The Unisource Strategic Branding Conference, Hotel & Lodging was a free event dedicated to Hotel Management Professionals. Industry leaders came together to discuss current issues, best practices, and innovative new ways to maintain, protect, and grow an organization’s brand. Speakers included Dr. Chekitan S. Dev of the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, Julie Cottineau, Founder and CEO of BrandTwist (formerly with Virgin Group), Chris Crenshaw, Vice President at STR, and Tony Pollard, President, Hotel Association of Canada.

1. Key Takeaways from the
Unisource Strategic
Branding Conference
Hotel & Lodging
November 2013
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2. Tony Pollard
President
Hotel Association of Canada
Access all presentations and speaker audio from the
Unisource Strategic Branding Conference at
http://learn.unisourceworldwide.com/SBC

3. The Internet is the most important source of
information on your property.
Being friendly and offering good service is
the easiest thing to do to improve a
customer’s experience.
Consumers increasingly feel like they are
going to get a better deal through a thirdparty – price comparison is a fact of life.
Millenials Matter - 25-34 year olds, who have
lower earning potential, are the ones that
report they’re most likely to stay at luxury
accommodations.

4. Both business and
leisure travelers cite
friendly
service, location, and a
free breakfast as their
primary expectations
for a hotel stay.
While Canadians plan to travel
only about 2% more than in
recent years, the nightly rate
they plan to pay for a room has
increased.

5. Chris Crenshaw
Vice-President
Smith Travel Research
Access all presentations and speaker audio from the
Unisource Strategic Branding Conference at
http://learn.unisourceworldwide.com/SBC

6. There are an estimated 17.5 million hotel rooms all over the world.
There are 7,606 hotel rooms in Canada.
These rooms generate more than 13 billion dollars in revenue.

7. The 12-month
moving average
for supply has
been very low.
That is a good
thing for hotel
operators.
That means you
don’t have a lot
of competition
coming in to
take away some
of your business.
The Canadian performance
is never outside of the rest
of the world.
The downturns are not as
severe, the recoveries are
not as dramatic because
there’s not as much to
recover from.

8. Dr. Chekitan S. Dev
Associate Professor
Cornell University
Access all presentations and speaker audio from the
Unisource Strategic Branding Conference at
http://learn.unisourceworldwide.com/SBC

9. The Top 10 Challenges in Hospitality Branding:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Sea of Sameness
Extended Portfolios
Social Media Clutter
Channel Complexity
Everlasting Impressions
Transparent Service Experiences
Direct Communication
Uncontrollable Reputation
Instant Gratification
Search for Sustainability
Listen to Dr. Dev discuss these concepts and more at http://learn.unisourceworldwide.com/SBC

10. When is the last time you polished your trophy?
There are a lot of hotel brands on the
shelf. What’s more, in this day and age
information moves faster than ever and
that challenges to improve your brand
need your constant attention.
Great organizations
consistently polish their
“trophy,” developing and
nurturing a strong brand that
customers can trust.

11. While 80% of company
CEO’s believe their brand
to be differentiated, only
8% of consumers agree.
(according to a Bain and Company
survey)
Trying to find that
point of
difference, and then
being able to earn a
premium on that point
of difference, is the
number one challenge.
Loyalty to a single hotel
brand has fallen from 59%
to 39% over the course of
one year.

12. Julie Cottineau
CEO
BrandTwist
Access all presentations and speaker audio from the
Unisource Strategic Branding Conference at
http://learn.unisourceworldwide.com/SBC

13. A brand is a
story, and great
brands are stories
that are really welltold.
Your brand
should always
be ahead of
your business.
Brand
innovation has
to be an
operational
commitment.

14. What is your vomit bag moment?
Virgin Atlantic Airlines famously took an FAA-required item, the ubiquitous air
sickness bag, and transformed the experience for consumers. The company
went so far as to hold a design contest to incorporate innovative design onto
the bags, cross-promote with other brands and take the bag off the plane by
promoting it at outdoor events.
What is that thing that you have to do, that
you’re doing exactly the way that everyone
else is doing it. Can that be a powerful
brand touchpoint? Your invoice, email
signature, letter of confirmation?
This is how to break through the Sea of
Sameness. This can be a powerful brand
differentiator.

15. Does your brand need a polish?
What have you done to polish this
prized trophy lately?
To learn more about the
Unisource Strategic Branding Conference
and how to nurture your brand, please
click here.
And let us know how we can help.

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