Social Media Considerations When You Buy a Hotel

To increase reservations, it is crucial to integrate social media efforts when you buy a hotel. When potential guests are searching for a hotel, it is likely that they will look up reviews online through social platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. Potential guests want to see genuine reviews and experiences from other guests. It is astonishing how social media can influence whether or not an individual will make a reservation.

Social Media and Marketing

Just about everyone you meet these days religiously uses at least one form of social media such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. And if they don’t, it’s typically surprising. With the use of technology thoroughly integrated into our everyday lives, marketing through social media becomes more and more essential to your hotel business.

One of the ways social media helps drive reservations when you buy a hotel is through online reviews. These reviews will be honest and trustworthy. Potential guests rely on these genuine reviews before booking, because a hotel experience can truly make or break their trip.

A study conducted by the Center for Hospitality Research at Cornell University found that leisure travelers will look at several different social media platforms before making a hotel reservation. These social media platforms include TripAdvisor, AAA, Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Forbes Travel Guide, Flickr, Youtube, etc.

Ways to Use Social Media to Increase Reservations

There are limitless options when it comes to social media marketing to increase reservations when you buy a hotel. Some of these techniques include:

• Snapchat Geofilters and Updates: According to Linkedin, “Snapchat has more users than Twitter, Pinterest, or Linkedin.” Snapchat allows you to create interactive videos for your guests. You can also create what is called a “Geofilter.” When a guest takes a photo or video at your hotel, they can use a photo filter that indicates they are staying at your hotel. This will help promote your hotel to their followers on Snapchat.
• Recommendations and Sharing: Create a social media page and allow guests to recommend your hotel to friends and family, as well as share your hotel on their personal Facebook account or other platforms. By doing this, your hotel may become more well-known across the country, or even the globe.
• Customer/Hotel Engagement: Allowing for customer reviews can significantly increase your reservations when you buy a hotel. Also, encourage customer interaction with the hotel staff. Respond promptly and professionally. Previous and potential guests respond well to positive interaction with the hotel. Even if a customer leaves a negative review, respond with solutions and options to help rectify the issue.
• Photo Tagging: Allow your guests to tag photos of your hotel. This will spread the word to their friends and family about your hotel and provides potential guests with a genuine experience of your hotel.

How Southeast International Can Help You Buy a Hotel

If you are looking to buy a hotel, let our brokers at Southeast International Hotel Brokers help. We have decades of hotel brokerage experience and can help you every step of the way. Contact us today and we can assist you with finding the hotel that you have been searching for.