THE MAGAZINE OF THE WORLDWIDE HOTEL INDUSTRY
EDITORIAL Jeff Weinstein , Editor In Chief 1.312.274.2226 E-mail : jweinstein @ hotelsmag . com
Ann Bagel Storck , Managing Editor 1.312.274.2209 E-mail : astorck @ hotelsmag . com
Nathan Greenhalgh , Associate Editor 1.312.274.2229 E-mail : ngreenhalgh @ hotelsmag . com
Dani Friedland , Assistant Editor 1.312.274.2223 E-mail : dfriedland @ mtgmediagroup . com
Queenie Burns , Vice President , Design 1.312.274.2216 E-mail : qburns @ mtgmediagroup . com
Steve Vanden Heuvel , Senior Art Director 1.312.274.2218 E-mail : svandenheuvel @ mtgmediagroup . com
Bert Ganzon , Senior Art Director 1.312.274.2227 E-mail : bganzon @ mtgmediagroup . com
Bill McDowell , Vice President , Editorial Director 1.312.274.2201 bmcdowell @ mtgmediagroup . com
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Mary Gostelow , Adam Kirby
PUBLISHING Dan Hogan , Vice President , Publisher 1.312.274.2221 dhogan @ hotelsmag . com
INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD
Nakul Anand Executive Director , ITC Hotels Ltd ., Gurgaon , India
Stephen Bartolin Chairman and CEO , The Broadmoor , Colorado Springs , Colorado
Eric Danziger President and CEO , Wyndham Hotel Group , Parsippany , New Jersey
Geoffrey Gelardi Managing Director , The Lanesborough , London
Laurence Geller President and CEO , Strategic Hotels & Resorts , Chicago
Kirk Kinsell President , the Americas , IHG , Atlanta
Alex Kyriakidis President and managing director , Middle East and Africa , Marriott International , Dubai
Christopher Nassetta President and CEO , Hilton Worldwide , McLean , Virginia
Monika Nerger Chief Information Officer , Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group , Atlanta
Paul Sistare President and CEO , Atlantica Hotels International , São Paulo
Kathleen Taylor President and CEO , Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts , Toronto
Susan Terry Vice President Culinary Operations , Hyatt Hotels North American Operations , Chicago
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Social Hotel Awards
Everywhere I turn , I see increasingly intensive efforts being made by hotel companies to embrace and monetize social media . Four Seasons just spent US $ 18 million to redefine its online presence , which includes a serious social media component . For better or worse , hoteliers are incorporating TripAdvisor reviews onto their websites . Your guests are regularly using social media and its related technologies to tell family and friends about their travel plans and experiences — both good and bad . There are already legendary stories about how hoteliers responded to Tweets to turn around potentially damaging situations . Where social media takes the hotel industry next will continue to be the biggest marketing stories , and become the biggest focus for salespeople .
At HOTELS , we have recognized how hotel companies are using Facebook , Twitter and a variety of integrated digital marketing campaigns to create buzz and , hopefully , drive business . We also recognize that understanding how to use social media effectively is , perhaps , one of the most daunting tasks facing the industry at large , and I doubt that will change anytime soon , if not become an even more complex issue .
With this in mind , HOTELS announces its Social Hotel Awards , which internally we have been calling the SoHo Awards , to recognize excellence in this exciting new marketing medium . I encourage you to enter this free program to show off what you are most proud of in this space .
We have assembled an esteemed list of judges from the likes of Google , Digital Royalty and other names you might know to choose winners in 10 categories , ranging from best Facebook and Twitter pages to best use of digital video and best
reputation management . To make it a fair playing field , we will have both chain and independent winners in each category . You will be judged on results , creativity , quality and clarity .
The winners will be chosen this summer , and a major feature about all the winners will appear this fall — both in print and as a series on our website .
My hope is that by bringing attention to the best in class , we will all learn about what it takes to succeed in the social media marketing arena , and that it will provide hoteliers with ideas for further developing their own programs .
To submit your entries , go to hotelsm . ag / sohoinfo and follow the prompts . If you have any questions , please contact me directly at jweinstein @ hotelsmag . com . I am very excited to review the entries , encourage you to enter as many categories as you can and wish you good luck in winning the first of what I expect to become the annual Social Hotel Awards .
Editor In Chief www . hotelsmag . com May 2012 HOTELS 3