EMarketing firm sees continued portfolio growth and international expansion.
PARK CITY, UTAH – GCommerce Solutions, a hospitality digital marketing company known for driving significant incremental revenue for branded and independent hotels, announced that it has signed agreements with Coast Hotels and Principal Hayley (PH) Hotels. GCommerce will be responsible for optimizing the internet marketing scope of both chains through website and customized online outreach efforts.
“Although online marketing, especially social media, has received widespread attention, the savviest hotels are tapping new developments in technology to deliver true value to both the hotels and their guests,” said Chris Jackson, GCommerce president. “The number of online channels available to reach guests has quickly become overwhelming, making digital marketing at the brand and property level almost impossible to manage. Not only do we understand the technology, but we also understand hotel operations and revenue management, so our clients can get back to the business of hospitality. The day-to-day business of simply operating a brand or an individual hotel is a 24/7 endeavor.”
According to Jackson, online marketing efforts should not only pay for themselves, but generate significant, top-line revenue and bottom-line profit and include robust mechanisms to accurately measure costs and results in real time.
“Coast Hotels is entering a new phase of growth, and strategic digital marketing is critical to building our brand. GCommerce stood out with their hospitality experience, custom approach and track record for building business,” said Sarah Kirby Yung, executive director, marketing & communications, for Coast Hotels, a Canada-based hotel brand operating 40 hotels in Western Canada and the U.S. “GCommerce’s insight into the marketplace, along with their truly forward-thinking approach, made them the perfect fit for our company. It immediately became clear that they will act as an extension of our team as opposed to a being just a vendor who doesn’t understand our business the way we do. We look forward to a very successful relationship.”
GCommerce developed brand and individual property websites for Coast Hotels that integrate online content delivery and a booking engine that allows for dynamic pricing at the individual hotel level, on a room by room basis. GCommerce also provides creative, results-oriented marketing services, including direct email campaigns and targeted online advertising support, for the brand’s entire portfolio.
“We understand what incents conversion, and we also understand what helps a hotel operate more efficiently,” said Jackson. “Technology can deliver on both fronts when coupled with smart marketing, giving the guest a great experience and making the hotel more profitable.”
UK-based Principal Hayley Hotels retained GCommerce to build its brand and property websites, as well as provide on-going digital marketing services for its collection of 23 landmark hotels and dedicated conference and training venues across the U.K. and France.
“Technology often is encapsulated in a box and delivered the same way to all customers,” Jackson noted. “Especially with booking engine interface and merchandising, dynamic functionality and presenting the most relevant content and offers is key. Consumers tend to be digital explorers. As they look at different packages and room combinations, they don’t want to have to go off to a booking engine to understand pricing differences. By integrating the shopping and pricing interactions, the hotel delivers a better guest experience from the very start, which translates into higher conversion rates.”
“We are confident that GCommerce will give our hotels a competitive advantage, not only with today’s technology, but with their hotel marketing expertise and adaptability to stay on the cutting edge,” said Alan Corlett, CEO of Principal Hayley Hotels.
“As the hotel industry recovery continues, I fully expect that more and more hotels will turn to digital marketing firms to enhance their online presence and their outreach capabilities,” Jackson added. “They don’t try to make the beds, bake the bread and wash the windows themselves, and they shouldn’t take on the daunting task of online marketing when there are cost neutral ways to have experts do it for them.”
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
