SPECIAL REPORT : SOCIAL HOTEL AWARDS
BEST REPUTATION MANAGEMENT
BY BRAND
STARWOOD HOTELS & RESORTS WORLDWIDE
DESCRIPTION : Starwood Hotels & Resort ’ s global social media team offers support to customers around the clock , literally . The social team is available 24 hours a day , seven days a week , to listen and engage with potential , current and former guests . The objective is threefold : To offer quality engagement through thoughtful and tailored responses that aligns with the brand ’ s tone and voice , drive loyalty through social opportunities pre-stay , in-stay or post-stay , and propel positive reputation management by listening to customers and offering clear , guided answers . Teams around the world are continuously crafting and reviewing internal case studies to learn what worked and what did to create an updated training manual .
“ Starwood was one of the first to have an online presence back in 2000 with the Starwood Lurker on Flyertalk ,” explains Marcella Nicotera , director of eService and social care at Starwood . “ Through the years , we continue to be present where our guests are , and we are proud to be an award-winning team .”
RESULTS : Starwood ’ s social media team answered 95 % of customer service inquires within 30 minutes , despite a 21 % increase in volume of inquiries in 2014 .
RUNNER-UP : ITC Luxury Collection
At the end of 2013 , Hotel del Coronado had accrued the largest social media following to date among key competitors , with more than 60,000 Facebook fans and 6,000 Twitter followers . However , it wanted to acquire a wealthier , older demographic .
BY PROPERTY
HOTEL DEL CORONADO , SAN DIEGO
DESCRIPTION : At the end of 2013 , Hotel del Coronado accrued the largest social media following to date among key competitors , with more than 60,000 Facebook Fans and 6,000 Twitter followers , placing it at the top of the resort ’ s competitive set in total community size . However , the property was looking to require a very particular fan base : active and healthy travelers with a high discretionary spend . The property set forth with targeting potential guests opposed to just fans of the brand , using social media as a customer service hum and rewarding guests though giveaways and promotions for their social media engagement . Hotel del Coronado also installed a social friendly photo booth that allowed guests to share their pictures on Twitter and Facebook .
“ The perfect social media campaign is one that speaks directly to what our fans are looking for ,” says Sara Harper , director of marketing at Hotel Del Coronado . “ We use our social media pages primarily as a listening tool , discovering what matters most to our fans and guests , and delivering that content to them . “
RESULTS : At press time , Hotel del Coronado has more than 20,000 Facebook fans and 11,000 Twitter followers . Facebook user engagement has increased by 193 % and an average of more than 459 tweets are sent per months . Social media promotions helped garner more than 77,000 impressions to reach 38,000 users and earned 1,200 likes .
RUNNER-UP : The Renaissance Chicago Downtown
30 HOTELS October 2015 www . hotelsmag . com