HVS Sales and Marketing Services Embracing Social Media 1
According to Pew Research, credibility of news has continuously fallen over the
past 10 years. There’s been a shift in the public’s trust from news institutions to
social media – “circles of trust” which allow your friends into your life. Results
show that if you are trustworthy and authentic in social media, you can build
and keep a following.
In this burgeoning digital world where we need to make “connections”
more than “impressions” – and more, if not most, of our guests are
communicating with friends, family and colleagues online – social media
channels are changing the way we do business and forever altering how
we attract and retain a loyal base. Now, with the evolution of platforms
such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube, we have the
opportunity for unprecedented access to guests.
In these difficult economic times when many hotels are not able to
service debt and face foreclosure, the most successful hotels will create
brand advocates by using social marketing tools and channels to grab the
attention of new visitors and keep in touch with their loyal client base.
2
Social media is a must-have in any communications initiative to boost
business and the bottom line.
Those who ignore social media stand to become irrelevant. The
influence of social media is so significant that, according to the US
Interactive Marketing Spend, 2009 to 2014 (Forrester),
3
interactive marketing
spend will near $55 billion and represent 21% of all marketing spending
by 2014. Social media will comprise 3% to 6% of the interactive
marketing spend. And not surprisingly, interactive marketing will
cannibalize traditional media!
Here is just some of what can social media can do for you:
· Reinforce your message and help it go viral
· Embrace and project your brand’s personality
· Allow for real-time, two-way communication
· Allow you to communicate at point-of-need
· Build business and generate ROI
Hesitant to try? Many organizations have still not jumped in to leverage
the power of social media, engage and integrate it with the rest of their
We’ve Only Just
Begun
1
HVS Sales and Marketing Services
marketing initiatives. To start, every company or property needs social
media guidelines in order to know what platform
key messaging will be.
following compilation will give you ideas on how to brea
clutter and join
influencers.
From effectively using Twitter to leveraging Facebook, YouTube and blogging,
following are
media
. Also included is input from several hotel executives about their
ex
periences thus far.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts
compan
ies
t
ravelers from around the world
“
Sherabration Sweepstakes” by sharing a
2006
4
).
Then, t
o publicize its $6 billion makeover, Starwood's biggest
Sheraton
–
hotels (
October 2009
new social media platform
Via
multiple online communities including Twitter, Facebook
blogging platforms and email
and family and the publi
luxurious
Sheraton
aloft (by Starwood)
computer
-
(
www.secondlife.com
one
million users.
“Second Life has been a tremendous learning experience for the aloft
brand.
Our time spent on the island helped us to create what will surely
be the ultimate destination sensation
President.
How Hotels Are
Embracing Social
Media
International Brands
Embracing Social Media
marketing initiatives. To start, every company or property needs social
media guidelines in order to know what platform
s to use and what the
key messaging will be.
To guide you in this process, we hope the
following compilation will give you ideas on how to brea
clutter and join
the dialogue for entrée to a whole new base of potential
influencers.
From effectively using Twitter to leveraging Facebook, YouTube and blogging,
following are
examples of how hotels have been
engaging in various social
. Also included is input from several hotel executives about their
periences thus far.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Starwood was one of the f
ies
to introduce a social networking website.
ravelers from around the world
vied for a c
hance to win a vacation
Sherabration Sweepstakes” by sharing a
personal
travel story
o publicize its $6 billion makeover, Starwood's biggest
–
g
ave away 2,100 free nights at 86 new or newly renovated
October 2009
5
). In addition, the company l
aunched a
new social media platform
: "Sheraton Shared Moments.”
multiple online communities including Twitter, Facebook
blogging platforms and email
, users s
hare travel experiences with friends
and family and the publi
c for a chance to win a
dream holiday
Sheraton
property (December 18, 2009
6
).
aloft (by Starwood)
7
,
8
Aloft is
the world’s first hotel brand to place a 3
-
generated property inside a virtual world
.
www.secondlife.com
) is aloft’s
online simulated world with more than
million users.
“Second Life has been a tremendous learning experience for the aloft
Our time spent on the island helped us to create what will surely
be the ultimate destination sensation
,” says
Brian McGuinness,
Embracing Social Media
2
marketing initiatives. To start, every company or property needs social
s to use and what the
To guide you in this process, we hope the
following compilation will give you ideas on how to brea
k through the
the dialogue for entrée to a whole new base of potential
From effectively using Twitter to leveraging Facebook, YouTube and blogging,
engaging in various social
. Also included is input from several hotel executives about their
Starwood was one of the f
irst hotel
to introduce a social networking website.
In June 2006,
hance to win a vacation
in its
travel story
(June 30,
o publicize its $6 billion makeover, Starwood's biggest
brand –
ave away 2,100 free nights at 86 new or newly renovated
aunched a
sweeping
multiple online communities including Twitter, Facebook
, Flickr,
hare travel experiences with friends
dream holiday
at a
the world’s first hotel brand to place a 3
-D
.
Second Life
online simulated world with more than
“Second Life has been a tremendous learning experience for the aloft
Our time spent on the island helped us to create what will surely
Brian McGuinness,
aloft Vice
HVS Sales and Marketing Services Embracing Social Media 3
Since its debut in the virtual world in September 2006, aloft has actively
solicited input from Second Life residents on such design features as
public spaces, guest rooms and exteriors – everything from color palette
to space planning. In fact, several design changes – adding radios in
guest room showers, providing additional seating in the lobby and
incorporating artwork created by local artists in public areas – are a
direct result of consumer feedback and will be reflected in “real-life” aloft
hotels.
Hyatt Hotels & Resorts Hyatt launched a special online community site
just for Gold Passport members (www.yattit.com9). It offers expert
insight and tips from local Hyatt concierges in more than 40 destinations
worldwide along with advice from confirmed frequent travelers.
HVS Sales and Marketing Services
Meanwhil
URL making it easy to find. The page boasts more than 9,000 fans. (Case
Study –
Use of Facebook and Social Media in Recruiting: Hyatt Hotels
and Resorts
Marriott Hotels & Resorts
campaign on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to celebrate 50 years of
Hawaiian statehood and to give away free trips to the island.
InterContinental Hotels & Resorts (IHG)
Communispace to build and facilit
of some
300 members each
the core of the
customer at the center of everything.
The company
launching a public community open to Priority Club Rewards members.
IHG also utiliz
and Twitter.
Embracing Social Media
Meanwhil
e, Hyatt’s Facebook page is branded with a ‘HyattCareers’
URL making it easy to find. The page boasts more than 9,000 fans. (Case
Use of Facebook and Social Media in Recruiting: Hyatt Hotels
and Resorts
10)
Marriott Hotels & Resorts
11
Marriott R
esorts Hawaii launched a
campaign on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to celebrate 50 years of
Hawaiian statehood and to give away free trips to the island.
InterContinental Hotels & Resorts (IHG)
12
IHG partnered with
Communispace to build and facilit
ate three private online communities
300 members each
, all members of IHG’s
loyalty program.
the core of the
approach to social marketing is
the idea that IHG put
customer at the center of everything.
The company
recently extended its
social marketing footprint by
launching a public community open to Priority Club Rewards members.
IHG also utiliz
es third-
party social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn
and Twitter.
Embracing Social Media
4
e, Hyatt’s Facebook page is branded with a ‘HyattCareers’
URL making it easy to find. The page boasts more than 9,000 fans. (Case
Use of Facebook and Social Media in Recruiting: Hyatt Hotels
esorts Hawaii launched a
campaign on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to celebrate 50 years of
Hawaiian statehood and to give away free trips to the island.
IHG partnered with
ate three private online communities
loyalty program.
At
the idea that IHG put
s its
social marketing footprint by
launching a public community open to Priority Club Rewards members.
party social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn
HVS Sales and Marketing Services Embracing Social Media 5
Hotel Indigo (by IHG) Each Indigo location has its own fan page on
Facebook, e.g., the Hotel Indigo Chicago Downtown Gold Coast offers
discounts of up to 20% off for friends and fans on Facebook.
In addition, the company recently tweeted approximately one million
Priority Club points redeemable for hotel nights, retail gift cards,
electronics and more during its December 2009 “Tweet Away”
promotion.
Wyndham Hotels and Resorts
13
,
14
Wyndham has adopted a more
targeted approach with “Women on Their Way.” This micro-site is a soft
sell forum for the brand to advertise female-friendly trip packages and
gain valuable insight about guests’ actual trip planning processes and
vacation desires.
Promotions on Facebook and other social networking profiles allow
users to share promotions with their friends.
HVS Sales and Marketing Services
Hilton H
otels
resort credit redeemable at check
Barbados, Caribe Hilton, Hilton Curacao, Hilton Kingston Jamaica and
British Colonial Hilton Nassau.
Embracing Social Media
otels
15
Fans of any Hilton Caribbean hotel can download a $50
resort credit redeemable at check
-
in. Hotels included are the Hilton
Barbados, Caribe Hilton, Hilton Curacao, Hilton Kingston Jamaica and
British Colonial Hilton Nassau.
Embracing Social Media
6
Fans of any Hilton Caribbean hotel can download a $50
in. Hotels included are the Hilton
Barbados, Caribe Hilton, Hilton Curacao, Hilton Kingston Jamaica and
HVS Sales and Marketing Services Embracing Social Media 7
Omni Hotels
16
Omni’s social media supports and enhances the other
channels. Brand executives say the company prides itself in being
nimble and responsive, opting not to neglect other tools to focus on
social media.
“The great thing about social media is that it provides a level of
responsiveness that is not really available through any other channel.
That responsiveness is huge,” says Kerry Kennedy, Omni’s Corporate
Director of E-Commerce.
Omni found several sales and ROI opportunities on Twitter to enhance
customer service, satisfaction, brand awareness and establish rapport
with potential customers. Its success in social space, especially Twitter,
comes from managing at the corporate level and then disseminating out
to the properties. Working together, most issues are resolved within
minutes.
Omni has also launched its own social environment site called ‘The Local
Scoop,’ softly linked to the Omni homepage so as not to force users
down the booking path and undermine authenticity.
Tiara Hotels
17
This Portuguese hotel group is very active on Twitter.
The group expertly manages the concept of “RT” – repeating a Tweet
found on another Twitter account when it may be useful to their own
followers.
HVS Sales and Marketing Services Embracing Social Media 8
MacDonald Hotels This UK hotel brand is also active on Twitter. Its
dedicated page is simple and appeals to its audience with special offers
to reinforce value. Here is where we can learn that Twitter also needs to
be conversational, encouraging feedback from customers.
High Peaks Resort (Lake Placid, NY) The Adirondack High Peaks is
not just the name of the collection of 46 mountain peaks in Adirondack
Park, it’s also the namesake of the High Peaks Resort, which boasts a
very creative social media plan. For example, in Spring 2009 it was all
about the number “46” as the Resort’s friends, fans and followers on
Facebook and Twitter took advantage of a 46-minute per day, 46-day
promotion based on the elevations of the High Peaks.
For example, a rate based on the 4,867-foot elevation of Whiteface
Mountain was $48.67.
Individual Hotels
HVS Sales and Marketing Services
A rate based on the 4,361
Porter Mountain’s rate was $40.59.
High Peaks website between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
friends
, fans and followers when that day’s rate was available.
these rates are certainly low for this caliber of hotel, it filled rooms
during a typically slow season and also garnered substantial publicity.
Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa (Rancho Mir
Mission Hills Resort & Spa recently started using Facebook and Twitter.
According to Gary Orfield, Sales Manager, gaining the most followers
and fans is not their top priority, rather their goal is to speak in the brand
voice, build
“With a passionate and personal voice, we engage in meaningful, real
time dialogue with our fans in 140 characters or less,” says Orfield. “Our
social media campaign is more about listening than posting as many
tweets as possible or rushing to sign up followers.”
Orfield thinks many hotels are missing the true power of Twitter and
Facebook because 90% of posts are simply about discounts and specials.
They’re failing to give followers a sense of the personality
company.
Roger Smith Hotel (New York, NY)
Manhattan property
to
increase
using
a range of content
culture
, it has proven
to co
mpete with bigger corporations.
Embracing Social Media
A rate based on the 4,361
-
foot elevation of Seward Mountain was $43.61;
Porter Mountain’s rate was $40.59.
The Elevation Rate appeared on the
High Peaks website between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
and t
he Resort alerted
, fans and followers when that day’s rate was available.
these rates are certainly low for this caliber of hotel, it filled rooms
during a typically slow season and also garnered substantial publicity.
Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa (Rancho Mir
age, CA)
Mission Hills Resort & Spa recently started using Facebook and Twitter.
According to Gary Orfield, Sales Manager, gaining the most followers
and fans is not their top priority, rather their goal is to speak in the brand
voice, build
loyalty, listen and connect with guests.
“With a passionate and personal voice, we engage in meaningful, real
time dialogue with our fans in 140 characters or less,” says Orfield. “Our
social media campaign is more about listening than posting as many
tweets as possible or rushing to sign up followers.”
Orfield thinks many hotels are missing the true power of Twitter and
Facebook because 90% of posts are simply about discounts and specials.
They’re failing to give followers a sense of the personality
company.
Roger Smith Hotel (New York, NY)
18
The Roger Smith, an independent
Manhattan property
, has successfully taken
social media to
increase
b
rand awareness and provide great customer service.
a range of content
channels to offer a true taste of the hotel's
, it has proven
that small, independent businesses
mpete with bigger corporations.
Embracing Social Media
9
foot elevation of Seward Mountain was $43.61;
The Elevation Rate appeared on the
he Resort alerted
, fans and followers when that day’s rate was available.
While
these rates are certainly low for this caliber of hotel, it filled rooms
during a typically slow season and also garnered substantial publicity.
age, CA)
The Westin
Mission Hills Resort & Spa recently started using Facebook and Twitter.
According to Gary Orfield, Sales Manager, gaining the most followers
and fans is not their top priority, rather their goal is to speak in the brand
“With a passionate and personal voice, we engage in meaningful, real
-
time dialogue with our fans in 140 characters or less,” says Orfield. “Our
social media campaign is more about listening than posting as many
Orfield thinks many hotels are missing the true power of Twitter and
Facebook because 90% of posts are simply about discounts and specials.
They’re failing to give followers a sense of the personality
of the
The Roger Smith, an independent
social media to
the next level
rand awareness and provide great customer service.
By
channels to offer a true taste of the hotel's
have the power
HVS Sales and Marketing Services Embracing Social Media 10
Email marketing isn’t threatened by social media. Rather, it drives social
web activity and can work in tandem to increase your overall reach. In
fact, studies show that social media doesn’t decrease email usage – email
is a driver of social web activity and the currency of all social media
accounts.
Listen to your audience to develop your email campaign accordingly.
What are they saying about your hotel… your competition… your city?
Social media comments now appear in online searches, and Google has
even added a real-time search feature that streams tweets and articles.
HVS Global Hospitality Report HVS sends out a Global Hospitality
Report every Friday to give readers the opportunity to send in feedback.
Comments are posted live so that it’s not just a one-way push.
The Link between
Email Marketing and
Social Media
HVS Sales and Marketing Services Embracing Social Media 11
Even if you’re not involved in social media, your customers are and
they’re talking about you. One Facebook account about Marriott was
created by customers completely independently and already has 10,600
fans!
Social media makes your brand real. Although consumers still trust the
brand more than hotel reviews, the brand is becoming less relevant as
they look to one another for ideas and support. Whether connecting
with prospective customers via LinkedIn, reaching out to fans on
Facebook or Twitter, making images available on Flickr, or helping
potential guests make their travel decisions with video on YouTube,
hotels are making social media an integral part of their outreach.
Jump In…
Your Customers Are
Already Here
HVS Sales and Marketing Services Embracing Social Media 12
Some general tips for using social media:
· Be authentic and create compelling content to bring your brand
to life
· Live your brand and show your personality
· Be engaging and generate feedback
· Know your audience
· Repackage what you have, e.g., link across platforms and take
your content from other areas such as press releases and websites
· Combine social media with offline in-person events to solidify
relationships
From successful real-time experience, the Roger Smith Hotel offers
additional tips:
· Interact with people - Community conversations are an integral
part of any outreach campaign.
· Tell stories – To ensure open communication, keep it more about
the stories than just blasting promotions (that’s why the hotel
maintains a website, Roger Smith Life, which revolves around
sharing stories and engagement).
· Show real faces – One successful campaign shows the many
faces of the Roger Smith community.
· Optimize different channels - Roger Smith Life is a hub for
photos, articles, video materials, Twitter news and events with a
photo gallery and Flickr stream, YouTube channel, plus articles
about art exhibits, restaurant deals and social media.
· Aim at user-generated content - Reviews, comments, tweets and
podcasts greatly influence customer decisions. One Roger Smith
Twitter follower put together a podcast music mix honoring the
hotel and gave a shout-out to the chef that continues to inspire
anyone who wants to feel the hotel's vibe.
· Be curious and experiment – This is how the Roger Smith built
its presence. Said one guest, "If you could equip your customers
to be excited, passionate carriers of your story, why wouldn't you
try a few things and see what works?"
“Meet the Hotel Tweet”
19
To begin your involvement in social media, experts suggest focusing on
one or two areas initially, then learning and launching the bigger
Tackling Twitter
HVS Sales and Marketing Services Embracing Social Media 13
initiatives. As you begin to dabble, develop a strategy and try starting on
a personal level.
The easiest point of entry is Twitter. This medium has a staggering 18
million users and is a necessary tool in any social media communications
arsenal. Twitter can make quite an impact by boosting your company’s
reputation, driving sales, getting the media’s attention, and even
averting a crisis.
So far, many hoteliers on Twitter are posting links to press releases and
special room packages or discount codes. However, if you take time to
explore the site and interact with others, you will find infinitely more
applications. They run the gamut from industry news and career
opportunities, to retweets from community travel industry partners and
giving away something for free (not necessarily guest rooms).
The Westin Bonaventure (Los Angeles, CA) In April 2009, the Westin
Bonaventure made waves on Twitter when it announced a promotion to
give away free room nights to 25 lucky followers of @thebonaventure.
The hotel, which has offered several variations of the contest since,
creates buzz for the property each time. Melanie Boyer, the Daly Gray
Public Relations account executive who manages the Twitter account,
says mainstream media coverage of the contests has generated nearly 20
million consumer impressions.
HVS Sales and Marketing Services Embracing Social Media 14
“It’s a very powerful customer service and communication vehicle where
our brands and customers can come together to have open and honest
conversations,” said David Godsman, vice president of global Web
strategy for Starwood Hotels. “It’s less about pushing our hotels and
promotions and more about connecting our core brand with our guests’
daily lives.”
Just as many hoteliers have launched blogs that focus not on the hotel
but on tangentially relevant topics such as things to do nearby the hotel,
or tips for business travelers, the same principle applies with Twitter. If
you give consumers relevant information, they will trust you as their
hotel friend and a source of information.
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts Mike Taylor, media relations manager for
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and the man behind @fairmonthotels,
concurs and advises managers of Twitter accounts to be experts for
information about their locales. “You become [travelers’] go-to for
anything,” Taylor says. “They will come to you and speak to you
because they view you as a valued and trusted source for that
destination.”
Again, while using Twitter to promote deals and announce news is fine,
many hoteliers stop there. “Twitter’s real value lies in its ability to
HVS Sales and Marketing Services Embracing Social Media 15
connect with consumers on a personal level,” says Susan Black, a New
York-based travel industry social media consultant.
She cautions to focus on building brand loyalty, pick up one-off business
when you can, and never lose sight of the fact that Twitter is a
conversation, not a bullhorn. “It’s not one-way… it’s a dialogue,” Black
adds. “Be there to answer the queries. It’s well known on Twitter that
people follow other people when they know there is a person or
personality behind it.”
Choice Hotels Several of the larger brands have “Twitter Teams” to
make tweets regular, conversational and personal. Choice’s team, for
example, is very active and makes sure not to go too long between
tweets.
Omni Hotels Omni’s Twitter Team is also energetic and quick to
respond. When one wedding planner from San Diego tweeted, “I am
thinking about the Omni San Diego and a competitor in San Diego for a
wedding,” Omni’s team immediately jumped on it: “Here is what we
can do for you.” In conversation, they went through all the pros and
what they offered in terms of culinary services, local attractions, etc., and
in the end, Omni won the business because they responded on Twitter
and the other hotel did not.
While independent hotels have less manpower, they too can learn to
“Tweet like a pro” and attract Twitter followers (without hurting profits
or the brand)
20
:
HVS Sales and Marketing Services Embracing Social Media 16
· Follow the top hotels and experts in your niche – See how they
build followers and consider using some of their tactics.
· Leverage your reputation – Most top Twitter users are celebrities
elsewhere. Bringing their brand to Twitter helped them quickly
grow a fan base in the network. If people recognize your
company, simply taking part will cause others to spread your
message and grow your influence.
· Leverage your existing web presence – If you have an existing
online profile, use it to promote your Twitter account. Add a
Twitter badge to your website and link to your Twitter page to
actively encourage people to connect with you there.
· Tweet regularly and retweet weekly – Predictable, regular
updates increase the chance that people will find you.
· Look at the big picture – Again, talk about things other than just
you and your hotel. This could range from business travel tips to
art shows in your city.
· Provide value – Have rich content and a compelling reason for
people to follow you. Avoid too much overselling or promotions
(experts warn that 80% of tweets should not directly market the
hotel).
The Iron Horse Hotel (Milwaukee, WI) In a January 2009
HotelChatter.com story about “Hotels That Twitter and Twitter Well,”
The Iron Horse Hotel is cited as “a pro at using Twitter” because they
update frequently with useful information for guests, e.g. discounted
rates and package options, and also interact with other Twitter users.
HVS Sales and Marketing Services Embracing Social Media 17
Just six years old, it’s one of the most widely used networking sites with
more than 400 million users and tremendous reach. Leveraging
Facebook will go a long way to cultivating relationships with
stakeholders, and get your campaign’s message across to the right
audience to influence and win confidence.
Loews Hotel (Miami Beach, FL) A Super Bowl sweepstakes contest on
this hotel’s Facebook page gave away a four-night stay and two tickets to
the big game.
Facebook
HVS Sales and Marketing Services Embracing Social Media 18
Kimpton's Sky Hotel (Aspen, CO) This hotel, running last-minute hotel
deals for Facebook fans, racked up 200 friends within days of its initial
post. During ski season, real-time Facebook posts report snowfall
amounts.
When it comes to integrating Facebook into their campaigns, many
larger brands and independents are running deals and specials targeted
exclusively for fans. Ideally, sharing information about the history of the
area and upcoming events is also recommended.
San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau In addition to
promotions, the San Francisco CVB’s Facebook page includes upcoming
events and attractions in the area.
Grand Hotel (Mackinac Island, MI) Although a regular promoter of
deals and packages, this hotel also features a column of area events
down the left side of its Facebook page.
HVS Sales and Marketing Services Embracing Social Media 19
These include TripAdvisor and WikiTravel, which attract user-generated
comments from a vast audience. Some hotels are actually finding that
when they engage, the number of negative comments decreases.
HK Hotels
21
(New York, NY) HK Hotels is a small, privately held hotel
company with four properties: The Hotel Giraffe, Library Hotel,
Casablanca Hotel and Hotel Elysee, all in New York City. The company
focuses its efforts on TripAdvisor, Facebook, Yelp, Twitter and Google
Maps.
According to Adele Gutman, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, in
2003 the company decided to pay close attention to TripAdvisor. "We
always place great importance on speaking to our guests in the
clubrooms over breakfast or wine and cheese, but TripAdvisor gave us a
valuable new way to hear the voice of travelers who were too polite to
let us know what they were truly thinking,” she said.
The management teams of all four HK Hotels met everyday to read the
most recent reviews posted and decide what they needed to do to satisfy
guests and raise their hotel profiles in the all-important TripAdvisor
User-Generated
Content (UGC) Sites
HVS Sales and Marketing Services Embracing Social Media 20
rankings. Goals were to get in the top 10% first, then the top 20 hotels,
the top 10, and next to own all four top spots in NYC.
HK Hotels' team closely monitored every review, made improvements to
service, operations, and facilities when feedback indicated it was
necessary, and made things mandatory across all hotels when reviews
indicated that something was working well at a particular property.
Says Henry Kallan, owner of HK Hotels, "When you are running a small
business in a tough economy, you need to make choices on where to
spend limited resources. Advertising is great, but in times like these, I
would much rather invest in things that enhance the guest experience —
like more items on the breakfast buffet, an upgraded wine and cheese
service, nicer bed linens — than taking a gamble on expensive marketing
programs or fancy brochures."
Clearly, this formula is attracting travelers and TripAdvisor feedback
reflects just that. In fact, feedback has impacted operations at HK Hotels
from greater empowerment of the front desk staff and daily training of
all employees, to small touches like serving oatmeal for breakfast.
Affinia Hotels made a bold move a few years ago when it put a link to
Trip Advisor right on its website homepage as if to point out, “Here is
what readers have to say about us.” HK Hotels followed suit, with links
to TripAdvisor for each of its hotels.
HVS Sales and Marketing Services Embracing Social Media 21
LinkedIn, one of the leading online professional networks, is growing
rapidly with one new user every second and 43 million professionals
from 200-plus industries. It’s an excellent way for your sales team to
build lead generation, find business contacts, drive sales leads, stay in
touch with clients, and ultimately generate revenue.
Your staff can add their own accounts and connections for more
opportunity to network. Use LinkedIn for lead generation, to post
relevant content, answer questions based on your expertise, and create
your own groups.
HVS highly recommends LinkedIn as a tool for prospecting for new
business. Don’t oversell or over-promote – rather, engage the audience,
demonstrate your expertise, and drive them to relevant content on your
website.
Media sharing sites offer users the ability to upload and share different
types of media.
Once dismissed as a haven for amateurs, thanks to its viral power and
ability to reach and engage diverse constituent bases, this video-sharing
Marketing Your Hotel
on LinkedIn
Media Sharing Sites
YouTube/Video
Search Engines
HVS Sales and Marketing Services Embracing Social Media 22
site is being harnessed more regularly to advance campaigns and PR
efforts. With non-copyrighted video, its impact has been huge and it is
even being used as a search engine similar to Google.
When smartly integrated into your communications plan, YouTube can
help build a strong community around your brand.
Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino (San Juan, PR) An employee of the
San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino introduced a ‘YouTube
Concierge’ for guests to share their vacation experiences with the world.
The Concierge spends time meeting guests throughout the resort and
asks them to record a quick 30-second video to send to friends and
family as a virtual postcard from the beach. The video clip is then
professionally licensed and uploaded to the San Juan Marriott Live
YouTube Channel.
Best Western International ‘Best Western TV’ is the name for Best
Western’s YouTube channel, used to showcase the brand’s hotels and
hold fan contests.
Flickr, the image sharing community, is the most popular online site for
photography. Users can easily post images to Flickr and visitors are able
to view them individually or in a slideshow, comment, and add them as
favorites on their own site. Hotels can use Flickr as their photo library.
Flickr/Photo Sharing
Sites
HVS Sales and Marketing Services Embracing Social Media 23
Hyatt Hotels For example, Hyatt Hotels combines all its properties under
one Flickr account:
Additional Flickr examples include Happy Hotelier, Royal Ramblas Hotel,
St. Martenslane’s and Domes of Elounda.
Benefits of Blogging
22
A blog gives you the opportunity to connect with guests, and develop
and reinforce your hotel’s brand voice. Blog entries should be written in
a style that reflects your hotel’s distinctive personality, be it a family-run
country bed and breakfast, a trendy urban boutique hotel, or a
sophisticated luxury property.
Most readers who sign up to receive blog posts are actually giving you
permission to contact them. If the content is interesting, they will be
happy to receive your posts, giving you entrée to promote your hotel
with special offers. You can also allow readers to leave comments on
your blog to open a two-way communication.
Marriott Hotels & Resorts A blog ultimately allows your brand voice to
become human and instills trust in your readers. Bill Marriott’s blog,
“On the Move” at www.blogs.marriott.com is an excellent example. This
Social Blogging
HVS Sales and Marketing Services
blog
also
reading his posts.
Marriott has made more than $5 million in bookings from people who
clicked through to the reservation page from
Another popular corporate blog,
properties.
As we generate ever
overload there
media –
an
such as Google Alerts
can be very useful.
reviews
; it
a series of algorithms.
Twitter offers myriad tracking
Twinfluence
research and d
Tracking Your Success
Embracing Social Media
also
has an engaging ‘listen’ icon with
an audio of
reading his posts.
Marriott has made more than $5 million in bookings from people who
clicked through to the reservation page from
its On the Move
Another popular corporate blog,
http://thelobby.com/
showcas
properties.
As we generate ever
-
increasing amounts of information, to tackle the
overload there
are ways to track
and monitor among the various social
an
d most of them are free. Third-party tools
and technology
such as Google Alerts
at http://www.google.com/alerts
or
can be very useful.
For example, eBuzz not only aggregates
; it
tells you how you are doing and
which reviews to address
a series of algorithms.
Twitter offers myriad tracking
apps such as Trendistic,
Tweeteffect
Twinfluence
. Checking for feedback can become
your
research and d
evelopment model!
Embracing Social Media
24
an audio of
Bill Marriott
Marriott has made more than $5 million in bookings from people who
its On the Move
blog.
showcas
es Starwood
increasing amounts of information, to tackle the
and monitor among the various social
and technology
or
eBuzz Connect
For example, eBuzz not only aggregates
online
which reviews to address
via
Tweeteffect
and
your
2010 real-time
HVS Sales and Marketing Services Embracing Social Media 25
In addition, unlike traditional media, social media gives you the
opportunity to engage and hear what’s being said. It’s all there, in real-
time, for you to gain insight, knowledge and competitive intelligence
and shape future marketing and PR campaigns. Count the conversation
and watch people interact, get immediate feedback – complaints or
compliments – and respond, gauge the key words most often associated
with your brand, and how your messages are being adopted.
Benchmarking
23
Note the obvious numbers – The number of Facebook fans, Twitter
followers, Digg links, Delicious bookmarks, and referrals from social
media sites, plus existing website traffic.
Note the less obvious benchmarks – SEO rankings and referrals,
customer satisfaction scores and other business data.
Note ROI benchmarks - How much are you paying to acquire customers
via other marketing channels? How vast is that advertising budget and
how is it being split up? What proportion is being directed into channels
that you cannot accurately measure?
In conclusion, social media may be here to stay but traditional marketing
methods are by no means gone. To utilize the new tools that will benefit
you most, they need to be consistent and wisely integrated with the rest
of your communications, sales, marketing, and revenue management
efforts.
Hopefully, these examples have offered some of you comfort and a
reference to get started, because in this constantly evolving and dynamic
medium, who knows what will be trendy six or 12 months from now?
(One thing we do know is that this report will most likely be obsolete!)
Just recently, Google announced its foray into social networking with
“Google Buzz,” a new service that will compete with Facebook and
Twitter as a way for Gmail users to share updates, photos and videos.
And away we go.
Conclusion
HVS Sales and Marketing Services Embracing Social Media 26
Leora Halpern Lanz has been with HVS since 1999 and serves as
Director of Marketing for the global hospitality consulting firm and
Director of its Sales &Marketing Services division. Prior to joining HVS,
she worked for 10 years with ITT Sheraton Hotels of New York as
Director of Public Relations & Advertising for Sheraton New York Hotel
& Towers, Manhattan, Russell and Atlantic City. Her role with ITT
included support for the re-opening of the St. Regis Hotel in 1992 and
promotions for Radio City Music Hall and Madison Square Garden
when ITT purchased those assets. She had returned to New York after
five years as Director of Public Relations for the Greater Boston
Convention & Visitors Bureau, and a graduate school internship at the
then-new Four Season Hotel Boston. Leora holds a Bachelor’s in
Communications from Cornell University and a Master’s in Public
Relations from Boston University’s College of Communications. She is a
member of HSMAI, Women in Communications, the Travel & Tourism
division of the Public Relations Society of America, and Cornell Club of
Long Island.
Barbara Wiener Fischhof has held senior level corporate and agency
positions, focusing on public relations and marketing including investor
and franchisee relations in the hospitality industry, and is a senior
member of the HVS Sales & Marketing Services team. Barbara relocated
from Manhattan to Atlanta in 1997 to become Vice President of
Corporate Communications for US Franchise Systems (USFS). Prior to
her tenure at USFS, she worked for two public relations firms in
Manhattan heading up cruise line, airline, hotel, travel trade and other
travel-industry related accounts. She began her career in the
Washington, D.C. press office of former U.S. Senator Dennis DeConcini
(D-AZ). A native of Deal, NJ, Barbara is a graduate of Tulane University
and has a Master’s Degree in Guidance & Counseling from the
University of Miami.
Rebecca Lee is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in Management
in Hospitality at Cornell University and conducting an internship at HVS
New York in the Consulting & Valuation Group. Formerly, she worked
at Towers Perrin, a global consulting firm specializing in human capital
and risk management, as an Associate in the Executive Compensation &
Rewards Group. She helped assess and design executive pay packages
for Fortune 1000 companies and provided compensation
recommendations to senior management and the Board of Directors.
Rebecca graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a
Bachelor’s Degree in Biological Basis of Behavior and Psychology.
About the Authors
HVS Sales and Marketing Services Embracing Social Media 27
HVS Sales & Marketing Services, headquartered in New York, helps
hotel owners and operators strengthen returns on hospitality
investments in the areas of hotel sales consulting, hotel sales and
marketing consulting, hotel resort sales consulting, revenue
management and e-commerce. We can assist you by conducting sales
and marketing assessments; creating sales and marketing plans for new,
repositioned and stabilized hotels; conducting sales training programs,
and even serving as your interim Director of Sales & Marketing during
transition periods or staff changes. Our strong understanding of
regional and international markets will enable you to capitalize on your
competitive strength and improve ROI.
For further information regarding our expertise and specifics about our
services, visit http://www.hvs.com/Services/MarketingComm/.
1
http://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/article-6362-hotels-ignoring-social-media-will-
be-irrelevant/
2
http://www.hotelresource.com/trends-detail-sid-42977.html
3
http://www.forrester.com/rb/Research/us_interactive_marketing_forecast%2C_200
9_to_2014/q/id/47730/t/2
4
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/about/news/news_release_detail.html?ob
j_id=0900c7b9805e3333
5
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/hotelcheckin/post/2009/09/68500042/1
6
http://www.travelpulse.com/Resources/Editorial.aspx?n=65059
7
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/alofthotels/newsevents/news/detail.html?mode=pr
essReleasesDetail&id=AL20070723LANDDONATION
8
http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/virtual-hospitality/1
9
http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/Yatt'It
10
http://blogs.jobdig.com/diggings/2009/08/20/case-study-for-excellent-use-of-
facebook-and-social-media-in-recruiting-hyatt-hotels-and-resorts/
11
http://www.marriottwaikiki.com/pdfs/TweetContestL.pdf
12
http://www.communispace.com/news/groundswell/default.aspx?groundswell=9
13
http://www.hotelmarketingstrategies.com/women-on-their-way/
About HVS Sales &
Marketing Services
Footnotes
HVS Sales and Marketing Services Embracing Social Media 28
14
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/index.cfm?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_ai
d=105896
15
http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/10/26/165912/92/hotels/Get_a_50_Hilto
n_Caribbean_Hotel_Credit_Just_For_Becoming_a_Facebook_Fan
16
http://events.eyefortravel.com/social-media/docs/Omni_Hotels_Case_Study.pdf
17
http://www.hotel-blogs.com/guillaume_thevenot/2009/06/when-hotels-chains-
use-twitter.html
18
http://econsultancy.com/blog/4586-q-a-the-marketing-duo-behind-new-york-s-
social-media-hotel-3
19
http://www.hotelsmag.com/article/362356-Meet_The_Hotel_Tweet.php
20
http://www.4hoteliers.com/4hots_fshw.php?mwi=4616
21
http://www.europe-re.com/system/main.php?pageid=2616&articleid=15431
22
http://www.hotel-online.com/News/PR2009_3rd/Sep09_BlogBenefits.html
23
http://econsultancy.com/blog/3407-10-ways-to-measure-social-media-success
