eTravel Project

My latest business trips have been a hassle and technology has not helped much. I plan and buy my travel itinerary on Expedia.com. In my last two business trips Expedia failed to alert me of any change happening to my flight. Both flights were canceled and then badly delayed.

I forward my itinerary to Worldmate Live. I have the free edition, that now integrates with LinkedIn and Blackberry. While I did not even board, I was already at my destination according to Worldmate and received a message if I wanted to post my new status on LinkedIn.

When I learned that my flight was canceled, I called the hotel booked on Expedia from my blackberry. The hotel was very gracious, but they said they could not change my reservation and I risked to be registered as a no-show unless I told Expedia to send them a fax with the change. A fax??? By the way, I was not even asking for a refund. The battery of my phone was running out, so I decided to call Expedia from another phone.

After about a 7 minute wait, I was able to talk to Expedia customer service. Customer service was courteous , but far from understanding the situation. They did not get that it was not up to me to change the reservation with the hotel. I call the hotel again and they say that no change was made to my reservation since they needed a fax from Expedia. I called Expedia for the second time. After another long wait, I found somebody more competent on the phone. She puts me on hold while she speaks to the hotel’s front desk manager. Finally, she ensured me that the hotel is holding my reservation in spite of the fact I was not going to show that night.

I arrive at the destination after the flight was postponed two times. I was able to avoid a long wait at the airport by checking the flight status online, but my flight was delayed when I arrived at JFK once again. Anyway, my luggage did not arrive. It arrived at the hotel only the night of the next day.

Also what’s wrong with Delta Wi-Fi on board? Every time I tried to connect it said  “service is temporarily unavailable”. No luck even with Wi-Fi!

This past weekend I went on a trip that I had to cancel for personal reasons last month. I booked a short weekend stay directly from the suppliers’ websites (hotel & transportation) and did not have a problem to reschedule my travel arrangements. What a different experience! No more Expedia.com for some time for me now.

Luxury travel has been badly hit in the past two years. Everybody talks about the “new normal”. I find this slide-show enlightening. Coping with a luxury destination on a daily basis, this is nothing new. However, it is really well put in this presentation. This 2010 looks already better than 2009, but this is a mere consolation.

I am at JFK Airport in New York City waiting for boarding. This is the first time I try to fully post and add an image from my Blackberry. Please, forgive me if something goes wrong and/or my spelling is not perfect.

Walking to my gate I did notice this billboard by NYC & Co. (the official tourism board for New York City) that reads “I dine after nine, therefore I am. This is New York City”. I could not help from taking a picture.

They definitely got my attention from a destination marketing point, but not sure how to feel about the message. I am confused about which target segment they are trying to reach:

1) I live in New York and assume that lots of people living in New York depart from this gate. We know you can eat in the city at any time day or night and you take it for granted.

2) This is a domestic terminal meaning that many people have already made the decision to visit New York City if they arrive here. As a marketer, how effective is it to put your marketing dollars here?

3) The fact that you can eat at a restaurant after nine is probably not the reason why the tourists “THEREFORE ARE” and – above all – why they are here now.

4) If the target segment is domestic – which I think it must be (the Spaniards eat regularly much later than that and would laugh at such an ad), the message might sound too arrogant, but very New York.

Any other thought? Given the budget at your DMO, would you spend it this way? I would not.

On Wednesday March 10, I attended the Jonathan M. Tisch Dialogue Series presented by the Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management at New York University. Events like this are organized on a regular basis and aim to have alumni and faculty meet professionals and leaders of the industry.

Jonathan M. Tisch is Co-Chairman of the Loews Corporation and Chairman and CEO of the subsidiary Loews Hotels. He is a member of the Board of New York University – SCPS Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management and has served as Chair of the annual NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference in New York City for sixteen consecutive years. Jonathan Tisch founded and served as Chairman of the Travel Business Roundtable from 1995-2008. TBR merged in January 2009 with the Travel Industry Association to create the US Travel Association, of which he serves as Chairman Emeritus.

The dialogue with Mr. Tisch, moderated by Lalia Rach – divisional Dean & HVS professor at New York University, was informal almost like talking with friends.

Mr. Tisch talked about his family history and their place in the US travel and hospitality industry. He mentioned the recession and added that some of the reasons of this downturn set the course for the economic trends that are now in place. Mr. Tisch thinks that the real question/challenge of our industry is what the new normal is going to be. The whole definition of value is at stake. How do we sell and market value in this economy?

As an NYU alumna, I have always admired Mr. Tisch for his contribution to the school and the industry I belong to, but there is always something new about him, something inspirational. He is involved in many different business transactions on a daily basis, but he finds the time to talk to the students. He fully understands that the future stands in the younger generations and seems to genuinely care about this. He calls each and every one to make the difference in the world. In his new book Citizen You: Doing Your Part to Change the World, Mr. Tisch calls for active citizenship. He does his part and truly believes that anybody can contribute.

Obama signs the Travel Promotion Act, landmark legislation that establishes a multimillion-dollar, public-private partnership to promote the United States as a premier travel destination and better explain travel security policies to foreign travelers.

I think this might really be historic, but I do not really know how it is going to be perceived at the moment. Maybe not so well. Could this lead to the foundation of a US National Tourist Board?