Diane Clarkson
Analyst, Jupiter Search
Diane Clarkson, Analyst, Jupiter Research
As a travel analyst at JupiterResearch, Diane Clarkson focuses on travel consumer behavior and industry trends. Her research focuses on online leisure and business travel, with a particular interest in travel consumers research and booking behavior.
Clarkson has been quoted in major media outlets including Forbes, The New York Times, The Financial Times, Information Week, and heard on CNN and NPR for comment on consumer and online travel trends.
Clarkson joined JupiterResearch with ten years marketing experience in the travel industry, working in Toronto, Melbourne, Sydney and Helsinki. Her background includes senior positions in traditional and online travel retail with responsibilities including marketing, advertising, and business development.
Clarkson holds an Honors B.A. in History and Labor Management Relations from the University of Toronto, Canada and an M.A. in Marketing and Public Affairs from the University of Sydney, Australia with a focus on the travel industry.
Diane Clarkson: JetBlue apologizes with Bill of Rights
In years to come, David Neeleman will be a Crisis Management case study of What To Do. After last week's nearly 1100 canceled JetBlue flights and thousands of stranded passengers, it's been a tough week for the JetBlue CEO. But Neeleman's acknowledgment, regret and actions have earned him kudos from crisis management experts.
Diane Clarkson: Free Internet Goes Hotel Upscale
Hotels are kidding themselves when they think the additional cost of internet access goes unnoticed by business travelers who are preoccupied with expense-form writer's cramp.
Last year in our Frequent Business Travelers' Executive Survey, frequent business travelers listed free in-room internet access as the top loyalty award feature that would impact their booking decisions. Internet access is a reimbursable business expense. It is also an expense that business travelers are, on principle, not happy about being charged.
According to BTN, hotels are beginning to get the message about internet access: Hilton's new San Francisco property will no longer carry an internet access charge.
Diane Clarkson: Hotel Fees: Indecent Non-disclosure
The New York Times has an interesting story today about hotel's mandatory surcharges and the debate over full rate disclosure. I am a strong proponent of fee disclosure. I am an equally strong proponent of the customer complaint letter. You can see why the Times story caught my eye.
Christopher Elliott cites the example of a traveler forced to pay a $1-a-night telephone service charge at a hotel in Las Vegas. The traveler was frustrated about the charge but didn't feel it was worth trying not to pay it.
Consumers' unwillingness to fuss is lucrative. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, hotel industry fee revenue has roughly tripled since 2003, reaching about $1.6 billion.
Diane Clarkson: Hotel E-mail Marketing
As online hotel bookings increase, many hotel marketers are overlooking the customer service and up-sell potential of pre-arrival guest e-mail.
Key Questions- How desirable is pre-arrival hotel e-mail to online hotel guests?
- What information are online hotel guests seeking in pre-arrival e-mail?
- To what extent should hotels offer information and up-sells in pre-arrival guest e-mail?
Diane Clarkson: Diane Clarkson on Flightplan
I had heard about the flight attendants labor unions getting their collective noses out of joint over the new Jodie Foster film Flightplan, but I hadn't really thought about the absurdity of it all until reading Diane Clarkson's blog today. Clarkson, who is a travel analyst for Jupiter Research, points out that there are plenty of movies who misrepresent professions or portray them in negative lights. Her list of example films is pretty funny:
Diane Clarkson: Missing Teen in Aruba's Effect on Tourism
Officials fear the recent disappearance of Natalee Holloway -- the 18-year-old Alabama student who went missing in Aruba -- could affect tourism to the tropical island. The island's prime minister and a travel industry analyst offer their thoughts about security on Aruba, and the potential impact on the island's economy.
Diane Clarkson says the prime minister's solo swims are a good example of why Americans consider Aruba safe. Clarkson is a travel analyst for Jupiter...
Diane Clarkson: U.S. Online Travel Market to Soar
U.S. online travel sales are projected to reach a year-end total of $54 billion in 2004, comprising just under a quarter (23 percent) of all domestic travel sales, according to the latest market forecast by JupiterResearch. That figure marks a 20 percent year-over-year increase above the 2003 total.
A key driver of projected growth is the surge in online managed business sales, expected to nearly triple from a 2004 total of $12 billion to $32 billion in 2009.
"We're expecting to see significant growth in online managed business travel, driven by a shift from previously unmanaged small- and medium-sized businesses into online managed business travel environments," said Diane Clarkson, the lead analyst of the report.