I love talking with the managers of hotels and resorts that thrive online: we get a much more complete picture of how they are succeeding.

TripAdvisor is one tool I use to locate the places that guests seem to love, and today's interview features a resort that is rated by guests as #1 in the area.

Here, I talk with Michael Vogt, General Manager of the Layana Resort and Spa in Thailand.

Josiah: Tell us a little bit about your resort.

Michael: Layana Resort and Spa is a boutique 50-room resort, situated on Lanta island off the west coast of southern Thailand. The low-rise resort was built to take advantage of the beach setting forested hills behind.

How have you achieved the success you have on TripAdvisor?

Our philosophy is rooted in small size, luxurious accommodation, unobtrusive personalized attention, tranquility and peace, gracious Thai hospitality, and value for money. We work hard to ensure guest satisfaction based on our philosophy, and pay a lot of attention to detail.

Most of the time, this works well and is reflected in favourable guest comments on Internet forums such as TripAdvisor and HolidayCheck. But from time to time we drop the ball and this too is religiously reported, which in turn gives us the opportunity to further refine our product.

How are you encouraging guests at your hotel to talk about their stay online – and share their positive experiences with others?

This has been as issue of much Management debate.

On balance, we have taken a conscious decision not to adopt any techniques to encourage our guests to talk about their experiences with us online. We have done this because we perceive the types of guests we attract don't respond positively to being coerced or manipulated into becoming marketing tools for us.

And yet they are glad to share their positive experiences as long as it remains their preserve to do so.

The closest we get to encouraging guests to write an online review is by providing direct links from our website to TripAdvisor and, for example, World Luxury Travel Awards to enable guests to vote for us.

In the past, which marketing tactics have performed best for you? Which ones don't quite live up to the hype?

• Direct print advertising campaigns have provided disappointing returns
• Tour Operator brochure placements seem to be essential to keep a wide net of travel agents informed
• Returning guest loyalty programs are good – though we find guests tend to book with us because they want to, not because of the freebies
• Short-term tactical offers have limited impact from our experience
• Genuine added value promotions are attracting more bookings and are better than simple price discounting
• 3rd party representation in other countries is expensive but has shown positive returns when used as a new market entry tool

What's the most exciting trend you see in hotel marketing? Why?

The internet is changing the way we market ourselves. But so is technology, and the ability to track guest online complaints, competitors pricing and promotions, and detailed and accurate guest preferences, provides us with powerful tools to target specific offerings with pinpoint accuracy

In time, the current reliance on tour operators to sell to the market will shift and instead we will be able to provide personally packaged on-line offerings directly to an internet-savvy audience

Mobile handheld devices and the applications they access, plus the enormous power of comparative shopping, will change the way the world buys goods and services. The hotels that understand, embrace and utilize this technology to the fullest will enjoy a marketing advantage over their less visible competitors.

Thank you, Michael!

Original article: www.hotelmarketingstrategies.com/layana-resort-tripadvisor

About the author
This blog is written by Josiah Mackenzie, who enjoys exploring the relationship between emerging technology and the hospitality industry. 

www.hotelmarketingstrategies.com