Passion for HosPitality
EDITORIAL Jeff Weinstein , Editor In Chief 1.312.274.2226 E-mail : jweinstein @ hotelsmag . com
Brittany Farb , Associate Editor 1.312.274.2229 E-mail : bfarb @ hotelsmag . com
Dani Friedland , Managing Editor , New Media 1.312.274.2223 E-mail : dfriedland @ mtgmediagroup . com
Bert Ganzon , Senior Art Director 1.312.274.2227 E-mail : bganzon @ mtgmediagroup . com
Steve Vanden Heuvel , Senior Art Director 1.312.274.2218 E-mail : svandenheuvel @ mtgmediagroup . com
Brittney Hackbart , Associate Art Director 1.312.274.2216 E-mail : bhackbart @ mtgmediagroup . com
Michelle Villadolid , Freelance Design E-mail : mvilladolid @ mtgmediagroup . com
Bill McDowell , Vice President , Editorial Director 1.312.274.2201 bmcdowell @ mtgmediagroup . com
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Oriana Lerner , Erin Sund
PUBLISHING Dan Hogan , Vice President , Publisher 1.312.274.2221 dhogan @ hotelsmag . com
INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD Nakul Anand Executive Director , ITC Ltd ., Gurgaon , India
Stephen Bartolin Chairman , The Broadmoor , Colorado Springs , Colorado
Geoffrey Gelardi Managing Director , The Lanesborough , London
Kirk Kinsell President & CEO , Loews Hotels & Resorts , New York City
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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IncreasIng soCial rigor
Congratulations to the winners of HOTELS 2015 Social Hotel Awards ( p22 ). In fact , congratulations to all of the entrants who represent the industry ’ s growing understanding that participating in the virtual , real-time social media world is not only good PR but has the potential to positively impact the bottom line . That being said , it is now time , if not overdue , for hoteliers to take their social games to the next level .
“ Likes ” are not enough . Hoteliers and their social media teams ( internal or outsourced ) need to better monetize their efforts . As one SoHo judge made very clear to me – and rightfully so – likes , shares and fans are nice to have , but are no longer enough , or a viable measurement of success . Facebook ’ s Global Head of Travel Strategy Lee McCabe went as far as to tell me that he thinks for business , “ social ” is irrelevant and measuring its soft ROI questionable . In other words , measurements need to change .
I know McCabe has an agenda , but he earnestly told me how the OTAs are measuring real KPIs from social channels . When they run brand campaigns on social channels , OTAs measure brand awareness , recognition and uplift . When they run sales campaigns , they measure direct bookings and ROI . He said while a few hotel companies are starting to do the right things , from his perspective the hotel industry is slow in adopting more useful tactics and measurements .
Perhaps it is inherent in their hospitality-focused nature that hotel companies are slow to get all the tech-related strategies right . They are not technology companies , and as much as they are making gains in areas like search , they tend to lag the field .
McCabe went on to tell me how OTAs change their organizational structure on a quarterly basis to remove silos and friction in decision-making . He said OTAs no longer have “ social ” titles or teams ; their focus is more on brand campaigns , sales and retargeting . Hotel companies need to develop this sort of rigor and culture to better compete in what has become a very competitive booking landscape .
McCabe was also in the audience for a social media panel I moderated in June at the NYU hotel investment conference and told me how antiquated a comment was from one of the expert panelists who talked about how hotels think social media is about relationships and connecting people in some sublime way . Find the ROI in that , he quipped .
In 2016 , the judging criteria for the Social Hotel Awards will evolve , asking entrants to better prove the ROI of their campaigns . There is some value in the soft side of social media and hotels are better connecting with guests both pre- and poststay , but the time is now for hotel companies to review their social media strategies to better drive a bottom line return .
Editor In Chief www . hotelsmag . com October 2015 HOTELS 7