Insta cred lessons: If you aren’t a sensation on social media, you are supposedly missing a huge marketing opportunity. Lauren Levin, CMO of New York City’s Lightstone real estate development group, which is creating four Moxy hotels in the city, offers smart lessons on how to become an “it” hotel in a recent Forbes article. The bottom line: If it doesn’t make money or strengthen brand connection, it had better drive brand cachet.—Jeff Weinstein
Luxury’s biggest mistake? “Ultimate value is driven by defining one extreme performance point that sets the brand apart from all competing brands at the same level.” That’s from Daniel Langer, publishing an opinion piece in Jing Daily, which covers consumer trends in China. Langer, CEO of luxury, lifestyle and consumer brand strategy firm Équité, exhorts readers to avoid what he calls the costliest mistakes that brands across all categories frequently make.—Barbara Bohn
Three trends in travel buying: Facebook offers insights into traveler purchasing paths and, naturally, how social media and digital platforms play a part. Its new research looks at three major trends in behavior when it comes to loyalty in travel: simplicity affinity, pragmatic travelers and latent loyalist. Download the report.—J.W.
The old becomes new… Take a tour with Bloomberg of the Okura Tokyo, which recently underwent a US$1 billion – yes, that’s billion – renovation to add a couple of new buildings and refurbish the exquisite mid-century spaces with modern touches that still retain the ambiance of the original space. And the traditional changes hands… Crain’s Detroit Business reports on the end of an era on Michigan’s Mackinac Island, where the family behind the iconic Grand Hotel finally have relinquished ownership held since 1933 to KSL Partners.—B.B.