On Travel Writing: Fair, Balanced or Puffery?

Traditionally, travel writing has gotten a bad rap. 

It's certainly understandable that it is often seen as being pure puffery. All too often, a most pedestrian place is praised as the greatest location on earth, a hidden gem with something for everyone.  Look, as an experienced travel pro, I do believe there's something to recommend about nearly every place. But let's not pretend every place is perfect (even when pictures make it look so).

Idyllic Iceland? 

Why does this happen? Perhaps because a writer got a free trip and thinks that the quid pro quo is to only write positive thoughts. Perhaps he thinks he will be blacklisted from press trips if he regularly reports on the negative (and in truth, this can happen). Whatever the reason, the negatives are usually left unreported, leaving the reader with a biased take.

Nosy to know if
your favorite travel blogger
is a Pinocchio?
(picture taken at the
Puppet Museum in Tallinn, Estonia)This notion is currently exacerbated by bloggers who are waxing enthusiastic about places and products in order to get or maintain sponsorships or strategic partners.  Not all travel blogs are pay-to-play. However, the fact is, the current model for making money in blogging is by gaining strategic partnerships.

Here's the rhetorical question, though: If a blogger is in bed with Marriott, will he or she write anything negative about the lodging behemoth?

Furthermore, will the blogger opt to ignore good news coming from competitors like Hilton or Westin?  Similarly, if one is being paid by the U.S. Virgin Islands, I doubt there will be much coverage about St. Lucia or Martinique.

Vive la Martinique

.

Trans-Siberian train track
along Lake Baikal

But for those dear, dear readers who still take an interest in journalism, the good news is, there is still room for fair and balanced travel reporting....and God forbid...I don't mean on Fox News. In recent years, I traveled far and wide, sometimes on press trips, sometimes on discounted journeys, and sometimes at full freight. Regardless of who is paying the bill, I make sure my reporting is just that...reporting, and not puffery.  Here are two examples. The Albania story appeared in National Geographic Traveler (October, 2008). The Trans-Siberian piece ran in Travel Weekly (October, 2013), the industry's leading trade magazine.

Please weigh in with your thoughts.

The Soft Sell: Hotels, Collections and You

Continuing my extensive coverage of developments in the lodging industry, here's a story about the new wave of hotel collections. So-called soft brands are a way for mega-hotel companies to incorporate some originality and individuality into the mix. This article appeared in the October issue of Lodging Magazine. 

The Soft Sell

Laura Powell And The Lodging Staff

THE INDEPENDENT HOTEL’S GUIDE TO SOFT BRANDS

More and more travelers today, especially the younger generation, prefer independent hotels with a touch of moxie to cookie-cutter alternatives. But as more hotels declare their independence, it can be increasingly difficult to get noticed in an ever-competitive landscape. Enter the concept of membership in a hotel collection.

Within the past few years, nearly every major hotel company has added a soft brand collection to its portfolio. Neil Cantor, head of the Choice Ascend Hotel Collection, points out that the scrum in the space is caused by "chains that want to be where the consumer is." From an owner's perspective, being part of a soft brand collection has a multitude of advantages, not the least of which are maintaining autonomy while increasing visibility and access to resources. Guneet Bajwa, managing principal of Presidio Companies, is working with Starwood's Luxury Collection on a soon-to-open resort in St. Helena, Calif. "Soft brands give owners the freedom to provide a unique experience without being boxed in by standards," he explains. Jay Patel, co-owner of Wintergreen Hospitality, says the entry of the Franklin Hotel in Chapel Hill, N.C., into Hilton's Curio Collection, "gave us an immediate presence on a global landscape that you could only dream of on your own." That was because of the connection to strong global sales and marketing channels, prodigious guest loyalty programs, reservations and customer care systems, and revenue management and back-of-house processes.

Another benefit is easier access to financing, explains Jim Brady, developer and owner of The Press Hotel in Portland, Maine, which recently joined Marriott's Autograph Collection. "There's no question about it," Brady says. "Having the big red M is a very important factor to lenders. It's like a Good Housekeeping seal of approval."

Independent hotels can also gain access to the training programs offered by bigger brands, says Scott Sussman, the hotel and marketing director of The Peacock Inn in Princeton, N.J., an Ascend Hotel Collection member. "Learning is a big bonus of belonging to Ascend," Sussman says. "In addition to training, we can go to conventions and have the ability to network with other hoteliers and share best practices."

Then there's the matter of sheer buying power. The savings achieved through being part of a collection can be substantial. Aside from economies of scale in terms of guest supply and intranet purchasing, Sussman points out that affiliation with Choice's Ascend gives his hotel better negotiated rates with online travel agencies and lower credit card fees.

So, for the independent, it may seem the best of all worlds. But not all independents may be cut out for collection life. According to a number of owners, a fitting hotel should have a strong streak of personality and a unique presence in its market. Samuel Leizorek, managing partner of Las Alcobas Mexico City, which joined the Luxury Collection earlier this year, says being part of a soft brand requires the dedication of a hands-on owner. "Owners who might want this have to be highly involved in the day-to-day management of a property...people who retain the soul of an innkeeper and manage a property with great attention to details," Leizorek explains. Jon Cummins, president of Amerimar Enterprises, the management company for St. Ermin's Autograph Collection Hotel in London, agrees it's a proposition for an active owner. "You are responsible for creating and furthering your own individual brand and identity," he says.

For collection candidates, the next step is selecting the right brand. To achieve the right fit, Press Hotel's Brady says it's important to evaluate the local marketplace. "Look at the competitive landscape in your own backyard," he says. "Look at supply/demand dynamics in the market and make cost/benefit decisions based on that."

It's also important to peer into the future. If an owner is involved in buying and selling, length of contract might be a huge factor, says Scott Kucinski, vice president of operations and investor relations for Sotherly Hotels. "REITs, for example, may not want to be encumbered by lengthy and expensive franchise agreements, which can make a sale more difficult," he notes. Sotherly partnered with Preferred Hotels for its historic Georgian Terrace property in Atlanta because the brand offers a lower fee structure than many of the new collections and a shorter contract length, Kucinski explains.

Then there's that fee structure itself. Some collections take a set percentage of all revenue. Others base percentages only on room revenue. Rabin Ortiz, general manager of Copamarina Beach Resort in Puerto Rico, says he likes the fact that the BW Premier Collection takes its percentage "solely from reservations made through Best Western channels versus a straight revenue cut. In other words, we only pay for the business Best Western drives to us."

In the end, choosing a collection may also be about the company you keep. Richard T. Widman, president of Charming Inns, owner of Wentworth Mansion in Charleston, S.C., appreciates being part of a collection of hotels that have unique personalities yet share the same high standards. "What appeals to us as part of Small Luxury Hotels is that although the properties are very different, the level of quality and luxury across the brand is consistent," Widman says. "As the number one luxury hotel in our market, we want to be associated with similar properties around the world."

Curio about Moxy, Vib and Other New Hotel Brands?

Here's my most recent story about the wacky monikers hotel companies are giving their new brands these days. Lodging Magazine even featured me on its June author bio page!

If you want to read the magazine on-line, visit www.lodgingmagazine.com. My article is on pages 20 and 21.

My Story for CNN on Airport Developments 2015

Many moons ago, I helped develop CNN's very first travel program. I produced the original edition of CNN Travel Guide, and was responsible for doing that show, plus ten daily segments a week, for several years. Sounds dreamy, no?  However, with no budget to actually travel beyond the outskirts of Atlanta, the job had its challenges. Even so, working for CNN was the launching point for my travel journalism career. 

I also was one of the original producers for CNN International. So, it's particularly gratifying that my return to CNN is marked by a travel story in the international edition of the website. Here it is. 

To read the entire story, please click on 

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/01/05/travel/airports-2015/index.html