So, are the tides (and trends) turning for luxury travel? For a midyear check-in, scan “The Future of Luxury Travel, A Global Trends Report,” preliminary research presented at ILTM (International Luxury Travel Market) Asia 2011 in June. Key insights:

• Luxury travel is coming back—but the importance of value, discreet service and simplicity demonstrate that luxury travelers haven’t forgotten lessons learned over the past few years.
• To counter our growing appetite for technology, luxury travelers will seek more fulfilling personal relationships with travel providers.
• Emerging destinations, which satisfy the hunger for authenticity and exclusivity, top “must-go” lists.
• Look to the Chinese market to drive the next wave of global luxury travel. (By 2020, expect over 100 million outbound tourists from China.)

To download the complete 26-page report, click here (PDF).

It’s good reading as you plan your 2012 marketing strategy—or dream about your next vacation. I’m thinking of a coastal cottage in Ireland myself…

The AIBTM trade show was buzzing with activity, giving us a mini-preview of the IMEX America show that the IMEX team will launch in Las Vegas in October. IMEX America will be a much larger show, bringing together unprecedented numbers of industry professionals from around the country and across the globe. Dana is excited to be working on marketing strategy and materials to help IMEX bring this groundbreaking event to America.

Good to see our friends and clients on the show floor! Eric Whitson (from The National Conference Center in Leesburg, VA) and Jim Bressler (from the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club in Durham, NC) did a super job hosting the IACC booth, where new Dana-designed trade show screens were on display:

We also caught up with an old friend and former Dana associate, John Hawley, who is now DOSM at the Baltimore Hilton. John and his team impressed us all with their abilities to host AIBTM attendees in style. Just one of many events was the CIC Hall of Leaders Gala Dinner, an elegant black-tie affair where Dana President Bob Prewitt was a guest at the IMEX America table. Dana does the marketing for the Baltimore Hilton and gives its ads a hometown spin.

Does “The Crab Cake Capital of the World” deliver on its reputation? We wanted to find out and take in the harbor views on a beautiful evening. So we headed to Phillips Seafood Restaurant, a popular spot with tourists and locals. And pretty good crab cakes too. If you want to try a traditional taste of the city, the restaurant generously shares its original recipe (from 1956) that they’re still making today. Enjoy them with a local Baltimore brew, Heavy Seas Small Craft Warning, like we did.

For the 7^th year in a row, Travel + Leisure has gathered their collection of hotels, restaurants and more that they feel have pushed design boundaries to deliver products that are truly unique and innovative. Two forward-thinking cities—Abu Dhabi and Shanghai—both had many entrants to the awards, as they have quickly become synonymous with unparalleled design. In the US, they applauded the collaboration between boutique hotelier Ian Schrager and Marriott International, which produced The Waikiki edition, the first in a series of resorts and hotels from the freshly minted hybrid brand. And when it came to the best-designed resort, they gave that title to the Amangiri in Utah. The resort is “an ostensibly indigenous exercise in perfectly pitched Zen-like restraint and organic architecture—34 minimalist rooms that essentially cleanse the aesthetic palate by banishing the garish banalities of the kind of ho-hum luxury that this year struck no one as luxurious.”

Flip through the rest of the winners of Travel + Leisure’s 2011 Travel Design Awards—and don’t forget to take some notes for your inner interior designer.

Sniqueaway™ was recently launched as part of Smarter Travel Media, a TripAdvisor Media Group company. This members-only site offers limited-time sales on 4-star hotels that are highly rated on TripAdvisor.

TripAlertz™, which started beta testing this fall, claims to offer “epic savings for premium getaways.” Also a members-only site, it features quality hotels (3-star and up) and a unique strategy that lowers the price as more travelers book.

LivingSocial^®, the site that offers city-specific deals, recently added travel “Escapes” to its offerings. The “Escape Kits” typically offer accommodations with add-ons like a cooking class, massage or ski lift ticket.

Groupon^®, the city-specific flash sale giant, recently partnered with Where I’ve Been™, giving Groupon access to Where I’ve Been’s established base of millions of social travelers.

Mobile Spinach employs targeted demographic marketing to create offers and issue mobile cash vouchers that customers can use at retail outlets and restaurants, as well as spas and hotels.

CityDeals offers discount gift cards, gift certificates and coupons for local and national brands (restaurants, entertainment, stores, spas and hotels) that can be mailed, printed or sent to customers’ phones.

Successful in many segments, flash sales are a relatively new concept for travel, but one that is sure to broaden the social travel experience of the Internet. Although the impact on online sales is still unchartered waters, we already see the potential for this trend to impact your business positively:

• These channels can be a great way to quickly and efficiently unload excess inventory.
• By offering a limited-time deal instead of simply decreasing rates via an OTA, your hotel can fill rooms without expressly jeopardizing rate.
• By creating attractive packages that bundle rooms with additional amenities and services (dining, spa, golf, etc.), your property may also lead customers to increase spend.
• Group buying sites offer your business the opportunity and ability to discount and minimize risk (think: quantity discount). You can protect yourself from selling a low-rated piece of business to just a few customers because unless many customers react and agree to a certain volume of sale, the deal can be deemed invalid.

Want to know more about how this trend will impact the ever-evolving online travel market and your business? Dana develops custom promotions and campaigns that utilize these technologies. We offer turnkey solutions that can be deployed quickly and cost effectively. Maybe you are looking to offer an innovative promotion around the holidays? There’s still time. And the best part is, you can tell your boss, shareholders and kids that you’re at the forefront of the social media trend. Give Dana a call to discuss the opportunities.

Contact Jeff Gurtman, Vice President of Strategy, at jgurtman@danacommunications.com or 609.644.2408.

Travel agencies reportedly account for $130 billion in gross travel sales in the U.S., as well as more than half of the $247 billion travel market and 30% of all hotel bookings (as reported by PhoCusWright). Travel Weekly’s 2010 Consumer Trends report also indicated that comparatively, younger Echo-Boomer travelers, who prefer to be waited on and have others do for them, tend to seek out Travel Professionals more than older Gen Xers, who are real do-it-yourselfers. This younger generation represents 20% of leisure travelers who use traditional travel agents. Because the web is “old hat” to them, they are not as entranced by what they can find online, and actually, they are pushing back from information overload by allowing an expert to do it for them.

Several years ago, one of our clients, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, recognized that travelers were increasingly turning to Travel Professionals for valuable personal relationships and a trusted source of information. Created by professionals and for professionals, StarwoodPro.com was established to provide a sophisticated, user-friendly interface between Starwood and Travel Professionals. StarwoodPro.com delivers easily accessible content on deals, rates, products, commissions and sales contacts, plus comprehensive hotel and brand information, along with benefits from a rich loyalty program.

In 2010, Sheraton and Westin hotels, which are both Starwood brands, wanted to leverage the relationships established within this segment by introducing specific Travel Professional promotions designed to generate interest, gain trust and sway their powerful influence. These campaigns drew participation from 8,400 and 15,000 participants, respectively—and doubled the size of Starwood’s Travel Professional database within one week. Explosive campaign results, in addition to general performance indicators within the industry, show that Travel Professionals continue to have value and are a critical target audience to be included in any marketing plan.

Facebook recently announced its own location-based application, Facebook Places. Now you can check-in to bars, restaurants, museums or any other place you frequent and tag your friends in updates. You can share where you are and the friends you’re with in real time from your mobile device.

Facebook Places presents a unique opportunity for travel and hospitality businesses to expand their social media platform. Utilizing the application, you can leverage your brand presence by offering specific promotions to Facebook users who check-in to your hotel, resort, destination, etc., and then share their experiences with their friends.

At Dana, we strongly advocate—and implement for our clients—the use of Facebook as a brand awareness tool. For example, we’ve recently enhanced the Facebook Fan Page for Turtle Bay Resort by creating an avenue for users to receive exclusive offers simply by choosing to “Like” the resort. Click here to check it out.

Does your business have a Facebook Fan Page, or have you created a Place for people to check-in? To explore more ways to connect socially, contact mdamico@danacommunications.com.

Chateau de Montfort Vouvray (2008) France – slightly sweet with a big acid backdrop. I love Chenin Blanc, and this is a great representation of the varietal. You have to have a palate for sweetness to appreciate this wine, but if you do, you will adore it. It attacks with honey and cantaloupe and pears and Grand Marnier. Try it with Asian food or cheese, or just sip it on a pleasant weekend afternoon while you sit by the pool. About $15.

Gruet Sparkling Wines (non vintage, all types) – Albuquerque, New Mexico – the best sparkling wines made in the USA. In fact, in my opinion, these wines are as good as any sparkling wine made in the world outside of Champagne. I am particularly fond of the Blanc de Noirs. They go with anything and everything foodwise—I mean it—and the price/value relationship is unbelievable. About $13.75.

Read What’s Happening in the Wine World, Part II

What’s Happening in the Wine World, Part I

Let me tell you.

Wine is a significant component of the “Hospitality and Travel Lifestyle,” which partially explains our interest in them here at Dana Communications. Another reason we are interested is that we like to drink them. Duh!

Three of us actually have formal training in matters oenological. Eric Welsh’s family owned a prestigious wine store in Lambertville, New Jersey, where he spent a lot of time growing up. Isabelle Tourneau writes about regional foods and has the passion for food and wine pairing that one expects in a professional foodie. I am a founding member of the Society of Wine Educators, which happened when I worked for Wine Institute—the trade organization for California wineries.

So I decided to call around and ask my wine friends, “What is the most significant thing happening in the Wine Industry today?”

The first person I talked with is Robin Kelly O’Connor. RKO is presently Director of Sales and Education for Sherry Lehman, one of the truly remarkable retail stores in the country (located at 59^th Street and Park Avenue in Manhattan). Previously, Robin spent over a decade working as Trade Liaison for Bordeaux Wines. Robin has an energy and passion for learning about wines like no one else I know, and he has gifted chemical senses—thus a great palate. On numerous occasions, I have seen him correctly identify a wine from a region that most people in the room had never heard of.

His response was, “2009 Bordeaux. They are equivalent to, if not better than, the 2005 and 1982 vintages. And maybe deeper than the 1961 and 1929 vintages.” This is major stuff, as those four years are considered the benchmarks by which all wines are compared, not just Bordeaux.

Then I called Bruce Cass, one of America’s greatest wine educators and writers. Bruce studied pre-medicine at Stanford and uses this scientific training to make the chemistry and biology of wine accessible to the layman. Attending one of his classes is a remarkable experience, as he has an enthralling way of making the complexities of wine understandable. He has also trained his chemical senses so that his palate is world class.

“The ongoing development of direct shipping is my first thought,” said Bruce when I asked about what is happening. “After 20 years of battles, we can now say that we can legally ship across state lines—almost. The Supreme Court will ultimately make the final decision, and that might take another 20 years. But in the last year, we have seen a major movement toward direct shipping.”

He also commented on the wine-consuming behavior of the Millennial Generation and how that is leading to a dramatic increase in wine intake in America. “Millennials drink a lot more wine than Gen-Xers, and they are a big, big group of people—the Baby Boomer Echo. Within the next 5 or 10 years, the US will become the largest wine-consuming nation in the World… Of course, that will last only a few years, when China will take over.”

Then I talked with Laely Heron, owner and winemaker at Heron Wines. Laely has been making wines for 20 years—in France, Spain and California. Her wines are highly regarded for their price/value relationship, and you will see them served by the glass in a lot of successful, wine-oriented restaurants. Laely has traveled to virtually every spot on the planet, is fluent in four languages and conversant in many more and has a uniquely refined palate due to her extensive travels.

Her answer to my question: “We have a glut of product. Over the past years, the industry has overproduced, and we are sitting on product that is expiring and that needs to be sold now. I am seeing a lot of quality, old wine from good vintages being sold by the glass at under-market prices.”

Laely goes on to say that this means two things. First, “The recession will last longer in the wine industry than in most other industries. We are dealing with difficult economic times and an excess of product that is time-sensitive and must be sold soon.” Second, she feels the ability to buy older wines at great prices will continue. “This is not a new phenomenon. Smart buyers have known how to get great deals—particularly online—in recent years. However, the buyers market will only get better. It is a good time to figure out how to find the great bargains that are available.”

We’ll post What’s Happening in the Wine World, Part II next week—check back then.

For more about partnering with Dana—or to get to know us over a glass of wine—contact jzech@danacommunications.com.

And that alternative is oh so colorful.

“Designed by Michel Penneman and Oliver Hannaert, The PANTONE HOTEL^TM, Brussels showcases the color of emotion with a distinctive hue on each colorous guest floor. From vivid to subdued, for business or leisure, our unique boutique hotel perfectly suits your savvy palette and colorful imagination.”

Dana Communications welcomes new hire Bethany Diddle to the role of Senior Account Executive. Diddle brings a strong background in branding strategy, account management and client interaction.

With a BA from New Mexico State University and an MBA from Cornell University Johnson Graduate School of Management, Diddle also comes to Dana with valuable agency experience and an extensive list of previous clientele.

Her prior work experience comprises account, management and marketing positions with General Electric, Pearlfisher, Inc., the National Foreign Trade Council, Arnold Worldwide and WestWayne, Inc. These roles afforded her the opportunity to work with clients including Celebrity Cruises, Amtrak, Hershey’s, Johnson & Johnson, Jose Cuervo and The Campbell Soup Company.

When it comes to branding, Diddle believes that “the answers are already there…all you have to do is listen.” By lending an attentive ear and an open mind to her clients (and the world), she works to extract authentic points of differentiation that capture the heart and soul of each brand and meaningfully connect with audiences.

Her strategic aptitude is complemented by keen organization and a consultative approach to account management. Diddle has also traveled to 37 states and 10 countries, so she truly understands the meaning of “travel and hospitality.” She is a welcome addition to the Dana team and is expected to be a positive new figure among Dana’s clients and colleagues alike.