News Briefs ~ May 2012

Sutton Place Marathoner Pkg.

VANCOUVER—On May 6, thousands of running enthusiasts from around the world came to Vancouver to participate in the annual BMO Vancouver Marathon. This year, The Sutton Place Hotel offered a special package for attendees that’s made the gruelling half marathon and full marathon experience a little more pleasant.

The package included a premium room in the hotel, breakfast to go, bike rental and supporter kit (including maps, water and other essentials, a taxi transfer to the starting line and a bottle of sparkling wine for after the big finish.) Sutton Place says its the first time a hotel in downtown Vancouver has put its support behind the event in this manner.

L2 ranks digital competence

NEW YORK—Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Hilton Worldwide and Marriott International ranked, in that order, as  the most digitally competent hotel brands, says an article in HotelNewsNow.com. However, the gap between all hotel brands is shrinking, thanks to stronger websites, presence across major social media platforms and mobile optimization throughout the industry, according to L2 Think Tank’s “Digital IQ Index: Hotels.”

The L2 ranking measures the digital competency of 52 hotel brands via 350 data points across four dimensions: Site, Digital Marketing, Social Media, and Mobile.

“In this year’s report, an overwhelming 38 per cent of brands registered an average ranking, versus just 10 per cent in 2011,” said NYU Stern School of Business professor Scott Galloway, who developed the index with a team of experts from digital think tank L2.

“Strong sites, presence across major social media platforms, and optimization for mobile are becoming table stakes as competition intensifies,” Galloway added.

The room key as a souvenir

SOUTH BEACH, FL—The Anglers Boutique Resort in South Beach, Florida is encouraging guests to take their room keys home with them—and has redesigned said keys for this very reason.

Lots of the hotel’s Miami guests love to take home trinkets representing the beach’s Art Deco past, so they turned to their own history when redoing their room keys.

Now, when guests stay at the Angler’s, they can skip the overpriced souvenir shops along Washington Ave, spend more time in the hotel’s little pool or at the vintage bar.

Then they can just toss their room key in their bag when they leave to remember their stay.