Suite Spot: A Hotel Marketing Podcast

In this special edition of the Suite Spot, we take a look at the Top 5 trending tags in online reviews today. Host, Ryan Embree is joined by the leader of the Travel Media Group review response team, Patrick O’Brien. Patrick and Ryan countdown each review sentiment tag, explaining what Patrick’s team looks for in the review and how they approach their response. They also give valuable tips on how...

In this episode of Suite Spot, we discuss a research study recently conducted by Booking.com regarding Generation Z and travel. Host Ryan Embree is joined by Director of Marketing, Anne Sandoval, to explore the different traits of this maturing generation and their travel preferences. Ryan and Anne breakdown the data by identifying six distinct travel trends concerning Generation Z’s travel habits...

On this episode of Suite Spot, we have the distinct pleasure of welcoming special guest Mike Parent, Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Coakley & Williams Hotel Management Company, to the podcast. Host Ryan Embree interviews Mike on the subject of multi-property hotel marketing as he shares a wealth of hospitality experience and knowledge. Mike speaks to Coakley Williams’ phil...

On this special edition of Suite Spot, we welcome hotel owner, entrepreneur, consultant, and social media influencer, Rupesh Patel to the studio. Ryan and Rupesh trade thoughts on the correlation between a hotel’s online reputation and revenue success. Rupesh shares his secrets on how to increase feedback from guests and grow the number of online reviews for your hotel. They also talk about the im...

In this episode of Suite Spot, we celebrate the one year anniversary of Travel Media Group’s user-generated content management system: TMG OneView®. Host Ryan Embree is joined by the architect of OneView and VP of Product Development & Technology Jason Lee. Jason shares the inspiration behind OneView and how it is unlike any other reputation or social media tool in the hotel industry today. Ry...

In this special edition episode of Suite Spot, Host Ryan Embree is joined by the head of Travel Media Group’s product and development team, Jason Lee, to share his key takeaways from the recent HITEC 2019 conference in Minneapolis. Ryan and Jason talk about all the hospitality tech innovations that were shared at the conference including Alexa for Hospitality and different AI systems. Jason also s...

In this episode of Suite Spot, we focus our attention on the bed and breakfast segment of the hospitality industry. Host Ryan Embree is joined by Director of Marketing Anne Sandoval to talk about how your bed and breakfast property can stay competitive with the rising threats of Airbnb and vacation rentals. Ryan and Anne give tips on how to modernize your B&B’s marketing strategy and optimize...

In this episode of Suite Spot, we discuss reports that Google Reviews surpassed Booking.com as the number one review distribution site. Host Ryan Embree is joined by Jason Lee to explore how Google is positioning itself in the hotel industry and what it means for individual properties moving forward. Ryan and Jason also give insight about a recent review response study conducted by Revinate. Jason...

In this episode of Suite Spot, we tackle the trending topic of vanity websites in the hotel industry. TMG Website Analyst Stephanie Courtois joins Host Ryan Embree to share best practices on how to create and optimize the perfect hotel vanity website for your property. Stephanie and Ryan cover important steps for building a hotel vanity website, from picking a URL to ensuring the site is responsiv...

In this episode of Suite Spot, we discuss the growing trend of going green in the hotel industry. Priscilla Osorio, Marketing Content Manager at Travel Media Group, joins host Ryan Embree to give advice to hoteliers on how to implement sustainable initiatives at your property without breaking the bank.   A recent Lodging Survey conducted by the AHLA, American Hotel and Lodging Association, in...

In this episode of Suite Spot, we speak to the unbelievable prosperity that the hotel industry is currently experiencing while preparing hoteliers for a time where revenue growth might slow. Host Ryan Embree teams up with Director of Marketing Anne Sandoval to brainstorm ideas and ways to reach new guest segments to insulate your revenue from an economic slowdown. Ryan and Anne share advice on how...

In this episode of Suite Spot, we discuss one of the fastest growing and most popular social media platforms in 2019, Instagram. On the heels of another exciting innovation from Travel Media Group’s product development team, we introduce the addition of Instagram for hoteliers as a part of our social media solution. Host, Ryan Embree, is joined by Jason Lee to talk about how hoteliers can leverage...

On this special edition of Suite Spot, we host our first remote guest Pat Kobela, Regional Director of Sales at Chartwell Hotels. Ryan Embree interviews Pat as she shares some insights and best practices from her years of experience in the hotel industry. Ryan and Pat trade thoughts on what makes a successful sales and marketing strategy in 2019 and Pat gives advice on what has made her so success...

In this episode of Suite Spot, we explore the exciting, recent announcement of Travel Media Group’s newest solution: Custom Social. Joey Schuster, Product Development Manager, joins host Ryan Embree to share all the exciting features and benefits of this new solution. Ryan and Joey discuss the benefits of having a social media strategy in 2019 and how publishing unique, creative posts specific to...

In this episode of Suite Spot, we go behind the scenes with the client support department at Travel Media Group. Host Ryan Embree visits with Aislynn Roberts, Client Support Team Lead, to discuss all the vital work that she and the client support team do to help enhance the digital programs of our hotel partners. Ryan interviews Aislynn about the team’s role in onboarding, engagement, and facilita...

In this episode of Suite Spot, we combat one of the biggest problems facing hoteliers in 2019: recruiting and hiring quality hotel employees. In the What’s News segment, host Ryan Embree, shares some recent unemployment statistics as well as a survey of what experts in the hospitality industry feel the hotel industry needs to do to attract future employees. With historically low unemployment and a...

In this episode of Suite Spot, we welcome in 2019 with several new year reputation resolutions for hoteliers. Ryan counts down the top 5 ways to make sure that your reputation strategy is off to a fast start and sets you up for success throughout the rest of the year. From top to bottom, these resolutions cover all things reputation, from recognizing which online reviews sites are at risk, to resp...

In this episode of Suite Spot, we pick the brain of a true hotel review response expert. Kristeena Seckinger, who has responded to over 100,000 hotel reviews in her career, joins host Ryan Embree to talk about what it takes to be a successful hotel review response writer and shares some best practices for online review response. From the proper length of a review response to which sites are the mo...

In this episode of Suite Spot, we prepare hoteliers for the upcoming holiday season, which is historically slower for hotels. Ryan counts down the top 5 ways to market your hotel during this year’s winter months. We tackle everything from traditional advertising avenues to best practices on setting your hotel up for future success. This list will help you build a strategy to make sure that you are...

In this special edition episode of Suite Spot, we discuss the recent 2018 Phocuswright conference in Los Angeles.  Host Ryan Embree is joined by Patrick O’Brien, product manager and Phocuswright attendee veteran, who gives his take on the innovative technology conference. Hear from Patrick as he talks about the theme of this year’s conference and how it sets the stage for the future of the hotel i...

In this special edition of Suite Spot, we discuss a hospitality keynote presented at the 2018 Dreamforce Conference in San Francisco. The keynote, “The Future of Travel and Hospitality,” was a fireside chat with Marriott International CEO Arne Sorenson. In this podcast episode, host Ryan Embree is joined by Anne Sandoval, Travel Media Group’s Marketing Director who attended the keynote...

In this episode of Suite Spot, we focus on marketing branded and franchised hotels. Host Ryan Embree teams up with the leaders of Travel Media Group’s sales team, Diane Elderkin and Edwin Pomales, to discuss. In the What’s News segment, Ryan shares an article that highlights the 7 latest ways big brands are using content today. The article breaks down the different strategies and methods the...

In this special edition episode of Suite Spot, we recap the recent 2018 Lodging Conference. It took place at the beautiful Arizona Biltmore resort in Phoenix, AZ. Host Ryan Embree is joined by Travel Media Group’s Senior Director of Product, Jason Lee as they discuss the current state and future of the hotel industry.  Listen and learn, as they analyze the opportunities and threats to the current...

In this episode of Suite Spot, we take a look at the state of the hotel industry. With an incredible streak of 100+ months of RevPAR growth, it’s a great time to reinvest in your hotel. In the What’s News segment, Ryan analyzes some telling statistics from a recent STR report concerning the current state and future of the business. In The Suite Spot, Ryan counts down the top 5 ways to...

In this episode of Suite Spot, we take a look at what it takes to manage and run a successful social media marketing strategy in today’s hotel industry. Priscilla Osorio, Social Media Analyst at Travel Media Group, joins host Ryan Embree to give advice to hoteliers on how to tailor social media content to create an engaging and effective social media campaign. In the What’s News segment, Rya...