Posts Tagged ‘Twitter and hotels’

Five social media tips hotels should follow in 2010

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

There’s just so much content out there on this subject it hurts my eyes as I read most of it.  Since I generally follow social media trends, I decided to put together a short (yes, short!) list of tips I think hotels should follow as the year progresses. 

1) Pick the right social network to have a healthy presence.  Most hotels have a Facebook page and many have Twitter pages, some might be active on YouTube and Ning.  Just set your goals clearly on what you are looking to obtain from a social media strategy, and pick the right network for your property.  Remember, you don’t have to be on every network.  Quality definitely precedes quantity here.

2)  Post often.  This depends again on the network.  If you post 10 updates on Facebook per day, that may be too much, but 10 tweets are about the average.  Determine the needs of each network and understand the dynamic, so you can participate actively.

3)  Engage.  You can’t force people to engage just by friending them or getting them to join your page or follow you.  Writing posts that are relevant and quirky, tuck in a really cool special deal, mention something out of the ordinary that happened at your hotel, post a photo of a fun event, send off an inpiring quote from the GM.  Write things fans and followers want to read as it relates to you.  Get into your audience’s virtual mind!

4)  Measure success.  As with any campaign, you should set timeframes for everything to see where you stand.  Facebook allows you to explore metrics to understand your post’s quality, number of subscribers, demographics, etc.  With Twitter, you can find out a lot from the number of mentions, RTs, real DMs (not auto DMs!) and increasing number of followers.  Once you add meaning to the numbers over time, you can make the right adjustments along the way to improve your social media presence.

5)  To blog or not to blog?  I get this question a lot as it relates to hotels.  I am all for blogging, but only if you can commit to doing it right.  If you can’t, then don’t do it, it’s not worth your time and it won’t be an effective PR and Marketing tool for your business.  Hotel blogs are tricky; they have to be written with the guest in mind.  For example, posting bland press releases about a appointing a new staff member is not necessarily appropriate for a hotel blog.  On the other hand, blogging about a renovation and what that will mean to guests in the future would be a good post.  Drafting quality blog topics will determine if it makes sense for a hotel to have one in the first place.

My final thought on social media:  if it becomes a chore and you get lazy, it will show in your writing.

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Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | 1 Comment »

Hotel social media: what are you talking about?

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

Hotels are increasingly securing a healthy presence on Facebook and Twitter - the two main social networks that make sense to be on… today (this post may be completely outdated in a month, that is how fickle social media are). 

Assuming you have someone in-house, or an independent PR pro who is dedicated to monitoring, updating and overseeing your social media accounts, you should ask yourself: is that enough?

Posting one update a day may be consistent, but probably not enough to start truly engaging conversations.  Determine what your goals are from your presence on social media.  Then, find what makes your guests talk… if it is your restaurant’s specials, talk about them.  If it is a seasonal drink at the bar, or an exciting amenity (yoga comes to mind!) reach out and get some feedback.  The more you think in terms of your fans and followers, the higher the post quality on your pages.

Good pages inspire fans to create new social media groups to continue and carry on the conversation, to make it as viral as possible.  Invest in the right professional to oversee your social media campaign, and have your finger on the pulse to evaluate its success.

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Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | No Comments »

Hotels: handling crises via social media

Monday, August 17th, 2009

My article on www.hotelexecutive.com on managing crises in the era of social media was published this month, and raises the question not so much about the accuracy of information posted on a property’s official Facebook or Twitter account, but rather on the timeliness of each update.  When handling a crisis, fans and followers expect consistent and timely updates to an issue and what immediate steps are underway to resolve the problem.  Case in point: the Marriott hotels in Jakarta just last month utilized Twitter in a very effective way.

Yet, some hotels - mostly independent hotels at this point - remain skeptical in using social media as proactive communications tool.  At the same time, those hotels that have started up Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn accounts and have left them idle is like ignoring their existing, and potential guests.

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Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | 3 Comments »

Marriott International crisis response and the PR challenges ahead

Saturday, July 18th, 2009

Terrible tragedy six years after another terrorist attack in the Jakarta Marriott hotels.  It is interesting how Marriott has handled the PR response to the crisis so far, especially how it has successfully - so far - incorporated traditional and social media to keep the public informed.

With over 12,000 followers, Marriott International posts regular updates on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Marriottintl

A press release came out over the wire yesterday expressing sympathy, and measures they hotel management has taken to restore the properties and ensure guest and employee safety.  While the hotels continue to remain closed, their PR departments are working in synergy to properly handle the crisis.

Given, however, that this is the second time a bombing incident has taken place at one of the two Jakarta luxury hotels, the challenge to calm the public will be very difficult to achieve.  Security is always a huge issue in hotels, and one that perhaps should be discussed more openly with existing and potential guests, who spend good money to wake up safe in the morning. 

From a PR perspective, Marriott is good with expressing sympathy, providing information in a timely manner, and containing the situation.  However, Marriott International’s main PR and perception challenge will be to answer the myriads of questions as it pertains to hotel security the second time around, and what will be done to ensure that an incident like this won’t be repeated in another six years - or ever again.

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Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | No Comments »

Hotels: is green still the new black?

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009

In the last three to five years we have been bombarded with promises of sustainability efforts on the part of hotels who chose to make social and environmental responsibility a top priority.  Multiple hotels have succeeded in that effort and for a long time, the “green amenity” angle was mainstream in the dailies, trade and travel news.   As much as sustainability is a large undertaking for corporate hotel chains, there are some great examples of sustainable boutique hotels all over the world including brands such as Kimpton, NYLO, and other independent properties worldwide.

My question is: how is the sustainability promise kept during the economic crisis, and how much PR shelf life does the green angle still have?  Is it our duty and responsibility to keep sustainability mainstream in the news, or has it reached a peak?  How can we keep the flow of green information interesting and in the forefront of editor’s minds, Twitter and Facebook?  Have we talked the angle to death, or are there new ways of showcasing the efforts of sustainability of hotels all over the world? 

Food for thought.

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Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Relations, PR, Top Accommodations, social media | 1 Comment »

Hotels on Twitter? Indeed!

Friday, April 3rd, 2009

So, I’m finally understanding Twitter better and feel more positive about its impact.  While in some ways similar to other social networks, Twitter is all about news and updates in real time.  Forget the fluff, the smiling faces and the photo albums.  It’s about pushing information and news to the public = your followers.  I’ve been reading threads by hotel GMs if they should invest time in social media and opinions vary.  The answer is: you have to do it right.

There’s no use being on Twitter, for instance, if you write an update once a week or once a month.  You have to keep the news flow going with information.  But, it’s so easy to become annoying by inundating your followers with useless updates just to Tweet something.  The key is to strike a balance with generous, yet real information that can be useful.  And adding tiny links are great in reinforcing the Tweet.

I’ve been fascinated with Twitter lately because what it is evolving into, and there is no end in sight.  What’s equally interesting is that it’s still one of those social networks where the majority of people have either already mastered using, or have no idea how to use yet.  Hotels appear to be in the segment of those who are undecided.  I was particularly excited that the Hotel Heritage joined Twitter today (www.twitter.com/heritagebruges).  Less than six months ago, the award winning Bruges hotel was interested in expanding its PR efforts to reflect new trends, and is now incorporating social media into its campaign.  Already, the hotel has a fan base on Facebook that keeps growing.  It takes time to build a good base on social networks.  But, it works; past guests have reconnected, and the hotel has now found additional and more immediate ways to get messages delivered to members of its audience.  And this is only the beginning.

I vote YES to Twitter when used efficiently by hotels!

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Posted in European Destinations, Hospitality, PR, Top Accommodations | 2 Comments »