TECHNOLOGY : CRM
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Some hotel companies are beginning to reward customers based on their social media clout using software such as Klout and Libra OnDemand , turning social media users with the largest megaphones into brand advocates .
“ I think that is the new VIP in our industry ,” says Gregg Hopkins , president of Libra OnDemand , Celebration , Florida .
them when they visit the brand . com website ,” says John Burns , president of Hospitality Technology Consulting , Scottsdale , Arizona . “ We fall far short of Amazon . com , for example , in suggesting travel possibilities , customized upgrades or add-ons that follow the pattern exhibited by previous add-ons they have purchased in the past . For the most part , after recognizing them with ‘ welcome back ’ and making their traveler profile available to them , the dialogue with them as they create a new reservation is strictly boilerplate .”
Leading the pack Although these features largely remain in the future , a few hotel companies have already begun the CRM-social media integration process .
Motivated to create new revenue streams , Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide is actively recruiting members for Starwood Preferred Guest with online research and marketing to highfrequency travelers . Starwood says a third of those guests are management consultants , and it is targeting recent university graduates starting a career in this field . “ The best investment in your brand is recruiting and retaining those most loyal guests ,” Frits van
“ In the past , you would VIP someone if you knew who they were — if it were a head of state , a celebrity or business leader . Similarly , if you know someone has a high social media clout and will share their experience — good or bad — I think it makes sense to identify them and treat them in a way that will get a good response .”
Hotels will need to make sure they are targeting social media users that have audiences that will be influenced by posts about their hotel , though , as opposed to merely rewarding those with the higher numbers of followers . Meanwhile , the amount of hotels that have actually put this into practice remains low .
“ The amount of followers can be gamed ,” says Robert Cole , hotel technology consultant and founder of RockCheetah , Menomonee Falls , Wisconsin . “ You have to examine who really has the best engagement . You have influential people , but they might not be able to influence people ’ s travel plans .”
“ WE BELIEVE THAT INNOVATION WILL BE ABOUT A MORE PERSONALIZED APPROACH TO THE GUEST EXPERIENCE .”
– Mark Vondrasek , Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
Paasschen , Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide president and CEO , told Bloomberg Businessweek .
Starwood also recently began offering a personal travel assistant , called an “ Ambassador ,” available 24 / 7 to guests booking more than 100 nights a year . “ We believe that innovation will be about a more personalized approach to the guest experience ,” says Mark Vondrasek , Starwood ’ s senior vice president , Starwood distribution , loyalty & partnerships . “ Our goal is to develop ‘ loyalty beyond reason ’ with an ever increasing cadre of global mega travelers .”
Both initiatives are part of the company ’ s new Global Personalization at Starwood CRM program , further details of which are being kept under wraps currently for competitive reasons .
Tune Group , Petaling Jaya , Malaysia , regularly conducts online research on guests at its budget brand Tune Hotels to offer special favors for guests with social media clout using the Flip . to software .
“ A huge component to launching new hotels today is social media , just getting the hotel ’ s name out there and letting people spread the word to their networks ,” says Mark Lankester , Tune Hotels CEO . “ Social media is a hugely important communication avenue for Tune Hotels , allowing us to converse with guests across the globe in a casual , conversational style . Detailed analytics and social media tracking has made it very easy for us to get a handle on who our most profitable brand advocates are — that is , our true VIP guests — so we can call special attention to them and make sure their stays are absolutely perfect . Our guests are our best advocates , so when they tell their friends on Facebook about what a great stay they had at Tune Hotels , that ’ s advertising you just can ’ t buy , and we ’ re more than happy to reward them for that .”
72 HOTELS July / August 2012 www . hotelsmag . com