1. Riding the hotel social commerce wave
By Claudia Cascais
www.guestcentric.com GUESTCENTRIC PROPRIETARY 10/20/10 1

2. The FAST, SMART way
for hotels to ride the
SOCIAL COMMERCE
wave and MODERNIZE
their direct marketing
and sales.
www.guestcentric.com GUESTCENTRIC PROPRIETARY 10/20/10 2

3. Agenda
3x to 10x
The social Get there:
more
Vision commerce Smart +
direct
wave Fast
bookings
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4. The problem
We have staff and money
for sales, marketing and
technology
My hotel is
better. But how
can I compete?
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5. Our vision This social
web thing is
really great!!!
Change the World of
travel by allowing
independent hotels to
shine online.
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6. The social web changed consumers
Users looking for
“experiences”
– Search much more specific
products
Web 1.0 shop & buy
cycle “interrupted”
– 60% trust social word-of-
mouth*
– 82% prefer to book direct**
Keeping up with change
harder than ever before
Sources:
* Forrester
** Phocuswright
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7. A new wave in distribution is starting
1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
Social
Commerce
Online Travel
Tour Agents
Operators
GDS
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8. The independent gap is HUGE
400,000 smaller
properties
• Mass distribution channels
• Slow to adapt to changes
60,000 large
hotels
• Strong sales & marketing
• Ride market changes
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9. A new solution is needed
Independent hotels cannot afford more expense
Social consumer has no time and patience for
Web 1.0 solutions
Social consumer does not deal with mass
distribution
www.guestcentric.com GUESTCENTRIC PROPRIETARY 10/20/10 9

10. GuestCentric: modular solution for social
consumer
Convert
Attract
Interact
www.guestcentric.com GUESTCENTRIC PROPRIETARY 10/20/10 10

11. GuestCentric = SMART + FAST
One application, all
killer features
– Incentives to shop, book
and distribute virally
Modular
– No need to jump into
social media on day 1
Instant-on
– Intuitive interface
– Projects are hours/days
not months!
www.guestcentric.com GUESTCENTRIC PROPRIETARY 10/20/10 11

12. Interact: Listen & engage social consumer
Listen through millions
of posts
– Amplify positive content
– Find sales opportunities
Automate sharing
– Schedule recurring posts,
e.g. daily menus
Give personalized
service
– Access guest social profiles,
guest history
– Check status of arrivals, in-
house guests
www.guestcentric.com GUESTCENTRIC PROPRIETARY 10/20/10 12

13. Attract: Interactive landing pages
Blend official site and
Facebook page
– Pictures, pictures, pictures
– Navigation usability tested
– Gadgets for contacts,
weather, tripadvisor, etc.
Use on-the-fly campaigns
– Integrate special offers, room
types
Make decisions based on
consumer behaviors
www.guestcentric.com GUESTCENTRIC PROPRIETARY 10/20/10 13

14. Convert: Viral booking engine
Easy one page booking
Incentives to shop & book
– Best rate & availability calendar,
low availability alerts
Social distribution
– Share buttons, social exclusives
– Engage with click-to-book links
Viral distribution through
business partners
– Blogs, tour & activity suppliers
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15. GuestCentric hotels ride the wave
Boost direct bookings 3x to 10x
Lower distribution costs by 30%
Get ready to fuel viral business
www.guestcentric.com GUESTCENTRIC PROPRIETARY 10/20/10 15

16. GuestCentric focused on small business
(properties up to 100 rooms)
Premium/ Boutique Small chains and
Economy properties portals
(e.g. Aiken, IGH Polo, Cuatro
properties
(e.g. Boutique Association, A
Naciones) (e.g. Crescent, Memmo,
Vida e Bela, Paradise Jamaica,
Casa de Madrid) Yellow Hotels)
Why GuestCentric? Why GuestCentric? Why GuestCentric?
• OTA cost reduction • Modern and elegant • Quick, uncomplicated
• Flexible promos • Social interaction • Social interaction
• Control over website • Easy-to-use • Unique look
• Future-proof • Cost-controlled • Pay-as-you-go
NOTE: Great interest from rural properties also, but not a target currently
www.guestcentric.com GUESTCENTRIC PROPRIETARY 10/20/10 16

17. Hotel Aiken
Success:
• 4x more direct bookings in 1 month
• Advance bookings for special events
• Complete control over website
“GuestCentric really understood the challenges that independent hotels like us
face. Now we can keep the hotel’s website looking fresh by updating content at
anytime from anywhere” - Lindsey Wise, Customer Care Director
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18. Crescent Beverly Hills & San Francisco
Success:
• 5x more direct bookings in 2 months
• Direct bookings are now #1 reservation source
• TravelZoo campaigns convert 5%-10%
No Facebook page
yet
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19. Base2Stay
Success:
• New property: from $0 to $45,000 per month in 5 months
• Site done in 2 weeks
• Direct bookings #1 reservation source
“GuestCentric’s system and staff are wonderful, I wish I could deal with more
companies like them” - Alun Hill, Managing Director
www.guestcentric.com GUESTCENTRIC PROPRIETARY 10/20/10 19

20. Casa de Madrid
Success:
• 3x more direct bookings in 3 months
• Lots of exposure due to WebAward
• 40% of reservations from website
“GuestCentric fully understands the needs and opportunities for a small boutique
property. The technology has provided a perfect solution. Most importantly, online
revenue has delivered a substantial ROI” - Ashley Usiskin, Business Consultant
www.guestcentric.com GUESTCENTRIC PROPRIETARY 10/20/10 20

21. Details Hotels
Success:
• Migrated from Fastbooking and improved results by 3x
• One property for $0 to $6,000 per month the first month (low season)
www.guestcentric.com GUESTCENTRIC PROPRIETARY 10/20/10 21

22. Paradise Resorts Jamaica
Success:
• Built 5,000+ fans over a few months
• All SEO work done by themselves
• From $0 to $25,000 per month in 90 days after launch of new portal
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23. Boutique Lodging Association
Success:
• Minimal cash investment ($1,250)
• Great recruiting tool for new members
“GuestCentric will provide our members who choose to utilize the program, with
new, easy to use technologies that will contribute valuable information to enable
them to be more competitive” – Fran Kiradjian, CEO
www.guestcentric.com GUESTCENTRIC PROPRIETARY 10/20/10 23

24. Great momentum in a down economy
Consumer bookings growing 3x year-over-year
WebAward winner 2010 with 7-room guesthouse
98%+ customer satisfaction ratio
Small chains adopting GuestCentric
www.guestcentric.com GUESTCENTRIC PROPRIETARY 10/20/10 24

25. Why GuestCentric? This social
web thing is
really great!!!
• 3x to 10x more
direct bookings
• 30% less
distribution costs
• Fuel viral business
when you are ready
www.guestcentric.com GUESTCENTRIC PROPRIETARY 10/20/10 25

26. Contact GuestCentric
GuestCentric is the fast, smart way for independent hotels to ride
the social commerce wave and modernize their marketing and
sales. GuestCentric hotels increase direct bookings 3x to 10x,
lower distribution costs by 30% or more and benefit from viral
business.
Contact us:
– www.guestcentric.com
– www.facebook.com/guestcentric
– www.twitter.com/guestcentric
– International: +351 21 036-0900
www.guestcentric.com GUESTCENTRIC PROPRIETARY 10/20/10 26