Karen Bryan of Europe a la Carte
February 26, 2008
I’m Karen Bryan of Europe a la Carte a UK based travel website which focuses on European travel. I started my online travel business in 2002 as I believed that travellers were looking for something different to the traditional package holiday. Low cost airlines such as Easyjet and Ryanair were expanding fast and it was easy and cheap for consumers to book their own flights to Europe. I wanted to create a site to promote less well known destinations in Europe, in the belief that if you venture, even slightly, off the well worn tourist track, you will have a more authentic experience and get better value for money.
I planned to make money by commission on accommodation featured in my destination guides, through direct agreements with suppliers. However this model was too slow with me contacting suppliers and then getting back to the potential customer and I’d some problems with suppliers not paying commission. I decided to go down the affiliate route where although I earn less commission than with a direct supplier agreement, the potential customer can immediately check online availability and make a booking and my commission is always paid promptly.
I started a blog for my business in October 2006 . I received an email from a business studies student doing research about travel business blogs for her dissertation. This email prompted me to look into business blogging. After reading about all the benefits a blog can bring to your business I took the plunge.
It’s been a bit of balancing act writing for the blog. I always have to bear in mind that it’s a business blog but as I’m the sole author the blog is bound to be, to some extent, personal. In a small business that can be a positive thing as it makes your blog unique and more human than a blog from a large corporation. A business blog has to be an asset to your business, not just a channel of your ravings.
I try to write posts that will inform, interest and entertain readers while simultaneously promoting my business by creating brand identity, increasing brand loyalty and increasing sales. Readers will soon tire of blatant sales copy but if I invest time and effort researching and writing blog posts I need to see a return on that investment.
I love working in the travel industry but it is challenging being a small independent in such a competitive market.
Happy Hotelier - Profile
February 25, 2008
Happy Hotelier is the proud owner of a trend setting very small 3 suites hotel in The Hague, The Netherlands: Haagsche Suites which he started to develop from scratch in 2000. Haagsche Suites opened in fall 2002. He is also involved in developing and renting of various residential properties in and around The Hague. From 1978 until 2001 he has also practiced as a lawyer specialized in international taxation.
Happy Hotelier blogs about many subjects of interest to him and hopefully to his readers at Happy Hotelier.
From time to time he has published an unofficial ranking of Travel and Hospitality related Blogs (T-List) and counts over 265 bloggers.
During his past 4 years of blogging Happy Hotelier got in contact with several Hospitality and Travel related Bloggers. On several occasions he has expressed a wish to form a real Community of T-Listers. He is happy that, thanks to the efforts of several individuals and now by generous sponsorship of several companies, he is able to meet some of the individuals he “knows” already IRL (In Real Life).
Finally: He doesn’t necessarily have to be anonymous, but prefers to maintain his nick name as much as possible. If you are interested in his background, real name and many more interests, check out Happy Hotelier | About.
Thank you and Cheers!
PhoCusWright@ITB Conference, Get Your Blogging Fingers Ready
February 22, 2008
PhoCusWright@ITB Conference
Thursday March 6, Hall 7.1b, Auditorium London 3: 10:15 a.m. – 7:15 p.m.
Take advantage of PhoCusWright@ITB, one of the premier events of ITB’s convention. The ongoing potential and impact of technology on global travel distribution is so significant that this year’s PhoCusWright@ITB conference will be dedicated to a confluence of forces: technology and business. A collection of keynote addresses, talkback roundtables, case studies, exclusive interviews, “Five Minutes of Fame” and point/counterpoints will cover the important trends and necessary insights that surround the theme “Success in Travel E-Business.”
For more information goto PhoCusWright’s Site.
Bloggers Workshops
February 22, 2008
Workshops: Blogging With the Long Tail of Tourism
Presented by Tips From the T-List
Wednesday March 5, 2pm - 4pm. Hall 7.1b, Auditorium London 3
(Workshops are open to all ITB Berlin attendees)
Two workshops will show how an active, content-producing network of bloggers can have a growing influence on your customers’ online spending habits. The workshops will give valuable tools to travel suppliers, DMOs, OTAs, and other travel and tourism companies that are looking to engage the blogging community and help focus user-generated content for their benefit. New innovations in blogging will be covered as well as a number of user-generated content trends. There will be an expert panel of travel marketers and technologists from around the world providing two interactive sessions.
For detailed information goto PhoCusWrights’ Site.
Getting to Berlin
February 21, 2008
For those of you who are traveling into Berlin, you will want to take a look at the ITB site. They have aggregated some great information on how to travel to, stay in, and navigate around Berlin. Here are some links you may find useful:
Introductions and Idea Sharing
February 20, 2008
Travel Industry Bloggers Welcome and Idea Sharing
Wednesday March 5, Hall 6.3, Media Center: 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Time to meet face-to-face and have an open conversation about blogging in the travel industry. Includes Bloggers Briefing session with travel industry leaders. WiFi access available.
Finishing The ITB 2008 Blog Site
February 20, 2008
Hi Everyone, I hope you enjoy the Tips From The T-List’s ITB 2008 Blog. We are finishing all of the YouTube.com and Flickr.com aggregation, and we are adding this snazzy photo viewing app, PicLens.com that will allow site users to manage all of the photos from ITB. Stay tuned as we get all of the T-List bloggers into the system!
The Afterparty!
February 20, 2008
Come join the T-List gang at the Anhalter Bar, in the Mövenpick Hotel.
Bloggers Summit Final Gathering
Thursday March 6, Anhalter Bar Mövenpick Hotel, Berlin: 8:30 p.m. - late
Regroup after PhoCusWright@ITB and discuss highlights, lowlights and everything in between. Cocktails and chatter - this event will NOT be hosted, and it will be an informal gathering. A private area of the bar will be reserved, WiFi will be available, and there will be drink specials.
Philip Caines’ Profile
February 20, 2008
Managing Editorhttp://tourismtide.blogspot.com
Vancouver, BC, Canada
As head of Tourism Solutions at Sentias Software Corp., Philip is currently focused on Web 2.0 solutions for Travel and Tourism SMEs, primarily in the online sales vertical. One such solution, www.Rezgo.com has empowered numerous companies to sell their travel and tourism products through their existing website as well as adding distribution capabilities through a number of partner portals. His previous work includes working with an award winning DMO, Tourism Vancouver, with the focus on improving the Visitor Services department. You can find his Tourism Industry blog at http://tourismtide.blogspot.com.
Stephen Joyce - Profile
February 19, 2008
Mr. Joyce has been working as a travel & tourism technology consultant since 1995. In 2005 Mr. Joyce and his company, Sentias Software Corp., began development on Rezgo.com, a next generation Web 2.0 tour and activity booking engine for small and medium sized tour operators. In June of 2007, Rezgo.com was officially released and now boasts a user base of 500+ companies. Mr. Joyce is also very active in fostering tourism technology and is the founding President of the North American Chapter of the International Federation for IT and Travel & Tourism (IFITT North America). He is also on the judging committee for the first Canadian E-Tourism Awards and is the publisher of the Tips from the T-List book. In addition to his tourism initiatives, Mr. Joyce is also on the Board of Directors of the North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce.
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