The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) launches a new, interactive Web 2.0 section of its Website featuring two blogs updated weekly by influential AH&LA executives. The new Web 2.0 section offers association members the unique opportunity for candid dialogue and idea exchange with their industry peers, and provides an organized roadmap to making sense of the rapidly-evolving online community.
Highlights of the new Web 2.0 section include:
· Joe’s Tales from the Road, a personal travel blog from President/CEO Joseph A. McInerney, CHA, updated as he logs his average 45-50 trips a year;
· Government Affairs blog, featuring updates on big issues facing hoteliers on Capitol Hill from Marlene Colucci, executive vice president for public policy;
· AH&LA Message Board and polls, providing members a place to speak their mind on personal and industry-related topics, and weekly poll questions on interesting hospitality issues;
· Buzzword Glossary, putting tech-related lingo such as blog, viral marketing, and RSS Feed into real-life context;
· Easily-accessible links to search-oriented Websites where members can monitor coverage of their own property on the Web;
· Easily-accessible links to widely-read and increasingly influential travel blogs such as USA Today’s ‘Hotel Hotsheet’;
· Frequent updates on AH&LA’s menu of tech-savvy initiatives, including the current Webinar professional development series.
“The Internet has forever changed the way hoteliers do business, as technology is granting the consumer more control than ever,” said AH&LA President / CEO Joseph A. McInerney, CHA. “AH&LA has researched and created this new Web 2.0 resource to model the current consumer online experience, deliver opinions from and access to industry insiders, and create the opportunity for members to share opinions and connect with a new generation of technology.
“I am personally covering new ground with this Website as I make the foray into the world of blogging,” McInerney adds. “My weekly blog provides me with a new opportunity to connect with members by sharing personal details of the many trips I take throughout the year all over the country and the world, and comment on the industry as I see it.”
According to a recent American Express survey, only 5 percent of businesses with fewer than 100 employees have blogs.
Theodore Koumelis - Friday, January 04, 2008