Caribe Royale captures more than just pictures with its most successful photo contest to date

Advocacy becomes a foundation of Caribe Royale’s marketing strategy

ORLANDO, FL — December 2, 2015 — Caribe Royale, a Flip.to customer since 2013, has captured authentic guest stories, warm introductions to their hotel, and more guests with their latest and most successful photo competition to date using Flip.to’s advocacy platform for hotels. Running from June through September, the Beat the Summer Heat photo contest was designed to reveal new brand stories and compelling images from guests to complement Caribe Royale’s existing marketing campaigns.

Success by the Numbers

In a short three-month span, Caribe Royale received 143 finalists in the contest, each sharing the favorite moment of their stay with their networks to rally points. The effect was viral. Guests, their friends, and even their friends’ networks were engaged to vote and share on behalf of the guest and the hotel. By the end of the competition, they together rallied an incredible 221,217 points, earned in ranges from 3 to 8 for different actions like voting or sharing.

More importantly, these engagements represent captivating, authentic introductions to the hotel through advocacy. According to a Nielsen report, 92% of respondents say they trust earned media (recommendations from friends and family) above all other forms of advertising—a fact apparent as nearly 500 of these visitors alone voted and signed up for an offer on a future stay, revealing warm leads who’ve shown real interest in the hotel.

To make them even more valuable, these sign-ups from the competition represent an ongoing opportunity to engage and nurture potential future guests, building brand affinity and driving long-term, recurring revenue for Caribe Royale.

As opposed to standard hashtag competitions—which are often riddled with image curation, attribution and usage rights pitfalls—Flip.to was built with the hotel’s marketing in mind. Images and quotes are easily curated, sorted, and shared from the hotel’s library. As a result, Caribe Royale was provided with an ongoing stream of authentic guest stories at their fingertips, with the ability to share across social media channels in just a few clicks.

Elyse Cottle, the Director of Promotions for Caribe Royale, spoke of Caribe’s recent success, “Flip.to has taken the headache out of capturing, curating, and distributing our guests’ incredible stories, saving our team countless hours. It’s always a pleasant surprise to come back to the Flip.to platform and see how much content and reach we’ve effortlessly captured.”

The competition was a resounding success, both for the guests and the hotel. Caribe Royale was recently recognized for a 2015 HSMAI Gold Adrian Award for their use of the Flip.to advocacy platform—a ‘tip of the hat’ garnered in addition to the unique user-generated content, outstanding reach, and warm introductions to potential future guests gathered using the platform.

Recently debuting Photo Explorer, Flip.to is designed to make authentic guest stories, like those captured in the Beat the Summer Heat photo competition, an integral part of the hotel’s story. The platform extends a hotel’s ability to turn guests into advocates and create a huge impact on brand exposure and ROI.

Hotels may display their guests’ favorite moments gathered during their photo competitions in a dynamic gallery, creating a truly personalized experience for every site visitor. This entirely new look at the hotel through the eyes of its guests is an incredibly smart platform, designed to convert curious on-lookers to future guests, and better communicate the personality and genuine guest experience of your hotel.

Advocacy: A Foundational Marketing and Revenue Strategy

The impact of Advocacy has been felt throughout the marketing and revenue efforts of Caribe Royale. Since launching with Flip.to, Caribe Royale has reached more than 1.6 million of their guests’ friends, relatives and colleagues, in addition to seeing a spike in traffic to their website.

“Advocacy transcends every aspect of a hotel’s business, from marketing and sales to revenue management,” added Edward St.Onge, President of Global Sales and Marketing at Flip.to. “Your hotel has the opportunity to increase direct bookings, build trusted brand connections and extend your reach to travelers across the world when advocacy becomes a core component of your hotel’s overall strategy.”

Flip.to has been key to Caribe Royale’s success. The platform gives Caribe Royale’s guests the opportunity to tell their story to the world, creating an ever-growing team of advocates who have a massive impact on their reach and bottom line.

Caribe Royale is an upscale, Caribbean-inspired convention hotel located just minutes from popular Orlando tourist attractions. To reserve a stay, visit www.cariberoyale.com, or contact Elyse Cottle at ecottle@cariberoyale.com.

Flip.to boosts revenue and direct bookings for Platinum Hotel as part of their cutting-edge revenue and marketing strategy

Advocacy platform sparks results; hotel and guests both win

Platinum Hotel, Pool — Platinum Hotel in Las Vegas, Pool

ORLANDO, FL — November 09, 2015 — Flip.to, the advocacy platform for hotels, has increased direct bookings and captured added revenue for Platinum Hotel, an all-suite property located in Las Vegas, Nevada. Flip.to tapped into the right demographic for the hotel and spa—a non-smoking, non-gaming retreat, just a few blocks off of the main strip.

Designed to earn new guests by way of the warm introductions of their existing guests, Flip.to’s advocacy platform extends the hotel’s reach to a massive and highly targeted audience of potential future guests in an authentic and trusted way.

Platinum Hotel, Lounge — Platinum Hotel in Las Vegas, Lounge

Platinum Hotel has seen the immediate impact on top-line growth. In addition to the revenue earned by way of booked room nights, more than 20% of their guests have advocated on behalf of the hotel. They’ve shared to a network of over 15,000 friends and colleagues in just two months—each that fall within a pool of like-minded, warm leads with similar travel and purchasing habits just one degree from the hotel’s advocate.

The move to implement Flip.to has been part of a comprehensive revenue approach by Platinum Hotel, led in part by Director of Sales and Revenue Strategy, Melissa Graves.

“We employ a hybrid approach that aligns revenue, marketing and sales. Flip.to fit seamlessly within this effort by letting us drive more direct bookings while creating a huge impact on our brand and ROI. Plus, we’re able to thank our loyal advocates, rewarding those that stay, and eventually their friends and family. It’s a win-win-win for the hotel, our guests and their network.”

Graves went on to add that the ease of implementation was an added benefit to the platform for Platinum Hotel. “Flip.to is incredibly easy to manage and take live, with an Account Management team that made the process quick and seamless,” said Melissa Graves. “I only wish we had started sooner.”

This approach is part of a larger shift in the industry that has identified the need to align hotel marketing, revenue management and sales to optimize demand and pave the way for the highest profit potential. Revenue strategists are consistently looking to adopt new technology platforms that employ these methods. Though cutting-edge today, this irrevocable change is fast becoming the standard in the industry.

“Reaching the right demographic for your hotel with your marketing efforts is critical,” said Debi Moses, Senior Director of Sales, Americas at Flip.to. “This is especially true as the cost of traditional digital channels like PPC ads can be hugely expensive for hotels in this market. Flip.to tracks everything, right down to booked room nights. It’s really made an incredible impact for The Platinum, who’s quiet getaway is the perfect retreat from the Las Vegas Strip.”

The Platinum Hotel offers a welcoming Las Vegas escape, letting guests relax amid superb amenities in any of their 255 one- and two-bedroom suites. To reserve a stay, visit www.ThePlatinumHotel.com, or contact Melissa Graves at melissagraves@lvplatinum.com.

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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.