SPECIAL REPORT
BY BRAND BY PROPERTY
ITC Hotels Description : ITC Hotels uses a “ 360-degree approach ” for its Instagram strategy . The hotel company has led several successful campaigns , including “ It ’ s Rewarding to Be Social ,” incentivizing guests for sharing experiences ; # LuxuryCurator , allowing guests to experience the properties through globally renowned Instagrammers ; # LuxuryInstameet , bringing together a group of influential photographers for the launch of its Delhi Pavillion restaurant ; and a robust Instagram reputation management tracker that resolves guest queries and questions on a daily basis .
“ Visual content marketing plays an important role to trigger the purchase decision amongst the socially savvy traveler ,” says Baldev Dhir , head of digital marketing , distribution and brand operationsat ITC Hotels . Results : “ It ’ s Rewarding to Be Social ” received more than 2,000 entires on both Instagram and Twitter , # LuxuryCurator received over 50,000 Instagram interactions and grew the follower base by 1,500 users , # LuxuryInstameet generated more than 90,000 intereactions , and ITC Hotels has resolved more than 250 instances of negative / critical feedback on Instagram within the first several months of its reputation management initiative . Runner Up : Radisson Blu
BEST USE OF VISUAL NETWORKS
Hotel Del Coronado , San Diego Description : Hotel Del Coronado observed that both guests of the resort and fans of the Instagram account actively share their photos to personal Instagram accounts . To show the resort ’ s appreciation , Hotel Del Coronado began posting their photos to the resort ’ s account , giving the user credit by tagging them in the comment . Given the popularity , the property revised its “ Day in the Life at The Del ” photo series to include more user-generated content . The goal was to establish the Instagram account as the go-to platform for showcasing the property and its offerings as well as to provide vacation inspiration .
“ We have found that posts with long copy and posts that are too promotional tend to underperform ,” says Sara Harper , director of marketing at Hotel Del Coronado . “ When we stop to think about what compels us to follow or unfollow an account , this makes sense because no one wants to be struck with heavily promotional or one-way messaging . We want to maintain a lightness and authenticity to our approach on Instagram so that it accurately reflects the spirit of the Southern California lifestyle that The Del embodies .” Results : Del Coronado is outpacing its Instagram growth rate year-over-year by more than two times compared with 2015 , when the account grew by 10,300 followers . From January through July 2016 , the account surpassed that with an increase of more than 11,000 followers . In just a three-month timespan ( April through July 2016 ), the resort ’ s Instagram drove an additional 75,300 engagements . Runner Up : Halekulani
Hotel Del Coronado ' s goal was to establish the Instagram account as the go-to platform for showcasing the property and its offerings as well as to provide vacation inspiration .
26 hotelsmag . com October 2016