social media Archives - American Hotel Blog

Advancing hospitality in the digital age

May 8, 2014

Living in the digital age means travelers have more resources (and distractions) than ever before. How can you draw their attention when they’re making plans? It’s simple. Just learn how to leverage the technology they’re already using. Get started by going social.

Show Off Your Rooms
Posting photos of your rooms and grounds is one of the most popular, and most important, ways to leverage social media. It allows potential guests to see what you have to offer before making the commitment to book at your venue. If they can see a photo and picture a perfect stay, then your chances of securing a booking have just skyrocketed. Think it’s too much work? Think about this: If you don’t show off some recent photos, your potential guests might assume you have something to hide. So get snapping.
Add Another Booking Option
Take a cue from Loews Hotel Group, which implemented its Tweet & Book late last year. This innovation allows guests to book their room by direct messaging the hotel on Twitter. A live representative then contacts the messager to secure their reservation. Genius! Sounds like the perfect task for desk clerks when they run out of things to do.
Discover Your Guests’ Opinions
It’s just a fact of the industry; not every review you see is going to be positive. You can’t please everyone. The good news: An active social presence means you can find out about those negative reviews before your future guests do. In a bit of a controversial stand, hotel guru and host of Travel Channel’s Hotel Impossible, Anthony Melchiorri, cautions against responding to negative comments on social. Instead, digest the information gathered from social media and address the issue more personally. In laymen’s terms, don’t just type up a little blurb saying you’re going to fix the problem. Act on the complaint and your venue will be better off for it.

The wonderful thing about the age we live in is that with all of the tools modern technology offers to hoteliers, simply having a bit of knowledge can open up windows of opportunity that never existed before. So take what you’ve learned here, open up a computer and start making the most of it.

Do you have any suggestions on ways that social media can benefit the hotel industry? Tell us in the comment box below!

Picturing more guests

January 21, 2014

Are you a user of Pinterest or Instagram? Chances are you have at least heard of these popular social media platforms. It’s also likely that you’ll be hearing much more because, in hospitality, Pinterest and Instagram could lead to thousands of new guests.

For the most part, users of Pinterest and Instagram share and tag photos. In the hotel industry, photo sharing social channels are trending and experts don’t anticipate that to change any time soon. In fact, experts from both Conde Nast Traveler and Cox & Kings predict that geolocating mediums, such as Instagram, will play an increasingly larger role in 2014.

One Sydney hotel, the 1888, has already banked on this idea and has even claimed the title as the first “Instagram Hotel.” In fact, the hotel recently offered a free night stay to any Instagram user with over 10,000 connections. Why would its leaders make such an offer? When you have a guest snapping photos of his or her hotel stay to a network of 10,000+ people instantly, you are gaining some serious exposure.

If you are curious how social media could help your business, there are many how-to strategies on the Web. The tips below are excerpted from a best-practice guide to getting the most out of your Pinterest and Instagram efforts.

Use your brand logo as your profile picture. Be sure it’s the same logo that is being used on other social platforms – cohesion presents a more organized, professional decorum and means less confusion for consumers.
Give potential guests a sneak peek of your hotel. Take photos of different types of rooms and any sort of specialty accommodations or amenities. This satisfies consumer curiosity about what they have to look forward to if they choose to book a room.
Go beyond your building. Make boards or posts about activities on your grounds or nearby. Highlight unique events, destinations or landmarks in the surrounding city or town.
People love food. Consider dedicating a picture board to the food you’re known for. Get your audience hungry to plan a visit.

While it may take some time to see the fruits of your labor, a dedicated effort and careful monitoring can lead to an expansive audience and more guests at your doorstep.

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Using the box below, tell us if your business has benefitted from a specific social media strategy.

Get connected: why every hotel should be using social media

May 13, 2013

Last March, we reminded you that, “…with the heightened popularity of social media and hotel review websites, people are talking, leaving reviews, and influencing potential guests. People talk, so give them something to talk about: your incredible service.”

Clearly then, social media has its impact. But how else can you harness the power of social media and why should you? That is what we will be exploring in this post.

Hospitality venues need to understand consumers’ attitudes toward social media, and find ways to access and use the bank of information available on social media sites. Too often, many people – whether those in the hospitality industry or not – may not understand the full value of having an active, engaging social media presence, while those who do know prosper.

However, simply having an online social presence is never enough. The goal is to actively engage with fans and followers in fun ways. Develop real, genuine, and long-lasting relationships with them.

For example, Facebook holds an immense amount of potential for hotels because guests can not just share ideas and ask questions on the page, they must “check-in” to the hotel – not literally, however. Whoever checks-in to your hotel on Facebook will be voluntarily telling their friends and family where they have decided to book their reservations – with you.

But as mentioned, guests have the opportunity to spend time on your page and the more they are being engaged, the more time they are spending on your page seeing your name.

Use this opportunity to remain transparent so that complaints and concerns are addressed promptly and efficiently. Most people are aware that all places can have problems or make mistakes, but they want to know how well you find solutions. Social media proves it to potential guests.

Also, remember that people regularly look into the surrounding area when choosing a hotel. From nearby restaurants to upcoming events, guests look for places to go and things to do.

Use your page to showcase events, travel adventures, opportunities, and just about anything else going on in the area. Work with area companies, restaurants, etc., to offer guests discounts.

Additionally, social media can help you reward loyal customers, fans, and followers. For example, some hospitality services offer special rates for those that ‘like’ them on Facebook. You can also create engagement on social networks by giving out special rewards, such as discounts or prizes, to your most active users. Encourage past guests to write reviews about your venue on sites such as Yelp and Foursquare. Keep track of who your most engaged social media connections are and reward them. When others see how your business values loyalty and engagement, there is a good chance new people will choose to interact with your hotel more.

This post only explores the tip of the social media iceberg. Opportunities for those in the hospitality industry are vast and much of it is still unexplored territory. How will you use social media to boost your business?