I just read an an excellent comment on Eye for Travel responding to Facebook new location-based check-ins, from hoteliers’ point of view.

Facebook has removed the location-based check-ins option from its Places Pages and moved it to Facebook Pages.

With the move, a hotel and travel company can add locations from anywhere, and from any device, that includes status updates, photos, Page or Wall posts. Facebook is phasing out the Facebook Places feature on mobile devices.

The aim is to make all interaction more like Facebook rather than compete with check-in sites like Foursquare.

By adding the Place as a descriptor on status updates versus solely being the post, users will still be able to “check-in” to businesses, but through their status updates instead, by adding City Location and Tagging a Business in a post. This is of benefit to businesses as location-based activities is no longer restricted to just mobile devices and is now available on any browser that can read Facebook.

Facebook is looking at location as: Where I’m going, Where I am, and Where I have been. It  could be a huge plus for hotels to play in the location-based marketing space.

This will not have any impact on your hotel’s Facebook Places pages. Applications like http://Facebook.arcRes.biz and http://FanPagePosts.com will be even more effective when couples will map an activity right in the pages created by the apps.

For more information on these Facebook Tourism Applications
see http://arcres.com/products/travel-marketing-products.cfm#facebook


Article Source - Eye for Travel | Also see TechCruch for more technical details 
Tech Says "smart from a location-based advertising strategy"