Travel Industry Takes Social Media By The Horns

Posted on September 8th, 2010 by

Compared with other industries, the travel sector is ahead of the curve in engaging in social media concluded the USA Today in an article published yesterday examining the travel industry’s utilization of Facebook and Twitter.

Hotels are promoting themselves through bloggers and using social networking sites to gather feedback, monitor trends and provide concierge services. Communication between brands and their customers is proven to increase loyalty.

Hyatt Hotels launched a Twitter account last year to serve as a virtual concierge. Staffers, based in Omaha, Australia and Mumbai, respond to requests and questions within an hour and field queries ranging from where to find good sushi to alerts that a guest will be checking in late. The account has 12,000 followers. Hilton has a similar account.

Joe Palma, a chef at Westend Bistro at The Ritz-Carlton in Washington D.C., uses Twitter to send messages about specials, restaurant news and holiday hours, and to ask fans what they would like to see on the seasonal menu. Last year, he held a contest to select a new fall dessert menu item, and the winner received dinner for two.

In addition to increasing customer loyalty, deals, incentives and freebies offered on social media channels cultivate new customers.

Marriott is launching a campaign in October that invites loyalty program members with large Facebook and Twitter followings to help spread the word about its SpringHill Suites chain. They’ll get free stays and other incentives in return for positive messages sent to their followers.

Social networking is the new advertising frontier. New technologies are even being created to cater to this phenomenon.

InterContinental is working with start-up company Topguest. People who sign up at Topguest’s website can walk into any hotel, restaurant or bar operated by InterContinental and receive a small allowance of the hotel company’s loyalty points. To receive the points, they must alert their “friends” of their location on Foursquare or Facebook Places, two of the most popular location-based social networking tools.

Not everyone is convinced. What about the baby boomers? Are they using Facebook and Twitter? Is there an inevitable loss in the quality of customer service when you substitute social media outlets for human contact?

To read more, check out USA TODAY.

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#1 Reason to Customize Your Facebook Fan Page

Posted on July 30th, 2010 by

This post was originally seen on www.socialmediabeast.wordpress.com.

We had the good fortune of meeting with a high-level exec from Facebook Chicago office yesterday. He was extremely informative and compelling. Sure, that’s his job, but the numbers and facts he shared with us resonate.

Facebook membership is just eclipsing the 500 million mark, with over 60% of members in the US. As he reported, if you exclude babies and kids who aren’t yet computer literate and elderly folks on the other end of the age scale,  1 in 3 American’s are using Facebook. This is an astounding number and compelling for those in business that remain skeptical. As we have been saying for some time, fish where the fish are! Consumers are embracing Facebook at an astounding rate and in astounding numbers. They are talking about everything from baby diapers to where to stay in Puerto Rico. Most importantly, we go on Facebook for referrals and recommendations from friends. Don’t you want to have a presence there in the ever more powerful word-of-mouth arena?

The Faebook Page for business can be an incredibly powerful tool. It’s important to consider customizing that page and using it as a companion to your website’s homepage. Some business’s are even moving toward using the fan page as an alternative to their website since the reach can be enormous. Remember, your website is static while Facebook is dynamic and in real-time. And, consumers “opt in” to it, so your posts are greeting with enthusiasm, rather than dread, as with many advertisements.

A great resource for better understanding the tools and tricks of the fan page is on one of Facebook’s blogs I follow.

Have you gotten creative with your Facebook page? Please share any clever tricks you’ve put in place.

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Social Media In, Email Out

Posted on June 30th, 2010 by

The social media craze is in full swing. With facebook, twitter, foursquare, and more, it can be hard to keep up.

Don’t neglect this important connectivity tool! Even more important in today’s hospitality industry than sending out regular emails is creating community, and allowing your clients or guests to help each other.

If you are a physical location to serve clients (convention center, restaurant, hotel, etc.) definitely set up a site on foursquare if you haven’t already. It allows your guests to promote your business for you! Offer specials like discounts or extra treats to those who check in.

To stay on top of these types of issues and opportunities, check out the Social Media Club, a national organization with local chapters all over (including a very active Chicago group). They have regular meetings to inform, connect, and build businesses in innovative ways.

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CP Convention and Trade Show a Success

Posted on April 30th, 2010 by

Hundreds of concierge,  professionals and professional networkers came out to the Crystal Ballroom at Navy Pier on Tuesday afternoon, for the 9th Annual Concierge Preferred Convention and Tradeshow.  The event provided the perfect opportunity for attendees to become immersed in some of the businesses that have become, or remained, extremely popular with locals and visitors alike. About 100 exhibitors represented area restaurants, attractions, retail and service businesses, all of which were handing out generous samples which meant every guest left with a full stomach and a full bag of swag! Most restaurants also paired creative cocktails with their bites, creating an almost party-like atmosphere.

But it was time to get down to business too. The seats were filled for the CP Buzz! sessions that took place throughout the day, which included valuable social media marketing information from Laura Levy of Social Media Beast. Most of the CP team was on-site to chat it up with the attendees too, including President and Publisher Tim O’Malley (pictured below), VP of Sales and Advertising, Jim Gilligan and Director of Content and Editorial, Kelly Williams.

The National Concierge Association held its annual silent auction and raffle, showcasing exciting events, attractions and dining experiences around town. All proceeds went directly to the Chicago Chapter of the NCA. The festivities didn’t end with the trade show at 7 p.m. An after-party took place at Howl at the Moon, where attendees flashed their badges to receive access to an open bar and passed hors d’oeuvres.

A special thanks to all the participating exhibitors and volunteers from the Chicago Office of Tourism Chicago Greeters for making the trade show such a success!

Photos courtesy of Jeff Brown, All Events Photography. To view more photos from the Trade Show, visit Concierge Preferred on Facebook!

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Marketing in the New Reality

Posted on February 18th, 2010 by

Erin Clark, Group Management Director at JWT, began an afternoon breakout session at the 2010 Illinois Governor’s Conference on Tourism with a Chinese proverb: “To know the road ahead, ask those coming back.” It might seem simple, but it might be what saves your business in this “new reality.”

“There’s a much broader competitive set, now,” said Clark when we spoke before the session, called Marketing in the New Reality.

Visitors’ decisions about time and money are changing, explained Ann Mack, Director of Trendspotting at JWT. People aren’t deciding between getaways—they’re deciding between a getaway and a new washer and dryer. “You have to be very smart and get people to see why they should be spending their time and money with you,” said Clark. (more…)

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