of Rezidor. “2009 has been a challenging year, but even in tough times Rezidor believes in growth”, continues Ritter. Hereby the Brussels-based group especially focuses on fee-based contracts (87 percent of all opened hotels in 2009), and on a business development in emerging markets like Africa and Russia/CIS, where Rezidor is the leading international player on the hospitality market.

A diversification of the portfolio is a further part of Rezidor’s success, already Europe’s leading Airport Hotel Operator, the group grew the number of airport hotel rooms in operation by eight percent in 2009 and opened flagships like the Radisson Blu Hotel, Hamburg Airport (Germany), which is located directly opposite the terminals. The growth of resort rooms in operation even reached 30 percent in 2009. Rezidor welcomed the first guests in new and leading spa resorts like the Radisson Blu Resort & Spa Dubrovnik (Croatia), the Radisson Blu Resort & Spa Cesme (Turkey) and the Radisson Blu Resort & Thalasso Monastir (Tunisia).

“2009 also saw the launch of our dynamic mid-market brand Park Inn in the Middle East, where we opened the Park Inn Al Khobar (Saudi Arabia) and the Park Inn Muscat (Oman)”, says Kurt Ritter. Rezidor’s very first Park Inn hotel opened in early 2003 in Berlin (Germany) only. Within six years the portfolio has reached more than 130 properties in operation and under development with a total of more than 24,500 rooms.

Rezidor also brought a completely new brand to the hospitality market: In June 2009, the company celebrated the opening of the first Hotel Missoni — a new luxury lifestyle brand developed in cooperation with the iconic Italian fashion house of the same name. Hotel Missoni successfully debuted in Edinburgh (Scotland); the brand’s future locations feature Kuwait, South Africa, Oman and Brazil.

Hurtigruten Travel Marketer of The Year

Norwegian passenger and freight line Hurtigruten, sometimes referred to as Norwegian Coastal Express in English, was chosen Travel Marketer of The Year 2009 at the HSMAI Chapter Norway Awards in the Oslo Congress Centre on Thursday 14 January.

There were a number of prize winners in totally twelve categories, among whom several received honourable mentioning, during the festive Oslo evening.

Charming yet professional

The jurors emphasised Hurtigruten’s “[…] ability to communicate in a charming, yet highly professional way, with marketing measures deeply rooted in the company’s philosophy,” with which, obviously, they have succeeded, given the company’s impressive turnaround, from considerable 2008 losses to a healthy 2009 profit.

“We have an extremely tough year behind us,” said a grateful Hurtigruten CEO Olav Fjell, adding “so you can imagine how pleased I am that we’ve managed to turn the ship around.”

“Only one year ago we had one foot in the probate and bankruptcy court, and I’m immensely proud of this achievement. At an opportunity like this I find it only timely to send my heartfelt thanks to our some 2000 employees, who’ve managed to push in the right direction, in spite of the hardships,” Mr. Fjell said.

Ingunn Hofseth, president and CEO of HSMAI Chapter Norway and HSMAI Europe, expressed her contentment with the award, too:

“I’m extremely pleased to see Hurtigruten win the prestigious award,” she said, “Especially taking their recent challenges into consideration. Also, I expect that a recognition from peers is particularly welcome,” Ms Hofseth added.

“We’ve seen a tremendous increase in the number of contributed works this year, and I have to say that I find the standards especially rewarding.”

A sample of Hurtigruten’s overseas efforts can be seen in this U.S. TV commercial:

And a few pictures, just to capture the feel of it all:

Lise Karlsnes, lead vocal of popular Norwegian group Briskeby. Photographers: Catharina Wandrup/Knut Joner

Comedian and master of ceremonies Ørjan Burøe gave the audience a good laugh on several occasions. Photographers: Catharina Wandrup/Knut Joner

And of course: Lots of mingling! Photographers: Catharina Wandrup/Knut Joner

Great deals

The HSMAI Chapter Norway Awards followed a daytime agenda on the HSMAI Meeting Exchange, taking place at the Reiseliv B2B Fair at Lillestrøm, on the outskirts of Oslo, where travel and hospitality purchasers were given a unique opportunity to meet up with some 100 vendors from a wide range of agencies and suppliers.

The HSMAI Meeting Exchange is an annual occurrence, based on the speed-dating principle, offering buyers a chance to book meetings with the industry’s leading participants.

Top photo: A happy brand and marketing manager Christian Bue Nordahl (left) and CEO Olav Fjell (centre) of Hurtigruten ASA with co-workers at the HSMAI Chapter Norway Awards. Photographers: Catharina Wandrup/Knut Joner

Air France to Abu Dhabi

Starting on 3 May 2010, Air France will begin operating a new service between Paris and Abu Dhabi. Flights will be operated by an A330 seating 219, with 40 seats in Business and 179 in Voyageur (Economy). According to an Air France press release today, Air France will also eventually introduce the new Premium Voyageur cabin on flights to this destination.

Flight times are particularly well adapted to ensure fast connections out of Paris-Charles de Gaulle from and to other cities worldwide:

• Flight AF 3848:
  Departing from Paris-Charles de Gaulle, terminal 2E at 13:45 ;
  Arriving at Abu Dhabi at 22:25, local time.
• Flight AF 3849 :
  Departing from Abu Dhabi at 00:30 ;
  Arriving at Paris-Charles de Gaulle, terminal 2E at 05:45, local time.

As from 3 May 2010, Air France will thus be serving seven destinations in the Middle Eas:t Abu Dhabi, Amman, Beirut, Damascus, Dubai, Jeddah and Riyadh.

By summer 2010, Air France and KLM will be operating close to 230 weekly flights to 13 destinations. Their networks are complimentary, with Dubai and Abu Dhabi jointly served by both airlines.

Thanks to combinable fares, customers can travel with either airline between the Middle East and the rest of the world, via the Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol hubs.

Merry Christmas!

The last six months have been buzzing with activity over at the HSMAI European division’s HQ and, consequently, in the hsmai.eu editorial staff, acting as same for hsmai.no, where activities have been plentiful. As we speak, we’re in the middle of preparing the perhaps most important event in the Norwegian hospitality industry; the Meeting Exhange (pages in Norwegian), which, for the newsdesk means editing and designing the tabloid-sized Meeting Exchange newspaper.

2010 on the other hand, will focus on the European dimension, with HSMAI Europe’s president and CEO Ingunn Hofseth transferring to London, for easier access to different parts of Europe, not to mention the eventual chartering of a UK chapter, among others. All of which necessitates an intensified focus on the European perspective, which will become evident on the hsmai.eu website, as well as in selected social media, in the year to come.

The editorial staff will however need to concentrate on the Meeting Exchange newspaper for a couple of weeks, which luckily corresponds very well with the festive season anyway. We would, therefore, like to take the opportunity thank members, readers and partners so much for a most interesting year, which goes to companies providing useful press releases, too. Please don’t stop.

We would like to extend our sincerest wishes for a joyous and tranquil season. To one and all, in the hopes that we’ll met again next year – in the sign of Europe.

BA strike avoided

“We are delighted for our customers that the threat of a Christmas strike has been lifted by the court,” British Airways officials say in a Thursday afternoon press release, continuing:

“It is a decision that will be welcomed by hundreds of thousands of families in the UK and around the world”.

According to the airline, there was never any need for a strike, which is why they hope that Unite will take this opportunity to reflect before deciding its next steps.

“We believe the public would want that too,” says BA in its statement, and “In recent days, we believe Unite has formed a better understanding of our position and of the ways in which we could move forward”.

“It has also become very clear that our customers do not believe that old-style trade union militancy is relevant to our efforts to move British Airways back toward profitability. Financial success is essential to build the kind of business our customers want and provide long-term opportunities for our staff”.

KLM Economy Comfort Zone

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines festively launched its new Economy Comfort zone this week, with a spectacular “gliding act” performed by the magician Ramana at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Ramana’s act ties in with KLM’s new advertising campaign “Choose Your Personal Kind of Comfort”, which features passengers sitting on invisible seats, seemingly floating on air. The new Economy Comfort zone offers passengers a greater range of seating comfort in Economy Class, according to a press release issued by the airline.

A seat in the new Economy Comfort zone offers passengers up to 10 cm more legroom and allows them to recline twice as far as a standard seat. Economy Comfort passengers will also be able to disembark first, because the zone is in the front section of the Economy Class cabin. The service and meals in Economy Comfort are the same as those in Economy Class. Every day, KLM will have more than 1,500 Economy Comfort seats available.

With Economy Comfort, KLM extends its range of seating comfort options for passengers travelling Economy Class. Passengers could already opt for seats with extra legroom and for a seat in a row of two. This new alternative reflects KLM’s pledge to fulfil the changing needs of its customers, one of which was the call for more comfort options in Economy Class.

The nominal fee for an Economy Comfort seat will range from EUR 80 to EUR 150 for a one-way trip, depending on the distance covered. Flying Blue Platinum members and passengers flying on a fully flexible Economy Class ticket can reserve Economy Comfort seats free of charge. Flying Blue Gold members will get a 50 percent discount and Flying Blue Silver members will get a 25 percent discount.

Once passengers have booked a ticket, they can reserve an Economy Comfort seat via the “Manage My Booking” tab on the KLM website from 90 days before departure. Bookings can also be made via telephone reservation or at the ticket offices (except Amsterdam Airport Schiphol) or when passengers check-in on the KLM website. Economy Comfort seats can also be booked at the airport, via the self-service kiosks or at local customer service desks (that too except Amsterdam Airport Schiphol).

Photo: KLM Economy Comfort Zone in a Boeing 777.

Dutch sustainable air transport

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines operated its first ever passenger flight powered by sustainable biokerosene this Monday. To give an extra impulse to sustainable air transport, the airline company also joined hands with North Sea Petroleum and Spring Associates to establish the SkyEnergy consortium.

“KLM leads the sustainability drive in global aviation. The Netherlands should make good use of this leading position to ensure clean, silent and sustainable air transport worldwide,” said KLM President & CEO Peter Hartman, according to a company-issued press release. “This is technically feasible. We have demonstrated that it is possible. Government, industry and society at large must now join forces to ensure that we quickly gain access to a continuous supply of biofuel.

KLM founded SkyEnergy together with North Sea Petroleum and Spring Associates. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) will advise the consortium in relation to ecological aspects.

The development of biokerosene is a quest that KLM is pursuing in accordance with strict financial, technological and ecological criteria.

“The food chain may not be jeopardised, and production of biokerosene should not go hand in hand with deforestation or excessive water consumption,” said Mr Hartman, adding: “The conservation of biodiversity is, of course, also a precondition. Our cooperation with WWF is both important and inspirational.”

Johan van de Gronden, director of WWF The Netherlands: “The establishment of SkyEnergy is a groundbreaking initiative. KLM’s demonstration flight serves as a concrete step towards achieving a more sustainable future. We still have a long way to go in relation to biofuels for aviation, but by investing in this manner KLM is once again taking the lead.”

“KLM has been involved in biokerosene research since 2007. With the establishment of SkyEnergy, we are accelerating development and hope to achieve a market breakthrough. Within the consortium, we have clustered expertise and experience in legislation, ecology and technology, as well as the ability to develop biokerosene in an economically viable manner. We are moving forward with great resolve, but cannot do it alone. We need the efforts and support of government, industry and broader society.”

KLM and Air France are jointly pursuing an ambitious Climate Action Plan. The fruits of this endeavour are exemplified by the fact that Air France KLM has been the sector leader on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for five consecutive years.

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