My 5 Must-Know Lessons from the 2024 Inbound Marketing Conference

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Inbound 2023 was a bit of a disaster for me. On day one, I learned from 2,161 miles away from home that my beloved dog of 14 years had passed away, which was followed up quickly by a high fever and flu-like cold that had me confined in my hotel room for the rest of the conference (although it was a spacious, beautiful room at The Lenox Hotel, which helped make the situation a bit better). 

One year later, I can’t help but think of how much has happened; we welcomed our new best friend, Cocoa, into the family (although we still miss Rozzi everyday), AI has gone from a concept to actionable agents, and walled gardens of Google/Facebook and more keep eroding away at our ability to drive traffic to our websites. When I look ahead to what’s to come in the next year, I’ve walked away from Inbound 2024 thinking there’s a lot going on in the marketing world that holds onto long established concepts like behavioral science and creative messaging - the “human-ness” of marketing, but now - to the power of AI. 

I left Inbound Marketing Conference 2024 feeling mentally exhausted by the amount of content and ideas I consumed, yet inspired by being surrounded by others looking for ways to keep finding ways to do our jobs better - for our companies, our clients and because of our passion for the field. After digging through what seemed to be endless pages of notes, here are my top 5 takeaways from Inbound Marketing Conference 2024.

Top 5 hotel marketing lessons from Inbound marketing conference 2024

1. Take risks and be nimble - don’t be afraid to back out quickly if something isn’t working.

This one isn’t exactly new, but it was a good reminder and also made me realize we aren’t the only ones trying to navigate the endless onslaught of new products, platforms, and ad types. There are so many places, platforms, campaign types, etc., to allocate the budget for these days. It can be overwhelming and you most likely don’t have enough budget to run on all of them (unless you have Barbie movie kind of funds). It’s important to take risks, test new channels, and be ready to jump ship or pivot quickly when things aren’t working. Just because something is standard in the industry doesn’t mean you should keep on doing it if it doesn’t move the needle for your business. 

2. People desire to connect, so don’t be afraid to use emotion and other creative approaches in your ads to stand out.

Each year I’ve been fortunate to attend sessions at Inbound; LinkedIn always comes in with a fire presentation filled with deep data points and creative examples ripe for testing. This year, Amanda Green’s session on LinkedIn Creative Strategies to Maximize Engagement claimed that “Creative is your biggest lever to drive sales” (more so than targeting) and that currently, “75% of ads are not effective”. I think so often, brands play conservatively with their language and lean away from taking risks by using things like humor. But, regardless of whether you are in B2B or B2C, your ad’s success depends on your brand’s ability to connect with humans. Test ear-catching copy - use puns, alliteration, power words, rhyming, and more. Test creative variations that increase “dwell” time or tie into the psychology of color.

3. It’s easy to be fearful of AI, but don’t forget it’s AI to the power of YOU. It will only elevate your beautiful, unique, and creative self even more.

The CTO of Hubspot, Dharmesh, opened Inbound 2024 talking about AI agents and stating that it’s “AI to the power of YOU”. Really, AI is only going to take your creativity, uniqueness, and inherent you-ness and expand upon them exponentially. Speaking with different people at the conference, there is still a lot of apprehension and a bit of fear around AI - and sometimes an uncertainty about where to even begin with the technology. During his session, Dharmesh introduced the first professional network for AI agents, agent.ai, where you can go right now and hire different AI agents to help with everything from company research to making memes to conversion rate optimization. I think this takes the abstract concept of “AI” and turns it into specific use cases of how AI can work for you and your team. I encourage you to check it out and start playing around with it today. I think you’ll find fear and apprehension replaced with growing excitement around the technology.

4. Just because search traffic is set to decline 25% due to AI doesn’t mean the organic search channel is losing importance.

According to an insight packed session I attended by SEMRush, from 2022 to 2024, click-outs from Google to websites went from 45.1% to 41.5%, and the prediction is that this will keep declining. There have been a few recent studies about this topic, most recently and notably the one from Rand Fishkin. Google will continue to trap users in its own ecosystem, leading to fewer and fewer clicks “out” to other websites. In the hotel marketing world, we already see this in Google’s hotel search and travel planner. Google keeps users searching and researching within Google until they are ready to book - then bam, google hotel ads to the rescue. Even then, the number of Google searches isn’t declining; it is only the number of clicks from the search engine. 

As search marketers, it may be time to re-think the importance of optimizing impressions in organic search while emphasizing the importance of being visible for “click out” transaction searches. Optimization for search engines will continue to be incredibly important, and on top of that, new search engines will also emerge that need to be considered in your strategy moving forward. Yes, Google will most likely maintain market share, but knowing how LLM-based search engines work will continue to increase in importance as they become ingrained in each type of search platform. The top hints I grabbed from this session are that LLM-based search engines (think SearchGPT, Perplexity) love structured content and data. They consume from sources like YouTube and Reddit because of this. Make sure you are optimizing these platforms to be ready for LLM-based search.

5. People do strange things - tap into people’s natural reactions to make your hotel’s marketing work better.

My absolute favorite part of marketing is the psychology around how creative messaging and design works. In the end, we are finding ways to reach the right audience with the right message to encourage them to buy - but ultimately, people are hard-wired to simply react as they try to find decision-making shortcuts. In my first (and possibly favorite) Inbound session this year, Nancy Harhut walked us through 5 Unconventional Messaging Moves for Marketing Mavericks. They included tips like using the BYAF (but you are free) technique - think “the choice is yours” type messaging; stating the obvious - like how Folders calls themselves “mountain grown” when most coffee is mountain grew, or using loss aversion to call out how much money you could lose vs how much you’ll save. 

It’s always better to Inbound with friends

Okay, this is a bonus takeaway, but really part of what made this year more magical. I had the absolute pleasure of sharing the experience of Inbound with colleagues and clients that I get to call friends. After each day, and in-between sessions, we got to discuss our experiences and favorite insights from Inbound over a great meal in Boston. It was energizing and helped fuel our takeaways into more actionable considerations that are going to best help our teams and our clients in the coming year. Special thanks to the Lenox Hotel team for their gracious hospitality. 

Interested in joining us for Inbound 2025? Let us know!

Flexibility Cultural Pillar | GCommerce Hospitality Marketing

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Flexibility, More Than Just A Cultural Pillar For Our Hospitality Marketing Agency

Most everyone born in or around the mid 60’s can certainly recall the acclaimed children’s show Gumby, a youthful rubber like figurine exploring each day filled with adventure. Who knew that almost six decades later we would all be experiencing exactly what our ‘Gumby-like’ capabilities are? Sadly, most days throughout the past two years cannot be defined with adventure and exploration the same way that our rubber friend portrayed each of his own. But we can recognize and appreciate a very critical point of view: flexibility. 

So, I am not just talking about yoga pants and stretching here (although I am confident most everyone’s athleisure wear has become quite the investment) but more so about mental flexibility. Our office space has become a shared space with our furry friends, children’s crafts, a partner’s soundboard for dinner, and Alexa has taken a swift promotion to Executive Assistant. All these woes have quickly become the new default in working during “all things COVID.”

Maintaining a strong culture of flexibility is a must and is essential for the best interests of the company, team, and clients at our hospitality marketing agency. The irony here is that this simple paraphrase is in fact one of the cultural pillars which lies at the foundation of GCommerce (and yes, the pillars were written pre-COVID). There was a time where life existing outside of the office was such a fundamental part of well-being. Now with some adaptivity to that, life is existing in the “office” and balancing this while still ensuring the adage ‘work hard-play hard’. Flexibility has become the most important ingredient to this recipe and one we value everyday at our hospitality marketing agency.

So, to all of those who were fans of our blue-green rubber friend take a minute and reflect on flexibility in your own life. Maybe even put on a red cape because if you have managed one of these scenarios then you have in fact exercised your mental flexibility. Here at GCommerce we were just lucky enough to build on it.

Adaptability Cultural Pillar | GCommerce Hotel Marketing

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How I Live The Adaptability Cultural Pillar For GCommerce Hotel Marketing

Adaptability is growth, and growth leads to opportunity. 

Hotel marketing is an ever-evolving and interconnected field. The ability to adapt is a skill that always needs to be fostered from the ‘top-down’ within any Organization.

GCommerce takes pride in encouraging adaptability in everything we do. How we approach our client's way of work and the changes within the hotel marketing industry to how we learn from each other as an organization (especially in this post-Covid world) will determine our level of adaptability.

Working at GCommerce, I’ve witnessed first hand how much our day-to-day fluctuates around the needs of our clients. One moment, I might be working on Facebook ads for hotels, and then the next web edits. But within that, there are also little nuances that may cause me to change directions entirely and this is why adaptability is so important. Our clients are our partners, and we are only successful when they are, so no matter what needs to be done, I constantly tell myself a solution can be found. Whether that solution comes from me or someone else, at the end, it's all about growing to accomplish the end goal. 

Working from home, you start to understand how important being flexible is. Whether it be how you structure your personal life around work or how you lean on google and colleagues to provide you with ideas you may need assistance on. Adaptability provides me with constant growth as I try to bring the best results to my clients and their business. It is the way we listen, learn, and provide value (or communicate).

Without adaptability it would be hard for organizations to collaborate or express ideas the way they were intended to be, if not better. In this post-Covid era, it is even more crucial to not be stuck in one's way of thinking.

Over the long term the businesses that will succeed are the ones that continually adapt to their landscape as they innovate. We may not be able to predict the future, but by adapting, we can be flexible and one step ahead of anything that comes up. As mentioned earlier, hotel marketing is an ever-evolving and interconnected field, but to be present, grow and succeed is essential for sustaining adaptability. 

Build A Career In Digital Marketing

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Are you one of the millions of people who quit their job as part of the Great Resignation? Maybe you had your next move already lined up or your side hustle took off and became your full time gig. Or maybe you haven’t quit yet, but you’re planning to. Maybe you’re sitting at your desk right now, avoiding your inbox, reading this blog, and plotting your way out. I’ve been in your shoes.

I graduated in 2010, right into the aftershocks of the Great Recession, with a dual degree in English and History. My prospects were not strong. So I did what many others in my position did…I went to grad school. 3 years later I held a masters in Library & Information Sciences. I pursued this path because I really do love libraries and there were supposed to be waves of Baby Boomer retirements that opened up jobs. The former is still true, the latter never happened.

Flash forward to August 2020 and I was beyond burned out. The pandemic exacerbated my growing sense of dissatisfaction with the field but I couldn’t see a way out. The idea of going back to school, again, made my head hurt and I’d already invested so much in this career. I thought that walking away was a sign of failure. But I realized I couldn’t go on being so unhappy for another 40 years before retirement. I needed to do something but I had no idea how to make a career change.

Maybe you, like me, have experienced a dramatic shift in your priorities over the past 2 years when it comes to what you want out of your job. For me it was better work/life balance, better pay, better growth opportunities, and a remote work option. A friend of mine knew that his former employer, a digital marketing company, was hiring and sent the listing my way. At first I was hesitant. I knew I wanted out of libraries but I wasn’t sure how my skills and experience would be relevant. With the benefit of hindsight, I see now that this hesitation was unwarranted. A related degree would certainly help, but making the switch to a career in digital marketing wasn’t as hard as I thought. I wish I had a guide like this to help me prepare for interviews and figure out what to expect so now that I have a bit of experience under my belt, I figured I’d write one myself.

How to Get a Job in Digital Marketing? First, Do Your Research.

Take some time to sit down and sift through job postings. Cast a wide net and get a feel for what different titles mean and how the requirements might change depending on the industry (ie: travel marketing vs. ecommerce). Keep a running list of what sounds interesting to you, what sounds like a possible entry point, and what you emphatically don’t want to do. If you have an end goal in mind – job title, salary, or even company – start thinking about possible paths to get there, especially if you don’t have the necessary experience to slide right into your dream job. Your first digital marketing job may or may not be entry level, but think of it as the first step in a new direction. It’s likely going to take a bit of time before you’re where you really want to be.

If you don’t have a relevant degree, keep a list of companies that either don’t require one or explicitly say they accept comparable work experience in place of a degree. Even if a degree is on the job posting as a requirement, it can’t hurt to apply, especially if you sound like a good fit otherwise. Keep a list of the most common skills that appear on job postings. Identify areas where you know you fall short and start looking for ways to bridge this gap. You could look into boot camps or certification programs, but they’re often expensive and unnecessary. There are countless freely available resources online to help get you enough training to break into the industry, start with those. (I’ve even included a list at the end of this post to help get you started.) 

Once you find a few job titles you think would be a good fit, set up some job search alerts on LinkedIn and start updating your resume. In the meantime, let friends, family, and colleagues who’ve made a similar transition know you’re looking. Experience plays a large role in the job hunt, but word of mouth and personal recommendations can drastically improve your chances. Reach out to people you know who might be able to give you some industry advice, even if it’s a friend of a friend of your second cousin. You never know when a conversation with an acquaintance might lead to a job. 

Assessing Your Skills is Crucial to Making a Career Change

Once you have an idea of what jobs sound interesting to you, it’s time to take a look at what you’re bringing to the table. Create a giant list with your hard skills (ex: Excel, budgeting, reporting) in one column, and your soft skills (ex: creativity, analytical thinking, problem solving) in another. This makes it easier to customize your resume and prepare for interviews based on the job requirements. For each of your skills, try to think of a couple of examples that demonstrate your proficiency in that area. The next step is mapping your skills to the list of common skills you identified from the job postings you pulled.

For example, I hadn’t done keyword research in a digital marketing context before, but I’d taught people how to search within massive databases and ran several social media accounts. I knew that some search terms required filters to be useful (finding Stephen King’s It in the catalog → negative keyword research) and that some keyword combinations packed more punch than others (finding the best Instagram hashtags to promote a library program → finding the right keywords for PPC and on-page SEO). I had experience experimenting with language and deciphering the intent behind the words people chose.

Working in perpetually underfunded libraries also prepared me for managing and maintaining client budgets and analyzing reports to hit ROAS goals. Before, I had to justify every dollar spent as it related to circulation stats (checkouts, renewals, downloads, etc.). Libraries are a service and therefore aren’t expected to turn a profit, so that’s a foundational difference in the fields, but the general work of managing budgets isn’t all that different.

I knew that no matter what, there would be a bit of a learning curve. But taking the time to map my skills in this way helped me shake off the sense of imposter syndrome that kept me stuck in a job I no longer wanted. I’d been telling myself that it was too late to change careers and I had no transferable skills. But I did have transferable skills, I just had to zoom out and view my daily work from a slightly different angle to see it. Doing this also indicated to interviewers that I was prepared and was able to think creatively and conceptually. It helped me control the narrative around what could otherwise have been seen as weak points.

Here are some of the most common skills I came across during my job hunt, I bet you already have some of them: writing, editing, design, content creation, social media management, data analysis, sales, marketing strategy, creativity, analytical, self-educating/keep up with trends, experimental/flexible, adaptability.

Intimidated by a Career Change? You’re Not Alone

Changing careers can be scary, especially if you don’t feel a “calling” to work in a particular field. I was curious if my coworkers had similar stories and how many of them got their start in a field completely different from marketing. Before transitioning to digital marketing, my coworkers came from a variety of industries, including: the financial/mortgage industry, radio, travel call centers, travel sales and tech sales, travel agencies, corporate training positions, the hotel industry, the solar industry, stagehand work, a/v work, and home construction. 

Some of my coworkers hold marketing or marketing-adjacent degrees like a BA in Communication. But many of them went to school for something completely different, like finance and travel. Still others are entirely self-taught – they learned on the job, started as freelancers, and took advantage of freely available marketing resources online prior to landing their first gig. Our company specializes in the hotel industry, so it makes sense that many of my colleagues have backgrounds in travel and hospitality; maybe there’s a similar leap you can make within your current industry.

One of the biggest hurdles for me was moving beyond the sunk cost fallacy – the idea that I had to stay in my previous career because I’d already invested so much time, schooling, and money into it. But in this area too, I wasn’t alone. Some of my coworkers spent 20+ years in their previous career before making the switch. Others transitioned out after 2 or 3 years. Everyone has their own reason for making such a major change, but nearly everyone I spoke to mentioned the need for job security and less volatility. For some of us, the decision was wrapped up in questions of personal identity and letting go of our plan of how life was supposed to go. For some it meant walking away from an industry we believed in, but that we couldn’t rely on to pay our bills and or maintain our mental health.

For most of us it involved a lot of effort at the ground level to learn the ins and outs of marketing, to catch up to our coworkers who did go to school for this work, and to find our niche. For those of us coming from another industry, it meant we had to hit the ground running. It requires a lot of work at the start, yes, but it’s not impossible by any means.

For the first few months I felt like I was building the plane while flying it. But so far I’m finding that digital marketing is engaging and interesting work. It satisfies my creative and analytical sides in equal measure. The position I’m in now is flexible – I don’t work nights, weekends, and holidays anymore. I work from home so I see more of my husband and I spend less time in traffic. In the grand scheme of things, I’m still new to the industry, but I already see more opportunity for growth and development (and income) than I did in 7 years in my previous career.

Word to the Wise: How to Make a Career Change From People Who’ve Done It

I asked my coworkers who made a similar career change if they were given any advice they found particularly helpful when first getting into digital marketing, or if they had any wisdom to impart now that they were on the other side of it. Here’s what they had to say:

  • It’s important to remember that we all have skills and things to gain and contribute.
  • Life doesn't need to be constricted to one specific industry in order to be successful. 
  • Trying new things can lead us to places we never would've known were possible.
  • It’s all about the right attitude. You need to be excited about learning something new, the ability to problem solve, and the willingness to roll up your sleeves and do anything it takes to get the job done.
  • Don’t be afraid to try something new. What do you have to lose? Nothing.
  • You should do as much research as possible about any industry you are looking into.  Talk to friends or friends of friends who might be in that vertical.
    • Some areas to explore for building a career in digital marketing: SEO, PPC, Display, Social Media, Email, Website, Metasearch, Local, Reporting, Research, On-Page, Content
  • Set goals for yourself and don't be afraid to ask your coworkers questions.  
  • Be prepared to dive in head first and never be afraid to ask for help from your colleagues.
  • Figure out which vertical of marketing you are most interested in & begin to learn about that topic & its subtopics.
  • Learn your "learning style"...that way you can teach yourself things in the most efficient way possible. Google/research every topic/word you are unfamiliar with the second you come into contact with it.
  • Every marketing resource is available online. Articles are available for every topic in marketing & digital marketing. It helps to create a list of topics & then find articles on each in order to learn about them. YouTube is also a great resource.
  • Creating your own website/vlog is huge! It is also a great way to begin learning.
  • Don't fall for "online gurus" who try to sell you on a course/mentorship. The great thing about the internet is that we can find so much useful information for free by top professionals in that field.

Resources to Kick Start Your Career in Digital Marketing

MOZ: Beginner’s Guide to SEO

Holistic SEO

Search Engine Roundtable

Search Engine Land

SEM Rush Blog

Google Skillshop

Microsoft Ads Certification

GCommerce Works with the Best Hotels in the World

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Somewhere out there someone’s writing ads about HVAC. 

And we feel for them.

We enjoy digital marketing, but getting to do digital marketing for hotels and travel is a rare opportunity that we all feel fortunate to call our jobs. We spend our days dreaming about beach escapes, mountain retreats, rock ‘n roll havens and everything in between. We feel a true connection to our clients. Not only because we love travel, but because we love to help these partners succeed through driving awareness and direct bookings.

We wouldn’t be here without our clients and for that, we give so much thanks and gratitude. Cheers to another great year. One with continued challenges but also a whole lot of successes. 

Since we spend so much time working with our clients, we wanted to reflect on some of the clients our team members would most like to visit and why. Read below for more travel inspiration, if you didn’t need some already.



Jael Dugdale (Search Marketing Strategist) - I couldn't decide so I have two, Enchantment Resort in Sedona sounds like a dream one I would love to take Tallara and Robert too, the amenities alone for kids and adults sound like a lot of fun and it's all there at the resort. The second one is Pontchartrain Hotel in New Orleans. I consider them the Golden Goose for Aparium, even with 2020 and then setbacks from Hurricanes they just keep on surpassing our expectations. I want to visit it for myself to see what they are doing. I mean the city alone is a good reason to visit, but they seem to have it together, from the restaurants to the people and rooms. I've always been interested in them. 

The Pontchartrain Hotel in New Orleans


Nicki Stavres (Marketing Strategist) - As I’ve recently moved out west from the east coast I have found a greater love and appreciation for nature and the great outdoors. Our client that I would most love to visit is Enchantment Resort in Sedona, Arizona. To be in such a serene setting, surrounded by red rocks would be truly a dream setting for pure relaxation and adventure.

The Enchantment Resort in Sedona Arizona


Chelsea Simmons (Marketing Specialist) - The client I would most like to visit is Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort & Spa in Pigeon Forge, TN, because I have always been such a big Dolly Parton fan. I also love the Smokey Mountains and am craving that "cabin-in-the-woods" kind of vacation. 

The DreamMore Resort & Spa in Pigeon Forge Tennessee


Amy McNeill (Director of Account Services) - Choosing from our amazing clients is really hard! We have such an amazing collection of oceanfront resorts, ski-in/ski-out resorts, golf resorts, and downtown city center hotels. I've been lucky enough to visit many of them throughout my 5+ years at GCommerce. If I have to choose it would be the 5-star Las Terrazas Resort in Belize. I really want to get back to the island and scuba dive! 

The Las Terrazas Resort in Belize


Chris Jackson (Principal & Chief Evangelist) - I have been dreaming of getting to Scotland to play golf with my son. The dream continues to get paused with the challenges of traveling internationally during the pandemic.  Scotland and the natural scape of golf, how it was originally meant to be played, just got a little closer to home.  Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, one of GCommerce’s newest partners, is a golfing mecca for golf purists and might just be as close to a Scotland golfing experience as we can get right now. 

The Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon Oregon


Katy Jeter (Sr. Project Manager & Web Developer)- The client I would most want to visit is Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon. Every photo I've ever seen of the property is simply breathtaking. To know that many guests will spend the next two years dreaming of their chance to visit this other world over the next two years... I simply can't wait to get there.


Patrick Buckner (Search Marketing Strategist) - The client I would most like to visit is Hotel Californian in Santa Barbara. They are a client I have worked with since the beginning of our relationship and yet, I have never been to Santa Barbara. I would love to check out the Funk Zone and all the nearby cool bars and restaurants. 

The Hotel Californian in Santa Barbara California


Mark Oliver (VP of Business Development) - The property I would like to visit the most is Dollywood.  Why, you ask?  The reason is that I am very interested in learning why so many people are drawn to the resort.  Is Dolly Parton the main draw or is it the resort with Dolly on the side.  I would also like to better understand Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort & Spa and it’s incredibly popular appeal.  I would also like to experience their new resort, Heartsong, and what their idea of luxury is.  And finally, I would like to see Brian in his element.


Dan Brewer (Business Development Representative) - The GC Client I would most like to visit is Stein Eriksen Lodge in Deer Valley. Going to bring my wife, Karen. We're going to ski all day, have a great dinner and then sit by the fire. It's going to be wonderful.

The Stein Eriksen Lodge in Park City Utah

Ashley Scharpf(Search Marketing Specialist) - I love the idea of being out in nature, but I hate heat, bugs, sunburn, and the other nuisances of actually going outside. Enchantment Resort in Sedona, AZ seems like a great balance of the two though, with a peaceful and cozy resort in an absolutely drop-dead gorgeous environment. I want to visit so much that I've had literal dreams about it!


Cat Jones (Search Marketing Specialist) - The client I would most like to visit is Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa in San Diego. Whenever I work on SEO optimizations for them I get a little lost in the photos of their property. I would be quite comfortable with a month-long stay in the Spa House, wandering through the olive groves, and taking advantage of the daily yoga, and I would love to poke around in their culinary garden.

The Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa in San Diego California


Bill Morlock (Sr Customer Success Manager + Client Relations Supervisor) - My choice would be Sunset Marquis Hotel in West Hollywood.  There are quite a few reasons why Sunset would be my choice.  Among them would be to finally experience this awesome and very unique property that I know quite a bit about, but have yet to experience first hand.

Also along those lines, Sunset is a property in our portfolio that has been a real innovator in numerous unique, extremely creative, and one-of-a-kind types of initiatives and campaigns that we have implemented throughout the years.

Finally, the location, West Hollywood, SoCal is an area that is always interesting to visit and an area that I have worked with numerous properties and visited many, many times and it would be great to be able to tie Sunset Marquis in with my experiences in the LA area.

The Sunset Marquis in West Hollywood California

Erin Fischer (Marketing Manager) - The client I would like to visit the most is Sunset Marquis Hotel in West Hollywood. With their rich history in rock ’n roll and oasis-like atmosphere I feel like it would be the perfect escape from a chaotic world. I also love visiting the West Hollywood area and exploring Santa Monica Blvd. and Sunset’s location would be the perfect place to setup home base.


Christy Minnick (Senior Accountant)  - I would like to stay at Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa in Florida. It looks like a utopia.

The Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa in Manalapan Florida


Eric Hoffman (Customer Success Manager) - The client that I'd most like to visit is Callaway Gardens Resort in Georgia. The reason why is that Callaway Gardens has created several new in addition to existing special events that I would love to experience in person. In particular, I'd love to see Fantasy in Lights and check out the different scenes that have been created and have become beloved by the locals and visitors to the Gardens.

The Callaway Gardens Resort in Pine Mountain Georgia


Taylor Fujimoto(Creative Director) - Sunset Marquis Hotel in West Hollywood, CA. What’s cooler than hanging out with celebs in Hollywood? The raw tunes of many of the greatest classic rock bands filled our car anytime we’d take a road trip. I guess that’s what you get when your dad was a teenager during the greatest era in Rock. With a passion for Rock n Roll, I’d love to check out the Morrison Gallery and speak to some of the long-time employees and hear their amazing stories.


Paul Mooney (Marketing Development Specialist) - If I had one client to visit it would be The Cove, Eleuthera resort in the Bahamas. Eleuthera is a long thin island that's very tranquil, not too touristy, and offers the opportunity for an authentic island getaway experience. True paradise on earth.

The Cove, Eleuthera Resort in The Bahamas


Scott van Hartesvelt(Founder) - I’d most like to visit Eau Palm Beach Resort in Florida, simply because of their commitment to wellness.  In recent years, I’ve become acutely aware of my own health, wellbeing and mortality.  It's become clear to me that investments in material things are fleeting, but investments in mental and physical health are invaluable.  Eau Palm Beach strikes me as the place you would create in your dreams,sparing no expense, to refresh your body, revitalize your mind and enhance/prolong your quality of life.  There is no greater gift.


Jeff Hebert (Senior Developer) - I’d love to visit Surf & Sand Resort in Laguna Beach, partly because they were the first site I worked on when I started, but also because I have never had the chance to  stay at a hotel on the beach. The accommodations look amazing, and they’re really nice people whenever I’ve had the opportunity to talk with them.

The Surf & Sand Resort in Laguna Beach California

Alex Horrocks (Search Marketing Strategist) - Surf and Sand Resort in Laguna Beach because of their beach resort location!


Brittany O'Neil(Client Success Coordinator) - The ideal client would be a brand that is passionate about their own identity and authenticity. I believe that this client would enjoy their brand and want to highlight what makes their experience individual and why their guests choose to experience them. If I had to pick one, for me it would be one of the Moonstone Hotel properties.

The Moonstone Hotel in Cambria California


Lisa McGivney (Director of Marketing) - This is a terribly tough question. We have so many amazing clients in so many dreamy locations. If I had to pick just one (at this moment) it would have to be Enchantment Resort and Mii amo spa in Sedona, Arizona. I dream of a relaxing (and kid free) escape to the desert where I can get lost gazing out into the red rock, finding spiritual connection in the vortexes and unwinding with the most amazing spa treatments at this one of a kind property.


Cathryn Sandoval(Senior Customer Success Manager) - The client I would like to visit most is The Pontchartrain Hotel. I have never been to New Orleans, but have always been drawn to the vibrancy of the city. The Pontchartrain Hotel offers a classic NOLA experience and is located right in the heart of the Garden District, so you'll never miss a beat. After a day of exploring (and eating) I'd love to enjoy a nightcap cocktail on the Hot Tin Rooftop overlooking downtown New Orleans.

GCommerce Cultural Pillar: Flexibility

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Flexibility, More Than Just A Cultural Pillar For Our Hospitality Marketing Agency

Most everyone born in or around the mid 60’s can certainly recall the acclaimed children’s show Gumby, a youthful rubber like figurine exploring each day filled with adventure. Who knew that almost six decades later we would all be experiencing exactly what our ‘Gumby-like’ capabilities are? Sadly, most days throughout the past two years cannot be defined with adventure and exploration the same way that our rubber friend portrayed each of his own. But we can recognize and appreciate a very critical point of view: flexibility. 

So, I am not just talking about yoga pants and stretching here (although I am confident most everyone’s athleisure wear has become quite the investment) but more so about mental flexibility. Our office space has become a shared space with our furry friends, children’s crafts, a partner’s soundboard for dinner, and Alexa has taken a swift promotion to Executive Assistant. All these woes have quickly become the new default in working during “all things COVID.”

Maintaining a strong culture of flexibility is a must and is essential for the best interests of the company, team, and clients at our hospitality marketing agency. The irony here is that this simple paraphrase is in fact one of the cultural pillars which lies at the foundation of GCommerce (and yes, the pillars were written pre-COVID). There was a time where life existing outside of the office was such a fundamental part of well-being. Now with some adaptivity to that, life is existing in the “office” and balancing this while still ensuring the adage ‘work hard-play hard’. Flexibility has become the most important ingredient to

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