AAA Adds Tech to Hotel Ratings

For years AAA has inspected and approved thousands of hotels. With its diamond rating process, AAA looks at things like curb appeal, décor and layout to determine a hotel’s level of luxury. And recently, the company has added a new factor to its rating system: technology.

Updated Guidelines

With today’s technological advances, its no surprise that a hotel’s technology is now being rated. Staying somewhere without great WiFi and digital amenities is almost unheard of nowadays, and AAA seems to agree. Along with other guidelines, hotels are now being critiqued on things like free WiFi, USB ports, mobile apps, mobile key technology, kiosks and digital messaging services. If a hotel wants any chance at receiving the Five Diamond status (the most prestigious AAA rating), it must keep its tech up to date.

About AAA (History)

Since 1937, AAA has hired inspectors to report on thousands of hotels and restaurants. The company’s first rating system for hotels was introduced in 1963, and in 1977 AAA added the diamond symbol for its 75th anniversary. The Diamond Rating system ranges from 1 to 5 diamonds, indicating the level of luxury a hotel (or restaurant) displays. Each year AAA reviews more than 27,000 hotels, with only 0.4 percent achieving Five Diamond status.

Do you think a hotel’s tech offerings is its most important amenity? Share your thoughts below!

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Brands Celebrate Women’s History Month

Women’s History Month is upon us and as a women-owned company, we have a lot to celebrate! This year especially, women across the country are being heard, and well-known companies have not ignored their voices. Today, we’re sharing some of the campaigns that big brands have launched in celebration of women.

Johnnie Walker

jane walkerThis month, scotch whiskey giant Johnnie Walker is rolling out a female counterpart to its 100-year old iconic brand. In celebration of Women’s History Month and as a tribute to women around the world, the Johnnie Walker Black Label “Jane Walker Edition” is now available for purchase.

But, a new mascot isn’t Johnnie Walker’s only attempt at supporting women. For each bottle produced, the brand will also donate $1 to nonprofit campaigns like Monumental Women, a movement to build an NYC monument honoring America’s women suffragists, and She Should Run, a group encouraging women to run for office.

To learn more about the Jane Walker campaign, visit this link.

Smirnoff & Spotify

smirnoff equalizer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 2017, none of Spotify’s top 10 most-streamed tracks were performed by women artists or bands. Because of this, Smirnoff and Spotify have teamed up to promote the equality of women musicians around the world with the Smirnoff Equalizer.

This application programming interface (API) analyzes Spotify users’ listening habits and then provides a percentage breakdown of the number of men versus women artists they have listened to in the past six months. After this breakdown, the Smirnoff Equalizer will create a gender-equal playlist specific to that user’s music preferences. The program also gives users the ability to increase the number of women artists in their playlists with a personalized slider.

Brawny

brawny woman

No stranger to the women empowerment movement, Brawny will enter its third year of the #StrengthHasNoGender campaign, honoring powerful females by replacing the iconic Brawny man with a woman. Throughout this month, the special packaging is available in retail outlets across the country.

Brawny has also introduced a series of short videos featuring “sheroes” at https://www.brawny.com/strengthhasnogender, while encouraging others to share their own stories about female heroes using the hashtag #StrengthHasNoGender.

This month, keep an eye out for other brands that are celebrating Women’s History Month!

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Hotels for a Healthier 2018

The new year is officially here and you know what that means- resolutions! Whether it’s exercising more or eating better, most resolutions focus on a healthier lifestyle. So, today we are here to feature some of the healthiest hotels and resorts, designed to help you achieve a healthier 2018!

H2hotel

Bursting with organic, sustainable charm, the H2hotel is located in downtown Healdsburg, CA and heavily promotes a healthy lifestyle. All elements of the hotel, from the pool to the décor, were designed with saving energy in mind. The hotel offers charging stations for electric cars, along with free bike rentals and yoga classes.

The Majestic Yosemite Hotel

With Yosemite National Park in its backyard, the Majestic Yosemite Hotel provides endless ways to start a healthier lifestyle. While staying at the hotel, guests can go backpacking, fishing, rock climbing, horseback riding…the list goes on and on.

Rancho La Puerta

Located in Tecate, Mexico, Rancho La Puerta completely embodies wellness and fitness. The resort offers everything from intense fitness classes to relaxing yoga sessions, and all meals are made with ingredients from the resort’s own organic garden!

For more healthy hotels and resorts, visit this article written by PopSugar.

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Holiday Travel Fun Facts

The snow is falling, gifts are being wrapped and over 103 million Americans are packing their bags! Whether it’s to visit family or to just relax, traveling during the holidays is pretty common. So, we at McConnell Marketing decided to get into the holiday spirit and find fun facts related to holiday travelers. Enjoy!

Travel Tidbits

  • The 3 U.S. cities visited most during holidays include Fort Myers, FL, Cincinnati, OH, and Miami, FL
  • Traveling actually goes up more during Thanksgiving than Christmas
  • The Friday before Christmas is the most expensive day to fly
  • 71% of people would rather stay at a hotel during the holidays than with family

Check out the infographic below for more holiday travel fun facts!

If you’re one of the 103 million traveling this holiday season, be safe and enjoy your travels!

Looking for an infographic like the one above? Contact our Director of business development  to start a project or call 330.286.0487!

Marriott’s New CSR Initiative

It’s always nice to see a leader in your industry trying to make the world a better place.

Marriott International , the largest hospitality company in the world, is trying to do just that with its new Serve 360 initiative. The plan, whose full title is Serve 360: Doing Good In Every Direction, is a multi-faceted set of goals aimed to help Marriott positively impact important social issues like sustainability and diversity.

Ray Bennet, Chief Global Officer, Global Operations at Marriott International had this to say about the plan:

“As the global hospitality leader with properties and associates across 125 countries and territories, Marriott International has a global responsibility and unique opportunity to be a force for good in all aspects of our business – from helping to reduce carbon and water use to providing our associates with human trafficking awareness training.”

Serve 360 has 4 parts

  • Nurture – “Nurture our World” consist of goals that involve increasing Marriott’s commitment to community engagement.
  • Sustain – “Sustain Responsible Opportunities” is designed to reduce Marriott’s negative environmental impact.
  • Empower – “Empower through Opportunity” contains goals for improving the company’s diversity.
  • Welcome – “Welcome All and Advance Human Rights” is about prioritizing human rights and ensuring responsible sourcing.

The plan consists of 12 goals to be accomplished by 2025 at the latest. Here’s a quick look at a few of them:

  • By 2022, 80% of Marriott managed hotels will participate in community service activities annually
  • By 2025 100% of associates will have completed human rights training
  • Sustainably source 95% in their top 10 priority categories by 2025
  • 100% of hotels will have a sustainability certification by 2025

For more information about Marriott’s plan check out this article by eHotelier or go directly to the Serve 360 section of Marriott’s Website.

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