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CCRA Check-In is distributed
bi-monthly to all of our hotel partners worldwide.
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29219 Canwood St.,
Suite 115
Agoura Hills, CA 91301
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Phone: 818.575.4300
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Fax: 818.889.4547
www.ccrainternational.com
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Director of Supplier Strategies
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Bill Lawrence
Director of Supplier Strategies
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Jolene Volkart
Sales Assistant
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Samuel Jinich
Programmer/Analyst,
RFP Services
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Marketing Coordinator
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CCRA Travel
Agency Partners
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2009 Sales Kit
2010 Sales Kit
Don't Take Our Word For It: |
"Our partnership with CCRA is essential to an overall increase in occupancy and revenue. Their professionalism is paramount to our success."
Linda Schilling
Director of Travel Industry Sales
Noble House Hotels and Resorts |
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"The CCRA marketing department is a huge help to us and easy to work with. As a result of their experience with our marketing, Harrah’s is looking forward to
2009 with CCRA!"
Brooke Johnson
Sales Manager
Harrah’s Las Vegas
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"CCRA offers a multitude of affordable opportunities. I continue to support CCRA marketing because of their large distribution channel. The ROI is realistic and achievable. They are cutting-edge in terms of marketing tool development!"
Colleen Kempf
National Director,
Travel Industry Sales
Omni Hotels
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"CCRA provides one of the widest and most economical platforms available to get our messages across to the global travel agency community. We value the relationship and appreciate the positive results
of their efforts."
David Kreindel
National Sales Director
Choice Hotels International
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It's never too late to get your rates in front of 50,000 travel agent decision makers!
Join our 2009 CCRA Hotel Rate Program.
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Message from Mai
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Dear Hoteliers,
AS WE HEAD INTO FALL
Incredible as it may seem, summer is almost over. Many of you will be heading into your busiest corporate/meetings season; for others, Wave Season is just around the corner.
Economic indicators seem to demonstrate that the turnaround has begun, slowly, in many areas. Now is the time to rev up your sales efforts to peak performance. This issue of Check-in is full of ideas and opportunities that can help.
TRAVEL AGENCIES ARE RESURGING
A recent spate of studies, including one by Forrester Research, point to the fact that consumers and corporations, frustrated by the profusion of rates and restrictions they find on the internet, are returning to the traditional travel agent for travel plans*. This is great news for hotels, since travel agents consistently book a higher ADR.
REACH 50,000 DECISION MAKERS
What’s the fastest way to reach this audience of 50,000+ decision makers? Participate in the CCRA Negotiated Rate Hotel Program. When you choose to participate with CCRA, not only are your rates distributed to all four GDS, your rates are become available to the 50,000 travel agents registered to use our hotel reservation system, CCRAtravel.com. You can complete your rate submission using Nexus, Lanyon, BidStork or the CCRA RFP tool.
We urge you to supplement your travel agent marketing strategy by taking advantage of the numerous marketing opportunities that CCRA makes available. We have a variety of marketing programs and packages your name in front of these powerful decision makers.
A NEW BOOK ON STEALING MARKET SHARE
Our guest columnist, Bill Todd, brings a new opportunity to Check-in this month, an interview with Signature Worldwide founder, Don Farrell. Many of you know Signature as the premier front office training company in the country. Don has written a new book, “Ethical Theft … How to Steal Business from Your Competition.” You will be among the first to hear what Don has to say.
As always, we at CCRA are committed to helping our supplier partners prosper. We hope you enjoy this issue of Check-in.
Sincerely,
Mai Meyaart
Vice President and Managing Director
* Stellin, Susan; “Worst Part of a Trip May Be Booking It on the Web”, New York Times; August 3, 2009
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New for 2010, First Place and CCRx
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Getting negotiated rates into the hands of tens of thousands of travel agents should be one of the most important elements of your corporate and leisure marketing strategies … so we urge you to get your RFP completed and submitted. And this coming year … we have even more to offer!
NEW for 2010
CCRA has two new programs that will be part of your 2010 marketing opportunities. Each has been designed to help you boost occupancy and put more heads in beds.
FIRST PLACE
First Place has been designed to help aggressive properties grab market share by purchasing premiere positioning on CCRAtravel.com. One hotel, and only one, can be featured first on the results page for every search for that location. The cost is just $1,000 per month. Unlike many sites, we don’t tie you into an annual contract. Monthly scheduling means you can position your property during peak purchasing seasons … you can be there when the customer wants to buy.
However, this is strictly a first-come-first-served opportunity. Remember, there can only be one hotel in first place!
CCRx from CCRA®
 We have the prescription to improve your occupancy with our new, quarterly, travel agent feeder market report, CCRx from CCRA®.
This new report has been designed to help you pinpoint your travel agent market so that you can effectively reach and capture this critical travel segment.
Using the easy-to-interpret report, you can define your top five hotel competitors, we will show you how much CCRA travel agent business you are getting in comparison, as well as who are these agencies are and where they're coming from.
In addition to the report, we will provide you with a written “prescription” that details the information that is available on the report and what you need to know to successfully market to this audience.
If your hotel’s occupancy has been feeling a little run-down lately, then CCRx from CCRA® is just what it needs to start feeling like its old self once again. With that in mind, we have priced CCRx from CCRA® to make it affordable. Each quarterly report will cost just $500. However, as part of a special offer, if you sign up for CCRx from CCRA® as part of the 2010 RFP – you’ll have the opportunity to purchase four reports for a discounted price of $1,500.
“At CCRA we continually strive to develop programs that will help our hotel partners be more successful,” says Mai Meyaart, VP and Managing Director. “That’s why we have created both CCRx from CCRA® and First Place, and why we have priced them so that they are within the reach of individual hotel partners.”
Click here for more information about these programs and the rest of CCRA's marketing opportunities. You may also contact Jolene Volkart, Sales Assistant at 817- 288-7207 or jolene.volkart@ccra.com. |
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CCRA's Most Popular Education Tool, Hotel Webinars
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CCRA’s latest and most popular educational tool is our Hotel Webinar session. These are free online webinars, exclusively for CCRA Travel Agents to learn more about some of the world’s largest hotel chains. Our webinars are the ideal venue for agents to come and learn about hotels’ latest renovations, points programs, new openings, and much more.
Our last webinar was presented by Omni Hotels. Omni took this opportunity to introduce its newest luxury hotel, the Omni Fort Worth. In addition to learning about this beautiful new property, agents who attended the show were offered 50% discounts, and one lucky attendee won a weekend stay, including airfare for two.
We at CCRA are happy to bring new training tools that will help better serve travel agents, plus help them stay informed and up to date with travel trends, and the hottest spots. Our webinars bring agents “face to face” with live hotel representatives.
As we continue to improve our offerings to hotels and travel agents, we invite you to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to reach out and communicate with our agents directly. For more information on these webinars, please email us at sales@ccra.com.
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Selling Power to Overcome Today's Tough Times
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| Written by: Bill Todd
 We have watched our struggling economy try to bounce back over the past year, and unfortunately it hasn’t quite made the 180 we were hoping it would by now. That is no reason why you can’t turn your own business around! In a recent article in “Selling Power” magazine, Bill Todd suggests a way to overcome today’s tough times by focusing on your current clients. It’s like that old saying, “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” In this case, that bird is your existing clientele.
“You look at your customer base, which is the very place you always go whenever your goal is to increase revenue,” declares Bill Todd. “They will have the highest return on investment as far as yielding new and incremental sales dollars. That becomes paramount during a recession.”
This is your chance to step up your game when it comes to working for your old clients. The important thing is to protect them from your competitors. Keep in mind, you’re not the only one trying to stay afloat these days. So you need to be aware of what else is being offered to your clients, and you have to come up with a way to beat that. Todd suggests changing your selling style. Since things are different today, your selling style has to be different.
“The vast majority of the sales forces that I have been dealing with haven’t changed their selling style. They understand there is a recession, but they are doing what they did two years ago. And they are frustrated that they are getting the same results,” says Todd.
Don’t look at this recession or tough times as impossible. This can be a great way for you to show your existing clients you’re here to stay, and you’re going to do your best to get them what they want. In today’s marketing you can even find them better deals, showing them that they can count on your for money saving ways and quality service.
To read the rest of the article and Bill Todd’s tips in tough times, click here.
Bill Todd is one of the travel industry’s most sought after sales motivational speakers and trainers. He is the co-author with Stephen Covey of Speaking of Success. www.BTodd.com |
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Ethical Theft: How to Steal Business from Your Competition
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| Interview by: Bill Todd
 Guest columnist, Bill Todd, interviews the founder of Signature Worldwide, Don Farrell, on tips about stealing market share from his new book on the subject.
CUSTOMERS ARE WILLING TO CHANGE
During a recession, one of the most effective tactics to drive new sales is to take direct aim at your competitors’ accounts. According to Hospitality Impact Marketing, on a given day, 14% of all of your competitors’ clients are frustrated, unsatisfied, and ready to switch. Studies have also shown that an additional 3% of customers are proactively looking for a new supplier. In short, new business is there for the taking. Better yet, client dissatisfaction is so strong that you will not have to offer deep discounts or additional benefits to capture their business. These clients are ready to switch and the only question is: Are you ready to win the business?
DO THE MATH
Just do the math. Make a quick, conservative guess as to what your top five competitors’ annual sales are. Next, add those numbers together and multiply the total by 17%. If adding that number to your annual sales creates a significant difference in your profit forecast, your next step is easy. Read our interview with Don Farrell, founder of the renowned travel training company, Signature Worldwide.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE COMPLETE INTERVIEW.
Bill Todd is one of the travel industry’s most sought after sales motivational speakers and trainers. He is the co-author with Stephen Covey of Speaking of Success. www.BTodd.com
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Tourism Cares Awards Worldwide Grants and Announces
Spring 2009 Grantees |
Tourism Cares, the non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the travel experience for future generations, awarded $45,000 in grants to six non-profit organizations as part of its Worldwide Grant Program for spring 2009. With matching funds from all recipients, a total of $90,000 will be presented to the organizations for projects containing a mix of sustainable tourism, cultural and heritage interpretation, preservation and restoration projects. Tourism Cares continues to expand the geographical reach of its U.S. projects, with this group of grantees extending to the states of New York, Massachusetts, Florida, Michigan, and Ohio, and also includes one international project in Asia.
“As part of its mission, Tourism Cares has long been an advocate of conservation and preservation as a means to engage in responsible tourism,” said Bruce Beckham, Executive Director of Tourism Cares. “The worthy recipients of the Tourism Cares Worldwide Grants this spring have demonstrated similar goals.”
Tourism Cares distributes Worldwide Grants three times a year to worthy non-profit organizations worldwide. It is pleased to announce the following spring 2009 grant recipients:
The Cultural Organization of Lowell, Lowell, MA: Project to Create Outdoor Visitor Interpretation for the City’s Cultural and Heritage Sites
The Cultural Organization of Lowell (COOL) is an arts service organization whose mission is “to help develop a high quality cultural environment in Lowell that enables the city’s ‘creative’ sector to reach its optimal potential and thus helps drive the city’s economic revival.” The Tourism Cares Worldwide Grant funding will be used to help create interactive interpretive graphics, and the project has matching federal funds from the federal Preserve America initiative.
Dayton History, Dayton, OH: Newcom Tavern Conservation Project
Dayton History, parent organization of Carillon Historical Park, has a vision “to be a nationally recognized regional history center.” The Tourism Cares Worldwide Grant funding will support this unusual preservation education project to conserve the tavern using period tools and techniques.
Key West Botanical Garden Society, Key West, FL: To Conserve and Restore the Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden
The mission of the Key West Botanical Garden Society is “to preserve, develop, expand, and maintain the historic Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden as an arboretum, botanical garden, wildlife refuge, and educational center for residents, tourists, plant experts, and others.” The Tourism Cares Worldwide Grant funding will help restore and enhance the tropical freshwater aquifer/pond system at the garden at this unique ecotourism site, and has matching funds form Monroe County Tourist Development Council.
Marquette Maritime Museum, Marquette, MI: Marquette Harbor Lighthouse Restoration
The mission of the Marquette Maritime Museum is “to preserve, protect, and interpret the maritime history of Marquette, Lake Superior, and the Great Lakes.” The Tourism Cares Worldwide Grant funding will assist in the restoration of the first-floor lighthouse keeper’s parlor and bedroom, and has matching federal funds from Save America’s Treasures.
Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks (Wild Center), Tupper Lake, NY: River Otter Critical Habitat Expansion Project
The Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks, also known as the Wild Center, is a 31-acre campus located on a wild and scenic river in the heart of the six-million acre Adirondack State Park. Its mission is “to inspire broad public understanding of the natural systems that shape and sustain life in the Adirondacks." The Tourism Cares Worldwide Grant funding, with matching funds, will help the indoor expansion of the North American River Otter Exhibit, this important natural site’s most popular attraction that features the otter, the museum’s mascot.
Wildlife Alliance, Washington, DC for Cambodia: Community-Based Ecotourism Project in Cardamom Mountains
The Wildlife Alliance is an international non-profit organization, with country programs and partnerships in Cambodia, Thailand, and Russia. Its mission is “to preserve the integrity of wild regions, to enhance direct protection of endangered wildlife, to promote environmental awareness through education, and to reduce pressures on natural resources through community outreach initiatives and alternative livelihoods.” The Tourism Cares Worldwide Grant funding, with matching funds, will assist in training residents to implement ecotourism activities, such as hiking and wildlife viewing, with additional training in the tourism and hospitality industry.
Tourism Cares is a 501 (c ) (3) non-profit public charity that benefits society by preserving the travel experience for future generations by giving grants to cultural, historic, and natural sites worldwide; by awarding academic and professional development scholarships to students of travel, tourism, and hospitality; and by organizing volunteer restoration events at tourism-related sites in need of care and rejuvenation.
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Hotel Wake-up Call!
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By Mark Murphy
 During the boom times in travel, the hotel industry experienced dramatic increases in yield as destinations like New York became almost inaccessible from a hotel standpoint. I should know, since I would spend an occasional night in the city when there on business instead of heading back to my home near Philadelphia.
That luxury went out the window when room rates climbed to more than $500 per night for virtually any three star hotel, and over $700 per night for some four star properties. Add in the myriad of taxes you get hit with when it comes to a New York City stay, and rates were hitting $1,000 per night for a simple hotel room. Something had to give.
That something was the economic crisis we find ourselves in today. Hotel rates have come back to earth, and maybe even a bit below ground, if you know what I mean. The pendulum swung too far in one direction, and now we are seeing it go too far in the other.
Late last week The Wall Street Journal ran this headline: “Hotel Companies Continue to Face Bleak Outlook," with a subhead that was titled “Marriott Profit Falls 76% and Accor Sales Slide 9% as Low Occupancy, Dropping Rates Sap Revenue Across Brands.” It is no surprise to hear that the entire hotel industry is feeling the effects of the current economic crisis. Meetings are being cancelled and business travel is being scaled back while consumers are seemingly motivated only by low ball pricing.
So what’s a hotelier to do? Why not take a lead from Jorgen Christensen, of the Langham Hotel Pasadena, and focus on that long lost channel -- travel agents. Indeed, just last week I met with Jorgen and explored this beautiful property. This former Ritz Carlton property, now owned and managed by Langham Hotels, is a real jewel for clients traveling to the Los Angeles area. Its location in Pasadena provides a sanctuary from the city of Los Angeles, but is accessible to many of the attractions that people travel here to explore. It is always a nice surprise when I get to spend the end of day enjoying a drink in a beautiful hotel bar, like the one here.
But the real surprise wasn’t the beauty of the property, but Jorgen’s desire to connect with the U.S. travel trade to help him build his business. He correctly articulated the benefit of investing money to reach and get business from a travel agent who can consistently sell his property versus a consumer direct approach that is “one and done.”
Jorgen’s strategy also reflects an understanding that many in the higher end category of travel seem to get: travel agents are the primary bookers of travel for consumers who still have the disposable income and desire to travel. They rely on professional travel agents to create more value and convenience for them instead of spending hours or scanning email alerts for the lowest possible rate.
What does that mean to the hotel industry? According to data by TravelClick, travel agents sell a significantly higher yield customer than hotels can get via Internet channels. They have the relationships, the value added focus, the ability to up-sell clients to higher categories, and more. In the end, it’s that special something that travel agents deliver for their customers and the hotels who embrace them and their clients.
Mark Murphy | President & CEO | Performance Media Group, LLC
Published on: July 23, 2009 from Travel Pulse formerly ModernAgent.com
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You are receiving this newsletter as a benefit of your participation in the CCRA Travel Solutions Hotel program or have requested to receive news from CCRA Travel Solutions independently through our website.
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