Tech Talk

Recent posts

Definitely Doug 6/9/23: Hotels Fighting Trafficking: The Role of Technology
Posted: 06/09/2023

This week I want to address an important issue for the hospitality industry, albeit one that technologists have not historically had on their radar. They can potentially play a significant role in addressing the issue, which is human trafficking, and more specifically sex trafficking.

In my last column, I reviewed some key trends in autonomous mobile robotics for hotels, and dove into three categories of delivery robots in more detail – room delivery, food delivery, and heavy-lift robots. This week I will round out the topic with several other robot types and applications, as well as general guidance for evaluating, acquiring, and adopting mobile autonomous robotics. If you have not yet read part one, I recommend going back and doing so before continuing below, as some of the introductory material is important background to what follows.

Read More +

Best Practices for Hotel & Resort Operators in Pool Season 2023
Posted: 05/25/2023

With the arrival of warmer weather and summer fast approaching, hospitality operators are gearing up for another pool season. This year, technology is at the forefront of driving booking revenue and taking operational efficiency to the next level. Modern technology platforms (such as hospitality’s newest technology category – the Property Experience Management System or PXMS) are providing brand new capabilities that unlock new strategies and approaches to filling the pool with satisfied guests.

Read More +

The Growing Role Technology Plays in Hotels and Restaurants
Posted: 05/25/2023

In the past few years, hotels and restaurants have grown into hubs for entertainment, leisure, and human connection. In an effort to best serve their guests, operators have begun rethinking their technological investments and working to adapt to recent shifts in consumer preference and operations. To ensure that guests have the best on-site experience possible, brands are increasingly looking to new technologies to make their experiences more convenient and comfortable. Advanced property management systems (PMS) and point-of-sale (POS) systems can increase operational and staff efficiency, while also meeting changing customer expectations for a high-value but relatively low-touch experience.

This week I will return to a topic I have covered before, because it has, within the last 12 to 18 months, become one of the hottest-growth categories in hospitality technology. That topic is autonomous mobile robots – specifically, ones that can move around the facility as well as perform specific tasks. Many of these products were launched pre-Covid but were often seen at the time as more of a marketing gimmick than a legitimate operational solution.

Read More +

comment on this article

Blog Topics: How to Find Your Sweet Spot (Even in a Boring Niche)

09/14/2020

by Nimesh Dinubhai

If you do a search on blog topic ideas, you won't find the interesting ones. The web is full of companies that have bigger budgets than you and can churn out content daily. If you are going to put your time into creating and promoting a blog post, and hope to get results, it's important to figure out what you're best suited for when it comes to blog topics. Here's what we recommend:

·       Figure out what your people care about
·       Find where the magic happens
·       Keyword research your topics
·       Brainstorm, categorize and prioritize
·       Execute

Figure out your people:
The best method to find great blog topic ideas is to look at your audience. What are their concerns, obsessions, and pain points when it comes to your products? We know that it is easier said than done, but chances are you will have at least inkling on why they choose you. So start there and backtrack.

Find where the magic happens:
When thinking about the blog topic, use the Venn diagram (two circles, and the magic is where they intersect) to decide what you are best positioned to talk about. On one side, put the audience concerns and interests you figured out in the previous step, and the other side, put your expertise. In the middle, you will get a set of themes that you can specialize in. this will double the position you can take in your customer’s world. In simple words, the magic is finding the spot where your audience’s and your interests intersect.

Keyword research your topics:
Once you know your sweet spot, think about general topics and arrange them into a spreadsheet or doc or. Then pull those ideas into your favorite keyword research tool. For the best results, start with a list that has one root word, and export out different keyword ideas using a few tools. This way, you can build a small but healthy list to work with. But make sure that the topics you pick should be in your sweet spot and help your readers live their best life.

Brainstorm, categorize and prioritize:
Once you have defined the themes that can support your content efforts, utilize the following four categories to help you pick topics within those areas. Select the topics that would apply in each of these four sections, starting with the general, largest foundation category.

·       Evergreen content
·       Original research
·       Trends and timely content
·       Lifestyle content

Evergreen content relates directly to the industry or product. The ultimate goal of this type of content is to bring in website visitors who are researching your services or products.

Original research provides insight for an area closely tied to what you do. This type of content also answers your question and helps you get links from reputable sources and is also fun to work in.

Trends and timely content are blog posts that mainly aim to capture attention, generate buzz, and may aid in link building. But this content tends to be short-lived. These are topics that are in your sweet spot and hot right now. You can jump on these seasonally.

Lifestyle content is content on topics that relate to the company values and connect with readers. This shows the human side of your business.

We hope these tips will help you create a blog to attract an ample amount of audience and visitors.

About The Author

Nimesh Dinubhai
President
Websrefresh

Nimesh Dinubhai completed his studies in 2003 and launched Websrefresh to help businesses grow their ROI. He also owns two Arizona hotels, one of which earned the Historical Hotel Award in 2014.