SOCIAL HOTEL AWARDS JUDGES
By CHLOE RILEY , ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Independence . That is , fundamentally , what lies at the heart of social media . In an era absolutely inundated with selfies , cat photos and the shot of the perfectly crafted poolside margarita , we ’ ve forgotten that this wasn ’ t always the norm — and that the absence of that norm wasn ’ t that long ago . Facebook is 14 years old , Twitter is 12 , Instagram is 8 . Snapchat came out in 2011 .
And before that ? A hotel would have been at the mercy of the press and the whims of a PR director .
This ability to create one ’ s own narrative , to disseminate images , to tell the story of your property or brand , is absolutely invaluable . And doing it well , well — that ’ s the name of the game .
Pretty pictures don ’ t necessarily equate to return on investment . But with a savvy strategy , numbers-based calculations and a knack for delivering what guests really want out of social , sometimes they absolutely do .
Here are this year ’ s HOTELS Social Hotel Award winners ( and runners-up ) in six categories .
JENNIFER WESLEY DIRECTOR OF TRAVEL , GOOGLE
Jennifer Wesley joined Google in 2011 and now leads strategic relationships with hotel , air , car , vacation suppliers and online travel businesses from Chicago . Previously , she was a consultant within several Publicis companies , where she developed marketing programs and e-commerce platforms for Fortune 500 companies .
SIMONE PUORTO CEO AND FOUNDER , SIMONE PUORTO CONSULTING
Simone Puorto is a passionate marketing geek . After managing two hotels and running a team of consultants , he focused on writing and consulting . Over the past decade , he has worked with hundreds of hotels , web agencies , startups and travel-tech providers worldwide . He is based in France . the brand portfolio for most shares from a single piece of video content ( 476 shares for Rosewood Mayakoba , 400 for Rosewood San Miguel , 379 for Rosewood Puebla and 423 for Las Ventanas ).
“ At a time when the U . S . State Department ’ s travel warning on Mexico was making headlines , we launched the campaign not only to cross-promote each of the four Rosewood Mexico properties , but to celebrate everything that makes travel to Mexico so worthwhile — the rich heritage , history and culture that ’ s brought to life in Rosewood ’ s Sense of Place philosophy and guest experience ,” the company says in its SoHo application .
“ Additionally , testing and optimizing the time of day for posting allowed us to shift our action plan mid-campaign to leverage each property ’ s ideal posting window , resulting in higher engagements ,” says Christian Gonzalez , regional director of sales and marketing .
“ Campaign video was by far the most successful asset type in the campaign , reinforcing Facebook ’ s continued prioritization of video
JULIE FREEMAN EVP AND MANAGING DIRECTOR , NJF AT MMGY GLOBAL
Julie Freeman leads worldwide public relations , social and experiential marketing practices for MMGY Global , an integrated travel marketing company . She is responsible for all strategy , implementation and new business development , as well as the integration of PR initiatives . She is based in New York .
LOREN GRAY FOUNDER , HOSPITALITY DIGITAL MARKETING
Loren Gray is founder and CEO of Dallas-based Hospitality Digital Marketing , a consulting firm for hospitality businesses . Gray held roles in F & B , operations , as GM of several branded and non-branded resorts , in regional sales and marketing , and ultimately as director of e-commerce . He has also owned and operated several hospitality ventures .
October 2018 hotelsmag . com 21