Online Resources

• eConnect- Research and resources from the HSMAI Foundation. This site has a wide range of resources for research other informational tools for HSMAI members. This site also provides a knowledge base that can be searched.

• HSMAI Marketplace- The HSMAI Marketplace is the products and services search engine dedicated to sales and marketing professionals in hospitality, travel, and tourism.

• Professional Development Resources- HSMAI provides professional development resources throughout the career of sales and marketing professionals, from students through executives. In this area you will find information about resources we provide along your career path, including sales and marketing courses offered through HSMAI University; Career Resources available as part of the HSMAI Career Center; and HSMAI's professional designation programs, the Certified Hospitality Marketing Executive (CHME), Certified Revenue Management Executive (CRME), and CHSC (Certified in Hospitality Sales Competencies).

• Student Resources- Gives students the opportunity to use the resources and research material provided by HSMAI.

• Industry News- An up-to-date news source about the happenings of the industry.

• Career Center- Gives members from all over the chance to connect.

HSMAI Foundation Research Publications:

• Demystifying Distribution 2.0- This TIG Global special report, a follow-up to the ground-breaking first edition, published in 2005, discusses the importance and impact of aligning proper distribution channels to appropriately match brand messaging. This impressive publication provides HSMAI members with materials to better execute their role in the hospitality industry.

• The Travel Marketer's Guide to Social Media and Social Networks- The report was researched and written by renowned industry author Cindy Estis Green, managing partner of The Estis Group, is published by the HSMAI Foundation and The Travel Industry Association. For the report, Estis interviewed travel executives, vendors, and experts from various social media sites. Additionally, executives from non-travel industries that have a strong background in the use of social media were interviewed. Case studies and results from travel executive polls are also featured. Topics covered in the report include:
  Explanations and definitions of social media and social networking
  Highlights of the way social media and social networking are used in other industries
  How travel companies are using social media and social networking in 2007
  How travel companies can use social media and social networking in the future

• Profits and Pitfalls in Online Marketing: A Legal Desk Reference for Travel Executives- This new Special Report by TIG Global, the HSMAI Foundation and Cyveillance, examines the increasingly important challenge travel executives face in managing their invaluable brands, trademarks, and other intellectual property in the dynamic digital landscape. It also provides travel professionals with practical instruction and easy reference checklists for navigating evolving laws in the online environment.

• Groups and Meetings: Market Opportunity Redefined- The HSMAI Foundation and PhoCusWright Inc.'s first-ever in-depth study that tracks and reports online behavior, trends and opportunities in the burgeoning groups and meetings marketplace. The comprehensive study is an invaluable report for hoteliers, meeting planners, travel agents, travel technology firms, and anyone interested in the groups and meetings industry.
  The study: Illuminates the online behavior of consumers, planners and suppliers when planning and reserving group events and meetings; Identifies trends and opportunities of key sectors – small leisure gatherings, small corporate meetings and large meetings; Recommends strategies for suppliers and intermediaries looking to improve product positioning.

• HSMAI/iPerceptions Quarterly Report: "Voice of the Hotel Customer"- The first-ever edition of a unique quarterly web metrics reports includes experience and satisfaction benchmarks for the growing online marketplace in the hospitality industry. The research addresses issues of website satisfaction, such as ease of use, convenience, depth of information, relevant content, likelihood to return and responsiveness to customer needs.

• Resort Best Practices Study: Internet Marketing and Distribution Strategy- The report, initiated by HSMAI’s Resort Marketing Special Interest Group and published by the HSMAI Foundation, benchmarked participating resorts in key Internet marketing metrics such as: total marketing spend as a percentage of total revenue; marketing efficiency; percentage of electronic channel revenue as a percentage of total revenue; percentage of e-marketing spend to total revenue; and direct web revenue per web marketing dollar spent. Based upon these metrics, participants were categorized based upon their efficiency in marketing spend and Internet revenue volume.

• Free Online Report on Internet Marketing- An insightful online survey of sales and revenue managers explores how Internet marketing and distribution is being handled by the U.S. Presented by the HSMAI Foundation, NYU and TIG Global, the “Survey of Attitudes and Approaches: Hotel Internet Marketing and Distribution” is a free, comprehensive overview of the current attitudes about costs and benefits of online distribution from a unit level perspective in the hotel industry.

• Defining Revenue Management: Top Line To Bottom Line- The report, under the guidance of the HSMAI Revenue Management Special Interest Group (SIG), is a practitioner-friendly publication that addresses the fundamentals of revenue management for a broad audience of hospitality professionals. With comprehensive content that is both readable and actionable, it will deliver tools and information for revenue management education, incorporating expert advice from interviews with industry executives and educators, case studies, and practical checklists for implementing successful revenue management strategies at the property level.