CHANGING HOW HOSPITALITY DOES SOCIAL
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Industry veteran Sonesta, the 8th largest hospitality company, is on a mission to elevate its brand awareness, particularly for its flagship brand, The Royal Sonesta. Despite its established position, Sonesta seeks a wider audience as its portfolio continues to grow and a distinct online presence that reflects its unique hotel brands. Gina Uttaro, Director of Social Media & Content for Sonesta, said:

“As a small, nimble social media team internally at Sonesta, we wanted a true partner that would match our passion for creative content, motivation to stay up to date on trends, and always bring fresh ideas and strategic thinking to their work”.

Enter BCV, a renowned agency known for its hospitality industry expertise and ability to turn challenges into opportunities. This strategic partnership promises to redefine the social media landscape for both brands.

Beyond a Facelift: Crafting Distinct Brand Narratives

Sonesta describes itself as an “80-year-old startup,” highlighting its longevity and continuous evolution. The Royal Sonesta, their crown jewel, exudes a “sophisticated whimsy,” a playful take on “royalty” that sets it apart. BCV acknowledges this desire for differentiation and promises to craft narratives that capture the essence of both brands: Sonesta’s established voice and The Royal Sonesta’s unique persona.

Shared Goals, Amplified Results:

Sonesta’s top priorities are building brand awareness and fostering a thriving online community. They envision a vibrant social media presence that attracts new audiences and transforms guests into loyal brand ambassadors. BCV’s strategy involves creative content and strategic paid tactics to achieve these goals. The success of campaigns like “Sincerely Sonesta” and “Make Your Mantra” demonstrates the effectiveness of BCV’s approach.

The creative for ‘Sincerely’ features simple, luxurious imagery and a cheeky ‘out of the office’ message in the company’s voice and signed, ‘Sincerely, Sonesta.’ Senior Account Executive Katie Murphy said,

“Sincerely Sonesta” effectively captures the essence of Sonesta’s brand identity and engagement with the audience. We also did a campaign called Make Your Mantra to marry the idea of making resolutions at the beginning of each year, with travel goals directly targeting the brand’s audience of business and leisure travelers to drive engagement and meaningful conversation”.

 

A Glimpse into the Future: The “Royalty Revolution” Begins

2024 marks the beginning of the “royalty revolution” for The Royal Sonesta. BCV plans to showcase its stunning locations and bring its “royal mascots” to life, fostering deeper connections with targeted audiences. Sonesta’s diverse personality will shine across various platforms, while The Royal Sonesta’s mascot-driven persona will unfold on its dedicated channel, creating a captivating social media symphony.

Beyond Hype: A Look at the Concrete Facts

According to Gina Uttaro, Sonesta’s social media lead:

“The BCV team feels like an extension of our social media team and this was important to us in choosing the right partner to help us build our brands on social media”. 

This partnership is not just about lofty goals and future promises. Here are some key facts to remember:

  • Established brands seeking wider recognition: Sonesta, despite its industry ranking, desires increased brand awareness for the organization and key hotel brands like The Royal Sonesta.

  • Distinct brand personalities: Sonesta seeks to generate global awareness of their growing “80-year-old startup” hospitality organization, while The Royal Sonesta focuses on a “sophisticated whimsy” persona.

  • Shared goals of brand awareness and community building: Both Sonesta and BCV prioritize increasing brand awareness and fostering online communities.

  • Strategic approach with tailored content: BCV’s strategy involves creative content and paid tactics specific to each brand’s personality and target audience.

  • Emphasis on collaboration and industry expertise: Sonesta values BCV’s collaborative approach and deep understanding of the hospitality industry.

The Future Unfolds: Stay Tuned for More

 This is just the beginning of Sonesta and BCV’s journey. The future promises innovative social media strategies, a thriving online community, and a brand presence that redefines expectations in the hospitality industry. Stay tuned for more updates as they rewrite the rules of social engagement and embark on a new era of digital success.

In preparation for the summer season, this 5-star resort sought to generate heightened awareness of its popular Lake Club offering. The goal was to inspire potential travelers and drive interest in the luxurious amenities and experiences offered by the Lake Club.

Recognizing the potential impact of social media, the hotel collaborated with a social media agency to craft a targeted campaign that would resonate with the audience and drive marketing qualified leads.

As luxury hoteliers, we constantly strive to differentiate ourselves, connect with discerning guests, and amplify our brand voice. Social Media Holidays present a unique opportunity to achieve all three in the ever-evolving digital landscape. These quirky, trend-driven days offer a playful platform to engage your audience, build brand personality, and drive awareness – but navigating them strategically is key.

Embrace the Playful Potential: Integrating Social Media Holidays into Your Strategy

Remember, Social Media Holidays are a strategic tool, not a haphazard pastime. Align with brand standards: Ensure the holidays you celebrate resonate with your brand identity and target audience. Promoting a seaside escape in honor of National Ocean Day on June 8 makes sense. Or the First Day of Winter on December 21 for your Mountain destination. And who doesn’t have a beverage program that could, uh, tap into some more business from National Beer Day on April 7th!

  • Plan thoughtfully: Consider budget allocation, paid media amplification, and cross-channel communication (email blasts, on-property collateral) for larger campaigns.

  • Start small and scale strategically: Begin with one or two holidays per month and gradually build your repertoire.

Beyond Traditional Holidays: The Rise of Social Media Celebrations

Unlike their formal counterparts, Social Media Holidays celebrate anything from pizza to pets to wellness routines. Think of them as casual, inclusive invitations to join a global conversation. They’re all about fun, engagement, and fostering a sense of community, making them perfectly suited for luxury hotels seeking to connect with like-minded individuals.

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Download BCV’s Calender of Most Engaging Trending Holidays!

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Harnessing the Power of Playful Days: Benefits for Luxury Hotels

  • Boost Engagement: Trending hashtags and creative content around these holidays can spark conversations, increase likes and shares, and inject vibrancy into your social media landscape.

  • Catalyze Brand Personality: Show the world your hotel’s fun side! Quirky posts celebrating National Ice Cream Day or hosting a sunset yoga session on International Yoga Day demonstrate an authentic and engaging brand personality.

  • Amplify Brand Awareness: Leverage trending topics to get your hotel noticed. Imagine the reach of a beautifully curated National Margarita Day post showcasing your signature cocktails!

Playing Smart: Strategies for Authentic Participation

Remember, successful Social Media Holiday engagement hinges on strategic execution. Here’s how to avoid clumsiness and ensure your participation is sophisticated and effective:

  • Tailor your approach: Don’t force it. If your hotel doesn’t offer burgers, skip #NationalBurgerDay. Authenticity is paramount.

  • Elevate the experience: Go beyond a simple post. Host a bespoke wine tasting for International Wine Day, partner with a local animal shelter for National Dog Day, or offer a limited-edition cocktail inspired by the holiday. Create memorable experiences, not just content.

  • Maintain quality over quantity: Don’t flood your feed. One well-executed post per month is sufficient. Less is more when it comes to crafting impactful content.

Inspiration from the Best: Successful Social Media Holiday Campaigns

Several esteemed luxury hotels have mastered the art of leveraging Social Media Holidays. Take inspiration from:

Barbie Trend at Moxy NYC Downtown

  • Jumping on the trending social media Barbie content,they executed a creative social media campaign the weekend of the Barbie movie release, driving users to stop in and experience their Barbie pop-up at on-site restaurant

Ice Cream Day with Cambria

  • In honor of National Ice Cream Day, they leveraged video content by creating a reel that flips through various ice cream flavors, asking users to screenshot what flavor of ice cream they are, then drove users to their on-property ice cream shops

National Pizza Day with Emmy Squared

  • Supported by enticing creative graphics, they executed a giveaway in honor of National Pizza Day where users tagged three friends and followed the account to be entered for a chance to win a gift card and swag

International Poke Day with Four Seasons Bora Bora

  • With a locally sourced Poke dish on the menu, they organically participated in the social media holiday and showcased their offerings at the resort for guests to enjoy

By embracing the playful potential of Social Media Holidays, your luxury hotel can cultivate a vibrant online community, amplify brand awareness, and ultimately attract discerning guests. So, step into the hashtag jungle with intention, create experiences worth sharing, and let the celebration begin!

Forget “follow for follow” and “like for like.” The Instagram game has changed, and luxury hotels need a new playbook to stay ahead of the curve. But fear not, hoteliers, for this post, is your cheat sheet to navigating the new algorithm and showcasing your dazzling destinations to a captive audience.

So, the burning question: Does your meticulously curated feed still hold weight?

According to Statista, 36.5% of travelers said they used social media to find travel inspiration or ideas. The trend is more prevalent among young travelers. About 60% of Generation Zers and 40% of Millennials report they use social media for travel purposes.

Many of these travelers might plan entire trips around specific destinations or activities they found on social media — especially if they saw it on their favorite influencer’s profile. Instagram and Facebook are especially influential platforms — 46% of Gen Z travelers say Instagram influences their travel decisions, while 50% say Facebook.

From Feed to Feature: The Algorithm Unveiled

Gone are the days of a single, monolithic Instagram algorithm. Today, it’s a complex, ever-evolving beast with different ranking signals for each surface: Feed, Stories, Reels, and Explore. Think of it as a multifaceted jewel, each facet reflecting a different aspect of your brand.

  • Feed: Still your digital storefront, but its purpose has shifted. It’s about reinforcing existing connections with your audience, showcasing the best of the best from your content library. Think of it as a curated highlight reel, not just a chronological timeline. The feed includes content from accounts you follow and new-to-you accounts the platform thinks you’ll like. The feed aims to get you caught up on the “best content published” since you last opened the app. Ranking signals include your past feed activity (including content formats and topics you tend to like), information about the post (like popularity and how other accounts have engaged with it), information about a given account (including how often they’ve posted recently and how others have engaged), past interactions with the author on all types of content.

  • Stories: The ephemeral playground where authentic, engaging content reigns supreme. Prioritize interactions and behind-the-scenes glimpses to build deeper bonds with your followers.  IG prioritizes content that’s most likely to make users engage (i.e., making informed guesses and serving you content from people that you consistently view stories from, your history of engaging with the account’s stories, the pattern of interactions of their other types of content, etc.). Stories include content from people you already follow, so it’s there to reinforce those connections with people and brands you already have a relationship with.

  • Reels & Explore: This is the entertainment arena where freshness and virality are king (and queen). Experiment with video formats, collabs, and trending topics to reach new audiences and spark wanderlust. This part of the algorithm focuses on new-to-you accounts that Instagram thinks you’ll enjoy– primarily from an entertainment perspective. The algorithm considers how you’ll probably interact with the content based on past activity. When ranking Explore posts and reels, the algorithm considers how likely you are to like, save, or share a post based on your past activity.

Pros & Cons: Navigating the New Algorithm Landscape

Pros for Luxury Hotels:

  • Focus on Beautiful Content: Your stunning locations, opulent amenities, and unparalleled service are natural Instagram magnets. This algorithm plays to your strengths, rewarding high-quality visuals and engaging experiences.

  • Tap into Entertainment: Don’t just showcase perfection; create immersive experiences through Reels featuring sunset cocktails, chef masterclasses, or spa treatments.

  • Reach New Audiences: Partner with influencers and experiment with trending topics to broaden your reach beyond existing followers.

  • Deeper Connections: Stories offer a platform for authenticity and interaction, fostering stronger bonds with your audience.

Types of content to favor: 

Video content still trumps all other content formats on IG!  Also, consider that Carousels receive the highest engagement rate (a key ranking signal in the algorithm). User-generated content remains one of the top-performing content formats and has become a must for the hospitality industry. UGC is a great way to find new, original content, serve as a testimonial of sorts, and provide a layer of authenticity to followers (i.e., usually unstaged, not professional or branded imagery).

Cons to Consider:

  • Beyond the Feed: Success now requires mastery of multiple formats, not just a perfect feed.

  • Algorithm Nuances: Understanding the different ranking signals for each surface is crucial for targeted content creation.

  • Constant Adaptation: The algorithm is constantly evolving, so staying informed and flexible is key.

  • Authenticity Matters: Overly promotional content or inauthentic trends can backfire, so focus on genuine storytelling.

Types of content that are disadvantageous

Overly promotional content – users primarily want to be inspired and entertained. While content can occasionally be informational and promotional, we recommend saving these posts to stories or ads, which hold a clear CTA and link to book. Irrelevant trendy or viral posts that are inconsistent with the brand are viewed as “trying too hard”. For format, Landscape imagery is much easier to scroll past. Consider that 92.1% of internet usage happens on mobile phones. That means you want your content to take up as much vertical real estate as possible to engage users.

Benefit or Bust? Why Luxury Reigns in the New Algorithm:

Good news! Your unique selling points are inherently Instagrammable. This algorithm rewards the very things that make your hotel special, providing fertile ground for creative and engaging content.

Think beyond the picture-perfect poolside pose. Create immersive experiences through Reels showcasing sunset cocktails on the rooftop, Michelin-starred chef masterclasses, or breathtaking spa treatments. Partner with influencers to offer unique perspectives and tap into their reach.

Remember:

  • Consistency still counts: Post regularly, but mix it up with formats and topics.

  • Analyze your insights: See what stories and Reels resonate most, then replicate their magic. Pinpoint what made them perform so well. For Reels, check to see which ones reached the most non-followers, which means it was likely served on the Explore or Reels feed. Through IG insights, you can see which posts of yours reached users from the Explore feed as well.

  • Entertain, don’t just sell: Focus on creating captivating content, not just pushing promotions. Keep content creation top of mind to make your brand stand out– this includes creating original content and creating content that resonates with your audience.

  • Encourage “Favorites”: Get your most loyal fans to add you to their “Close Friends” list for prime feed placement.

Luxe Inspiration: Hotels Crushing the Algorithm Game

So, is your Instagram feed still relevant? Absolutely. It’s just evolved into a multi-faceted platform demanding more strategic content and a deeper understanding of your audience’s desires. Embrace the change, unleash your creativity, and watch your luxury haven shine on Instagram’s ever-shifting sands.

A popular Marriott hotel in Hawaii, facing a need period, sought to leverage the power of social media to boost revenue. Recognizing social media’s historical success as a marketing channel, the hotel collaborated with a leading social media agency to implement a flash sale campaign. The objective was to drive bookings during the need period and showcase the value of the hotel to potential guests.

In today’s digital age, social media platforms are not just avenues for communication; they’re evolving into powerful marketplaces. This new commercial reality, social commerce, holds significant untapped potential for the luxury hotel industry. Whether through direct purchasing within the app or leveraging user-generated content (UGC), every element on your social media platform can turn a simple post into a selling point.

WHY SOCIAL COMMERCE WORKS

One key question to ponder: when was the last time you booked a luxury hotel room without checking its social media platforms? By integrating social commerce strategies, hotels can increase customer engagement and loyalty. Although integrating booking engines in paid social channels is not 100% a reality, hotels can capitalize on other shopping streams, like the products they offer on the property. Allow your consumers not only to be delighted with lifestyle content but also allow them to buy products that enhance the brand experience and increase consumer loyalty. You just have to showcase those items.

MAKING THE LEAP

Integrating social commerce into luxury hotel marketing strategies has never been easier. In fact, every piece of social media content can now become sellable. Because anything showcased by a hotel or its brand ambassadors can be directly purchased by the audience. The technology behind adding purchase options to your posts is built into the content process, eliminating unnecessary steps in setting up and making the transaction process seamless.

HOW SELLING BUILDS BRANDS

When you add social media commerce to the equation, all the content, ads, and audience relationships you create can be exponentially more powerful from a business perspective. Luxury hospitality can use social commerce to amplify their brand prestige and increase their digital footprint. By leveraging the platforms where potential guests already spend much of their time, hotels can increase their reach and visibility. Importantly, social media provides an avenue to showcase their brand from a self-owned, earned, and paid perspective.

EXPONENTIAL ENGAGEMENT

One advantage of social commerce for luxury hotels is the opportunity for collaboration. User-generated content (UGC) is a powerful tool in this endeavor. When individuals tag your property or items in their posts, the search algorithms reward your popularity to boost the visibility of your content. When you make that content purchasable, you have a built-in endorsement engine that tracks the number of people buying your goods and services. Not only is your content available and shoppable, but you also have super fan engagement with UGC. And what could be more powerful than word of mouth 2.0?

SOCIAL CONNECTION & REAL REVENUE

There’s often a bond between a luxury property and its guests. There can also be bucket list-style bragging rights to tell the world about your great taste. Social commerce offers a significant opportunity for revenue generation based on both of these human emotions. It paves the path for amplifying sales and promoting brand engagement for luxury hotels. The immediacy of tagged or promoted items in social media can spur impulsive buying, subsequently increasing revenue.

THE IMPACT OF TARGETED ADVERTISING IN SOCIAL COMMERCE

The merging of social commerce with traditional advertising campaigns augments their effectiveness. Hotels can now convert their content into shoppable items, directly leading to sales. By targeting specific audiences like socially committed shoppers and harnessing the power of lookalike audiences, they can tailor their ad campaigns to those most likely to convert. This, in turn, boosts the customer base and drives revenue.

ENHANCING CUSTOMER INSIGHT THROUGH SOCIAL COMMERCE

Social commerce platforms prove valuable in gathering insightful customer data. Every engagement, purchase, or interaction is a chance to learn more about customer preferences and purchasing habits. This vast pool of information is crucial in shaping a hotel’s marketing strategy, adapting offerings to meet consumer behavior, and enhancing sales. Luxury properties well-informed about their guests’ desires and purchase patterns can efficiently cater to these preferences, subsequently enriching the guest experience and encouraging repeat business.

UNDERSTANDING NEW CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR

The continuous evolution of the digital landscape, fused with an influx of social commerce capabilities, is significantly altering how customers engage with brands. Luxury hotels must understand these changes to adapt their marketing strategies to meet these new customer expectations. The emergence of social commerce has made customers more informed, demanding, and selective in their choices. They want to see other guests’ authentic experiences before booking. This change in behavior provides hotels with a golden opportunity; they can carefully curate user-generated content to present their offerings in the most appealing way possible.

THE ROAD AHEAD

In conclusion, the rise of social commerce began a shift in the attitude and behavior of customers. Luxury hotels that acknowledge this shift and adapt their strategies accordingly can leverage these changes to their advantage. Social commerce is not just a trend; it is part of the future of marketing in the hospitality industry. It affords an unparalleled level of connection between luxury hotels and their clientele. This will require carefully evaluating user-generated content, creating engaging and sellable content, and strategic collaborations.

Those who embrace this new era reap the benefits of an innovative, interactive, and digitally forward marketing strategy. The future of the hospitality industry will be dominated by those who can effectively harness the capabilities of social media platforms to enhance the customer experience. And create new revenue streams.

Learn how the Meta Pixel, a snippet of javascript code that allows us to track activity on your website, can help you measure the effectiveness of your advertising.

No doubt, weather plays an essential role in the world of luxury destinations and resorts. Many properties earn their ultimate getaway designation because of their proximity to incredible natural wonders. Beaches, mountains, and isolated regions all have the allure of their amenities and their climate. Increasingly, that proximity to nature leaves these properties with a need to plan how they will react in a natural disaster. During the days before, during, and after an incident, social media becomes mission critical. But it must handled expertly.

BEFORE THE STORM

It’s no secret when a disaster is headed your way. The relentless coverage begins on the weather outlets and escalates to mainstream media. Be aware of what’s happening around you. But monitor reliable sources for accurate information and updates. Share information and updates with your friends and followers on social media. Encourage others to do the same to create a micro-network of sources. However, don’t share rumors or unverified information, especially on social channels. Share honest information that your property is watching carefully and clearly communicate that your property has a plan if the storm escalates.

Social content pre-storm can educate without inspiring fear. Information should focus on safety tips with links to useful resources. Localized information from public service websites can inform people as a storm gets closer. If the situation escalates, more urgent details need to be broadcast, such as where to go for evacuation plans and the most current warnings from expert sources.

Specific to your property, you should post communication regarding hours of operation and whether a property will remain open or closed. In general, this would be emailed to guests with reservations. Consider a broader reach with the best way to communicate any changes in hours of operation for restaurants and events to locals through Instagram.

DURING THE STORM

If the pre-storm social plan was to inform, communication during the storm is best left to the true news outlets. Go dark on social media. Stop running ads. Always ensure that in no way are you being insensitive to guests and the local community.

While you may be publicly dark, in the GMs office things are busy. Develop and share with your internal monitoring team a crisis FAQ doc.  Anticipate common questions that will include things like, can we get a refund? Are you open? When will you be back open?  Since this information will be unique to the situation,  prepare for these questions and have approved responses to ensure correct information is being provided to guests/community members and false information isn’t being shared. It is critical that your entire staff has the same information.

As mentioned, posting should remain dark in most situations. However, when the time is right (case by case), there may be opportunities to post about community and safety updates or relief efforts, only sharing from reliable news and state sources. Consider sharing local reliable media and government information to Instagram stories if necessary, especially if there is a concern about evacuating or sheltering in place.

AFTER THE STORM

The question for luxury properties after a storm depends on the unique situation at the property.

Guests will be curious about what is operational. Once the property has had time to assess damage, let guests know in a post. Prepare an updated, comprehensive FAQ landing page on your website and an internal FAQ document for your social monitoring team to field questions regarding the status of amenities and events on the property and in the region if appropriate.

Due to the sensitive nature of the situation, these posts are typically vetted by more parties than a typical post.  Oftentimes, senior leadership at the property, PR, and Social agencies will all weigh in on what is being posted during these times.

When there are damages or changes to the property, you need to prioritize. Damages that would impact current guests should be communicated immediately. Things like power outages or closed areas must be updated regularly, including instructions to guests on where to go for updates. A general rule of thumb for damages and changes that wouldn’t impact day-to-day should be communicated after the more urgent emergencies and news have been communicated to ensure the property is not taking up space where more urgent news items need to be communicated to the social community.

As a community member, a property can donate time or money to help. Posting about property team members and employees donating time is a great way to showcase these efforts in a less promotional way. However,  posting about donations should be done with an abundance of caution to ensure you are not coming off as self-promotional. You want to be sensitive in these situations and ensure if you were to share relief funds to donate time or money to, you are vetting reliable organizations.

RECENT EXAMPLES

An example of a recent natural disaster was the devastating fires in Maui. With our guidance, our partner Aqua-Aston Hospitality responded to the situation on social media with the utmost care for informative communication, given many of their properties, guests, and staff were impacted by the fires. In collaboration with the property teams, we deliver timely & relevant messaging while maintaining empathy during this traumatic time. The protocol outlined above ensured a thoughtful plan to release relevant, sensitive, and current information in a rapidly evolving situation. On behalf of Aqua Aston, BCV continues to monitor their messaging as the communities around the property are rebuilt.

AQUA ASTON PROFILE
URGENT
SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY
FINAL INFO

CONCLUSION

In times of crisis, people rely on their instincts. They exercise caution in how they communicate. The same is true of how a luxury hotel manages its social media. Be safe. Be sensitive. Be sure of what you sharing. And most of all be there for your community.

THE PLACE FOR AI IN LUXURY HOTEL SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

AI, or Artificial Intelligence, is a branch of computer science that aims to instill intelligent behavior within machines. It involves creating algorithms that allow computers to mimic human intelligence, such as learning from experiences, understanding complex concepts, recognizing patterns, and making decisions. These abilities make AI vital in various fields, including healthcare, finance, and entertainment. And hospitality.

AI technology serves various purposes, ranging from text generation to coding assistance, video manipulation, audio generation, and image manipulation. All of these directly apply to use cases in luxury hotel marketing best practices.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO EVALUATE INFLUENCERS

The power of influencers is indisputable. But with the influx of influencers comes the problem of evaluating them for a property, a region, or a niche target. Sourcing influencers with the help of AI becomes less about guesswork or gut feelings and more about getting a real answer. With the right prompts, AI can help hotels more quickly identify influencers and creators who could better fit their brand.

THE DREAM DAYS OF DATA

Data Analysis is widely recognized as a critical part of the business–that can also drive you crazy. There’s a lot of data. Fortunately,  AI can quickly analyze large quantities of data and extrapolate customer behaviors and preferences that can be leveraged in digital advertising & in personalizing the guest experience. Let the machine read the spreadsheets. Free up your team to read between the lines of the analysis to develop new strategies based on actual and actionable insights.

KEEP THE CONTENT MACHINE MOVING

We all need to expand our content library. In reality, we usually don’t have the luxury of an expanded budget to execute this vision. AI can efficiently help to build out your Content Library. With a few keywords and a good prompt, AI can quickly create content for social or other digital marketing needs. This is especially helpful for brands that may not have a large content budget or for hopping on more timely trends with elevated content.

While snappy headlines and solid SEO writing are critical, not every luxury hotel group has a copywriter on staff. AI can help you write social media copy based on the prompts. FYI, prompts are the questions you ask your AI interface. The more specific your inquiry, the more exact the AI response. Best of all, the prompts can be adjusted and refined as you see the responses.  In addition, AI can assist with digital marketing campaign ideas and execution, giving marketing folks some much-needed brainstorming help.

LET’S GO BEYOND THE CHATBOT

Maybe the earliest use of AI showed up in Customer Service. We’re accustomed to how ChatBots can act as guest care with automated responses or a concierge service. But as it has evolved, this chat function can also monitor and aggregate sentiment so you can act quickly on negative messages across various digital channels. AI chatbots trained to answer customer questions 24/7 augment the support staff. AI reply assistants help hotels in online reputation management by replying to customer reviews automatically via various platforms. AI can recognize positive and negative reviews and bend accordingly in its answers.

EARLY ADOPTERS AMONG YOUR GUESTS

On the consumer side, travelers can use AI to research destinations and craft full-trip itineraries. One example might ask the AI to “list the 10 don’t miss but non-touristy sites in a region with the best local restaurant that is near each”. Another example might have a savvy traveler writing an AI prompt to “search blogs, reviews, and forum comments for insights into small hotels with a lowkey but attentive staff, exceptional views, and off-season value”. That’s quite specific, but that level of granularity is exactly how AI will help consumers quickly narrow their choices. Hotels must stay on top of how consumers use AI for travel to find ways to leverage it.

KEEPING SMART WITH AI

There are challenges or limitations to consider when using AI in the hotel industry. While the prompts and information given to AI are critical, so is a simple quality control process.

  • AI accuracy should be fact-checked. It might sound true, but any dates, stats or other information needs to be verified.

  • Remember that some AI tools may not have access to information after 2022. If you are researching, for example, social trends in 2023, you may get out-of-date information.

  • AI won’t tell you its information is out of date!

  • AI does not have emotional intelligence. The prompt must include any tonal or sensitive component desired in the output.

  • Finally, and obviously, AI results should be blended with human oversight. And insights.

CONCLUSION

At BCV, we’ve already begun leveraging AI for our clients and business and will continue to look for opportunities to fold it in for efficiency, effectiveness & results. It’s something that is exciting, powerful, and definitely game-changing for our industry. Whatever the buzz, the promise, or the practice, AI is here to stay. And we’re here to help you make it part of your hotel social media strategy. Let’s work together to increase the creativity and efficiency of your marketing efforts. And increase the number of stays at your property.

Situated on a private island in the heart of French Polynesia, this luxury resort is a paradise unlike any other. Combining the highest level of luxury and personalized service, guests can expect unparalleled seclusion and jaw-dropping views. This 5-star property award-winning resort is often sought after, however, social media conversion saw a decline towards the end of 2022. Leveraging audience data and insights, BCV curated a social advertising strategy that would maximize return.