Case Study: How the Top 7 Hotels use Twitter to Build Their Brand

Today eCommerce business is a must, having an eCommerce website can be a great competitive advantage for business. With eCommerce, can make the marketer enable get wider customer and helps customers get better customer services.

Especially for the hotels owner, they should consider conducting eCommerce with social media for business development. This is because the basic functions of eCommerce in social media will make easier for visitors who want to visit get hotel reviews. As you can see in the infographic below (originally published by Olery.com): as much as 81% of travelers find reviews for hotels is important.

[Click on the image for full infographic]

So use social media to make hotels reviews is very important to do. One of the social media that is suitable for eCommerce is Twitter. Since Twitter is allows marketers to create campaigns that right to the point and suitable medium to join in the conversation (Source!).

You may also like: 20 Best Responsive Hotel Website Templates

And now in this article, you’ll discover how the top 7 hotel brands use Twitter to get positive reviews.

#1. Sheraton Hotel: Responsive to every guest comments

As you know Sheraton is a five-star hotel that offers a wide range of attractive facilities for its guests. One of the interesting features that offered by Sheraton is customer service that pamper its guests.

Customer service is not only done in the hotel but also applied on Twitter, as you can see in the example image below; with the opening words in his profile Twitter explains that every tweet made on his official Twitter is tweets by real people. This is evident from the responses of each complaint and compliment the consumer who posted on Twitter really get the attention of Sheraton hotels.

Lesson learned: Take advantage with your official Twitter to improve your customer service.

#2. Hilton Hotel: Promote special offers

Like it or not, consumers will be very happy if there is a special offer. This offer will helpful for consumers who want to create an event, for personal or office events.

The importance of special offer to consumers recognized very well by Hilton Garden Inn, as you can see in the print screen below, special offer information regularly presented by the Hilton Garden Inn in his official Twitter. It seems special offer promotion is a main content strategy to attract the attention of followers that are interested visit to the Hilton Garden Inn. Special offer strategy quite tempts enough right? 🙂

Lesson learned: Make sure your special offer promotion maintain routinely in your official Twitter.

#3. Hyatt Regency Hotel: Give informative info

Hotel is a service business that is related to pleasure. Like the infographic survey above, as much as 58% of people traveling for pleasure.

That’s why it’s not surprising if Hyatt Regency touches this side to make it into main content strategy in his official Twitter. As you can see in the picture below, Hyatt Regency provides sufficient informative tweets to his followers. One of the tweets are informative enough with tittled “52 places to go in 2014 by @ nytimes” which link NY Times page that gives reference a pleasant place that must be visited in 2014. The information conveyed is quite valuable for the follower who wanted to travel in weekend.

Lesson learned: Post informative information to your followers, and make sure you convey the info to your target market.

#4. Four Season Hotel: Show off your hotel facilities

Consumers always love picture. Especially for those who want to introduce a hotel facilities to the consumers, with an attractive display image can be very helpful to attract the attention of consumers.
As seen in the picture below, Four Season shows the natural scenery outside the hotel which became his trademark. With the unspoiled natural landscape is a unique facility that rarely owned by another hotel, that’s why this uniqueness is what makes the Four Season always show it in tweet.

Lesson learned: Show photos of your hotel with interesting view points and highlight the uniqueness that you have.

#5. Ritz Carlton Hotel: Give reason to guest why have to visit your hotels

Competition is getting tougher in the hotel business. What makes quite difficult to do is when have to attract attention to the uniqueness that can make consumers choose your hotel. As performed by the Ritz Carlton which describes in detail the facilities on Twitter, ranging from cupboards, garden ornaments until seafood is served. Ritz Carlton official Twitter looks very attractive with images that are quite unique and seductive, this is what makes consumers will always get an excuse to always visit the Ritz Carlton hotels.

Lesson learned: Show off every detail your hotels facilities, and give unique reasons to the consumer for always remember your hotel.

#6. Renaissance Hotel: Make two way conversation with your guest

Hotel is in the business services sector that cannot be removed with a good service to its guests. Good communication is urgently needed to appreciate the customers who have visited the hotel. Consumer often used Twitter media to express they feelings after staying at a hotel, and it’s also happens to the Renaissance official Twitter. Let’s take a look at this picture below that I took from his official Twitter, in this picture you can see the two-way conversation conducted by the renaissance. One of tweet mentioned that Rennaisance feel flattered when guests call the hotel Rennaissance as a home, and Renaissance say thank to its customers for sharing their experiences after staying at his hotel.

This two way conversation will make customers feel valued and cared for , because they get response directly from they favorite hotel, and of course it will indirectly become the brand image that Renaissance hotel impress a low profile company and always consider the interests of each his guests .

Lesson learned: Create a two-way conversation tweet to your guests, and say thank you for all share experiences they convey when stay the night in your hotel.

#7. Westin Hotel: Response to guest complaints

In any business that conected with people certainly cannot be separated from criticism. I often found a lot of companies that hide to media about complaints and criticism against the company . Usually they are concerned that complaints and criticism will make the brand image become bad.

However, this does not make the Westin was afraid, with complaints and criticism made Westin build a brand image for his ecommerce business on Twitter. As you can see in the picture below, Westin offical Twitter filled with response complaints from its customers. This suggests that the Westin not silent in the presence of complaints and criticism from consumers, this make proof that Westin will always improve the quality of his hotel management. Brand image that will build in Westin is as an open minded hotel management.

Lesson learned: Respond to any customer complaints and criticisms on your Twitter because with good respond it will be very valuable to build your brand image .

Conclusion

ECommerce by using Twitter can be applied to any brand, including brand hotels who want to attract more visitors. As I mentioned in this article you can look at that the seventh top hotels brand content strategy in Twitter is different between each other and also maintain it with continuous. Of course, in doing ecommerce on Twitter you still be required to be different from your competitor as that of the 7 top brand hotels above did.

How do you think? What are your thoughts on Twitter to start your eCommerce hotels? Please leave your comments below.

– Written by Ratih –