SPECIAL REPORT
BY BRAND
HILTON HOTELS & RESORTS
TWITTER
BOB
Hilton ’ s @ HiltonSuggests Twitter account needed a refresh . Managed by Hilton employees ( front desk attendants , and sales and catering managers ), the account responds to travel seekers ’ inquiries in real time . Some 115 team members in 119 markets devote 20 minutes of their day to searching for tweeters in need of advice , offering tips and giving recommendations from where to eat the freshest seafood to where to get the best beer . Hilton ( headquarted in McLean , Virginia ) focused on design strategy , internal marketing and partnerships . The result ? More Twitter followers . THE PLAN : Reimagine @ HiltonSuggests to help travelers better connect with Hilton to find unique experiences , insider knowledge and connections
Check out @ HiltonSuggests in action :
hotelsm . ag / Hilton Suggests
with friends and networks that live or have traveled there . THE PRACTICE : Hilton released a refreshed design strategy , launched primarily internal marketing campaigns to increase visibility and created new partnerships to recruit team members . The renewed vision allowed the brand to reach more travelers in more markets ( a 20 % increase ). Recognition programs , like a quarterly award for Hilton Suggests team members , encouraged consistent participation . THE PAYOFF : In 2016 , the brand achieved 20 % growth in Team Member participation and a 20 % increase in cities reached , and @ HiltonSuggests sent out 10,975 responses to travelers around the world , which also helped grow the brand ’ s Twitter account to over 11,000 followers . THE RUNNER-UP : ITC Hotels
In 2016 , @ HiltonSuggests sent out 10,975 responses to travelers around the world .
@ HiltonSuggests renewed campaign vision led to the brand ’ s ability to reach more travelers in more markets .
BEST REPUTATION MANAGEMENT
BY BRAND
DORCHESTER COLLECTION
THE PLAN : Create a social media “ listening ” tool , communicating with guest via their preferred channel , allowing hundreds of hotel employees to engage with guests digitally with the goal of submitting at least two guest stories per month . THE PRACTICE : The London-based company created its own platform to share those stories . Basic “ rules of engagement ” were created indicating where and when to engage . The goal was to respond meaningfully : quality over quantity . THE PAYOFF : In the first month of the launch , the brand engaged with 44 % of guests who posted on social media within properties . In just one month , guests shared 16,709 photos , 969 videos and 3,144 comments . Influencers with wide reach also made a big difference . Thirty-four guest postings had over 1 million followers ; 284 posts reached between 100,000 and 1 million ; and 1,288 posts reached between 10,000 and 100,000 . In just one month , Dorchester reached an audience of 228 million . THE RUNNER-UP : ITC Hotels
BY PROPERTY
TERRANEA RESORT
RANCHO PALOS VERDES , CALIFORNIA
THE PLAN : Create a Social Buzz page ( Terranea . com / Social ), linked on the hotel ’ s home page , showcasing reviews from TripAdvisor and social media . THE PRACTICE : Reputation management was handled in-house with no budget outside of monitoring programs , which review across 28 platforms in addition to mentions and engagements across Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , Linkedin , Pinterest , YouTube and Google +. THE PAYOFF : In 2016 , the hotel garnered 85 % positive reviews and was the number one hotel on TripAdvisor in the area . Monitoring efforts included 2,102 total reviews from 2016 and surpassed 208,300 post engagements on Facebook alone .
22 hotelsmag . com October 2017