2 0 14 by NaTHaN GrEENHaLGH, aSSOciaTE EdiTOr HOTELS prESEnTS iTS annuaL LiST Of THE bEST SOciaL mEdia iniTiaTivES amOng brandS and prOpErTiES. Investing in social media is paying back more and more for the hotel industry, and hotel companies globally are responding with innovative ideas to boost both engagement and bookings. This year HOTELS received more than 250 entries for seven categories for the Social Hotel Awards, and the contest is becoming truly global, with entries from every continent. The winning entries were chosen by a panel of social media experts and the staff editors of HOTELS. The categories ranged from Best Reputation Management: Social Media to Best Use of Visual/Photographic Social Networks, with winners chosen for both hotel brands and individual properties. Congratulations to all of the winners, and thank you to everyone that submitted entries. |||||BEST FACEBOOK PAGE BY BrAnD AnAntArA Hotels, resorts & spAs Description: Bangkok-based Minor Hotel Group’s Anantara BY propertY a nEw facEbOOk pagE bOOking EnginE yiELdEd uS$20,000 in dirEcT bOOkingS fOr ananTara HOTELS, rESOrTS & SpaS. Hotel Bloom!, Brussels Description: Hotel Bloom! employs a brand manager brand boosted its Facebook fan page following with its Friends With Benefits campaign, which ran in September 2013. With a limited budget of approximately US$10,000 the brand worked with an agency to implement the booking engine and Travel Concierge applications, both launched in December 2013. Anantara also launched an online concierge that guests and potential guests could utilize, which proved helpful given Thailand’s political turmoil. results: The Friends With Benefits campaign increased the brand’s Facebook fan base 37% in one JuDges’ month. From January 2013 to December comments: 2013 a total of 34,750 fans that visited “The booking Facebook or its apps then went directly engine’s to anantara.com. Of those fans visiting effectiveness the page, almost 80% were new visitors. is impressive.” The new booking engine on the Facebook page has already amounted to US$20,000 in direct bookings, and the fan page is consistently one the top five referral traffic sources for Anantara’s brand website. runner-up: The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co., Chevy Chase, Maryland supported by a marketing-focused trainee to manage its Facebook fan page, which has a booking tab to offer fans discounts and free upgrades. The hotel engages with venues and events that are aiming for its target audience of creative types ages 25 to 34. The hotel utilizes private messaging to engage potential guests and cross-promotes its Twitter account and Instagram content on the Facebook page. Since January the hotel has been working with an on-line marketing consultant to improve its organic reach on Facebook in light of the Edgerank algorithm. The hotel spends approximately €300 (US$397) a month using Facebook’s boosted posts. Guests browsers surfing the hotel’s free Wi-Fi network automatically open to the Facebook page. results: The Facebook page is one of the hotel website’s top five traffic-referral sources, boosting bookings. runner-up: The Willard Washington D.C., An InterContinental JuDges’ comments: “Great hotel Historic Hotel marketing puts the spotlight on guests and the surrounding community, and Hotel Bloom! curates local attractions well.” 20 HOTELS October2014 www.hotelsmag.com
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SOCIAL HOTEL AWARDS 2014
Nathan Greenhalgh
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