buuteeq

Nosso Primeiro Barco Hotel

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:30:05 -0400

Está no ar o site do primeiro barco hotel no Brasil a trabalhar com o sistema buuteeq. É o Babilônia, uma hospedagem flutante que leva os hóspedes a passeios pelos rios do Pantanal Norte, no Mato Grosso. “Posso dizer que tenho ótimas expectativas”, disse Fausto, proprietário do hotel, sobre o começo do relacionamento com buuteeq.

Nosso Primeiro Barco Hotel as seen on

via buuteeq’s blog: http://bit.ly/13PJxNC

Penguin 2.0 Launched Yesterday

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:59:10 -0400

Penguin 2.0 Launched Yesterday as seen on

BREAKING: Yesterday, Google published an update to their much-feared Penguin algorithm, called Penguin 2.0. Penguin is designed to penalize websites that practice spammy SEO techniques to manipulate Google’s search engine results in their own favor. Techniques that received penalties included exact-match anchor text, exact-match domain names, general on-page over-optimization of keywords, and more.

Last year when Google released the original Penguin update, around 1% of all Google queries were affected. Despite the small number, many businesses lost their rankings and never recovered them. Businesses even went out of business due to the Penguin update. As I covered in depth last year, none of buuteeq’s clients were harmed by Penguin. In fact, many of the properties I examined actually enjoyed more organic search engine traffic.

Google says that Penguin 2.0 affected a whopping 2.3% of all search queries. This is huge. The SEO community will no doubt hear a slew of horror stories from businesses dropping out of Google due to this update. Google’s head of web spam, Matt Cutts, released more information on their update on his personal blog.

As part of buuteeq’s effort to ensure that we include the best passive SEO technology with our product, I’ll be keeping a close eye on our clients’ organic traffic and search rankings over the next few weeks. Even though it is too soon to make any conclusions (since Penguin 2.0 launched yesterday), as expected, our internal data is very encouraging.

The above graph shows the average percentage of visits our clients have enjoyed Monday to Wednesday this week, compared to last week for the same date range. Penguin 2.0 launched yesterday, Wednesday the 22nd, and as you can see, our clients actually enjoyed more visits after Penguin 2.0.

The above chart shows the breakdown in traffic sources for our clients during the same period. Let’s focus on the Organic slice, which represents organic traffic only from search engines. The first chart is May 13-15, and 45.47% of all visits were from search engines. For the week of Penguin, this number rose to 45.94%–a statistically insignificant (though positive) change.

As expected, hotels using buuteeq to power their digital marketing have not been penalized by Penguin 2.0. I’ll publish a complete report in a few weeks after Penguin 2.0 has had time to do it’s thing. I’ll break down my report by hotel type, region, and language so that you can see a global comparison.

In the meantime, review the guide to Penguin 2.0 that I published a few weeks ago to make sure that your SEO agency or internal team is is practicing quality, safe SEO for your hotel.

Sound off in the comments with any questions.

Penguin 2.0 Launched Yesterday as seen on

via buuteeq’s blog: http://bit.ly/14VXpbw

Free Whitepaper – Hotel Booking Engines

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:14:17 -0400

Free Whitepaper – Hotel Booking Engines as seen on

Securing online reservations for hotels is a complicated process.

It must take into consideration various currencies, languages, locations, taxes, pre-existing financial arrangements, pre-sold inventory, various inventory distributors, and more. Getting an online booking engine set-up so that hoteliers can accept direct bookings has traditionally been a laborious process. Many providers charge a commission for each reservation made through the engine, further reducing the hotel’s revenue.

Understanding how online hotel booking engines work can help hoteliers make informed decisions when choosing an internet booking engine to work with.

►Download the Free Whitepaper

Free Whitepaper – Hotel Booking Engines as seen on

via buuteeq’s blog: http://bit.ly/14VoSdm

Content Marketing for Hotels

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:29:15 -0400

Content Marketing for Hotels as seen on

How to produce compelling content that can put your hotel in the spotlight.

Content marketing is quickly becoming a tired buzz-word in the SEO community. It is such a popular topic because it is one of the only SEO strategies that works well and is unlikely to be penalized by Google in the future. Despite being a buzz-word, content marketing is something we should all focus on for the foreseeable future to improve our SEO.

Instead of calling content marketing an “SEO strategy”, I should really call it a “marketing strategy”, because producing quality content and marketing it well is simply good online marketing. It helps with SEO, but more importantly, it gives guests quality information, increases your hotel’s visibility, establishes you as a thought leader in your niche, and encourages guests to trust you, making them more likely to book a room with you.

But, as is the nature with buzz-words, “content marketing” is kind of hard to understand. What does it even mean? Well here, let me give you an example.

Yesterday, The Washington Post released a timeline of the ongoing IRS scandal called “Who Knew What, When”. It’s a simple timeline, pulling information from freely available news sources, organized into a visual timeline of events. It’s basically a glorified Excel spreadsheet.

Click to enlarge.

This timeline was easy to make. The information already existed. All The Washington Post had to do was collect it, organize it, and summarize it, while their dev team whipped up a simple interactive timeline.

Their results are impressive. In less than 24 hours, this one article has picked up over 100 comments, over 380 Facebook likes and shares, and has been tweeted over 175 times.

This example of content marketing is great because it was made using freely available information, it was easy to produce, and no one had done it yet. Hotel marketers can do the same thing. They just have to be creative.

True, The Washington Post example was in the news vertical, but the principles work equally well for hospitality too. Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts wanted to create some compelling content their guests would find interesting, so they contacted SEO Gadget, who produced an interactive Ultimate Guide to Worldwide Etiquette, which you can see here. Guests choose a country, and the map then shows them the appropriate etiquette for that country concerning tipping, gestures like handshaking and kissing cheeks, dining customs (think “elbows on the table”), and other dos and don’ts for the specified culture.

This piece of content has been online for much longer than The Washington Post article, which helps explain why it has over 2,100 Facebook likes, 620 Twitter tweets, 340 Google +1s, and has been shared on Stumble Upon an astounding 20,000 times. Open Site Explorer shows that this one article has over 300 backlinks from 90 different domains

Click to enlarge.

Quality content that provides guests with actionable, useful information is evergreen—that is, it remains popular long after first being published, and has a great chance of going “viral”.

Ideas for Your Hotel

So then, we come down to the hard task before us. What kind of content can you make for your unique hotel that has this kind of viral-like potential? You know your property and your area better than I do. Sit down with your staff and family members, and brainstorm some ideas. Here are some to get you started:

A guide to local customs and sayings.
A timeline of historical events that happened in your area.
A weekend trip plan, where you create an agenda of things your guests can do in your area over 2 days.
A guide to spending less than $50 a day in your area while still seeing amazing things and eating great food.
A guide to windsurfing, skiing, skydiving, snorkeling, in your area, with directions on who to contact for gear, which places offer the best sights, etc.

Once you have your topic, decide what kind of content you will produce–an infographic, a video, a calendar, a spreadsheet, a map. It could be a simple article, but make sure it is chocked-full of photography and, if appropriate, maps and illustrations.

If you’re not the creative type, you can contact a vendor to write content, take photos, or produce images and infographics for you. We have a list of buuteeq-approved Validated Vendors you can explore. We go to local Killer Infographics to help produce our infographics.

I hope this article helped explain the importance of content marketing for today’s SEO, and gave you some good ideas! Sound off in the comments below if you have any questions.

Content Marketing for Hotels as seen on

via buuteeq’s blog: http://bit.ly/12NDBag

Must-read Monday: News You May Have Missed

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:29:28 -0400

Must-read Monday: News You May Have Missed as seen on

Google+ updates include a new image-focused design that resembles Pinterest and Facebook.

Each week, the buuteeq team scours the web for the latest news and trends in hospitality, marketing, and tech that hoteliers need to know about to be successful.

Here are the must-read articles you may have missed last week:

1) Google+ Redesign Looks a Lot Like Facebook, Pinterest

2) Top 5 Hotel SEO Mistakes

3) Social Media Strategies: Show, Don’t Tell

4) Writing Content For Responsive Design

5) Is Your Social Network a Puppy or a Dog?

6) Google Tests Hotel Search Campaign with Lots of Photos

7) How Long Does a Brand Last?

8) Mobile Payments Get Serious on Google as Wallet Evolves to Handle Travel

9) HotelTonight Launches A More Visual (And Less Review-y) Take On Hotel Reviews

Must-read Monday: News You May Have Missed as seen on

via buuteeq’s blog: http://bit.ly/115FCQO

Facebook es la Red Social más Usada para Planear Viajes

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:14:42 -0400

Facebook es la Red Social más Usada para Planear Viajes as seen on

Facebook es la red social más consultada por turistas para planificar viajes. Esa fue la conclusión de la encuesta realizada por TripAdvisor a viajeros de todo el mundo. De las 15.000 personas consultadas, el 76% dijo haber ocupado esta popular red social para realizar búsquedas de destinos turísticos.

De los usuarios de internet que reportaron haber ocupado Facebook para planificar sus viajes, un 54% dijo que fue útil la consulta en esa red – y un 48% cree que son confiables los datos encontrados ahí. La supremacía de Facebook, sin embargo, ya se esperaba. Lo que sorprendió en la investigación fue el hecho de que Google+ haya ocupado el segundo lugar, con un 40% de preferencia de los usuarios, mostrando una amplia ventaja frente a otras redes sociales, como, por ejemplo, Twitter (21%).

La encuesta – realizada en enero de este año – refuerza la necesidad del rubro hotelero de invertir en presencia online. Esto se hace evidente al entender que los turistas usan las redes sociales para buscar información de destinos, lo que incluye averiguar también opciones de alojamiento.

“La influencia de la tecnología en el sector del turismo y la hotelería ha cambiado la manera como se planifican los viajes”, dijo el profesor de hotelería de la Universidad Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE), en Brasil, Elidomar Alcoforado. “Los clientes dejan de tener una actitud pasiva, de ceder la planificación de su viaje a manos de agentes turísticos, para tener una actitud proactiva”, agregó.

buuteeq ofrece una aplicación creada especialmente para hoteleros, que se instala en la página de su hotel en Facebook, asegurándole más potencia comercial en la red. La herramienta permite al huésped ver fotos de la propiedad, detalles de las habitaciones, localización e, incluso, posibilita que la reserva sea realizada online directamente en Facebook. Lo mejor: cualquier hotel puede tener gratis la aplicación de buuteeq para la red social. Además, el hotelero que instale la aplicación, podrá ver una previsualización de cómo sería el sitio de su propiedad (en la web y en smartphones) utilizando la plataforma de buuteeq.

¿Le gustaría instalar gratis la aplicación de buuteeq para tener un sitio eficiente en Facebook, capacitado para generar más reservas? ¡Contáctenos!

Facebook es la Red Social más Usada para Planear Viajes as seen on

via buuteeq’s blog: http://bit.ly/1093OAc

Top 5 Hotel SEO Mistakes

Tue, 14 May 2013 12:14:59 -0400

Top 5 Hotel SEO Mistakes as seen on

Google’s search wizard Matt Cutts released a short video explaining the 5 most frequent SEO mistakes made by website owners and SEOs. Here they are, in order:

1) Failure to have a website, or making it invisible to Google robots. Some hoteliers have told me that having a directory listing, or a micro-site on a franchise or brand page, is enough. But clearly, Google wants to see a unique, individual web presence for each business, which means building a domain and building a hotel website for each property you own.

2) Not including the right words on the page. This is a great one, and simply means that you should write about what your guests are searching for. If you’re hotel is in Boca Raton, be sure to have articles about your hotel in Boca Raton Florida, and write articles on your website like “Top 10 Things to Do in Boca Raton, Florida”.

3) Link-building, instead of building compelling content and marketing your website. The philosophy behind this is that if you build your hotel’s reputation online, you’ll end up building quality links as a natural consequence. But if you focus solely on link-building, then you’ll miss an opportunity to build a reputation and online awareness for your hotel–and, you’ll likely attain low-quality links that could actually harm your website. In short, focus on people, not links.

4) Not thinking about the titles and descriptions of your important pages. These are the meta title and description tags that you can edit yourself using buuteeq’s Cloud DMS, if you’re a subscriber. One of the first places Google inspects on your website is your title tag, to see what your website is about, and then your description tag to offer a short, pithy, enticing description to users in their search engine. Write a meta title that accurately says what the page is about, and that includes the appropriate keywords you’re trying to rank for (in example, “My Florida Hotel – Boutique Hotel in Boca Raton Florida” might be an appropriate meta title tag. Even though Google doesn’t rank your website based on what it finds in your meta description, it still may choose to show users this description. This makes your description tag an unique opportunity to convince users in your own words to click on your website. Use it well!

5) Failure to use Google Webmaster Tools (WMT) and other webmaster resources. WMT is Google’s direct connection to you, as I explain in my guide to Webmaster Tools for hotels. It’s what they use to communicate with you when they’ve detected an unnatural link profile on your website, for example, or if they discover that your content has suddenly gone offline due to a webmaster outage. It can provide you or your webmaster will important info about how Google sees your website, so you can make the appropriate changes.

This list is a reminder to us all that, while we could spend days, weeks, or even months tweaking little things here and there, the major issues that impact our websites the most are obvious and relatively easy to fix. While it may be a fun hobby to research the inner-most workings of Google’s algorithm and making experimental changes to our websites to one-up competitors, our time is best spent elsewhere.

See the video below for Matt’s complete comments.

Top 5 SEO Mistakes

Top 5 Hotel SEO Mistakes as seen on

via buuteeq’s blog: http://bit.ly/18It7w9

Facebook é Rede Social Mais Usada para Planejar Viagens

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:14:20 -0400

Facebook é Rede Social Mais Usada para Planejar Viagens as seen on

O Facebook é a rede social mais consultada por turistas para planejar viagens. Essa foi a conclusão da pesquisa feita pela TripAdvisor com viajantes do mundo inteiro. Das 15.000 pessoas escutadas, 76% disseram ter usado essa mídia social para buscar informações de destinos turísticos.

Dos usuários que optaram pelo Facebook para planejar a viagem, 54% afirmaram que a consulta foi útil. Além disso, 48% consideram confiáveis os dados obtidos. A supremacia do Facebook, no entanto, era de certa forma esperada. A surpresa no levantamento foi o Google+ aparecer em segundo lugar com 40% da preferência dos internautas, desbancando, por exemplo, o Twitter (21%).

A pesquisa — feita em janeiro deste ano — reforça a necessidade da rede hoteleira investir na presença online. Ficou evidente quanto os turistas usam as redes sociais para buscar informações de destinos. E isso inclui pequisar opções de hospedagem.

“A influência da tecnologia no setor turístico-hoteleiro tem modificado o modus operandi do planejamento das viagens”, disse o professor de hotelaria da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE) Elidomar Alcoforado. “O cliente deixa de ter uma postura passiva, ao entregar o planejamento de sua viagem nas mãos de agentes e operadores turísticos, para ter uma postura proativa. Neste sentido, o Facebook, e todo o marketing digital que o permeia torna-se fonte de vantagem competitiva para as empresas que querem posicionar-se à frente no acirrado ambiente concorrencial”, completou.

buuteeq oferece um aplicativo para o hoteleiro montar a página de seu hotel dentro do Facebook, garantindo-lhe maior potencial comercial na rede. A ferramenta permite ao hóspede ver fotos da propriedade, detalhes dos quartos, a localização e, inclusive, possibilita que a reserva seja feita online no próprio Facebook. Detalhe: qualquer hotel pode ter gratuitamente o aplicativo de buuteeq na rede social. Além disso, o hoteleiro que instalar o dispositivo pode ver uma prévia de como ficaria o site do seu negócio (na web e em smartphones) utilizando a plataforma de buuteeq.

Quer instalar gratuitamente o aplicativo de buuteeq para ter um site eficiente no Facebook, capaz de gerar mais reservas? Entre em contato com nossa equipe!

Facebook é Rede Social Mais Usada para Planejar Viagens as seen on

via buuteeq’s blog: http://www.buuteeq.com/blog/facebook-e-rede-social-mais-usada-para-planejar-viagens/

Must-read Monday: News You May Have Missed

Mon, 13 May 2013 15:59:21 -0400

Must-read Monday: News You May Have Missed as seen on

Each week, the buuteeq team scours the web for the latest news and trends in hospitality, marketing, and tech that hoteliers need to know about to be successful.

Here are the must-read articles you may have missed last week:

1) buuteeq Teams Up with Choice Hotels International

2) Snickers Catches Bad Spellers With Smart Google Ads

3) Back to basics – Four essentials for any mobile travel strategy

4) The 5 Rules to Pitching a Guest Blog

5) 10 Signs Your Old Marketing Tactics Aren’t Working

6) 18 Sweet Tips For Facebook Page Posts

7) U.S. hotels have given up on extra fees, raising room rates instead

8) TripAdvisor steps up process to include more genuine reviews of hotels

9) Industry first alert: Google teams up with Hilton brand DoubleTree for interactive YouTube channel

Must-read Monday: News You May Have Missed as seen on

via buuteeq’s blog: http://bit.ly/11zew5Y

Google Travel Marketing Manager Rob Torres on Hotel Finder

Mon, 13 May 2013 13:59:09 -0400

Google Travel Marketing Manager Rob Torres on Hotel Finder as seen on

Last Friday, buuteeq was honored to have Rob Torres, Google’s Travel Marketing Manager, speak at length about Google Hotel Finder, Google+, Google Glass, and a number of other Google topics.

He took a lively Q&A from interested buuteeq employees, revealing some interesting tid-bits:

Google has no plans to give hoteliers and hotel marketers direct access to Hotel Price Ads, which gives access to the Hotel Finder auction.
Google believes that Google Flight Explorer performs better than competitors like Hipmunk.
Google has no plans to process actual flight and hotel reservations.
YouTube is the biggest ‘cable’ network for 18-34 year olds.
Maps is one of Google’s most popular products, and is responsible for many travel referrals
Google +1s can help increase a website’s quality score, and also the quality score of a Hotel Finder listing.
In LATAM, video is first. They are the largest users of video on YouTube.

Watch the video here:

Transcript Coming Soon!

Google Travel Marketing Manager Rob Torres on Hotel Finder as seen on

via buuteeq’s blog: http://bit.ly/17XNHHs

Short Interview with CEO Forest Key

Fri, 10 May 2013 13:44:15 -0400

Short Interview with CEO Forest Key as seen on

In this short video by Concur Technologies, buuteeq CEO and founder Forest Key explains the value of buuteeq.

Learn exactly what Forest set out to do when he founded buuteeq–to change and improve the user experience of travel, while simultaneously giving hoteliers back their direct bookings.

“We help independent hotels and chains directly market themselves, and connect to guests.”

Short Interview with CEO Forest Key as seen on

via buuteeq’s blog: http://bit.ly/17Ruvey

buuteeq in the News!

Fri, 10 May 2013 13:44:13 -0400

buuteeq in the News! as seen on

Last night we were featured in Seattle’s local King 5 news, as a finalist in GeekWire’s 2013 awards for ‘Perk of the Year’. See the coverage below.

Trotamundo is the name of the employee perk we give to encourage travel and talk with hoteliers. buuteeq will help pay for an employee’s vacation, to anywhere in the world!

buuteeq is hiring! Learn more about our available positions on our jobs board.

► buuteeq Jobs Board

buuteeq in the News! as seen on

via buuteeq’s blog: http://bit.ly/17RuuXX

Choice Hotels International y buuteeq se asocian

Thu, 09 May 2013 13:29:38 -0400

Choice Hotels International y buuteeq se asocian as seen on

5.000 hoteles franquiciados en los Estados Unidos podrán aprovechar los beneficios de la plataforma digital de buuteeq, que potencia la presencia del hotel en internet e incrementa las reservas directas realizadas a través de la web.

La cadena Choice Hotels International, una de las más grandes franquiciadoras hoteleras del mundo, anunció esta semana una asociación con buuteeq, creadora del innovador sistema de marketing digital para el sector de la hotelería. Con el acuerdo, 5.000 hoteles de la marca en los Estados Unidos pueden adherir a la plataforma online de buuteeq. Eso va a permitir a los hoteleros administrar un sitio web inteligente, que funciona como una herramienta de ventas capaz de aumentar la ocupación del hotel.

“Nuestra relación con buuteeq dará a los franquiciados acceso a herramientas de última generación, lo que les permitirá reforzar su presencia online y hará más fácil la experiencia de reserva a los clientes”, comentó Robert McDowell, vice-presidente senior de Choice Hotels. “Con los constantes cambios en el sector del marketing digital, de reservas y de gerenciamiento hotelero, es crucial para nosotros estar un paso adelante para satisfacer las necesidades de los franquiciados y de los huéspedes”, agregó.

La plataforma desarrollada con esta asociación, llamada Digital Direct Program, integrará la central de reservas online de Choice al sistema de marketing digital en la nuble de buuteeq. Las franquicias que adhieran al programa tendrán un sitio web optimizado para motores de búsqueda (como Google) y adaptado para smartphones y Facebook. Además, recibirán inteligencia de marketing y gestión, a fin de conocer e invertir en los canales que generan más huéspedes.

“Trabajar con la nueva plataforma no puede ser más fácil”, dijo Sam Patel, propietario del Comfort Inn North Knoxville, uno de los participantes del programa de prueba. “Hemos lanzado nuestro nuevo sitio web en menos de una semana. Con una página visualmente atractiva y con total control de nuestro marketing online, creo que nuestro hotel tendrá éxito frente a la competencia.”

El sistema personalizado de buuteeq para la cadena Choice estará disponible para los 5.000 hoteles en Estados Unidos a partir del 14 de mayo. Se espera que también en 2013 los franquiciados de todo el mundo tengan acceso a la plataforma. “Como proveedores del sistema de marketing digital líder del mercado, estamos muy entusiasmados por trabajar con Choice Hotels y poder ayudarlos a mantener la marca de la cadena siempre a la vanguardia tecnológica de la industria hotelera”, dice Forrest Key, CEO de buuteeq.

Choice Hotels International y buuteeq se asocian as seen on

via buuteeq’s blog: http://bit.ly/1754g6r

“Reservas por internet crescem cada vez mais”, diz presidente da ABIH

Thu, 09 May 2013 13:02:23 -0400

“Reservas por internet crescem cada vez mais”, diz presidente da ABIH as seen on

O presidente da Associação Brasileira da Indústria de Hotéis, Enrico Fermi, fala com buuteeq sobre a importância da rede hoteleira estar bem estruturada na internet

Hotéis que possuem um sistema digital eficaz, com site atrativo capaz de gerar mais reservas online e adaptado a smartphones estão à frente da concorrência. Essa é a opinião do presidente da ABIH, Enrico Fermi. “A reserva feita via internet está crescendo cada vez mais”, disse. “E quando o hotel tem um bom site essa ferramenta ajuda nas vendas. Isso é um diferencial, é mais fácil agendar a hospedagem.”

Fermi tem razão. É expressivo o número de turistas que usam a internet como principal fonte de informações para organizar a viagem, inclusive para buscar opções de hotéis. Em 2011, por exemplo, um em cada três estrangeiros que visitou o Brasil recorreu à rede para pesquisar dados do país. Essa, aliás, foi a fonte de informação mais usada, segundo pesquisa do Ministério do Turismo. “Os hotéis de pequeno porte, que não têm condições de ter uma estrutura de equipe de marketing por trás, precisam usar a internet para se vender”, apontou Fermi.

Smartphones – O presidente da ABIH também comentou sobre a necessidade dos hotéis oferecerem sites adaptados aos aparelhos móveis. “É mais uma ferramenta para o hotel colocar na prateleira e ajudar nas vendas”, disse. “Principalmente no mercado coorporativo. Às vezes, o turista de negócios, que viaja de última hora, procura um hotel quando já está na cidade. E ele já faz a reserva pelo próprio celular .” Uma pesquisa feita nos Estados Unidos há dois anos pela Priceline (um buscador de internet) mostrou que 58% dos turistas de negócios usuários de smartphones faziam reservas em hotéis somente após desembarcar na cidade. Ou seja, as propriedades com site responsivo em aparelhos móveis têm muito mais chances de ganhar esse tipo de hóspede.

No Brasil o uso de aparelhos móveis para busca de informações turísticas também já é grande. O TripAdvisor, serviço colaborativo de recomendação turística, divulgou no fim de 2012 que 42,8% dos brasileiros usuários do site utilizaram tablets para organizar suas viagens — o que inclui buscar hotéis. No caso dos smartphones, esse número sobe para expressivos 61,6%.

buuteeq – Tais números reiteram o que disse Fermi: os hotéis com um sistema online eficiente estão em vantagem. E o software de buuteeq foi criado justamente para ajudar os hoteleiros nesse sentido. A plataforma transforma o site do hotel em uma ferramenta de vendas capaz de gerar mais reservas diretas. A tecnologia foi estudada para estimular o tráfego no site, reter as visitas na página e convertê-las em reserva, eliminando a necessidade de intermediários. Além disso, todo o conteúdo do site aparece de forma otimizada em smartphones, tablets e Facebook. Outro benefício é que a plataforma é autoadministrável, ou seja, o hoteleiro pode fazer as alterações desejadas em sua página a qualquer momento.

buuteeq também ajuda o hotel a posicionar-se de forma eficiente em sites de busca e fornece inteligência de marketing e gerenciamento ao hoteleiro, para que ele conheça e invista nos canais que geram mais hóspedes.

Quer conversar com a equipe de buuteeq? Clique aqui.

“Reservas por internet crescem cada vez mais”, diz presidente da ABIH as seen on

via buuteeq’s blog: http://bit.ly/174W99Z

Free Whitepaper – Customer Acquisition Channels for Hotels

Thu, 09 May 2013 12:29:29 -0400

Free Whitepaper – Customer Acquisition Channels for Hotels as seen on

There was once a time when hotel marketing focused on brochures, newspaper listings, magazine ads, banners, and lots of printed paper. Things have changed, and print media is less effective at driving new bookings as it once was. Today, it can be hard for hoteliers to learn how to acquire new guests aside from turning on a flickering ‘vacancy’ light in the window.

This problem is exacerbated as guests move away from more traditional hospitality customer acquisition channels, in favor of more accessible digital channels. In this whitepaper, we will explore the primary acquisition channels used today by the most successful hoteliers and hotel marketers around the world.

►Download the Free Whitepaper

Free Whitepaper – Customer Acquisition Channels for Hotels as seen on

via buuteeq’s blog: http://bit.ly/16k18U9

Choice Hotels International e buuteeq iniciam parceria

Thu, 09 May 2013 11:44:24 -0400

Choice Hotels International e buuteeq iniciam parceria as seen on

5.000 hotéis franqueados nos Estados Unidos poderão trabalhar com os benefícios da plataforma digital de buuteeq, que potencializa a presença do hotel na internet e aumenta as reservas diretas feitas online

A rede Choice Hotels International, uma das maiores franqueadoras hoteleiras do mundo, anunciou esta semana uma parceria com buuteeq, criadora de um inovador sistema de marketing digital para o setor de hospedagem. Com o acordo, 5.000 hotéis da marca nos Estados Unidos poderão aderir à plataforma online de buuteeq. Isso permitirá aos hoteleiros administrarem um site inteligente, que funciona como uma ferramenta de vendas capaz de aumentar a ocupação do hotel.

“Nosso relacionamento com buuteeq proporcionará aos franqueados acesso à ferramentas de ponta que lhes possibilitará reforçar a presença online e facilitará a experiência de reserva para os clientes”, comentou Robert McDowell, vice-presidente sênior da Choice Hotels. “Com as constantes mudanças no universo do marketing digital, de reservas e de gestão hoteleira, é crucial para o Choice estar à frente para satisfazer as necessidades dos franqueados e dos hóspedes”, completou.

A plataforma criada com a parceria, chamada de Digital Direct Program, integrará a central de reservas online do Choice ao sistema de marketing digital na nuvem de buuteeq. As franquias que aderirem ao programa terão um site otimizado para posicionar-se bem sites de busca (como o Google) e adaptado para smartphones e Facebook. Além disso, receberão inteligência de marketing e gerenciamento, para conhecer e investir nos canais que geram mais hóspedes.

“Não poderia ser mais fácil trabalhar com a nova plataforma”, disse Sam Patel, proprietário do Comfort Inn North Knoxville, um dos participantes do programa piloto. “Lançamos nosso novo site em menos de uma semana. Com uma página atrativa visualmente e com total controle do meu marketing online, acredito que meu hotel estará à frente da concorrência.”

O sistema personalizado de buuteeq para a rede Choice estará disponível para os 5.000 hotéis nos Estados Unidos a partir do dia 14 de maio. Espera-se que os franqueados do mundo inteiro tenha acesso à plataforma ainda este ano. “Como provedores do sistema de marketing digital para hotéis líder no mercado, estamos muito animados por trabalhar com o Choice Hotels. Vamos ajudar a manter a marca na vanguarda da tecnologia do setor de hospitalidade”, disse Forrest Key, CEO de buuteeq.

Quer seu hotel com os benefícios do sistema buuteeq? Fale com nossa equipe!

Choice Hotels International e buuteeq iniciam parceria as seen on

via buuteeq’s blog: http://bit.ly/ZRIYFv

buuteeq Partners with Choice Hotels International

Tue, 07 May 2013 15:31:31 -0400

buuteeq Partners with Choice Hotels International as seen on

Today we announced a new partnership between buuteeq and Choice Hotels!

We are now bringing property level websites and direct bookings to Choice franchisees across the United States. Choice’s wide-scale support of our platform confirms our mission to enable properties around the globe to connect directly with their guests. Every hotel deserves that direct connection. We are proud to be the industry trailblazer in providing innovative and cost-effective digital marketing technology for thousands of properties around the world.

Read the press release at ChoiceHotels.com.

Pilot Customer

The Sleep Inn & Suites in Colby, Kansas is one of the first Choice franchisees to start their digital marketing adventure with buuteeq. Visit www.sleepinncolby.com to see their new web presence in action, and enjoy a gallery of website screenshots below.

buuteeq Partners with Choice Hotels International as seen on

via buuteeq’s blog: http://bit.ly/17K9gLF

Must-read Monday: News You May Have Missed

Mon, 06 May 2013 15:32:01 -0400

Must-read Monday: News You May Have Missed as seen on

We’re excited to introduce a new series on the buuteeq blog: Must-read Monday! Each week, the buuteeq team scours the web for the latest news and trends in hospitality, marketing, and tech that hoteliers need to know about to be successful.

Here are the must-read articles you may have missed last week:

1) WordPress is Nipping at Your Vertical: Restaurants, Weddings, and Now Hotels

2) How Do Colors Affect Purchases?

3) A Hotelier’s Guide to Google Webmaster Tools

4) Prepare Your Hotel for Penguin 2.0

5) Fewer Travelers Lug Laptops to Hotels, More Bring iPads

6) The 10 Most Clickable Twitter Headlines

7) Hotel Online Marketing Budget Disconnect: A Perpetual Case of Bringing a Knife to a Gunfight

8) Vacationing Americans Prefer Giving Up Booze Over Mobile Devices

9) 3-Step Guide to Google Hotel Finder

Must-read Monday: News You May Have Missed as seen on

via buuteeq’s blog: http://bit.ly/15sFehP

Agencies vs. SaaS

Mon, 06 May 2013 12:32:58 -0400

Agencies vs. SaaS as seen on

Buying a website is expensive, outdated, and even dangerous. Buying project based web services or static software is the way of the past, and is already being usurped by software as a service, which is cheaper, up-to-date, and more secure—simply more efficient.

Think of software subscriptions like your home utilities—a concept I covered to some extend in my previous article on utility computing. We shouldn’t make one-time purchases of software or web services for the same reason we don’t hire men with shovels to dig us wells. Purchasing water as a subscription from the water company is easier, cheaper, and faster—simply more efficient.

The marketing team here at buuteeq just finished directing this excellent infographic by the fine folks at Killer Infographics, exploring the journeys of hoteliers going the agency route compared to the SaaS route. I elaborated more on this after the jump.

Agencies vs. SaaS – Which Path Would You Pick?

Click on image to enlarge.

What is SaaS?

The old model of crafting a website, shipping it, and then moving on to the next thing, is long outdated. Software developers are also shying away from the ‘buy an upgrade’ method. Instead, they’re selling software as a subscription, and then offering updates to their clients for free, over time, as technology evolves. This method, called Software as a Service (SaaS), keeps software up-to-date and adapted to the day’s latest tech trends and necessary integrations—something traditional software can’t achieve without expensive, time-consuming software patches and upgrades.

Give me some context, please.

Image from Wikimedia Commons.

In the late 90s, I worked as a sales rep for Comp USA, a big box computer store that I believe is out of business today. Back then, half the store was dedicated to selling software in boxes. I remember when Internet Explorer 5 was released—our shelves were filled with the browser in boxes. You had to buy Internet browsers back then, a concept which is ridiculous today since they’re all free.

Anyway, take a look at the boxed software section the next time you’re in Best Buy. Pretty tiny, isn’t it? You’ll likely find a slew of hastily made video games, or useless productivity software made irrelevant by free Google Chrome apps. Anything substantial can be found online.

Instead of buying tax software in a box, people login to TaxAct online, which is already updated with the latest tax regulations in time for the next tax season. Instead of buying the latest boxed set of Blizzard games, many people download and install them from Battle.net. When the next update is available for, say, World of Warcraft, gamers automatically download upgrades for free the next time they log in, because they’re still paying for the subscription.

Gone are the days of boxed software from Adobe, like this edition of Adobe Creative Suite.Photo credit: creative commons license, raitank on Flickr.

Recently, Adobe switched to the SaaS business model for their praised creative products. As a video editor and animator, I’ve been a huge fan of Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects since I started animating in 2005. My one gripe has always been that each year there was a new version of each product, introducing new functionality I would never enjoy unless I forked over $thousands for a complete upgrade. Last year, Adobe solved this problem by launching the Adobe Creative Cloud. For one monthly fee, I now have access to every product in the Creative Suite, always updated with the latest animating innovations, as long as I maintain my subscription. When asked to explain this radical business shift, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen quipped:

“Companies that simply try to preserve the status quo will fail.”

A Simple Subscription

Historically, hotels have been forced to pay tens of thousands of dollars for a new website. This steep cost has forced many hoteliers to pay for incremental upgrades, costing hundreds of dollars hourly, or to not update their website at all. I recently saw a hotel website urging viewers to install Internet Explorer 5, a 14 year old web browser, and then come back, because that’s the browser it was designed best to work in.

Instead, SaaS for hotel online marketing keeps up with technology so hoteliers don’t have to, upgrading their software and delivering it to their subscribers at no additional cost. This saves hoteliers time, money, and is far safer.

Simply, more efficient.

Infographic Transcript

DON’T ROLL THE DICE ON YOUR DIGITAL MARKETING

Which path would you pick to get your dream site up on time and on budget?

Agency Avenue

High hopes and lofty promises. Advance 1 space.
Explain your vision. Advance 2 spaces.
Waiting for response…
WARNING: Fees ahead! Pay in full upfront, lose a turn.
Inquire about mobile features. Pay extra, roll the dice.
Ask for updates. Advance 1 space.
Waiting for a response. Roll the dice.
See first draft…but it’s a WordPress site. Lose 5 morale points, advance 1 space.
Request changes. Pay out-of-scope fees, lose a turn.
Waiting for changes. Roll doubles to receive them.
See revisions… they’re not what you asked for. Lose 10 morale points, roll the dice.
Clarify your vision, again. Pay out-of-scope fees, move back 1 space.
Clarify your vision again. Move back 2 spaces.
Clarify…seriously?! Lose patience, but push forward 1 space.
Get email from new contact. Lose remaining morale, but tiptoe ahead 1 space.
New contact asks for your vision again… Trudge ahead 1 space.
Lose your investment, time, and sanity.

buuteeq Boulevard

Your vision is understood! Advance 1 space.
buuteeq’s full content management system means you avoid the development stage entirely. Advance 2 spaces.
No development necessary.
Preview your site; changes are quick and easy.
Optimized for mobile devices.
Live and lookin’ good! Advance 1 space.
Break even in just 4 weeks. Advance 1 space. (This is the typical experience of a buuteeq customer).
See clear analytics. Advance 1 space.
24/7 access to customer success team. Advance 1 space.
buuteeq’s customer success team has a 95% satisfaction rating.
Finished… time to celebrate! Morale and budget intact.

Hoteliers using buuteeq’s Cloud DMS see a 1-5% growth in unique visitors year over year.

Our site bounce rates are just 30-40% (compared to an industry average of 50-60%)

Subscription software platform updated 2 times monthly.

Hoteliers see a 1-2% minimum booking conversion increase with a buuteeq powered site.

You keep 100% of money made using our booking engine.

The path is clear: buuteeq is invested in your success, every step of the way.

Agencies vs. SaaS as seen on

via buuteeq’s blog: http://bit.ly/16c5FYE

3-Step Guide to Google Hotel Finder

Thu, 02 May 2013 15:14:32 -0400

3-Step Guide to Google Hotel Finder as seen on

Google Hotel finder is an untested but intriguing new marketing channel. Already, online travel agencies are lining up to secure promoted advertisement slots for you hotel, decreasing you profits even further. It’s possible for hotels to work directly with Google to bid on their own property’s listing, but the process is complicated and potentially expensive. Is it even worth it?

In this guide we will explain Google Hotel Finder—how it works, how viable it is to gaining new guests, and what you need to do if you want to market on it directly.

Download the free eBook

3-Step Guide to Google Hotel Finder as seen on

via buuteeq’s blog: http://bit.ly/121IHOr