Global Update
social butterfly : Marriott taps snapchat
Marriott Hotels recently partnered with Snapchat marketing and analytics agency Naritiv , becoming the first major hospitality company to use the photo messaging platform . The campaign features viral Snapchat star Shaun McBride , comedian Brittany Furlan , director Casey Neistat and YouTube personality Louis Cole traveling to core Marriott properties around the world , co-creating their itineraries with their followers and then documenting their trips through their Snapchat stories .
“ Snapchat is one of the most popular social channels among young people and therefore a great way to reach them ” says David Beebe , vice president of creative and content marketing at Marriott . “ Our goal is to engage next generation travelers , so we decided to partner with influencers to co-create content .”
Beebe explains that choosing Snapchat especially appeals to young consumers who look to brands for information and entertainment . Successful brands
Actor William Spencer , director Daniel Cabrera and actor Caine Sinclair . “ Two Bellmen ” will be Marriott ’ s first short film intended to reach consumers through branded content .
should think of themselves as content marketers who publish all types of media .
“ Our goal is to give consumers what they want , and they will in turn give value back to us ,” explains Beebe . “ We want to become the leading publisher of travel lifestyle content that engages next generation travelers .”
Beebe adds that additional social media initiatives are in the pipeline . Over the past several months , Marriott has signed agreements with television producers Ian Sander and Kim Moses to create a Marriott-specific series . Marriot has partnered with Medium . com to launch new travel vertical and will soon release “ Two Bellmen ,” a short action film shot at JW Marriott Los Angeles .
“ Marriott is uniquely positioned to become the world ’ s leading publisher of travel lifestyle content for the next generation ,” Beebe says . “ This is being done with a clear business objective to put heads in beds .” driNkiNg responsibly
When Isabelle Legeron joined Belle Mont Farm in St . Kitts as master of wine , she brought a unique perspective to the F & B program . Legeron is the creator of Raw , the U . K .’ s largest artisanal wine fair featuring natural wine – organic wine made with minimal chemical and technological intervention . The basic criteria for natural wine include :
• Organically or biodynamically hand-grown grapes with no fertilizer
• No added sugars , no foreign yeasts and no foreign bacteria
• No adjustments for acidity
• No additives for color
• No external flavor additives
• No heavy manipulation
• Minimal ( preferably no added ) sulfites Despite natural wine being priced somewhat higher , Legeron says guests have been willing to make the switch based on the quality and the sustainability of the ingredients .
“ When you start engaging guests and tell them there is a wine equivalent to organic food , a new thought process happens ,” she says .
By curating the resort ’ s wine collection and training the F & B team on the natural wine movement , Legeron hopes to complement Belle Mont Farm ’ s locally inspired food menus .
Legeron also says she is experimenting with fermenting other locally grown fruit on the island . “ Wine is only part of the story ,” she says .
Natural wiNe is Not New . it is what
wiNe always was , aNd somehow today it has become a rarity ,
— Isabelle legeron
16 HOTELS March 2015 www . hotelsmag . com