Social media and the hotel industry

While social media may sometimes seem unwieldy and difficult to manage, you should still consider it as an asset. Social media opens up many possibilities, including direct booking from specific sites, e-reputation management and promotion. Social media is much more than a platform on which to promote your hotel, however; it’s a showcase where you can show the public what it’s like to be a guest at your hotel, inspire those who haven’t stayed with you yet or share details about the latest and most interesting events at your hotel.

reseaux-sociaux-hotellerie

Why it’s a good idea to promote yourself on social media?

Since social media is well established in most people’s daily life, it offers a not-to-be-missed opportunity to attract new guests and retain those who are already loyal.

Newsfeed content is often a source of inspiration for users. Having a social media presence makes it more likely a potential guest will see a photo of your hotel and want to book a stay. Social media’s power also lies in its ability to provide visibility with people who don’t know about you or don’t follow you yet.

With social media, you can also set up contests and get greater visibility since users who follow you will share your posts with their friends and family. With contests, you get the chance to collect email addresses and improve the quality of your mailing lists.

Booking directly via social media

Social media users like things to happen fast. Tap into their need for instant gratification by inviting them to book a room directly on your Facebook page.

When choosing an online booking engine, pick one that lets you use social media platforms such as Facebook. An online booking engine that offers a direct connection to social media is a must-have as you won’t need to connect online travel agencies’ (OTA) booking engines to these platforms. Seamless integration between your hotel PMS and online booking engine is key to displaying accurate room availability and pricing on social media.

your e-reputation is a vital asset

Internet users are mostly responsible for building your online reputation. When they share pictures of a vacation spent at your hotel, leave reviews and comments and tag your hotel in their posts, social media users project an image of your hotel that matches their perception. And their perspective spreads quickly.

Moreover, when you respond to user’s posts and thank them for sharing their thoughts and experiences, you feed the post and keep it active. As a result, the post rises to the top of the newsfeeds of the people you want to reach, and you boost your visibility.

Online review platforms also play an essential role in building and maintaining your reputation, and your revenues derive from your reputation. During the choice-making phase, a web user planning a trip is in the habit of reading the opinions of other travelers. These reviews can be decisive and may tip the balance in your favour if potential guests read positive comments about your hotel.

It’s essential to manage your online reputation astutely by keeping a few things in mind, including future guest reviews posted to platforms such as Trip Advisor.

If you consider your e-reputation a valuable asset worth investing in, software exists that can help you by serving as your social media information and processing hub.

Social media as a promotional tool

Social media can help you reach your target audience with pinpoint accuracy. Posting exclusive promotions that feature a dedicated code is one of the best ways to leverage social media and give certain users precedence. Some booking engines even allow you to create user-specific codes that confer a special discount on guests who redeem them. Suppose you offer a promotion at your hotel in Montréal. You can offer a discount code to all people whose postal code falls within the Montréal area to encourage users to visit your direct booking site to book a stay at your hotel.

Social media can be incredibly useful for targeting initiatives because platforms possess a phenomenal amount of data about each user. Indeed, the display accuracy of your ads based on user profile data is unbeatable.

Sell the experience before selling the service

Photos and videos are the best way to share an experience on many social media sites. On Instagram, for instance, publications must include a photo or video, so you are selling an experience before a set of services. When web users see beautiful images that appeal to their emotions, they can picture themselves living the experience, which sparks their interest in booking a similar stay.

This approach works well to attract new guests and show off your services while enhancing your hotel’s reputation.

Using the right platform for each target audience

While it may be tempting to post identical content on all social media sites, doing so isn’t the most effective strategy as the average user age and type varies according to the platform.

The age of Facebook users falls mostly between 18 and 44. Keep in mind that users also connect more often to Facebook than to other sites, so they are more likely to see your posts. On Facebook, you can post links to your website and promotions and share photos of your hotel. If you want to post contests, Facebook is the forum you should use.

To promote your hotel’s aesthetics features, Instagram is the platform of choice. As you can only post photos and videos, you can leverage these to showcase your hotel’s atmosphere and charm. Hashtags are essential so that users who don’t follow you can find you easily. Most Instagram users are between the ages of 18 and 44, so keep these demographics in mind when you post to this platform.

The immediate, ephemeral nature of Twitter makes it your best option for some types of promotions. About 40% of Twitter users are between 18 and 29 years old, while 27% are between 30 and 49 years old. With a 140-character limit, Twitter doesn’t allow for lengthy posts. Make sure your offers are catchy, in your face and, most importantly, timely.


In addition to publishing content on your social media page, share posts and photos of your guests that also showcase your hotel. Doing so doesn’t require much effort and lets potential guests in on the guest experience at your hotel. This strategy increases your notoriety and credibility; you aren’t selling anything directly, only sharing in a transparent manner details of a pleasant stay at your hotel.

While it’s always great to attract new followers, don’t take the ones you already have for granted. Remember to post event reminders and create relevant content on a regular basis to pique the interest of your existing followers. Also, consider offering discounts to your most loyal guests or those who share your posts or tag you in their posts the most to cement your followers’ and guests’ loyalty.

Finally, be sure to respond to your guests’ posts and comments. Thank those who make positive comments and be understanding and receptive to comments that are more negative in tone. There’s always a way to work things out and make a bad situation better.

Some articles that might interest you

augmenter-reservations-hote
12 May, 2016 | Claudine Vio

9 Ways to Boost Hotel Bookings and Increase Revenue

Tip 1: Solidify your hotel guest personas With the help of your hotel database, find out who your…
Read the article
raisons-creer-questionnaire-satisfaction
28 June, 2016 | Nicolas Audiffren

8 great reasons to create a customer satisfaction survey

To make sure the service you offer matches your customers’ needs/expectations Where striving for quality is concerned, the…
Read the article
promouvoir-hotel-budget-limite
12 July, 2016 | Laura Yee Kui Choi

The 5 best ways to promote your hotel on a limited budget

1 - Create a captivating web experience One of the pillars of a solid marketing strategy is having…
Read the article
conseils-marketing-digital-hotel
25 August, 2016 | Nicolas Audiffren

10 Digital Marketing Tips to Differentiate Your Hotel

1 - Embrace your specialization Your hotel should appear in the distribution channels most relevant to your market…
Read the article
personnel-hotelier-productif
24 January, 2017 | Sarah Trépanier

5 tips to make your hotel staff more productive

Give incentives to work harder One of the first things you can do to encourage your hotel team…
Read the article
17-01-conseils-ameliorer-service-clientele-00
26 January, 2017 | Catherine Daoust

6 tips to improve your customer service skills today

1. Nouez le dialogue avec votre public cible L’objectif du service à la clientèle est d’offrir une expérience positive à…
Read the article
personnel-heureux-hotellerie
| Catherine Daoust

4 ways to keep your hospitality staff happy

1 - Establish a working culture of learning and development The nature of the hospitality industry is that…
Read the article
formations-hotellerie
3 April, 2017 | Sarah Trépanier

Why is it beneficial for hoteliers to train their staff?

1 - Boost their performance Investing in training isn’t done simply for the employee’s benefit — it can…
Read the article
cybersecurite-hotel-pms
23 May, 2017 | Karine Thibeault

Hotel management software: what about cybersecurity?

Physical security Should your establishment suffer damage from a fire or water infiltration, it would be unfortunate to…
Read the article
augmenter-reservations-directes
12 July, 2017 | Nicolas Audiffren

8 easy steps to boost direct bookings

Augmentez vos réservations directes en 8 étapes faciles 1. Make the reservation process easy To encourage people who…
Read the article
qualites-moteur-reservation
3 August, 2017 | Claudine Vio

4 booking engine attributes that boost conversions

User-friendly and intuitive The easier and more intuitive the booking experience, the more likely conversions will result. Therefore,…
Read the article
programme-fidelisation-hotellerie
7 February, 2018 | Sarah Trépanier

Everything you need to know about loyalty programs

Reasons for a loyalty program Loyalty programs are well known for creating a win-win situation: Guests get rewarded…
Read the article
attract-business-travelers
7 March, 2018 | Sarah Trépanier

How to attract business travellers

Technology is essential C’est simple, pour inciter les voyageurs d’affaires à séjourner dans votre établissement, celui-ci doit être…
Read the article
qualites-bon-pms-hotel
24 April, 2018 | Karine Thibeault

6 Qualities of a Good PMS

Les 6 qualités d'un bons PMS hôtel A good PMS must: Be easy to use Your PMS must…
Read the article
automatisation-hotel
15 May, 2018 | Claudine Vio

Let automation lead the way

Laissez-vous guider par l'automatisation The booking process Automation begins with booking. When booking is done online, the booking…
Read the article
connectivite-pms
21 June, 2018 | Karine Thibeault

With PMS integration, you have the luxury of choice

Why is integration capability important? An establishment’s hotel management system (PMS) lies at the heart of its operations. While…
Read the article