Does Blogging Influence Business Travel Lodging Decisions?

Jennifer Eubanks of Capture the Conversation posted earlier today about a NY Times article on the influence of blogs on businesses serving business travelers. The Times reports that business travelers are using blogs to share their experiences about businesses they interact with while traveling, potentially influencing the choices of future travelers:

The Power of Business Travel Blogs: Capture the Conversation Internet Marketing Blog

"Business travel bloggers have still not reached their potential in terms of influence, but it seems only a matter of time. As of yet, many have simply not had the time to blog, or else have not seen the immediate benefit. As more and more companies make it apparent that they are heeding the words of the business travel blogger, I think we will see an increasing number of bloggers.

I think that's great news. I am one of those people who often consults the opinions of the blogosphere regarding companies and products, and with the increasing power of business travel blogs, the industry will most likely have to stay honest and at least a little transparent in order to continue to flourish."

Given a choice of complaining about a bad experience at a hotel to friends who may never visit the hotel you had a less than stellar experience at, or blogging about that experience to warn future travelers about your trevails, the latter actually has the power to change the quality of service (the former can still make for a good story).

Along this line, here are two quickies on a recent stay at the Montreal Le Centre Sheraton. Before getting into it, let me say that this is a very nice hotel, and I'd certainly stay there again on a future trip to Montreal.

$15.04 per day per computer for WiFi. That really adds up.
In-room internet access is limited to one Ethernet cable. So plan on networking that within the room if you have more than one computer.
Order required for use of WiFi in bar. I had to jump online for a few minutes to upload a file and decided to do it from the bar. I picked a back corner out of the way to do so. A waitress approached me to see if I needed anything. I told her I didn't need anything and would only be a few minutes. Her response was a stern, "You're sitting in a BAR." So I asked her to bring me a beer. She asked what kind. I told her it didn't matter (I was just paying the toll for use of the Internet). I don't know if she ever brought me a beer, because I was gone in a few minutes like I said I would be.
No outside drinks on club level. The offer free cheese & crackers, but expect you to buy their drinks. No problem. A waitress brought this to my attention after I say down to cough up my $15.04. She confiscated my freshly opened Coke, then never stopped back to see if I wanted something to drink (a fair assumption considering she confiscated my nearly full drink).

So, plan for some pretty significant WiFi charges and less than accomodating servers.

On the plus side, I did manage to dig up some free Internet access in the Business Center by plugging the Ethernet cable directly into my notebook. Not as convenient as my hotel room, and no beverage service, but the price was right.

Is this make or break stuff? Probably not for me. Is this blog (or any blog for that matter) the best venue for this type of commentary, or would it have more influence published to a travel site? For example twenty people have shared their thoughts about this property on Expedia to date. Is that more influential than this post?

I stumbled across this post through Technorati. I am glad to see you take my viewpoints a step further and provide an example of your own experiences.

You bring up extremely valid points, when stating that a business blog is a MUCH better forum for stating your opinions and venting your frustrations about a hotel stay than discussing it amongst friends. With the internet, you have the advantage of having the topic firmly cemented in print indefinitely, as opposed to the more ethereal nature of in-person conversation. You are also able to be of service to only those who are actually interested in this topic, and those to whom this opinion will be most relevant.

Your complaint about the Le Centre Sheraton is exactly what bugs me about many hotels. It often seems to me that the ones that cost the most come with the least amount of perks for the business traveler--in most cases this means paying exorbitant prices to access the internet. While the Expedia opinions may certainly be more relevant to the masses in terms of room quality, the little perks and other amenities necessary for the business traveler are sometimes overlooked in such reviews and therefore the business traveler blog may hold the top position in terms of relevance. I suppose it's all personal preference though, and like any good comparison shopper, one should take several opinions into account, and not just rely on the experience of one person as gospel.

Thanks for the insightful elaboration on my musings and keep up the great writing!

Great blog! I've added a link to your blog on Blog of the Day under the category of Business. To view the feature of your blog, please visit http://blogoftheday.org/page/112393

John, doesn't it make some sense that BIG travel agencies would have a lot of complaints just due to their size? Are the complaints disproportionate to their size?

Personally, I've used Expedia since almost Day 1 without any customer service issues, so I can't relate. I've never used Orbitz, so I can't speak to the quality of their service.

Jennifer, thanks for stopping by. Maybe travel sites like Expedia should consider classifying comments by whether they apply to business, leisure travel, or both? That would help me figure out whether a place is appropriate for the trip I'm taking.

I have used both travel sites, without incident, most recently using Orbitz to book a trip to Europe, arriving in one city, and departing in another. I was pleased that my seat number was already confirmed, which saved me the problem faced by those without pre-assigned seats--the flight being overbooked and people facing the prospect of not making their flight--surely a giant hassle given that most people don't take spontaneous trips overseas.

As you mention, there are bound to be many complaints against these companies, due to their size and the number of people who do business with them daily. Currently I've had more to complain about regarding the airlines themselves than the online travel booking sites.

I also agree that travel sites should categorize the comments based on whether they are relevant for business or leisure travel as the requirements and expectations for the stay are often quite different. I hope it is something we can look forward to in the near future.

HI Ed and Jennifer: Regarding "..doesn't it make some sense that BIG travel agencies would have a lot of complaints just due to their size? Are the complaints disproportionate to their size?"
Some of those complaints are clearly about fraud (in my case EXPEDIA attempted to steal money from my credit card). Even if there is 1 bad report (involving fraud) in 1,000,000 it is a crime. Let say, there are millions of stores in the world if you rob just one you are a thief and you are going to jail. You cannot argue "I'm innocent or a good guy because I didn't rob the other 1,000,000". The "size" argument shouldn't justify a criminal activity.
I'm not exagerating. I have proof of what I'm saying. That is one of the reason EXPEDIA is doing nothing to shutdown "victimsofexpedia.com" (active since feb-march 2006).
Anyway, I appreciate your comments. Good luck.

Because is a commercial dispute. You should take them to a small court first. But if you are willing to do that you have to do it in Washington (and only there) because that is what is written in the "terms and conditions" when people book anything from EXPEDIA (another trick from EXPEDIA to avoid being sued for few bucks and keep that money)
Anyway, thanks to my credit card (VISA) amd the evidence I provided to them I could recover 1,254.00 USD EXPEDIA tried to keep for that flight they failed to arrange. Right now, I can only claim for monetary loss and personal damage. But I can afford the loss of the few thousands of dollar I had. I prefer to alert everybody instead of suing them. That's why I created victimsofexpedia.

For my next trips I will use "classic travel agents" recommended by friends I trust.

They most deffinatly do, but its not just blogging, there is a myriad of review sites, and forums to keep business traveller well informed.

Comments

1. Posted by: John on September 18, 2006 5:47 PM:

Sure it does. Specially after EXPEDIA ruined my trips I did a search and I found that Big travel agencies have a lot of complaints. For instance, EXPEDIA is listed in the top ripoff link at the bad business bureau ( http://www.ripoffreport.com ) and has two "dedicated" websites due to poor customer support and lies: http://www.victimsofexpedia.com (I created this site) and http://www.shameonexpedia.com
Orbitz has: http://www.shameonorbitz.com

Kind regards

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