Hotel Digital Marketing Essentials Series

HOTEL DIGITAL MARKETING ESSENTIALS SERIES (HDME)

Six-week instructor-led virtual classroom series
Middle East Schedule:

Next sessions:

Tuesday, 10 June to 22 July 2025 at 2:00PM GST
Tuesday, 09 September to 21 October 2025 at 2:00PM GST

Have you ever wondered if you are using the appropriate marketing strategies to hit revenue goals for your hotel(s) and/or organization? Or are you unsure of the common terms used within hospitality digital marketing?

Acquire a better understanding of the hospitality digital marketing concepts, tools, and techniques you need to know in 2024 by participating in a live collaborative education experience over 6 weeks.

Learners will be able to confidently find their way through the complex web of hotel digital marketing and come away with key knowledge to work more skillfully with internal teams and external partners to grow sales. Participants will also gain the skills and knowledge in preparation for the Certified Hospitality Digital Marketer (CHDM) exam.

COURSE OVERVIEW

Digital Marketing is no longer a niche, digital marketing is marketing! Digital marketing is at the core of building a hotels awareness, reputation and filling rooms. And while not everyone needs to be an expert, everyone should have basic knowledge of how digital marketing works and how, if done well, it will drive a hotels success.

Have ever wondered if you are using the right marketing strategies to help you exceed your revenue goals?
Do you feel like you know one area of digital well but might be missing out on some other important segments?
Do you work with digital marketers, but sometimes find yourself overwhelmed by what is being discussed (not to mention all those acronyms)?
For a comprehensive overview of the hotel digital marketing landscape, this is the program for you.

COMPLETING THIS COURSE WILL HELP YOU:

Grow revenues
Identify and solve digital marketing opportunities and challenges
Make better decisions around channel management
Gain credibility with internal teams, vendors and partners

COURSE OUTLINE

Module 1 – The Framework (Videos and Activities – 90 minutes)

In this first module we cover structure and strategy. We begin with the history of hotel digital marketing, We review the definitions of Paid, Owned and Earned Media. We walk through an entire strategy as it relates to the marketing funnel. We share the Conversion Formula and review the formation of a marketing strategy.

Module 2 – Owned Media (90 minutes)

We will review our owned media – specifically our hotel website. We review content, imagery, merchandising, SEO and the booking engine. We’ll also cover email and CRM.

Module 3 – Earned Media (90 minutes)

We cover earned media, or social, public relations, guest reviews and influencers. We share some key measurements, discuss social media monitoring v. listening and share social post best practices.

Module 4 – Paid Media (90 minutes)

This session covers search engine marketing, display, native, meta and social paid advertising.

Module 5 – Analytics and Attribution (60 minutes)

We’ll answer your measurement and analytics questions – as well as share the newest regulations and guidelines.

Module 6 – Vendors, Trends and the Role of the Digital Marketer (90 minutes)

In this final session we review OTAs and distribution. We also cover vendor relationship management, trending topics including AI and Data Science. We also talk about the specifics of the roles of digital managers and how they evolve.

WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS COURSE?

eCommerce, revenue, sales and other marketing professionals who need to advance their knowledge around all things digital marketing.

Regional, Corporate and Property Level:

eCommerce Managers
Directors of Sales and Marketing
Revenue Managers & Directors
General Managers
Asset Managers

HOW IT WORKS

Course Length
6 Weeks

Live virtual course will be held from 2:00 pm – 3:00 p.m. GST every Tuesday for six consecutive weeks (all sessions will be recorded).

Effort
2-3 hours a week

Participants will be encouraged to spend at least a minimum amount of time each week dedicated to course reading, attendance in the 90-minute live web session, and practice activities to ensure knowledge capture.

Format

100% online, instructor-led
Small class sizes ensure personalized attention and interaction.
Participants are encouraged to turn on their web cams during the course.

HOW TO REGISTER

The registration fee includes web series attendance and include a copy of the Certified Hospitality Digital Marketer (CHDM) study guide, Hospitality Digital Marketing Essentials: A Field Guide for Navigating Today’s Digital Landscape.

Registration Fee*: HSMAI members $425, nonmembers $450

*The fee for the HDME classes is a separate fee from the CHDM certification fee. The CHDM certification fee is $450 for HSMAI members and $625 for non-members – Those who complete the HDME series are entitled to a $75 discount on the CHDM certification fee.

MEET THE FACULTY

This course will be presented by devoted HSMAI volunteer leaders, Dan Wacksman and Holly Zoba, the previous HSMAI Marketing Advisory Board chairs. Holly and Dan have been recently recognized by HSMAI as one of the Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Hospitality Sales, Marketing, and Revenue Optimization. In addition to their leadership in industry, they continue to contribute to the HSMAI Certified Hospitality Digital Marketer (CHDM) program and study guide.

Dan Wacksman, CHDM, CHBA, CRME
Sassato, Principal

With over 20 years of senior level experience in hotel marketing and travel distribution, Dan Wacksman has recently launched a new company, Sassato, to help hotels and travel related businesses to improve their performance in marketing, distribution, technology, and implementations. Prior to this, Dan was Senior Vice President of Marketing and Distribution for Outrigger Hotels and Resorts, where he oversaw Marketing, Digital, Loyalty/CRM, Contact Center Operations, OTA relationships, and overall distribution strategy. Previous roles include Managing Director for GTA China and Regional Director for GTA Asia, where he had overall responsibility for offices throughout the region (at the time GTA was one of the world’s largest wholesalers), General Manager of Aoyou.com, an Online Travel Agency based in Beijing, and Director of Strategic Development for Travelport where he was involved in acquisitions and strategic initiatives. Dan currently teaches a digital marketing class at the University of Hawaii and is a frequent speaker at industry events.

Holly Zoba, CHDM
Scout Simply, Principal

Holly Zoba has 15 years of experience in hotel Sales and Marketing, with Hospitality Partners and the Aurora Foundation, both in property level and corporate roles. She has also spent the last 10 years in hotel training and development as the SVP of Signature Worldwide and now as the architect of Influencer Sales Training. Recently she received a certification as a full stack web developer, MERN stack, and has contributed to the development of several web applications. Her company, Scout Simply, provides digital sales training through her Influencer Sales program as well as sales and marketing employee development through education, coaching, consulting and audits. Holly is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and has also authored multiple articles in industry publications.