How to get a package sold successfully?
Good question, in general it will never amount to more than a small fraction of the overall leisure business generated, in fact it depends on the accompanied marketing strategy if a package is successful, as one in general reaches only niche audience that specifically look for special themed packages or offers. Possible tools to market packages are:

• listing on hotel website
• blog listings
• third party website listings
• distribution via on-line press releases
• advertising
• distribution through social network sites like Facebook, LinkedIn or XING
• listings in hotel newsletters and hotel magazines
• hotel internal promotions
• distribution via flyer

One should focus on its core mission to market a specific package, also look at the items/services included to decide which marketing tool fits best. Good examples of packages that are special and sold successfully are:

Omni Hotels, which do offer a socalled “Retail Therapy” package, a girlfriend getaway package that does include shopping elements. Omni Hotels market this via their own hotel websites as well as www.hotelchatter.com.

Babymoon packages, pre-baby vacation packages for expecting parents, a real “hype” for resort destination hotels but also a package that becomes very popular for city hotels. One can market these via various third party websites like www.babymoonguide.com, www.babymoonfinder.com or www.baby-moon.eu, a few good examples of babymoon package can also be found on these sites. A nice babymoon package is the “Luxury before Birth package” offered by The Ring, Vienna’s Casual Luxury Hotel, more details on www.theringhotel.com.

Numerous hotels offer “pet-friendly packages” as many guests prefer to travel together with their dog, a nice example of a “pet-friendly package” is offered by the Hotel Pere Marquette, have a look: www.hotelperemarquette.com

Pretty new on the market are the socalled “green travel packages” or “ecofriendly packages”, websites like www.greenhotels.com do explain “green travel” very clearly, for hotels as well as for guests and hotels like Kimpton Hotels & Resorts do explain their mission statement and “earthcare program” (www.kimptonhotels.com) on their website, a nice example of an eco-friendly package is the package of the Orchard Garden Hotel in San Francisco (www.theorchardgardenhotel.com).

How about “dynamic packaging”? In this way a hotel offers simply accommodation and next to that their guests a large variety of booking additional services like breakfast, lunch, dinner, limousine services, spa treatments, museum tickets, fruit baskets, flowers and many more items. Hotels can act fully flexible as to their selling strategy and promote specific services/items. Also the guest can act fully flexible and can decide if he wants to book specific services beforehand or at check-in.

Looking for a creative, trendy, extraordinary or themed hotel package? Just use the well known search engines and type in the different themes and the words “hotel package“, it is amazing what comes up.

February, 2009 New York, NY – Today, Steele Travel announces the details of their Life Ball 2009 travel experience. Steele Travel has been selected as the exclusive North American tour operator in providing access to the Life Ball, Europe’s, and quite possibly, the world’s most extravagant HIV and AIDS benefit held annually in Vienna, Austria. Celebrating the beauty of life and the diversity of world cultures, Life Ball reinvents the great Viennese Ball tradition with glamorous, outlandish performances and inspirational speeches. It attracts huge interest in the media and is broadcast live on Austrian National TV prime time, with delayed airing in Germany. To date the Life Ball has raised over € 10.5 million. It is the only AIDS charity event to take place in a government building. In 2008, the event raised € 1.4 million in one single night.

Steele Travelers will be treated to a once-in-a-lifetime travel experience when joining the Life Ball Experience. On May 14, 2009, passengers meet at JFK’s international airport to board their private VIP chartered Austrian Airlines jet bound for Vienna. This plane has been reconfigured to offer each passenger extra space along with business class cuisine and service for all on board. The Life Ball party plane is exclusively reserved for celebrities and members of the press. However, Steele Travel has received a limited number of seats on this plane available for sale to the public.

Once in Vienna, Steele Travelers are welcomed via red carpet service and are whisked off to The Ring, Vienna’s Casual Luxury Hotel (www.theringhotel.com) for two nights, the official hotel partner of Steele Luxury Travel for the Life Ball 2009. Over the course of the weekend, Vienna’s city hall is transformed into a themed setting of water, Life Ball’s theme for 2009. In the previous years each Life Ball presented itself thematically very different. This year though the team surrounding Gery Keszler, the creator of The Life Ball, decided to develop a concept valid for the next four years – “The four Elements of Life Ball:” – starting with the 17th Life Ball on May 16th, 2009 and concluding with the 20th edition, the jubilee ball in 2012. In the centre of the artistic implementation are the elements water, earth, air and fire. Powerful archaic symbols but still enormously progressive in their value. The audience can expect a vast number of opulent surprises – a grand part of the opening ceremony production of the coming Life Ball will happen on, by and in water. This way the show in front of Vienna’s City Hall strongly emphasises the elemental force of water and its central value for life itself. The opening’s grand finale is a glittering fashion show – so far Donatella Versace, Jean Paul Gaultier, John Galliano, Vivienne Westwood, Roberto Cavalli, Gianfranco Ferré, Missoni, Moschino, Agent Provocateur among others have presented their creations at the Life Ball.

The rare and hard-to-obtain Life Ball tickets are included with each package purchase. On Sunday, May 17, passengers will once again board the luxury Austrian Airlines jetliner headed back to New York. Steele Travel is offering this package at an all-inclusive price of €1,999 per person. A pre-departure orientation dinner will be held at New York’s famous Paris Commune restaurant one week before departure for all Life Ball participants.

Dane Steele Green, President and CEO of Steele Luxury Travel, says “We are extremely honored to have been offered the opportunity to work exclusively with The Life Ball. Not only is this an event of a lifetime to attend; participants are simultaneously supporting a great cause. We are thrilled to be able to bring the Life Ball closer to our US customers. Proceeds from this trip will partially go to The Life Ball to support their cause and efforts.”

The Life Ball is organized by AIDS LIFE, an independent non-profit organization, created with the objective to raise money to support people in areas of the world most affected by HIV and AIDS. In 2008, a record result of 1.4 million US-Dollars was raised. In 2007 an additional 1 million US-Dollars was generated at the Dinner Gala with Bill Clinton the night before Life Ball 2007. Half of the raised funds go to national relief projects and half go to international organizations in support of HIV/AIDS treatment, research and prevention.

Steele Luxury Travel is a new travel concept designed to offer an alternative to traditional vacationing. Steele Travelers experience the ultimate in first-class lodging, excursions, and exclusive event access. Steele’s gay friendly travel packages for 2009 include a sailing through Sardinia and Corsica aboard an 18-passenger 125-foot mega sail yacht, a visit to Istanbul and Bodrum in Turkey, the Mykonos Island Villa Escape where a compound made of up 3 villas becomes home to 21 Steele Travelers. Other destinations include a November trip to Buenos Aires and Punta del Este as well as a trip through South Africa over New Year’s 2010. Steele Luxury Travel will pamper you with amenities and services beyond first class. Live Your Indulgence.

For more information on the Life Ball or to make your reservation, visit www.SteeleTravel.com/lifeball.html or call 646-688-2274.