June 2016 - Flip.to Blog

Flip.to on the road: Flat Ricky’s HITEC debut

HITEC 2016 wrapped up last week, and it was the perfect opportunity to have a bit of fun with our Director of Partnerships, Richard Dunbar by introducing his new-found colleague and friend, Flat Ricky. (One Ricky just wasn’t enough.)

Flat Ricky explored the conference, stopped by the booths of our many partners, and ended an eventful first day with a party hosted by Flip.to, Lanyon, NAVIS and Social Tables.

1_flatRicky — Arriving at Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel before shuttling over to the Morial Convention Center.

2_flatRicky — Visiting our friends and partners at the Guestcentric and Digital Alchemy booths.

3_flatRicky — Saying hello to the folks at SHR and Spring Engage.

4_flatRicky — Posing with our partners from NAVIS and IDeaS Revenue Solutions.

5_flatRicky — Preparing for the Flip.to, Lanyon, NAVIS and Social Tables party to kick off.

As our night was coming to an end, one thing became apparent—we were #MissingFlatRicky—and word spread quickly!

Turns out, our friends at Vista Cay had different plans for Flat Ricky, and an adventure in the making unfolded.

At the end of the day, Flat Ricky got a VIP tour of the town and was swept away once again. We’re still #MissingFlatRicky—but if you have any tips on where he might be, let us know at hello@flip.to! (Don’t worry, all tips remain anonymous.)

Flip.to unveils Vision AI, breaking new ground for hotels reaching travelers worldwide through advocacy

Advocacy platform leads travel tech with innovative application of artificial intelligence

Flip.to has unveiled Vision AI, the newest layer of their advocacy platform that helps hotels reach a global audience of travelers perfect for their brand.

This powerful new feature uses machine-based insights to let hotels better understand and effortlessly curate their vast, ever-growing library of guest-created content. This innovative use of artificial intelligence is the first of its kind in hotel tech. With Flip.to, hotels may now amplify their brand by delivering incredibly authentic, personal content to different segments of travelers and better convert them into future guests.

“Amazing tech lets us gather real insight on the guest stories we capture. What’s different is that for the first time, hotels can apply these insights to deliver content in a way that truly resonates with their future guests,” said Brian Kent, CEO & Co-founder at Flip.to. “Vision AI is the start of some pretty exciting new opportunities of real personalization at scale.”

Vision AI taps into machine-based learning using Microsoft® Cognitive Services. By processing visual data, Vision AI extracts rich information to return insights on content, image attributes, colors and more. Guest stories are automatically fitted with descriptions and tagged during the curation process, saving hotel marketers time and eliminating the inefficiencies of manual organization. Instead, hotels can easily search the authentic content their guests provide in seconds.

Faces AI, a component of the artificial intelligence by Flip.to, detects human faces and can identify attributes like age and gender in a guest story.

Vision AI and Faces AI make the impact of the advocacy platform for hotels even more potent. By thoughtfully applying artificial intelligence, Flip.to gives heightened context to the content and interactions of advocacy for hotel marketers worldwide.

“Flip.to is designed to capture warm leads with rich touch points across the entire guest journey. Vision AI takes that even further.” said Edward St. Onge, President at Flip.to. “It makes everything hotels are doing on our platform, as well as their others forms of marketing, even smarter and more compelling. The possibilities are limitless.”

Hoteliers worldwide use Flip.to to wield the power of a story well told and capture new guests. To begin reaching, inspiring and converting an entirely new global audience every day, take a tour or say hello.

We’re #HITECnola bound

It’s here! One of the biggest conferences of the year. We’re headed to New Orleans for the 2016 edition of HITEC. The days are full of innovation, insights, and a bit of fun. Here’s a cheat sheet of just a few of the places we’ll be. Say hello, or reach out and let’s get together.

Monday, June 20

Entrepreneur 20x
Morial Convention Center—Rivergate Room, 1–4 PM

Join our own president, Ed St.Onge, as he sits on the judges panel for the second year in a row at Entrepreneur 20x. You’ll hear pitches from innovative start-ups in hotel tech at this competition. Ed’s joining a host of hospitality veterans on the judges panel, from CIO’s and angel investors, to serial entrepreneurs and industry insiders.

Join in

HITEC Opening Reception — “A Night in ‘Nola”
Generations Hall – A Night in Nola , 6:30–9 PM

New Orleans Jazz, and classic Nola food and drinks? Say no more—we’ll be stopping by.

Say hi

Tuesday, June 21

HITEC Exhibits, Booth #1615
Tuesday, 10 AM–4 PM / Wednesday, 10 AM–3 PM / Thursday, 10 AM–2 PM

The booth! We’ve got a ton of amazing things to share this year for Flip.to. To start, we’re unveiling our newest product update—Vision AI.

This powerful new feature uses machine-based insights to let hotels better understand and effortlessly curate their ever-growing library of guest-created content. This innovative use of artificial intelligence is the first of its kind in hotel tech. With Vision AI, hotels can now amplify their brand by delivering incredibly authentic, personal content to different segments of travelers and better convert them into future guests.

Stop by Booth #1615 to see this and other product updates, check out our brand new tour, and take a photo or two with the team. Just be sure to say hello! (We’ve even brought back the comfy couch.)

Schedule timeorTake a tour

Tech Talks: Engagement Vs. Communications: What Are the Best Solutions?
Morial Convention Center, 11–11:15 AM

Industry veteran, friend-of-Flip.to, and all-around hotel tech expert Alan Young of Puzzle Partner will be sharing a bit of his knowledge in his tech talk on better hotel & guest engagement. Short but sweet, this is one you don’t want to miss.

Say hi to Alan

Travel Trends that Matter with Google, GCommerce, & Flip.to
La Louisiane, 725 Iberville Street, 4–6 PM

If you registered early, you’re one of the lucky attendees! This sought-after event features insightful discussion on hospitality and travel marketing trends as told by Google, GCommerce and Flip.to. It’s not too late to join the waitlist! We’ll keep in touch if any spots open up.

Join the waitlist

Break the Ice with Flip.to, Lanyon, NAVIS and Social Tables
Bourbon Vieux, 503 Bourbon Street, 8–11 PM

Break the ice and snap a photo with a new friend while you mix & mingle with the industry’s best. Be ready to take part in our photo contest after the event—you could end with some sweet prizes. This event is by invitation—get in touch to request yours!

Get on the list

Wednesday, June 22

HSMAI’s ROC Conference

Morial Convention Center—Great Hall, 7 AM–6:30 PM

Our very own Ed St. Onge and Danielle Fierman will be onsite for the 2016 Revenue Optimization Conference. Be sure to stop by our sponsor in the Great Hall. Drop us line if you’d like to set up time to chat, or even just have coffee.

Schedule time

Thursday, June 23

Super Session: M&A in the Hospitality Tech Sector: Who is Next? What Does it Mean?
Morial Convention Center, 9–10:30 AM

Our own Ed St.Onge takes the stage once again as part of Thursday’s Super Session: M&A in the Hospitality Tech Sector: Who is Next? What Does it Mean? Sit in as the industry’s best explore the world of Mergers & Acquisitions in hotel tech.

Ed joins a pane of other well-known names in hospitality: Larry Hall, managing director with Trillium Services Group, Alex Alt, president of Sabre Hospitality Solutions, Chris Hemmeter, managing director with Thayer Ventures, and Bob Post, CEO and president with thing5.

Stop in

Watch now: Impact of a story well told

We’ve shown you how to reach and inspire entirely new audiences of travelers worldwide with Flip.to. Now let’s see what happens when all that goodness comes together for Crystal Lodge, Adrift Hotel, Inn on Fifth and Turtle Bay Resort.

Sound interesting? Introduce your hotel to the world with Flip.to. Take a tour, or adventure on to see the impact of advocacy for more hotels below:

Take a tourorExplore more advocacy goodness

Stories that inspire: our favorite guest moments from May

Every guest story is an opportunity for a hotel to unveil something new. Stories reach & inspire—they’re truly memorable, sometimes magical, and a lot of times, a bit of fun.

In a way, we’ve fallen in love with guest stories, and every day see firsthand the impact they’re making for hotels. That’s why we’re sharing them with you! Check out a handful of our recent favorites below:

Hotel El Ganzo — Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, Mexico

“This was our second stay at El Ganzo and it did not disappoint! We visited in 2014 before the hurricane and the hotel has maintained its very hip vibe, with exceptional customer service and attention to detail. This visit was for our wedding, and our family and friends all raved about their time at El Ganzo. We cannot wait to come back!” — Cristina C.

Soak it in

Cristina is just one of Hotel El Ganzo’s current 26 photo contest finalists. Together, Cristina and her fellow guests have shared their stories to over 17 thousands friends and family, leading to 310 warms leads for the 72 room property in only 4 months.

Turtle Bay Resort — Kahuku, Hawaii

“I loved the laid back atmosphere, the beautiful surroundings and the many variety of activities offered on property! Everything I could want to do in a vacation is offered at Turtle Bay!” — Ileana M.

Experience Turtle Bay

Ileana is just one guest who shared her favorite moment to Turtle Bay Resort. She reached a network of 455 friends & family.

Turtle Bay Resort has topped over 67,000 warm introductions from their guests in just the past 30 days alone—reaching travelers one degree away in the best way possible.

Adrift Hotel & Spa — Longbeach, Washington

“We have two special needs pets so this was the perfect little getaway for us. Thanks for making us all feel welcome!” — Zera M.

Show some love

Not only did Zera’s story create a richer narrative for Adrift, but when she shared it with an audience of 800, Zera captured the hearts of 29 warm leads for Adrift in just 6 days.

Pacific Terrace Hotel — San Diego, California

Ride along

This incredible moment shared by Wendy captures the perfect poolside vibes that future guests at Pacific Terrace Hotel can enjoy off the shores of San Diego.

Floridays Resort Orlando — Orlando, Florida

Jump in

Ann Marie shared her story to 697 friends & family, helping Floridays Resort receive 333 unique site visits and 50 warm leads so far in their current photo contest.

Avanti Resort — Orlando, Florida

“This hotel is in a fantastic location, the staff are so incredibly helpful, they always keep it clean and the pool is a great place just to chill out after exploring the sites, I TOTALLY recommend the Avanti Resort Hotel.” — Eugenie F.

Take Flight

Eugenie’s story from a recent trip to Avanti Resort gives future travelers a taste of Orlando. Plus, after being shared to 278 friends & family it earned 230 unique sive visits and 55 warm leads for the hotel. It’s a win-win.

The Lodge at Woodloch — Hawley, Pennsylvania

“The best part of my stay with Woodloch is the staff! It’s a testament to what a great organization Woodloch is that over my 7, yes SEVEN, visits, I see mostly the same people. The staff is what makes Woodloch a great place to be. Well…along with the excellent spa services, tasty meals, great art/yoga/meditation/workout classes. I have brought many people to Woodloch and recommend to everyone I know!” — Jennifer H. W.

Take it in

After sharing her favorite moment to 834 friends & family, Jennifer quickly climbed the ranks in The Lodge at Woodloch’s current photo contest, with 103 participants and counting! Her story alone drove 218 unique visitors to Woodloch’s site, leading to 56 warm leads.

Even better, this loyal, lifetime guest shared the true hospitality she’s experienced again and again at The Lodge at Woodloch, becoming a true brand ambassador for the hotel!

Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel — South Lake Tahoe, California

“Family friendly with comfortable clean furnishings in the flexible suites. The kids love the happy hour and breakfast in the morning.” — Joshua R.

Show some love

Joshua is just one of the 18 finalist in Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel’s current photo contest. Just two months in finalists have introduced 20,000 of their friends and family to the resort, leading to 330 warm leads. (And the clock’s still ticking!)

Casa del Mar Golf Resort & Spa — Cabo Real, San Jose del Cabo, Mexico

“The feeling of being the only people there, complete solitude, peaceful, quiet, paradise! Unlike any other resort I’ve ever been to!” — John M.

Tee up more stories

John shared his view from one of Casa del Mar’s championship golf courses, revealing the beauty of this “peaceful, quiet, paradise” from a guest’s unique perspective.

Metropolis Resort — Eau Claire, Wisconsin

“My daughter was so excited to go to her first water park! She could barely wait for us to get our suits on!” — Tara J.

See more candid moments

Tara shared her story to an audience of 270, half of whom became a warm lead for the hotel after visiting Metropolis Resort’s site and claiming an offer on a future stay. Tara’s friends showed genuine interest in a future stay at this Western Wisconsin family getaway—unveiling travelers that are the perfect fit for the hotel.

Check back next month for even more. See any stories that stand out? Let us know!

Adventure back to April’s stories