Flip.to, Author at Flip.to Blog

Advocates vs. avocados

Advocates vs. avocados: it’s more than a case of po-tay-toe, po-tah-toe. Hoteliers are seemingly becoming disillusioned by avocados after seeing the power of advocacy (you should see the emails we get.)

Our advocologists did minutes of research and surveyed nearly half a dozen people to figure out why this debate keeps popping up, and of course to declare the ultimate champion.

(No advocates were mashed in the making of this study.)

Avocados offer up a rich, buttery taste with a creamy texture that brings guac to life. The results came back inconclusive for the advocates. First matchup goes to the fruit (yup, avocados are actually in the berry family).

Now, our advocates are fresh—they travel in style. (Don’t believe us? See for yourself.) But a perfectly ripe avocado is tough to beat. This one was too close to call.

After documenting aging characteristics, advocates showed “low to no signs of aging.” Avocados, on the other hand, succumb to time and were transformed into unfortunate brown globs. The winner was conclusive.

With the list of health benefits from avocados, the final round was a tough match. However, nothing compares to the impact of advocates.

The results are in. Advocates were the clear winner of this competition!

We published our findings in the Journal of Research in Advocology. The critics quickly chimed in:

“Guacamole is delicious, but it does jack $&*! for your hotel.”
— Dr. Jack Travelfianakis

“Whatever.”
— Haas Avocado Commission

We see the impact advocates have on a hotel’s bottom line everyday. And even though avocados have a ridiculously narrow window of ripe goodness, we believe hoteliers should keep them around as well.

Stay tuned for more on the impact of advocacy, (plus a few ripe-innings of avocados here and there) as our team of advocologists work day and night to bring you the best advocology research in the industry.

Holiday science brought to you by the Department of Advocology

As growth ramps up, Flip.to adds four key senior players

Customer success and rapid innovation pave way for expansion

Geetha Balakrishnan has been appointed Vice President of Customer Success. With vast experience in hospitality technology operations, global delivery of implementations, and team development, Balakrishnan is an accomplished leader in her field. Formerly out of TravelClick, she now heads a team of account management and implementation specialists to drive customer onboarding and success.

Edward St.Onge, President of Global Sales & Marketing for Flip.to, previously worked with Balakrishnan when he owned and operated EZYield, an industry leader in hotel channel management. “Geetha’s ability to lead and organize global, results-driven teams is astounding,” said St.Onge. “Her experience managing high-growth organizations will better enable Flip.to to continue delivering on the expanding needs of our customers.”

Diane Van Leunen joins Flip.to as the Director of Digital Marketing. With an agency background, she leads the development and execution of communication and branding strategies for the growing platform. “Flip.to’s world-class product is making a measurable difference for hotels worldwide,” said Van Leunen. “The opportunity to connect and engage customers, and contribute to the growth of Flip.to with this exceptional team is an important role I’m thrilled to be a part of.” Her most recent experience includes roles at The Kessler Collection, a luxury, boutique hotel group, and Plan A PR and Marketing, an agency focused on growing brands in the hospitality technology B2B space.

Senior Software Engineer, Kevin Tiller, comes to Flip.to out of Patient Point, an innovator of patient engagement solutions. His experience includes the architecture and development of dynamic new product lines, as well as the design and implementation of several web applications. “Kevin’s extensive development knowledge makes him a core member of the product team,” said Eric Peters, Director of Engineering at Flip.to. “His ability to transform concepts into high-quality software solutions is making a huge impact for our customers as we continue to unveil new layers of product enhancements.”

In addition, Rosana Burlingame has taken on the role Accounting and HR Manager. Coming most recently from Hilton Grand Vacations, she boasts over 15 years of accounting experience in the hospitality space. “Rosana is a true asset to the organization,” noted Keith Durden, Chief Financial Officer at Flip.to. “With our growth, Rosana has helped lay the groundwork to accommodate our scale.”

“Talented people are drawn to great teams—it’s a big part of their decision to join any company. By hiring top folks, we’re ensuring that creativity, innovation and passion aren’t just placards but truly part of our day-to-day at Flip.to,” added Brian J. Kent, CEO and Co-founder.

With the recent additions to the team, the global hospitality technology company has plans for several product announcements before the end of the year as it continues to unveil its advocacy platform for hotels.

Flip.to drives direct bookings in demanding Asia Pacific market for Compass Hospitality

Advocacy platform becomes an integral part of revenue strategy for the Thailand-based hospitality group

ORLANDO, FL — September 08, 2015 — The rapidly expanding Compass Hospitality group in Bangkok, Thailand has launched Flip.to, the brand advocacy platform for hotels, to drive direct bookings and reach an entirely new audience of potential future guests.

Since going live on the platform, Compass Hospitality group’s Bangkok hotels have extended their reach well beyond the scope of their current networks, bringing large audiences of unique visitors and potential future guests back to the hotels’ websites to book directly.

For Compass Hospitality, this has been critical given the highly competitive online distribution market. “OTA bookings are rapidly growing across the region, expected to jump an enormous 58% from 2013 to 2016,” said Tejinder Sidhu, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Compass Hospitality. “As such, we are turning to emerging technologies to gain a competitive edge.”

Sidhu went on to add, “We are seeking to prioritize channels with the greatest revenue potential, so any way we can shift share to direct bookings is an integral part of our distribution strategy. Flip.to has been an incredibly effective way to do so, reaching potential new guests in a more trusted way than other forms of traditional or digital advertising.”

Flip.to has made an immediate impact in Compass Hospitality’s ability to connect with travelers worldwide. Trusted introductions have helped the hotel group reach thousands of new guests in just a few months, encouraging them to book directly through the recommendations of their friends, family and colleagues.

the-key-hotel-sukhumvit — The Key Hotel Sukhumvit, Bangkok

“Lowering the cost of customer acquisition is a priority for many hotels, especially in a highly competitive market,” noted Debi Moses, Senior Director of Sales, Americas for Flip.to. “By tapping into advocacy, Compass Hospitality has been able to amplify exposure to their website, building brand connections and encouraging new guests to book directly.”

Flip.to has emerged as a key player in the region with Compass Hospitality as their newest hotel partner. Currently operating 49 hotels in Thailand, Malaysia and the United Kingdom, the group is set to expand by offering their guests unique experiences, from luxury resort getaways to boutique, city hotel stays.

For reservations at any one of Compass Hospitality’s extraordinary locales, visit their website at CompassHospitality.com, or contact Tejinder Sidhu at tejinder.s@compasshospitality.com.

Flip.to partners with In1 Solutions to help hotels win direct bookings and massive ROI

New partnership with In1 Solutions opens doors for Flip.to in the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa

ORLANDO, FL – June 2015 – Flip.to, the brand advocacy platform that helps hotels earn new guests, today announced their strategic partnership with In1 Solutions, a leading provider of hotel booking engines, multi-channel digital marketing, and integrated online distribution services for hotels in the global market.

Executive Studio, The Cleveland Hotel, London

Hoteliers in the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa using In1’s comprehensive booking engine in tandem with Flip.to are now able to reach an entirely new channel of guests with advocacy. This integration in combination with In1’s digital marketing expertise has amassed enormous results. By allowing existing guests to share their stay with family and friends, they become a growing extension of the hotel’s marketing force. The hotel’s reach is extended to travelers across the world, building trusted brand connections and moreover, increasing direct bookings.

The integration has been a resounding success, resulting in massive return for shared hotel clients. Barbara Mus, Hotel Manager of The Cleveland Hotel in London commented, “We have been delighted with the return we have achieved to date with the brand advocacy product—over 930%—and are working closely with the team to encourage further engagement.” Over the last quarter alone, the combined efforts of the Flip.to and In1 Solutions platforms have delivered over £6,200 in revenue. Mus added, “It is a great way to increase awareness of the hotel’s brand and generate both increased levels of visitors to the site and to grow direct bookings.”

The Buckatree Hall Hotel, Telford

The Buckatree Hall Hotel in Telford noted similar results. “The brand advocacy campaign over the last few months has managed to reach in excess of 10,700 social connections, growing awareness of our hotel brand across the social media channels and also delivering us growth in website visitors and direct bookings,” said Wayne Jenson, General Manager. “With an ROI of over 370% we would not hesitate to recommend this tool to other properties.”

Richard Dunbar, Director of Partnerships at Flip.to said of the pairing, “Flip.to is thrilled to be partnering with In1 Solutions. Together, we’re able to provide a seamless, integrated platform that has exponential impact for our clients. We’re driving more direct business for hotels worldwide. Plus, In1’s global appeal makes them a natural fit into our partner program as we continue to grow in new markets.”

Richard Toms, Director of Sales and Global Partnerships at In1 Solutions spearheaded the integration with Flip.to. “In1 Solutions’s main focus is delivering more direct bookings to our clients,” Toms said. “This opportunity provides a tremendous return for our hotels, opening up an entirely new stream of revenue—it’s been a critical addition to our world class online booking engine software, and helps our clients maximize their booking potential.”

In1 Solutions provides a suite of integrated solutions for hotels alongside their booking process, with offices in the Ireland, the United Kingdom, Spain, South Africa, Holland and New Zealand. For more information, contact Richard Toms at richard@in1solutions.com, or visit www.in1solutions.com.

To discover more about Flip.to, and how the advocacy platform for hotels helps drive direct bookings and earn more guests, schedule a demo at http://flip.to, or contact Jeff Weibel at jweibel@flip.to.

Flip.to unveils the right approach to “social” for hotels

Flip.to helps hotels engage future travelers with Photo Advocacy

ORLANDO, FL – June 3, 2015 – As Flip.to continues to unveil new layers of the advocacy platform for hotels, its impact is changing the landscape of social for hotels worldwide. As social media matures, challenges in the ability to see measurable results and the limitations implemented by many of the large networks have made it even more difficult for hotels to stay relevant. Flip.to is helping hotels be “social” in a way that’s natural, with significant, measurable ROI.

adrift-hotel-canoe — Guest stories create an unique, authentic experience for hotels

Being “social” revolves around the idea of people sharing personal experiences with friends and family- travel conversations that hotels have long tried to join. “Social media” has seemingly adopted the term “social,” but in fact is neither personal nor between friends, and is quickly starting to resemble another paid advertising channel for hotels. A core concept of Flip.to is that “social media” is a way to reach global audiences and spark conversations about travel between friends. Social media should be a point of distribution for hotels, rather than a destination where staff sink large amounts of time posting streams of uninspired content.

Advocacy gets people talking about your brand. When guests share brand experiences with their friends and colleagues, it is a more trusted and natural engagement than any form of paid marketing. With the launch of their new site, Flip.to unveils how hotels can tap into advocacy and do “social” and “social media” correctly, helping hotels earn direct bookings through their massive, untapped marketing force-their existing guests.

In addition to Pre-stay and Post-stay Advocacy, the new site, http://www.flip.to, debuts Photo Advocacy, which encourages guests to share memorable experiences. Perpetual photo contests provide the hotel with real, sharable content, customer quotes, and valuable insights from guests about their stay. This content is curated in just a few clicks, creating an ongoing stream of marketing material designed specifically for social use.

“Advocacy is completely revolutionizing the way hotels approach social media. Guests are already talking about their travels-Flip.to works with hotels to get their guests talking about where they are staying, too.” said Ed St.Onge, President of Global Sales and Marketing for Flip.to.

“A single guest can reach hundreds. The combined reach of your guests eclipses your existing fan base and their voice is far more authentic. Hotels need to start engaging new audiences in a more natural way, as ever growing social media sites create new hurdles for brands, and organic reach nears zero,” added St.Onge.

Flip.to creates a new channel of revenue by harnessing the excitement of travel, encouraging guests to advocate on the hotel’s behalf. From their new headquarters, Flip.to continues to hone in on their mission to help hotels earn new guests. The team is now also fueled by an amazing new touch screen, bean-to-cup coffee machine “… but are woefully lacking a ping pong table,” noted Jeff Weibel, Chief Marketing Officer.

Flip.to and Availpro partner to help hotels earn more guests and grow direct booking revenue

Flip.to partners with the leading booking engine and reputation management provider in France

ORLANDO, FL – April 2015 – Flip.to today announced its strategic partnership with Availpro, the leading booking engine and reputation management provider in France. The partnership was finalized with the successful integration of the Flip.to Advocacy Platform and Availpro’s multifaceted Smart Booking Engine®.

Hotels using using Availpro’s booking engine with Flip.to will now be able to tap into an entirely new channel that is truly social–guests sharing their travels with friends & family. Turning guests into a trusted marketing force with massive reach, paired with a unique personal experience for every social connection, leads to a significant, measurable bottom-line impact. Flip.to helps hotels grow direct bookings, build strong brand connections and vastly increase worldwide reach.

“We’re excited about the partnership with Availpro because it reflects the international appeal of the Flip.to platform and presents an opportunity to drive more direct business for hotels the world over. Availpro fits well with our approach to partner only with companies that we’d be happy to do business with ourselves,” says Richard Dunbar, Director of Business Development at Flip.to.

“When it comes to building brand awareness for hotels, social media is definitely an increasingly important tool to consider. We are thrilled to announce our integration with Flip.to and strongly believe it is a great opportunity for hotels using our Smart Booking Engine® to improve their online presence and convert new potential customers,” added Mathieu Verhaeghe, Partnership Development Manager at Availpro.

To find out more about how Flip.to can help create a significant, measurable impact for your hotel, please get in touch with Debi Moses at dmoses@flip.to or visit www.flip.to.

Flip.to turns 33 percent of guests into trusted advocates for Sedona Rouge Hotel & Spa

The Sedona Rouge Hotel has felt a significant impact from turning their guests into a powerful extension of their marketing team

Orlando – March 18, 2015 – With a world-class spa and red rock views, the Sedona Rouge Hotel in Arizona has felt a significant impact from turning their guests into a powerful extension of their marketing team. Flip.to has turned a full third of Sedona Rouge’s guests into advocates.

In just the first 3 months of switching Flip.to live, the 33% of guests who have spread the word about their upcoming trip have introduced the Sedona Rouge to over 54,000 of their friends, relatives & colleagues, which has led to 84 direct bookings.

“We have always known that our guests love our unique experience, but having guests share that experience with their friends and family at a rate of 33% is what surprised us,” said Ed Conway, GM of the Sedona Rouge Hotel & Spa. “It is such a natural experience for the guest that it is easy to see why we saw immediate results from the Flip.to platform. Working with Flip.to gave us an elegant way to help our guests spread the word at multiple touch points, in the right way, while making it really simple for me and my staff.”

The Flip.to advocacy platform encourages guests to share their excitement about their upcoming trip and where they’re staying with their social connections, ” said Raul Vega, Senior Director of Sales at Flip.to. “Flip.to then drives the guests’ friends and family back to the hotel’s website and serves up a unique, trusted experience that is proven to convert friends of guests into new guests. If you can do that while being simple, fun and visually compelling, it leads to huge results for hotels, as it has for Sedona Rouge.

Every booming village needs one and Flip.to has a Weibel

Flip.to welcomes new Chief Marketing Officer

ORLANDO, FL – March 2015 – Flip.to announces the addition of industry veteran, Jeff Weibel as its Chief Marketing Officer. Weibel was one of the original employees at Preview Travel, which was acquired by Travelocity. At Travelocity, Weibel was in charge of building out the merchant hotel and attractions business. He started out as the only Travelocity employee in Orlando and quickly grew his team, with bookings to over $200 million per year.

After 18 years of working in travel, Weibel thought he escaped the industry to manage a Real Estate portfolio but was lured back in by Ed St.Onge. “I was working for myself for the last two years but when I heard about what was happening at Flip.to, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to join the team. It’s a great group and they have a dynamite product for hotels.”

“Adding Jeff to our executive team is a huge win for Flip.to and our customers,” said St.Onge. “Jeff brings massive experience in marketing of hotels and digital media.”

“Flip.to is creating a new distribution channel for hotels. At Travelocity, my job was to sell room nights for an indirect distribution channel. Now, my main goal is to help empower hotels to sell more room nights directly to guests, their friends and their families. The bonus here is that Flip.to is a new channel and we can track all of the additional bookings. ROI is a good thing.”

“I don’t usually drink beer, but when I do, I like to drink it with the Flip.to customers,” says Weibel.

Guest photos go viral for The Shores Resort with Flip.to Photo Advocacy

Guest stories pave way for huge marketing reach for The Shores Resort and Spa

ORLANDO, FL – JANUARY 2015 – The Shores Resort and Spa has recently switched on an entirely new marketing channel as guests compete to fill the resort’s amazing library of authentic photos. After The Shores Resort launched Photo Advocacy, guests have shared photos of their favorite vacation moments with hundreds of thousands of friends and family.

The Shores Resort & Spa

Flip.to Photo Advocacy encourages hotel guests to enter into photo contests that The Shores uses to turn memorable moments into amazing brand connections around the world. Guests share their photos of The Shores Resort to their social networks as they compete for votes in the contest. Contestants get competitive as they share to win.

“The reach of Photo Advocacy can be astounding. One entrant was a travel blogger with 428,000 followers who sought out votes through her social media – sending her voters (and potential guests) directly to the hotel’s website,” said Debi Moses, Senior Director of Sales for Flip.to. “No amount of marketing can have the kind of trusted reach that your guests have combined.”

The Flip.to platform makes it easy for The Shores’ marketing team to curate a hotel’s brand story through the creativity and the authentic voice of their guests. Photo Advocacy helps turn social connections into new guests.

Unlike traditional hashtag photo contests, guest photos are chosen and approved by the resort, linked to the brand and carry full copyright permissions. This allows the hotel to repurpose and reuse the photos in all of their social media channels. Photo Advocacy photo contests run perpetually so there is always a stream of new photos to choose from, vote on and share to promote The Shores Resort.

“Flip.to’s first Photo Advocacy contest, ‘The Shores Outdoors,’ allowed our guests to embrace their inner photographer and resulted in sharing amazing scenic shots that I can honestly say would rival a professional. It is no wonder so many went viral!” said David Rijos, General Manager of The Shores Resort & Spa.

The Shores Resort & Spa, Pool

The Shores Resort & Spa is an AAA Four-Diamond luxury beachfront hotel in Daytona Beach, Florida, and one of the first hotels to launch Photo Advocacy. Guests submitted photos that included beautiful sunrises, children playing on the beach, messages in the sand and striking ocean views from hotel balconies.

“Flip.to continues to amaze us with their innovative approach to harnessing the power of our happy hotel guests and turning them into our property’s brand ambassadors. Everything we do with them is a big win-win!” Rijos added.

To find out more about how Flip.to can help you tap into an entirely new marketing channel and earn new guests, please get in touch with Debi Moses at dmoses@flip.to or visit www.flip.to.

Learn more about Photo Advocacy at www.flip.to/photoadvocacy.

Flip.to partners with PAR Springer-Miller’s ATRIO® PMS

Flip.to partners with award winning cloud-based Property Management System

ORLANDO, FL – DECEMBER 2014 – Flip.to has forged its first strategic partnership with a Property Management System (PMS) provider, by integrating Flip.to with PAR Springer-Miller Systems’s award winning cloud-based ATRIO PMS.

Flip.to, the brand advocate platform, turns hotel guests into a huge, trusted extension of a hotel’s marketing force, boosting brand awareness and earning new guests around the world by encouraging guests to spread the word about their stay with friends, relatives & colleagues. Each social connection then receives a unique, personal experience on the hotel’s website, taking them down the path of becoming a future guest.

With ATRIO PMS, PAR Springer-Miller Systems has pioneered and delivered a new generation of technology for the hospitality industry; moving the hospitality industry to The Cloud, to a new user experience, and to a new way of doing business. ATRIO PMS reduces the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for hoteliers and management companies by embracing true cloud computing, minimizing on-property technology, and reducing implementation and training costs to increase staff efficiency and productivity.

The seamless integration of Flip.to and the ATRIO Online Booking Engine will save hotels both time and effort, resulting in an immediate impact on their bottom line with the help of engaged brand advocates and improved guest retention.

“We are very pleased to have partnered with Flip.to and to deliver a unique and innovative solution for our mutual customers. The tight integration between our products will drive a tremendous return on investment for our clients,” commented Victor Vesnaver, SVP Sales & Marketing at PAR Springer-Miller. “A natural extension of both organizations’ commitment to innovation, the integration of the ATRIO Online Booking Engine with Flip.to, will assist our clients in their efforts to drive more traffic to their own website, resulting in increased bookings and revenue. Our combined solution represents a significant step forward for our customers.”

“This partnership was forged by the shared desire to improve the technology landscape for our customers. A well-thought-out integration can create immense value for hotels. ATRIO and Flip.to drive more value for hotels together,” added Edward St.Onge, President of Global Sales & Strategy for Flip.to.

To find out more about how Flip.to can help create a significant, measurable impact for your hotel, please get in touch with Debi Moses at dmoses@flip.to or visit www.flip.to.