High-speed internet access in hotels is nothing new.  The trend to offer this service to guests free of charge is, however, changing the dynamics of this amenity.  To read Alfred Borcover’s December 4th Chicago Tribune article about Radisson’s offering to provide complementary high-speed internet access in more than 200 hotels in North America, as soon as January 1st, as well as some industry comparisons, click here.

Strong marketing has always been about building relationships. As Internet usage continues to explode, web site users have grown more demanding. Here are some thoughts on how to use your hotel web site to build better relationships with your existing and potential guests.

(more…)

Anyone who has chased Google’s algorithm knows that backlinks rule. After all, when Google was first created, it was named “Backrub”. Links from other websites pointing to your website are “votes” for your website. Google, as well as other search engines, believes that if plenty of other sites link to your site, your site must contain valuable information. The more votes, the better.

The Search Engine Optimization world pushed linkbuilding to its outermost limits.
An entire sub-industry of link brokers and text link brokers sprang up. Websites willing to pay enough could gain hundreds, even thousands, of links within days – sometimes with hundreds of links coming from one site. Those with high Page Rank sites rented links on a monthly basis for big bucks. Wily webmasters created dozens of websites and linked them together in cunning ways to pass Page Rank, build link popularity and boost link reputation. Others went wild with reciprocal links, giving a link to anyone who would give them one back.

(more…)

Catalina Island Vacation Rentals recently approved a redesign of their website at www.catalinavacations.com. Two Blizzard Design Department employees worked in tandem on the redesign. Jen Weis worked on the site’s graphic design, while Matt Gibson designed its database back-end.