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"Customers expect technology to be embedded before, during, and after their stay. They’re not going to thank you for it, they expect it. In the end, technology is not our business."
Phil McAveety, Chief Brand Officer of Starwood, spoke earlier this month at the Skift Global Forum.
McAveety’s talk “The Future of Marketing in Travel,” kicked off the day’s activities. McAveety addressed marketing in the broadest sense, paying particular attention to how technology is determining more and more of how people will interact with travel brands before, during, and after a trip.
“There’s something we’ve learned: Technology is not going to win the hearts and minds of guests,” McAveey said from the stage. “Customers expect technology to be embedded before, during, and after their stay. They’re not going to thank you for it, they expect it. In the end, technology is not our business. Guests don’t stay in a hotel for an app.”
Over the next three weeks, we will publish in full the presentations and interviews from the Forum. To follow along as they are added, bookmark this page.
His talk is in full below.
Read more: 3 Top Quotes About Travel Marketing From Starwood’s Chief Brand Officer
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Tags: sgf2014, skift global forum, starwood
Photo credit: Phil McAveety, Chief Brand Officer of Starwood, at the Skift Global Forum in New York City on October 9, 2014. Skift