Les Explorers / Claude Benard Bio
February 29, 2008
Well, you want the classic Bio, look at this:
Claude started his career in tourism as a technical sales manager for a tour operator in Marseille (France) and worked with the network of travel agency in the south of France.
In addition to his work, he completed training at the University in Business Administration Université de la Méditerranée (Aix-Marseille II) 1992
He then spent 6 years as sales executive at the Envergure / Louvre Hotels group, especially for the brand 3 stars “Bleu Marine”, where he do a lot for this brand and learn a lot about hotel & travel industry.
It is at this time he discovered the tremendous potential of the Internet for the marketing of hotels and tourism.
He then became the sales and marketing manager for a regional hotel booking engine for the Marseille Chamber of Commerce.
He is now an independant consultant for hotel and tourism industry with a dedicated focus on independant hotel, Travel 2.0 and travel social media.
Claude has managed his blog Les Explorers for 2 1/2 years and a start a new blog www.hotelitour.com
Statuts Updates : Claude is wondering why he is the only french blogger who is present at PhoCusWright Bloggers Summit 
Statuts Updates : I look forward to meeting with all the bloggers and some interesting Cies.
Feel free to send a message if you want to meet me or call me 00 33 6 60 70 79 72 or 00 49 6 60 70 79 72
I’ve never been to Berlin. So, how have I planned my trip?
February 29, 2008
This will be my first time visiting Berlin. Though I am familiar with some of its history and I am aware of its reputation as a creative and dynamic Euorpean capital, it has never been on mine and my wife’s top ten desinations we want to visit or revisit soon. Since this will be a business trip, my wife had no input in the decision to go other than making sure our schedules allowed for my absence. She has also asked me to do some shopping while I’m there. What made me decide to go to Berlin is simply the opportunity to participate in the Bloggers Summit, meet and network with other tourism bloggers from around the world plus the opportunity to visit the massive ITB show.
This being a tourism blog and event, I thought I would share my travel planning process. Being time crunched as most professionals with families in North America are, I did not want to spend to much time researching hotels and flights. So I first checked on Expedia Canada, which I have been using to book travel since it was launched in Canda many years ago. I had two criteria to work with - price and proximity to the ICC but not too far from central Berlin. Naurally, my search on Expedia produced hundreds (or what seemed like hundreds of results). So on my first try (several weeks ago) all I accomplished was to confirm that the trip was within my business trips budget. But that first time I did not have time to look at the hotels in more detal. A few days later while I was on Facebook I figured I would ask my Facebook friends, many of whom are in the eTourism space and have travelled everywhere, to recommend a hotel in Berlin. I asked for something cool but not expensive (meaning less than $250/300 per night). My question was sent to about 30 friends but I only got about 6 responses. I did check out all of them. One was too low end (but very cheap), another was too expensive, and the others were either booked solid during ITB, not in the right location or did not appeal to me.
So then I went to Google and searched for Berlin to try and find a DMO. I only looked at the top five or six results of course and ended up on Berlin.de While I did not find the accommodations section helpful, I did like the site to explore what Berlin has to offer a new visitor. I decided to go back to Expedia and made a note to visit Berlin.de after I booked my flight and hotel. Given my time constraints (I never have enough time) I researched some hotels on Expedia as fast as possible looking at their location on a map having already determined where the ICC is (I started a Berlin Google Map for my own use and to share with other fellow bloggers). Once I had a candidate I would search on Google.ca or Google.de for the name of that hotel in order to visit their site to see if they had better rates and to get a further idea of what the hotel might actually look like. Then I went back to Expedia and searched for a few flight hotel combinations (similar prices but different flight schedules - some via the US, some via Europe). And that was that for the day. Still had some time to make a decision and book. Mind you I did check with some airline sites directly, but I found it easier and faster to do it on Expedia. I also checked out the IHG site because my own sites are affiliated to IHG and because I have a lot of loyalty points from Priority Club. The IHG properties for the most part had no available rooms. One thing I thought about, but felt it would take too much time was to check out TripAdvisor, so I skipped it.
Finally, another few days later, when I realized I better book or risk not finding a hotel I logged on to Expedia Canada and booked the package - flight (Continental), hotel (Berlin Econtel), travel insurance and $15 calling card pin.
Having booked the trip I have been going back to Berlin.de a few minutes at a time here and there to research the city and start planning what I will do with the one day and a half I will have to be a tourist in Berlin.
What do I conclude from this experience? That if I don’t have much time to surf, research or search, I will stick to a large player whose brand I trust - at least for the basic elements of the trip - flight and hotel.
Cheers,
(by the way, I don’t have a Flickr account and don’t really want to set one up - so forgive me if I don’t post a picture - I am use to the “other” platform and learning about this one as I go)
Vicky here from Tracking Tourism
February 29, 2008
Greetings from Scotland and the Tracking Tourism b2b blog.
Having just finished live blogging from Scotland’s Tourism Innovation Day yesterday (where Stephen was really earning his keep as workshop host) I’m really happy to start turning my mind back to ITB.
I must say, having looked through the people I want to meet with and interview, the sheer scale of ITB seems pretty overwhelming. If I achieve one thing, I want to talk with Incredible India and find out how their destination development is going ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. With Scotland hosting the games in 2014, and of course the 2012 London Olympics, I truly believe India is a destination to watch. Not least because like Scotland, Ireland, Mexico and Isreal, they also realise the importance and value of Diaspora tourism.
Also on my ITB hitlist is the Faroe Islands. Here at Highland Business Research we love islands. We were proud to research and develop the tourism strategy for Shetland, recently voted one of the world’s top island destinations - and Faroe is intriguing because it is so near to the North of Scotland, yet so utterly distinct in culture. I’m keen to understand their tourism USPs and how they balance tourism with a unique and remote way of life.
I’m also really looking forward to visiting Berlin itself. Berlin holds great memories for me. Stephen (my husband and Tracking Tourism co-author) lived there when we were students and it is the first place I ever encountered where beer was cheaper than coffee. Stephen introduced me to the marvels of CurryWurst (which I look forward to repeating) and I’m pretty sure my German still extends to asking the way to the stadium and buying train tickets to Leipzig. Hopefully ITB is in a stadium
Naturally, most of my goals for ITB are worthy, serious and highly travel and blog focussed. But if we get a few hours to play, I’m hoping to see Cabaret - in Berlin, in a Cabaret. How cool is that? Any musical loving bloggers want to join me, as there are seats on Thursday night?
I’m also really looking forward to the bloggers summit and the workshops. Florida PhoCusWright was a terrific experience and I’m hoping both to share some of that and learn some more from you guys when we meet in Berlin.
Forgive any typos as its past my bedtime - and I look forward to engaging with you again (in person or by blog) next week!
Happy Hotelier - Preparing for the Travel Bloggers Summit in Berlin: Nothing Zen!
February 29, 2008
I am looking forward to the opportunity: On March 5 and 6, 2008 I will be meeting a couple of fellow Travel Bloggers (T-Listers) at a Travel bloggers Summit at ITB Berlin (International Travel Boerse (or Fair), Berlin.
Nothing Zen
In December 2006 I started my Zen series as a sort of status report about how the Internet is developing to help you with planning and booking a trip. Nothing better than to report about your own travel preparations to see how advanced or not the Internet is with respect to DIY Travel.
My 5 Areas of Interest
I said earlier: Traveling is about 4 distinctive areas of interest, but actually there are 5 (I now have added as nr 2: “Where to stay in B?”, because that is also the main focus of my own blog). Here is the list:
- How to travel from A to B? Like: by plane, train, car or by boat? (I hate buses)
- Where to stay in B?
- How is B looking? Maps, pictures and descriptions (what you usually look for in a paper guide)
- How are the people of B?
- Things to do in B? Bars, restaurants, theaters, musea, scenic parts
1) How to travel from The Hague to Berlin?
Well this one is simple this time. First, as a hotelier, it is always difficult to plan well ahead of time as there are always last minute guests and/or last minute changes of guests. I have a decent car. The trip to Berlin is 703 km according to my Tom Tom. Main part of the trip is over German motorways without speed limits, so I can burn the rubber a bit. I also like to tour around a bit by car at destinations, because it gives me a better feel of the geography. I have a laptop and some camera gear to take with me which would be a lot of weight for an airplane and last, but not least I like to smoke which is not allowed anymore in planes and trains. Finally, with the very low level of service at airports (I always feel like being in a lorry of pigs heading to the slaughterhouse) and in airplanes and all the delays, there is not so much time to gain when you travel up to 700/800 km. So I decided to go by car.
More to follow, because I hit the “Publish Button” far too early:-)
And p.s.: Happy Leap Day!
Jaime Horwitz
February 29, 2008
A few days to go. On Tuesday I will catch a flight to Newark, New Jersey and from there direct to Berlin. I am one of the T-List bloggers attending the PhoCusWright summit and I’m excited about the occasion. I have been blogging for a few years now. It began with my Blog de Canada, Spanish language blog, to complement my Web 1.0 Canada en Espanol sites. The idea was to have an online vehicle to get closer to my visitors and to allow them to interact by posting comments. The blog is a more personal medium of communication than the sites and it allows me to express opinions about Canada as well as to post content on current affairs at any time.
After the Blog de Canada, came the Canadian Tourism Blog. The idea for this blog came about because of all the talk about Web 2.0 in various canadian tourism conferences. I figured that it would be a good idea and a service to the industry to launch a blog for and about the canadian tourism industry and canadian tourism. This blog is intended as an open forum for canadian tourism businesses and organizations wherein people can express opinions, rants and concerns about what is going on in Canadian tourism. In contrast to my Spanish language blog, the Canadian Tourism Blog is not intended for the consumer.
I also keep a blog in Turismo 2.0, the tourism professionals’ social network founded by the indefatigable Albert Barra (among others) from Barcelona. I am not as active on this blog due to time constraints, but the site is a great place to learn and share knowledge about tourism with fellow Spanish speakers.
Finally (another blog) last December, I launched Canadamigos, a social network to foster travel and friendship among Canadians, Canadian Hispanics and Hispanics around the world. I also blog on this site which is doing well so far. The idea for this site is to take advantage of the growth of niche Web 2.0 social media to complement my business. I want to put into practice a “model based on knowledge,” as Edu William pointed out in his Tips from the T-List article (The abundance in tourism). The hope is that the site will foster travel based on a human recommendation system (a la TripAdvisor, but more personal) and, from the business point of view, bring in some abundance from the supplier side as well. Time will tell if the site will be successful as a complement to the business. As far as users is concerned, I feel confident given the growth in memberships since it began last December.
This brings me to Berlin, where I hope to acquire more practical knowledge from fellow bloggers. I also look forward to gaining some insight as to what tourism marketers are looking for from bloggers and social media as well as whether the industry is willing to support niche players.
See you in Berlin. Danke,
Jaime
Digital Divide and Travel Buying
February 29, 2008
When one attends ITB one also realises that the outbound and inbound travel business structure is still pretty much the same. Except the large travel companies, who can invest in IT, E-commerce and content management platforms, the smaller, regional companies have yet to leverage the full digital arsenal. The investments might be too much. I dont think the Travel 2.0 and web 2.0 paradigm has also been leveraged by the small and medium size travel enterprises that dot the landscape in Europe and Asia. Beyond e-mail and maybe a reservation platform for hotels, one has yet to see a platform for the SME’s. Exciting time to be a part of this travel mega mart. The scale is quite mind boggling.
Joe Buhler
February 27, 2008
I started my blog in January 2005 and focus on vision, innovation and strategy related to web marketing, especially on what’s going to happen next on the web as it becomes smarter and ever more useful for consumers to research, plan and buy their travel services. My particular area of interest is how social media, social networking and user generated content form ongoing conversations about any topic imaginable and how these conversations affect organizations and their brands in ways many still do not realize and appreciate. Social media measurement, brand monitoring and reputation management are the key elements to pay attention to as they will determine future success. More on that topic can be found on my website.
I gained my professional experience in destination marketing, tour operations, retail travel and the airline industry, in descending order of importance. For the past twelve years, I’ve been involved in the largest vertical on the web - online travel. I was on the management team of an innovative online travel start-up and besides my consulting work and involvement with PhoCusWright as Senior Destination Marketing Analyst, I am also a partner in a web development and design firm providing innovative solutions to the financial services industry.
During my long business career, I’ve held senior executive positions in Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom and in the United States. For the past 15 years I’ve lived in Connecticut, within an hour train ride from New York City.
Ludolf Stavenga - Reisportals
February 27, 2008
I’m Ludolf Stavenga and my blog Reisportals is on travel portals and the travel & media industry.
I’m an internet consultant for the travel and media industry, and I’m based in the Netherlands. 
I work as business development manager for Inpakken en wegwezen, the largest travel portal of the Netherlands, and for several large Dutch publishers, among them Sanoma Uitgevers.
I started my career out in media/publishing, and always had a fascination about the internet. When I entered the tourism industry, finally all internet possibilities and dreams :-) came true.
Besides all the opportunities of video, interaction, communication, tourism and internet also gives a chance to be commercial and earn money. All new models (cps, cpl, auctions, affiliate programmes etc) are possible. Combining tourism and internet are two dream places coming together!
Having my origins in media and tourism, in my blog reisportals (written in Dutch) I try to combine both worlds of publishers and travel companies. As travel companies add more content and communication, and publishers are adding travel offers, it’s getting a very competitive space! And interesting to write and communicate about!
At ITB I will be meeting some of our (potential) customers, and also hope to contribute to the bloggers summit. Learning about the new developments on travel technology is also a great chance. Looking forward meeting you at ITB!
tourismuszukunft.de
February 27, 2008
This is the team of tourismuszukunft.de: Jens Oellrich and Florian Bauhuber. For more than 1 1/2 years we are blogging about the tourism branch in Germany. On the blog tourismuszukunft.de (tourism future) we are describing and commenting new trends and developments, which are important for the travel industry. Due to our jobs we try to take care about both aspects of tourism. Germany as a destination for tourists and Germany as an outgoing market with all the tour operators and travel agencies.
Florian is client manager for intermaps, that is providing web mapping services for destinations in Germany, Italy Switzerland and Austria. Jens runs his own business as a start-up and is developing a website for SME tour operators to let them promote themselves in a better way.
We both organized the tourismuscamp, which took place last month. With the help of Prof. Hopfinger from the KU-Eichstätt, a university for tourism science, we realized this un-conference in the style of the BarCamps. More than 50 participiants came to the small town of Eichstätt to talk about web trends and tourism.
We both are looking forward to the blogger summit at the ITB and to see you soon!
Detlef Meyer
February 26, 2008
I am happy that this interesting event takes place in Berlin, where I lived and worked a long time. The ITB is of course the best place to bring together a lot of Blogger from all over the world.
I am blogging since a little bit more then two years. First - to try out this new kind of communication with my customers and an interested audience. And it is all the time a walk on a thin line between news, comments and personal stories.
My core business are consulting services for tourism suppliers from outside Germany, which are interested to step into the German market. We provide all necessary services from research to marketing, PR and sales support. The days around the ITB are the busiest in the year. Harvest time!
A small department offers such services for travel technology companies too.
And so are my blogs:
Roundtrip (http://www.eastservices.de/wordpress) about destination management, marketing and news from our destinations.
It’s Travel Technology (http://traveltechnologies.blogspot.com) about travel technology news and ideas.
Written for the German audience in German. Have a look and enjoy.
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