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 , Managing Editor , New Media 1.312.274.2223 E-mail : dfriedland @ mtgmediagroup . com
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CONTRIBUTING EDITORs Mary Gostelow , Oriana Lerner
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Nakul Anand Executive Director , ITC Ltd ., Gurgaon , India
Stephen Bartolin Chairman and CEO , The Broadmoor , Colorado Springs , Colorado
Geoffrey Gelardi Managing Director , The Lanesborough , London
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
Susan Terry Vice President Culinary Operations , Hyatt Hotels North American Operations , Chicago
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Be social
The numbers are not quite worth bragging about yet , but based on the entries from HOTELS ’ 2014 Social Hotel Awards the nagging questions about whether or not all the attention being paid to social media marketing is worth the time and investment are starting to be answered affirmatively .
There were more than 250 entries from around the world for this year ’ s program , and among the winners and the vetted finalists many more than in the past were able to quantify ROI on their initiatives .
Take , for example , a new Facebook booking engine for Thai-based Anantara , which generated US $ 20,000 in direct bookings . Hotel Bloom ! in Brussels employed a brand manager supported by a marketing-focused trainee to manage its Facebook fan page , which is now one of the hotel website ’ s top five traffic-referral sources . A Facebook campaign by Travaasa Hana in Hawaii generated US $ 14,800 in revenue .
Yes , the numbers are small , but if you put into perspective where social media is now and likely heading from here , there is a very long runway ahead for quantifiable brand building . For those branded and independent operators who think creatively and invest further in social media marketing , I expect the ROI is only going to become easier to realize .
The message is clear . Investing in digital media in all forms , including social media , is the way forward . I have heard anecdotally from numerous hotel executives and operators how they are
moving a majority of their consumer ad spend to digital initiatives — and this is just the start .
In this month ’ s Special Report ( p20 ), you can read about the strategies of some of the best and most successful social media campaigns that were reviewed by the editors and then voted on by an expert panel of social media judges . While you only get a taste of the winners ’ strategies here , I suggest you consider making a small investment to read about 60-plus great campaign case studies from 2013 . HOTELS has aggregated the best of last year ’ s entries and created an ebook to help the novices learn about what ideas work , the tactics employed , labor used and the ROI . The stories are creative , concisely presented and offer great takeaways . You can find the HOTELS ’ Best Social Media Practices Guide on Amazon , iTunes , Barnes & Noble and Kobo .
Social media marketing can be confusing , frustrating and time-consuming if you do not have vast resources . However , the brand-building game is increasingly being played online , and it is incumbent upon all of you to figure it out and find the right people to execute . You can ’ t make new friends if you don ’ t socialize .
Editor In Chief www . hotelsmag . com October2014 HOTELs 5