Being hospitable means being social: hotel chains open communities to communicate with guests.(MARKET FOCUS: TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)

In these financially sensitive times, travel is more of a luxury than ever. Consumers are opting for stay-at-home vacations rather than elaborate trips abroad, and businesses are turning to video conferencing as an alternative to flying executives all over the world for meetings.

That's not to say that the travel industry is on the rocks, but when people do travel these days, they're doing a lot more research to make sure they are getting the most value for their dollars. Social media is a big part of that process.

Research from e-Marketer indicates that nine out of every 10 consumers go online before making a travel decision. Additional research has found that 42 …