Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

Get Your Head out of the Sand

When the first ever Palm Beach County Tourism Summit was being designed, organizers expected Dale Brill, Duane Knapp and me to be the the speakers that challenged and provoked the audience.

While I'm sure we three did our fair share, it was Berthia Parle (former Chair of the Caribbean Hotel Association) that tossed the real gauntlet before the 300 that gathered last week.

"Make no mistake," she said (in that delightful St. Lucian lilt), "we're coming for your market."

And, as she closed her presentation, she exhorted the audience to "take your heads out of the sand. Get up, wake up and make it happen."

Berthia, you rock...and it was such a pleasure to meet and work with you last week. And I can't wait to visit you at the Bay Gardens Beach Resort.

Super 8 Keeps its Colors...and Goes Italic

At an industry conference the other day, talking with a fellow destination marketing pro, when the conversation turned to the recent attempts to rebrand legacy hotel chains. When we talked about the oh-so subtle logo change for Days Inn last year, he quipped, "Well, at least Motel 6 is sticking to their retro look."

Ummm, I guess not.

This just in from the Motel 6 mothership: "President John Valletta said introduction of the new logo was the final step in a multiyear revitalization effort...to stay ahead of the competition in an increasingly competitive market.”

As with Days Inn, the new logo was designed to exactly fit in the frame of existing roadside signs to save money on the deployment of the new look. Which is smart for the bottom line, but challenging when trying to redesign an iconic look...

Keeping it in the Family

The Destination Marketing Industry has often been dubbed "a family." And I certainly feel that way each time we convene at DMAI, UMCVB and other Regional and State Conferences across North America.

But what just went down in Fort Madison IA, gives new meaning to the concept of "family."

Rachel Benda stepped down from the CEO post at the CVB earlier this year to take another job in the community. Her Mother-in-Law is the new CEO.

Sandy Brown was selected by the Board because of her enthusiasm for the community, as well as intimate knowledge of the area and people.

And that was huge because, of the four finalists, only two showed up for final interviews...because finalists were asked to come back with a presentation of how they would sell the destination to a group tour operator.

Guess this Destination Marketing thing is a litle tougher than many think, eh?

No Alcohol = 2 Stars

Word from Egypt is that the owner of the five-star Grand Hyatt Cairo has banned all alcohol from the hotel.

A practicing Muslim, he apparently arrived at his hotel a couple weeks ago and ordered all alcohol onsite destroyed, in accordance with Islamic Law.

Upon hearing this, I couldn't help but think of the horror on Belushi's face when the movers dropped a case of alcohol in the classic Animal House. I'm sure several patrons at the hotel had a similar expression.

While this is clearly the prerogative of any owner...this move appears to instantly drop the hotel's 5-star rating to 2, as part of the requirements for multiple stars is the availability of alcohol.

According to the Assistant Manager, discussions with the owner are continuing. It will be interesting to see whether religion or commerce prevail.

TXT: If the Pope Does it, Does that Mean It's Mainstream?

A lot of Marketers can't quite decide where text messaging fits in to their mobile strategy. Some believe it's too bleeding edge at this point in time.

Uhh, the Pope is moving to texting. According to Reuters, the Pope will text daily messages of inspiration and hope during a six-day event this summer in Sydney, while digital prayer walls will be erected at event sites and the church will set up a social networking Web site akin to a Catholic version of Facebook.

If that doesn't say that everybody that isn't considering text message as a vehicle is missing the boat, I'm not sure what does.

Photo Credit: Chris Helgren/Reuters

Finally...a Hotel Nails Check-In

For years in my presentations on Customer Service, I've suggested that Hotels could eliminate the barrier of the check-in counter by moving to the same technology that rental car companies have used for years.

Imagine being greeted in the lobby and presented your keys without the obligatory line at the counter...

Finally...the soon to open Opposite House in Beijing has completely eliminated the check-in counter. And, they don't wait for guests to make it into the lobby...they greet guests at their cars and escort them to their rooms, producing keycards with a handheld unit.

So cool...

Happy National Tourism Week

The 25th annual National Tourism Week kicks off tomorrow.

I'm not sure who originally cooked up the idea for this celebratory "Tourism-palooza"...but I do know that Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation urging citizens to observe the week with "the appropriate ceremonies and activities."

However, in true Long Tail fashion, I'm pretty sure the ceremonies and activities that I may think are "appropriate" may not be what Ronnie had in mind.

'Cause, I'm kinda thinking that my neighborhood will look like this on the morning of the 18th....

We Get the Candidates the Media Wants Us to Have

The only Democratic Presidential candidate that ever really talked the issues during this way too long campaign was John Edwards. But, issues are boring. The Media didn't want issues...they wanted a story. And so we got Obama-Clinton. THAT'S a story. Juicy. Controversial. History in the making. An African American and a Woman. That'll sell advertising!

Every time Obama looks invincible, the media fawns over Hillary. Voters follow. Hillary wins and the media returns to breathlessly feature Obama as needing a comeback victory. He gets one. Now, it's back to featuring Hillary.

It's a game in which the media wins...and we lose.

About a year ago, I posted on the great book called "The Way to Win" in which Mark Halperin and John Harris talk of "The Gang of 500"...the 500 or so members of the media, consultants and staff hands that will decide FOR us who the final combatants will be.

I've been grousing about this for months...but Seth Godin absolutely nailed it yesterday on his blog in the wake of Hillary's skin-of-her-teeth win in Indiana. It's the most dead on political observation I've seen since The 44th sadly went dark.

American Samoa is Ready to Rock

As subscribers to our Z-News service may have noted yesterday, American Samoa has just launched its own Visitors Bureau in order to "tab into a multi-million dollar tourist industry that has benefited other Pacific Island countries."

The island country hopes to increase its existing visitor count which, in 2006, was a mere 7,762.

There are just 200 rooms on the island. But, the potential for generating up to an additional 65,000+ room nights is simply incredible.

I so like the opportunity for this DMO....

Tracking Visitor Heat

I once remember being simply amazed upon hearing that a destination tracked visitor counts by the level of water used in the community. The "flush count" more accurately identified the number of visitors in the destination than any other measure.

Here's another. David Holder's Syracuse NY CVB wanted to know what kind of traffic they were getting at their visitor center. To find the answer, they installed a heat sensor that detects the number of people walking into the facility.

Sure beats a turnstile...

Never Think Your Vote Doesn't Count

It's easy to think that your lone, puny vote is meaningless.

That is, til you look at what happened in Guam this weekend.

Obama by 7.

That's VOTES...not percent.

Old Folks Need to Travel More

...at least if they want to perform better at work.

Another one of the tidbits that TIA's Roger Dow shared in his pre-National Tourism Week talking points e this week:

Travelers experience a 25% increase in performance on vigilance tests after returning from vacation...and travelers 45 or older show a 50% increase in performance.

Sounds like a superb rationale for doubling vacation time for all employees. 

This Summer's Vacation Planning

As hard as the media tries to scare the hell out of American travel consumers about rising gas prices, 69% say those prices will have no impact on their choice of destination. That from the just released AOL Travel/Zogby International Study.

At the same time, 57% say they will spend less this summer than last.

So, they're still coming. It's a question of who feels the pinch first. Retail, Hotels, Attractions or Restaurants.

My money (all puns intended)...is on Retail to Lose, Hotels to Place and Attractions to Show. We'll still eat :)

A Different View

I recently worked with a CVB Board on developing its new Strategic Plan. Smart, savvy people, all gathered for the day to debate and decide the future of their destination.

One of the issues that kept coming up was the concern that rapidly escalating hotel room rates throughout the region would hurt the destination's ability to attract a diverse visitor base. Figurative fingers were "pointed" at the hoteliers on the Board, as if they were somehow conspiring to hurt the destination.

And then, one hotel executive tossed off a one-liner that stopped me in my tracks:

"Hotels don't set room rates. The market does."

I so want to attribute this line to the man who made it. However, that would reveal the name of the destination and, thus, the competitive concern being voiced at the table. And, I just can't do that.

But, Bill? You are so dead on. And thanks for making us all think.

It's All About Sex

It's that convergence thing again. You know...when two seemingly disparate things occur within minutes of each other that make you think, "hmmmmm?"

I caught Peter Yesawich's keynote yesterday, opening AmericInn's Annual Convention here in Madison. Now, I've seen Peter a bunch of times over the years as we criss-cross the country speaking to audiences about travel, trends and marketing. He often closes his presentations with a funny bit about the sexual side of today's consumer (something about country music and guns). Yesterday was no exception, to the delight of many in the audience.

Upon my return to the office, I was greeted by an e-mail from TIA's Roger Dow, prepping us all for National Tourism Week by sharing even more talking points on why tourism touches everyone.

Among them...42% of travelers say they feel more romantic on vacation and 31% say they have more sex on vacation.

My question: what's up with the 11% that feel more romantic...and don't?

Clueless at the Front Desk

Checking in at a fairly upscale and significant establishment in a destination. The host CVB is handling my room charges. The front desk personnel...are clueless.

Oh, they understand their facility...and do a fabulous job communicating the pool, fitness area, lounges and restaurants. But when they ask me who is handling the room charges, they seem absolutely stumped when I say "the Convention and Visitors Bureau."

"The Conference and Better Business Bureau?" the young man stumbles.

That's just...ummm...wrong, as the CVB brings that resort a ton of business. And, while one could certainly say its the fault of the CVB that the front desk doesn't understand...I'm pretty sure it's the fault of management.

TIA Parks One

Major kudos to Roger Dow and the Travel Industry Association of America for launching a web resource that finally resonates in the effort to connect the dots between tourism and the economy.

The Power of Tourism is an elegantly designed, data rich compendium of impact statistics that showcases just how vital a tourism economy is to America.

Every State's impacts are broken out...down to statistics for every Congressional District. The disparity between travel to and from several countries is detailed. And the site links to the equally robust site of the Discover America Partnership.

Finally...a clear and compelling message, backed with great data. Now, let's add the faces and the stories of the people that work behind the scenes to create the customer experiences that we're all about.

TIA's evolution continues to impress. But, they need the industry to step up and begin applying pressure to candidates at every level to get serious about developing policy initiatives to maximize the opportunities this industry offers this country's economy...and Quality of Life.

They can't do it alone...and time is running out.

Another Big Windy Season Forecasted

According to Colorado State researchers (where a LOT of hurricanes apparently occur), it's gonna be another bad season for the Atlantic this summer and fall.

These were the same guys that said last year was gonna be a monster.

When asked about that, CSU's Phillip Klotzbach said, "It's the nature of seasonal forecasting to sometimes be wrong."

Ya think?

So, what in the media's nature causes them to continue to quote a source that isn't credible?

Just asking....

Where Does it All Go?

Standing on my balcony the other night at the superb Beloit Inn, I watched in awe the power of the angry Rock River. I mean, millions of gallons of water rushing past me.....going to....where?

The record-breaking snows in the Midwest have resulted in unprecedented run-offs. Flooding is rampant. And as I watched the water race past me, I am reminded of the concept that you can never dip your toe into the same river twice.

I grew up in a river town...but I now live in a lake town. I guess I forgot. If you live near a river that is running hot, check it out. It is an amazing sensation.

And where does all that water go? It seems to be in a mighty hurry to get there.

Tattoo Remorse

According to the Aesthetic Book, half of all men and women undergo some degree of remorse about their tattoo by the time they turn 40.

So, what happens for those that got their tattoo after turning 40?

Just wondering...