“Hotels across from ocean not as fancy but so much cheaper” plus 1 more

Hotels across from ocean not as fancy but so much cheaper

Posted: 16 Jan 2011 09:23 PM PST

For the races and Bike Week, the Studio 1 motel in Daytona Beach has better luck attracting customers. (N-J | Nigel Cook)

The resort hotels lining the beachside on A1A have plenty of glitz and glam.

But that luxury comes with a price, especially during big events: for instance, The Shores Resort and Spa rates start at $549 with a minimum five-night stay during Speed Weeks.

Just across the street are smaller, less flashy options for visitors who can't afford that hefty price tag: the "oceanview" hotels and motels, which don't have a beach view or the amenities of the larger hotels, but don't have as high a price tag, either. During the races, rates at Ocean Breeze motel start at $59 with a minimum two-night stay, and other oceanview hotels offer rates under $150.

"I never have a problem during the events," said Micky Pedersen, who operates the Daytona Beach Studio 1 hotel on Atlantic Avenue. "We're always fully booked up."

Pedersen said his property has, in general, been hurt by the economy as badly as any other hotel. The hotels on the beachside have lowered their rates for most of the year, and bargain hunters don't have to look to the cheaper hotels to meet their budgets.

"When you're a smaller property on the opposite side of A1A, you don't have the amenities the larger resorts do," Pedersen said. "It's a very clean and nice-looking property, but the downside is, we do not have those amenities -- swimming pool, tiki bar, a big lobby where people can walk in."

For the races and Bike Week, though, Pedersen said he has better luck. For the Daytona 500, Studio 1's rates start at $127 per night Feb. 18, 19 and 20, with the highest price at $147 per night. There is a three-night minimum stay, Pedersen said.

Daytona Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau spokeswoman Tangela Boyd said price plays a big part for visitors during peak event periods, when rooms often go quickly. "They definitely shop around for prices during that time," Boyd said.

However, Boyd acknowledged visitors to Daytona Beach are often hesitant to try out the lodging on the west side of Atlantic Avenue, even for the cheaper price.

"We know that's a concern of visitors when they go to any destination," she said. "They see the smaller, older properties, and they may not be sure of what they're getting."

To help out the smaller hotels, the Convention and Visitors Bureau has the Select Small Inns certification program, which examines hotels for safety, cleanliness and other factors. Statewide, there's the Superior Small Lodging program. Visitors can look to those programs for recommendations to make sure they're really getting a good deal at a cheap price.

"That's a way to kind of qualify it, if you're someone who's coming in blind with no ideas of what would be a good small property or a bad one," Boyd said.

Pedersen's Studio 1 is a member of both those programs. It's nice to be able to point to those certifications to advertise the quality of his property, Pedersen said.

Visitors tell him all the time that they're surprised by the cleanliness and upkeep of his hotel, he said. "Some people, they mistake the properties for being run-down and not-so-nice when that's in fact not the case for all of them."

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CoMMingle by Lodging Interactive Introduces Its Social Media Connector Toolbar for Hotels

Posted: 10 Jan 2011 02:08 AM PST

10 January 2011

CoMMingle, the social media marketing division of Lodging Interactive, an award winning Interactive and Social Media Marketing Agency exclusively servicing the hospitality industry, today introduced its Social Media Connector Toolbar for hotels. The Social Media Connector Toolbar enables hotel websites to 'pull in' social media website content maximizing on-site visitor time.

"With the introduction of our CoMMingle Social Media Connector Toolbar properties can now present their social media content and user generated reviews on their own websites maximizing their website visitor retention," said Mr. DJ Vallauri, Founder & President of Lodging Interactive, CoMMingle's parent company.

While the CoMMingle Social Media Connector Toolbar can be customized to pull in any website content, the standard configuration includes:

• Hotel's Trip Advisor user reviews
• Hotel's Expedia user reviews
• Hotel's Yelp! user reviews
• Hotel's Google Places page
• Hotel's Facebook business page
• Hotel's Twitter feed
• Hotel's YouTube videos

Visit http://www.thewilshiregrandhotel.com/ to view the CoMMingle Social Media Connector Toolbar in a live environment.

The CoMMingle Social Media Connector Toolbar is a value added service for CoMMingle clients and is offered at no additional charge.

For more information on how your hotel can benefit from the CoMMingle Social Media Marketing Services, please visit http://www.CoMMingle.me or call us at
877-291-4411.

About Lodging Interactive

Lodging Interactive, headquartered in Parsippany, NJ, is an award winning leading provider of Internet Marketing Services to the hospitality, spa and restaurant industries. The company provides a portfolio of effective hotel Internet marketing services to hundreds of hotels, resorts, ownership properties, spas and restaurants. Clients include branded hotels from nearly every major brand as well as prestigious, landmark independent hotels.

Through its CoMMingle Social Media Marketing Agency operating division, the Company offers hospitality focused and fully managed outsourced hotel social media marketing customized solutions.

Lodging Interactive is an award winning interactive marketing agency and has been recognized as a leader by the International Academy of Visual Arts, Interactive Media Awards, Web Marketing Association and Travel Weekly's Magellan Awards.

Lodging Interactive is a proud supporter of the Hotel Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI). For more information contact Richard Walsh, Vice President of Business Development at sales@lodginginteractive.com or at 877-291-4411. The company's website is located at www.LodgingInteractive.com.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Lodging Interactive Click here to view the original version of this article. commingle, social media, facebook, hotel reservations, lodging interactive, app for hotels, expedia, google.facebook DJ Vallauri
President & Founder
United States - Parsippany, Phone: 877-291-4411
Fax: 877-833-7375
Email: dj@lodginginteractive.com Lodging Interactive
www.lodginginteractive.com
2001 Route 46, Suite 310
USA - Parsippany, NJ 07054-1315
Phone: 877.291.4411
Fax: 877.833.7375
Email: info@lodginginteractive.com