I agree that hotels who use Social Media proactively will be more competitive going forwards. Social Media is a way for companies to connect directly with their customers or potential customers on a personal level. Consumers will need to be increasingly cautious of Social Media feedback as it can easily be influenced as likely will be as unrelible a source as your mainstream advertising is. I would like to see how companies work around the fact that most people only trust the opinions those they know. Perhaps this is why the blogging world is so important to the future of social media advertising.

This article emphasizes the importance of the hotel industry embracing trends in e-commerce. Consumer expectations concerning social media and e-commerce are constantly changing and demanding more from businesses. Specifically, the article suggests that hotels pay money for search engines that will drive internet business to their hotels. They also need to have websites that are easy to use, mobile, attractive, and relevant. Most importantly, the internet is constantly changing and hotels need to stay on top of the changing trends to remain competitive. Newer trends such as the rise in using social media to increase business need to be embraced.

This article hits on the forward thinking steps taken by hotel chains that allow them to take a competitive advantage over independent hotels. Customers would prefer to stay in a green hotel if all other elements such as cost and quality are relatively equal. Hotel owners need to understand the mind of the customer so they can make green changes that will attract business or they will have a hard time competing with progessive chain hotels.