Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

This Bed Smells

When one thinks of trendy, cutting-edge, consumer-focused hotel brands, Travelodge usually doesn't make the list. Maybe that's why their most recent move is so notable. I didn't think Travelodge made moves.

But, according to Nathan Midgley at Travel Weekly, the chain is rolling out aromatherapy sheets. Among the scents designed to lull us to sleep: Baby Powder, Apple Pie and Chocolate.

Oh, and that incessant sneezing you're hearing from Room 214 next door? That's the guy that got the bed with Freshly Cut Grass sheets.

The Future of Meetings and Conventions?

When Guy Kawasaki saw this, he said "I'll Never Get on a Plane Again."

Three speakers, one in Bangladore and two in San Jose...on the same stage, interacting in real time.

Too freaking cool. And while a few conference attendees avail themselves of the opportunity to meet the speakers, let's be honest. The majority don't. So...do the speakers even need to be there? Can the Meeting Planner save on all those transportation and hotel costs by utilizing this technology?

The answer is, of course, yes.

However, given the ability for the speakers to stay home, will attendees do likewise, preferring to consume conference content online and on their schedule?  A convention and meeting version of TiVo, if you will.

True, the networking aspect of meetings suffers...but the content portion? One might say that being able to consume content online could be more effective than onsite. And, it saves us all the hassle of getting on a plane.

This should make for a wild ride....

Durham Walks the Green Talk

A lot of Destinations talk green...but fewer live it. Travel Portland's website is wind powered. The Greater Madison CVB's recent renovation of its offices was about as green as you can get.

And then, there's the Durham CVB...which last month began harvesting rainwater off of its roof to feed the landscape irrigation system.

Reyn, you guys consistently blow me away...

Rock Port is Greener than You Are

Granted, it's a small town in Iowa. But you gotta hand it to any city that goes completely off the grid and powers the whole town with the wind.

From CoolTown Studios, Rock Port's four $90 million, 1.25 MW wind turbines produce an incredible 16 million kilowatt hours annually...and leave 3 million kilowatt hours in excess.

I'm so impressed....

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...

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...

Land Shark Lager: Cool Idea. Stunningly Bad Rollout

"Fins to the Left, Fins to the Right...and you're the only bait in town."

Those are lyrics to one of Jimmy Buffet's concert staples, "Fins." It's the landsharks, you see, that prowl the night, looking for unsuspecting (or eagerly suspecting) females.

As with his Margaritaville website, product line, Sirius radio channel and restaurants, no good song goes unmaximized. Case in point, the "Cheeseburger in Paradise" restaurant chain. And now...Landshark Lager.

Only, the e-mail roll-out and supporting website were a monumental bust.

As a card-carrying parrothead, I receive regular e-mails from the man who should be President (or, more probably, one of his minions). And the one I received Wednesday made me laugh out loud. Landshark Lager. And as Larry the Cable Guy would say, "I don't care who you are. That's funny, right there."

So, of course I click through to the website to find a retailer near me. I want to sample Landshark tonight (OK, call me easy). But the home page birthday function to permit access doesn't work with my birthday (and I'm, err, over 21). I tried a few other dates and finally gained access.

But, once in, virtually every potential link was inactive, saying "Coming Soon." And the "find a retailer near you" function didn't work. Tried it in Firefox. Tried it in Safari. And, here in Madison, it's TWO strikes and you're out.

WTF? Great artist. Great company. Great ideas. Great new product that will fly off the shelves every summer, guaran-damn-teed.

Shitty e-launch.

Hey Marketing Dude? Might I suggest actually testing the website on a couple browsers and platforms before e-mailing an invitation to your international fan base?

Just a thought...

Press On Eyes

I can only imagine what it must be like to learn to apply eye make-up...especially after watching my daughters experiment over the years.

From Springwise comes the story of a quantum leap in an age-old market. Like Dutch Boy did when they redesigned the can rather than the paint, two new companies are defining make-up with press-on eye-shadow kits.

Just another reminder that the oldest product or service can often be transformed by looking at it from a completely different perspective. What can you redesign today that makes the consumption of your product or services easier?

Dopplr Raumzeitgeist

OK, we admit that we are attracted to stories and sites that use the word "Zeitgeist." And, we recently posted on the great new travel site Dopplr.

So, when Dopplr published its 2007 Raumzeitgeist ("Space Time Spirit"), we couldn't help but share it.

And, if you haven't checked Dopplr out yet...you should.