Southeast International Asks: Does Your Hotel Have an Online Presence?

Having an online presence is vital in the age of the internet. This applies as much to hotels and hospitality as any other industry, and Southeast International has some advice to offer on how to use the web to connect with guests and bolster your reputation.

Engagement with Guests

From experience, Southeast International has learned that one of the most beneficial opportunities that the internet can offer any business is engaging with the public. It’s important to respond to reviews, comments, and various other opportunities guests take to make their voices heard. In this way, you let them know that they are not sending feedback into the void.

Responding to comments and reviews shows guests and potential guests that you operate a communicative, honest and transparent business. While you don’t need to respond to every comment, it is important to engage regularly. This includes responding to negative reviews.

Negative reviews may sometimes be difficult to read, but replying is important to show that you aren’t just receptive to praise but open to constructive criticism too. Replying to negative feedback is tricky, so take the time to consider what the issue is, and come up with a potential solution before you post. Always maintain professionalism; always speak politely; and always show gratitude for any feedback.

On a similar note, you should never delete or edit negative feedback. Unless it’s offensive or clearly written to provoke a reaction, censoring dissenting opinions ultimately makes you look worse.

Transparency Whenever Possible

This transparency can also be extended, depending on your resources, to your online presence. Having a dedicated team, even if just two or three people, for social media and generally web-related activity for your hotel makes it much easier to foster closer relationships with guests.

Determine how much about the operation of your hotel—in terms of the hotel itself and the business—is safe and lucrative to share with guests and customers, and set these rules across all social media and internet platforms. Once this is established, encourage your staff to get to know your guests—who they are, what they like, when they stay, or anything about them that isn’t too personal.

Southeast International knows how important privacy is to both businesses and the public. We advise that you always ensure there is a reliable level of professionalism and privacy involved with this kind of engagement.

Micro-Managing Your Social Media

If you are looking to establish a team of staff specifically for dealing with your social media and general online engagement, this also offers an avenue to manage your brand’s internet presence in much more detail.

Though the amount of time we spend on social media in our private lives might not indicate it, using social media to its full effect for your hotel, or any other business, quickly becomes a full-time job. It can be all too easy to engage in half measures, not making the most of what it can offer.

Keeping a close eye on internet activity, comments from guests, reviews on popular consumer review websites, optimizing your website, social media pages and other content for search engines, and making the most of what different platforms offer is all time consuming, when it’s done well. While all of this is going on, your hotel or brand needs to maintain a consistent, recognizable voice, which is made much easier if you use dedicated staff.

Not only that, but trends are always changing, and it’s vital to keep up with the latest developments. The amount of research this requires, along with an understanding of what it all means for your hotel, takes significant time and effort.

Engaging with Other Companies

One of the more complex elements of maintaining online engagement and an online presence is openly communicating with other companies. If you’re new to social media, it might seem counterintuitive to engage with other brands or businesses, but it can be extremely useful to make use of this kind of communication, even if it’s with a rival hotel.

Using this communication for cross promotions or becoming involved in discussions between brands or businesses offers additional exposure and a great opportunity to make an impression on new customers, garner additional likes and shares, and generally boost your online presence.

Make sure not to overuse this tactic, though. You want to come across as attentive and communicative but not desperate for attention or inclusion. Think about what conversations you want to get involved in and why.

Online Advertising

Lastly, online advertising is another effective method for increasing your online presence. If you find yourself thinking about using paid internet advertising, research the cost, and consider it a long-term investment.

Results for certain types of advertising can take a while to show a real benefit, and these campaigns need in-depth management to make sure ads are showing to the right people, at the right times and on the right websites. Even if your hotel is part of an established chain, Southeast International’s team understands that this kind of advertising can still be immensely effective.

Southeast International Advice on Presence

There are plenty of different ways to increase and perfect your use of the internet to build a presence and a reputation. What’s important to remember is that planning is important, and you should consider using a dedicated team or agency that you can trust, so you have more time to manage your business. If you are looking for more advice or for professional, experienced hotel brokers, contact Southeast International today.