I’m a hotelier! Why on earth do I have to sell airline tickets?

A few days/weeks ago I shared on my Twitter account this article about Mystifly... 

If you don’t feel like reading the article (which I strongly recommend!)  Here’s a summary… In a nutshell, cross-selling is a good way to increase revenues (and profits, I Touristologistly add!), Airlines practice this selling flights and hotels. So, you can do the same: sell hotels and flights! Mystifly’s APIs allow hoteliers to offer their customers the possibility to make a flight reservation. How is that possible? Does the word “syndication” ring a bell to you?

Eager to learn more? Let’s see this video from Mystifly itself:

In this video the target were travel agents. Now, they are targeting Hoteliers. When I read the article I said to myself, “Hmmm… hoteliers giving support to the customers in the airline company? Using APIs? I have to write a post about that! 

As you know, I love mixing together Touristology and Web-Engineering and this is an excellent case in point.

After the tweet, I got some responses..

“Jordi, I’m an hotelier! Why on earth do I have to sell airline tickets?” My answer? Let me clarify this once and for all… your business it is not ONLY to sell rooms, food and beverage and meeting spaces. Your business is to satisfy your customer, providing what they need, when they need it, in the way they need it! In this way, the tourists will choose you, as THE accommodation provider, OR even better, as my-trusted-partner-in-all-I-need-during-this-trip. On the other hand, you will increase your profits. This is what Yield/Revenue Management is all about!!!

I got another one....  “What? This is NOT Revenue Management? I have been a Revenue Manager for X-years and I never did that.” My answer? Have you been a Revenue Manager for X-years or have you repeated the same year X times?

OK, Jordi stop talking with the past and start talking with the future:.... YOU!!!

Do you have some ideas about how to use Mystifly APIs in an intelligent way (so, the Touristology way, of course!!!)

Can you use the Web 2.0 Business Model?

By the way, do you think that it is possible to connect this post with this one? Where we talked about Beacons, IoT, smart cities, smart chains of value…

Do you think that the web 3.0 principles (integration and synchronization) are beginning to materialize in the tourism sector? It is a great moment to be a Touristologist!!!!

Applications like this (I am sure that, in the near future, hundreds of them will appear) will help to set up chains of value giving support to the tourist from the beginning to the end of the trip. Something, that I strongly believe is the future of the Tourism sector (together with the evolution of specialized tourism and the emphasis on group creation).

Do you realize (as usual) that this enterprise is focused on low price? Can you add something to the business model? Can you think of a way to improve it?

If not you... WHO? If not now... WHEN? 

WHO IS THE BEST MIND WORKING IN THE BEST SECTOR EVER???

Invisible hand in Touristology.

Not long ago, China was a communist country, nowadays it is in transition to becoming a capitalist country but, habits die hard! So far, they have being very successful combining freedom economy principles with control over them (by the way, another good example of an oxymoron!)
For instance, China’s exchange rate is determined by a central authority not for the free market (is it really a free market when people with more money that entire countries exists AND no limitation, whatsoever, in the amount of money they wish to move? Well, this can be the subject of another posts!). We saw this in action this August!
Another example, happened this January. When the stock exchange went down, the government created  a new rule: If the market is down by 7% we will close the stock exchange. Did it work?
You know, in Economy we have the same problem/reality than in Touristology, we are dealing with human beings and we are logical, emotional and gregarious. So, what appeared to be a good idea ended up in a failure! Some traders thought “if at 7% I couldn’t sell… I better sell it when it is 2% down!!!”
Well China, welcome to Bonaparte’s fantasy!!! Napoleon was a great warrior BUT he, REALLY, thought that ruling above everything  all would be fine. Well…keep dreaming Napoleon! Not in economy, not in the education, not in Touristology!!! When you regulate everything people try to avoid the rule NOT getting better results for them and for the rest of us. Let me be crystal clear: Rules (the excess of them) kill creativity, innovation, LIFE!!!
If you want to get great things, there are only a few rules:
1) Choose the best people
2) Motivate them (if they are, really, the best,  it would be enough if you don‘t demotivate them!!!)
3) Give them a good framework.
4) Don’t bother them with XXXX rules!
5) Then wait for results and if they are good... Continue. It they are bad... Adapt!
Do you want your Tourism destination, hotel, any tourism enterprise…
To detect new segments.
Create new products. To define better servuctions processes
Find and try new countries of origin,
Set up the best chain of value in order to provide backup to the tourist from the beginning to the end of the trip?
Follow those rules, then look at Adam Smith into his eyes and said to him: Invisible hand! What a genius you were and ARE!!!

Put off your worries NOT your dreams!

A long time ago a wise man (one that appears here Mr. Almodovar to be precise!) told me. “Today (it was Friday) I had a strong argument. I will be very disappointed on Monday”

This wise man teaches me a lot of things about intermediaries in the tourism sector, but that day the lesson was about mental control!

The rule is simple and obvious, if you can put off your worries (or any emotions) you kind of control them!

Control is not only for Touristology (Do I have to repeat again how important it is that you control your chain of value? I know that it is not necessary! At least, not for My Touristologists, the real ones!), control is for your entire life.

So, this it the gift that I asked to The Three Wise Men (I recommend you to do the same!!!)…

Allow me to control my emotions, give me the will to put off when to worry, give me the creativity to pretend that “the-thing-that-happened” was a movie and I’m the director, able to change roles, sentences… in order to show me that I am in control. Mental control is the name of the game!

Just remember, Touristologists! Put off your worries, BUT don’t put off your dreams, your duties (learn a new language, how to code, more about YOUR SCIENCE...) that you know you have to do in order to get them!

In life as in entrepreneurship, put off your worries NOT your dreams, Touristologists! Are you ready? So am I!!!! Happy New year 2016!!!

(I know, I know, I’m a little bit late. I’m really focused on OUR thing, remember?