Max Starkov

Adjunct Professor NYU Tisch Center for Hospitality, Founder & Director at HEBS Digital

Max Starkov is President & CEO at HeBS Digital. Recognized as a thought leader in digital marketing strategies in hospitality, Max is a frequent guest speaker at industry events and conferences. His expertise is sought after by a diverse client portfolio of top tier hotel brands, luxury and boutique hotel chains, hotel management companies, resort and casino companies, franchisees and independents, as well as major Wall Street investment banks and financial institutions.
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Max Starkov is President & CEO at HeBS Digital. Recognized as a thought leader in digital marketing strategies in hospitality, Max is a frequent guest speaker at industry events and conferences. His expertise is sought after by a diverse client portfolio of top tier hotel brands, luxury and boutique hotel chains, hotel management companies, resort and casino companies, franchisees and independents, as well as major Wall Street investment banks and financial institutions. Under Max's leadership, HeBS Digital has pioneered many of the best practices in hotel digital marketing and direct online channel distribution, and has won many prestigious awards for its groundbreaking website design, technology, and digital marketing campaigns. Max received the HSMAI "Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Sales and Marketing" honor for 2008. He has an MS in Economics of International Tourism and an MBA with Beta Gamma Sigma honors from Fordham University in New York.
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Yearbook Articles

• Independent hotels: An action plan to win the direct booking
  The HOTEL Yearbook Special Edition - Digital Marketing 2020
  Global|Travel Technology|Digital Marketing
• Closing the loop on the travel journey
  HYB Special Edition - Technology 2018
  Global|Property Technology|Travel Technology|Digital Marketing
• Smart Data marketing in hospitality: The secret to maximizing direct bookings | Max Starkov and Margaret Mastrogiacomo
  The HOTEL Yearbook Special Edition - Digital Marketing 2017
  Global|Digital Marketing|Big Data
• Independent hotelier’s Big Data vs. real-time data conundrum
  The HOTEL Yearbook Special Edition - Technology 2016
  Global|Property Technology|Online Travel Agencies (OTA)|Digital Marketing
• Smart Hotelier’s 2014 “top10” digital marketing resolutions
  Hotel Yearbook 2014
  Global|Digital Marketing
• Meta search marketing: the new revenue frontier in hospitality
  HYB Special Edition - Technology 2014
  Global|Search Marketing

Other Articles

• Hospitality Digital Technology: Challenges, Priorities, and Buzzwords
  8 Mar 19
• The Mobile-First World Creates Tremendous Revenue Potential for Hoteliers
  15 Feb 19
• It's the End of the Hotel Metasearch Model as We Know It
  30 Oct 18
• Technical SEO On the Hotel Website: One Of the Most Important Revenue Drivers
  30 Aug 18
• Another Move By The OTAs That Is Harmful To Hotel Profitability – What You Need To Know
  22 Aug 18
• Why Offering Local Tours and Activities Is A Huge Revenue Opportunity for Hotels
  7 Aug 18
• How Hotel Managers Can Generate Profits Above and Beyond Owner’s Expectations
  19 Jun 18
• Debunking the Impact of Blockchain on Hotel Distribution
  13 Jun 18
• Coming Soon to Your Hotel: The Integrated Revenue Generation Team
  22 May 18
• The OTA’s Attempt at Discrediting the Value of the Hotel’s Direct Channel
  11 May 18
• Hotelier’s Action Plan to Maximize Revenues from the Google Ecosystem
  7 Sep 17
• Closing the Loop on the Travel Journey
  22 Jun 17
• Hoteliers need to stop digital fragmentation
  13 Jun 17
• Should Hospitality Embrace or Ignore Google AMPs?
  18 May 17
• The Smart Hotelier’s 2017 Top Ten Digital Technology & Marketing Resolutions
  5 Jan 17
• How to Use Online & Voice Channel Analytics to Fully Understand True ROI from Digital Marketing
  25 Oct 16
• Hotel Distribution Cost: The Only Cost Driver That Can Save Your Property’s Bottom Line in 2017
  17 Oct 16
• Smart Data Marketing in Hospitality: The Secret to Maximizing Direct Bookings
  7 Jul 16
• The Distribution Cost Conundrum: Another Major Misalignment of Interest between Owners and Operators.
  1 Jul 16
• Expedia’s Accelerator Program - The Final Nail in the Coffin of Hotel Profitability
  1 Mar 16
• The Smart Hotelier’s 2016 Top Ten Digital Marketing Resolutions
  5 Jan 16
• Et tu, Brute? Why “Book on Google” and “Book on TripAdvisor” Will Be a Nightmare for the Hospitality Industry
  29 Sep 15
• Hotelier’s Action Plan to Capitalize on the Mobile Channel Boom
  9 Jul 15
• Google Doorway Page Algorithm Update: Action Plan for Hotel Vanity Websites
  18 May 15
• The Smart Hotelier’s Action Plan to Digital Content Marketing
  21 Apr 15
• Why Hoteliers Cannot Afford Free Analytics Tools
  17 Mar 15
• Shortcuts that Kill Revenue: Using the “DIY” or “Build It Quick and Cheap” Approach for Hotel Websites
  19 Feb 15
• How Can Hoteliers Take Advantage of the Disruptive Shift from Desktop to Mobile?
  26 Jan 15
• Should Hoteliers Be Concerned with Amazon Becoming the Next Mega OTA?
  21 Jan 15
• Smart Hotelier’s 2015 Top 10 Digital Marketing Resolutions
  7 Jan 15
• Smart Hotelier’s 2015 Top 10 Digital Marketing Resolutions
  5 Jan 15
• How to Choose the Right Option for Your Property Website: Adaptive vs. Full Responsive Design in Hospitality
  4 Dec 14
• How Dynamic Content Personalization Maximizes Website Revenues and Increases Customer Loyalty
  10 Oct 14
• SEO is a Journey, Not a Destination: How to Implement an Ongoing SEO Strategy and Maximize Website Revenue
  19 Aug 14
• Mid-Year Review: The Rising Tide of Mobile Bookings – How Hoteliers Can Stay Afloat
  29 Jul 14
• The Top Ten Questions to Ask Your Digital Marketing Partner
  15 Jul 14
• Dynamic Rate Marketing – Hotelier’s Powerful New Weapon to Shift Share from the OTAs
  4 Jun 14
• The Shift in Desktop to Mobile & Tablet Continues to Transform Hotel Bookings in Q1 2014
  29 Apr 14
• 4 multi-faceted ways that meta-search can, and must, help hotels take on the OTAs
  11 Apr 14
• The Industry Has Spoken: Adaptive Web Design is the Winning Strategy
  5 Mar 14
• The Top Ten Questions to Ask Your Paid Search Vendor
  4 Feb 14
• The Top 10 Questions Hoteliers Should Be Asking Their Website Design Vendor
  21 Jan 14
• The Shift in Hotel Bookings from Desktop to Mobile and Tablet Accelerates in Q3, 2013
  6 Dec 13
• Treating Meta Search Marketing as a Distribution Channel Results in Loss of Direct Revenues for Hoteliers
  29 Oct 13
• The End of an Era: Google Says Goodbye to Keyword-Centric SEO
  26 Sep 13
• The Smart Hotelier’s Guide To 2014 Digital Marketing Budget Planning
  13 Aug 13
• Meta Search Marketing: The New Revenue Frontier in Hospitality
  15 Jul 13
• The Truth is in the Numbers: 2013 is Undoubtedly the Year of the Three Screens in Hospitality
  7 May 13
• A Call to Arms: How to Shift Market Share from the OTAs to the Hotel Website
  16 Apr 13
• How Real Are the Challenges to Dethrone Google as the King of Hotel Distribution?
  12 Mar 13
• Responsive Web Design, Demystified
  31 Jan 13
• The Smart Hotelier’s 2013 Top Ten Digital Marketing Resolutions
  4 Jan 13
• 2013: The year of three-screen hospitality
  18 Dec 12
• Hotel Promotions in a Multi-Channel Marketing Interview with Max Starkov
  30 Nov 12
• The Perils of Using WordPress as a Hotel Website Content Management System (CMS)
  13 Nov 12
• Is Hotel SEO Dead? Not by a Long Shot – More Than Half of Your Website’s Revenue Depends on It
  29 Oct 12
• The Birth of the Community Manager: the New Social Media Profession in Hospitality
  1 Oct 12
• The Smart Hotelier’s Guide to 2013 Digital Marketing Budget Planning
  1 Aug 12
• Hotel Mobile Marketing & Distribution Do’s and Don’ts
  19 Jun 12
• Will the Hospitality Industry Tango with Tingo?
  10 Apr 12
• Hotelier’s 2012 Mobile Marketing MUST Dos and Don’ts
  20 Mar 12
• The 2012 Do's & Don'ts of Hotel Distribution
  6 Mar 12
• Can TripAdvisor Transform Itself From an Industry Foe to an Industry Friend?
  22 Feb 12
• The Pitfalls of Last-Minute Sales in Hospitality
  12 Oct 11
• The Smart Hotelier’s Guide to 2012 Digital Marketing Budget Planning
  14 Sep 11
• The OTA Billboard Effect or the Lazy Man’s Approach to Hotel Distribution
  3 Aug 11
• It’s Time for a Mid-Year Course Correction: The Results of the Annual Survey on Digital Marketing Are In
  26 Jul 11
• It’s Official: The Dumbest Hotel Distribution Idea!
  5 Jul 11
• Controlling Hotel Distribution Costs in Today's Multi-Channel World
  19 Apr 11
• HeBS Best Practices: 2011 Social Media Resolutions
  20 Jan 11
• Hotelier’s 2011 Top Ten Internet Marketing Resolutions
  5 Jan 11
• The HeBS Perspective: Hotel Mobile Apps vs. Hotel Mobile Websites
  9 Dec 10
• Déjà Vu: The Billion Dollar “Leakage” Continues to Drain the Hospitality Industry
  30 Aug 10
• 2009: Another Year That Confirmed the Internet as the Only Growth Channel in Hospitality
  6 Mar 10
• Innocent Ignorance or Crime and Punishment: The Perils of Duplicate Web Content
  25 Jan 10
• Hotelier’s 2010 Top Ten Internet Marketing Resolutions
  5 Jan 10
• The Prisoner’s Dilemma, the Stockholm Syndrome, or a Case of Both?
  19 Oct 09
• The Troubling Trend of Increasing “Web Marketing Ineptitude” in Hospitality
  30 Sep 09
• Mobile Marketing & Distribution Strategy in Hospitality: the Future is Already Here
  20 Aug 09
• Online Travel Agencies (OTAs): Will They Survive the Removal of Airline Ticket Booking Fees?
  16 Jul 09
• Placing the TripAdvisor Review Widget on Your Hotel Website: a Good or Bad Move?
  14 Jul 09
• Getting Back to the Basics Part II: Case Studies & Best Practices from the ‘Hotel Internet Marketing Trenches’
  8 May 09
• Mastering Internet Marketing in 2009: Results of the 3rd Benchmark Survey on Hotel Internet Marketing
  13 Mar 09
• Hotelier’s 2009 Top Ten Internet Marketing Resolutions
  5 Jan 09
• Complement the Brand’s Efforts and Capture Local Internet Revenue Opportunities
  11 Sep 08
• Best Practices on Monitoring Hotel Review Sites | By Max Starkov and Mariana Mechoso
  18 Aug 08
• Getting Back to the Basics: The Hotelier’s Internet Marketing Action Plan for a Difficult Economy
  5 Jun 08
• Announcing The 2nd Benchmark Survey on Hotel Internet Marketing Budget Planning and Best Practices
  19 Feb 08
• Hotelier’s 2008 Top Ten Internet Marketing Resolutions
  20 Dec 07
• A Hotelier's Guide to Budget Planning in '08
  16 Oct 07
• Web 2.0 vs. Search Engines: Are Search Engines Becoming Obsolete in the Web 2.0 Frenzy? | Max Starkov and Jason Price
  18 Sep 07
• What Hot Internet Marketing Topics are on the Minds of Hoteliers?
  20 Aug 07
• Top 10 Challenging Questions to Ask Your Internet Marketing Vendor
  19 Jul 07
• Internet Marketing and Distribution Trends Impacting the Hospitality Industry from 2007-2010
  25 Jun 07
• Building an eCRM Strategy in Hospitality: How to Establish Mutually Beneficial Interactive Relationships with Your Customers
  15 May 07
• Measuring Results from Marketing Spend in Hospitality: Using Metrics and Analytics for Quantifiable Results
  18 Apr 07
• Building a De-Commoditization Strategy in Hospitality
  7 Feb 07
• Hotelier’s 2007 Top Ten Internet Marketing Resolutions
  4 Jan 07
• Consumer Generated Media, a Threat or an Opportunity?
  12 Dec 06
• Budgeting for a Robust Internet Marketing Strategy in 2007
  28 Sep 06
• Strategic Linking in Hospitality: Build a Robust Link Popularity
  18 Sep 06
• Website Optimization vs. Search Engine Optimization
  9 Aug 06
• Building a Blog Strategy in Hospitality | Grow Customer Relationships and Direct Online Revenue
  29 Mar 06
• Hotelier’s 2006 Top Ten Internet Marketing Resolutions
  5 Jan 06
• Search Engine Marketing in Hospitality
  19 Sep 05
• Hotelier’s 2005 Top Ten Internet Strategy Resolutions
  6 Jan 05
• Developing an Email Marketing Strategy in Hospitality
  13 Sep 04
• Hotel Websites Have Much to Do to Increase User Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty - by Max Starkov
  28 Jun 04
• 2004 the Year of Direct Online Distribution - Now is the time to fight back with a smart Direct-to-Consumer Internet Strategy - Article by Max Starkov and Jason Price
  3 Feb 04
• Hotelier's 2004 Top Ten Internet Strategy Resolutions
  9 Jan 04
• Building a Destination Web Strategy in Hospitality - Leverage the popularity of the destination for the benefit of your hotel(s) - By Jason Price and Max Starkov
  3 Sep 03
• Brand Erosion, or How Not to Market Your Hotel on the Web - Revisited - Critical Online Distribution Issues Revisited a Year Later - By Max Starkov
  2 Jun 03
• Online Travelers Prefer Booking Directly on the Hotel Website - By Max Starkov and Jason Price
  22 Apr 03
• Hoteliers Are Still Behind The Curve In Online Distribution - By Jason Price and Max Starkov
  18 Mar 03
• Are Hoteliers Ready to Meet the New Challenges in Online Business Travel - By Max Starkov and Jason Price
  25 Feb 03
• Website Optimization - The Blueprints For A Robust Direct-To-Consumer Online Distribution Strategy - By Jason Price and Max Starkov
  6 Feb 03
• In Search of the Internet Intelligence Report That Makes Sense - Growing online distribution drives demand for new intelligence tools - By Jason Price and Max Starkov
  14 Jan 03
• Hotelier's 2003 Top Ten Internet Strategy Resolutions
  6 Jan 03
• The Internet: Hotelier's Best Ally or Worst Enemy? - What Went Wrong with Direct Web Distribution in Hospitality? - by Max Starkov
  7 Oct 02
• Developing a Total Email Marketing Strategy - By Jason Price and Max Starkov
  18 Jun 02
• Your Hotel's 2002 Cyber-Resolutions
  2 Jan 02
• Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVBs):Ten Action Steps To Soften the Impact By Max Starkov
  19 Oct 01
• Wireless in Travel and Hospitality: Hype or Necessity? by Max Starkov
  6 Sep 01