Social currency is a concept that speaks to how we only share things that make us look good. It’s why we share certain pictures or articles on Social Media. It’s also why we only tell our friend’s interesting stories about something funny or exciting we did, we don’t usually tell our friends about how we spent last night folding laundry, right?
This concept of social currency is one that Hotels are a natural fit to tap into. The better a Hotel can make someone look, the more likely they are to share it on social media, and continue the story to friends and family.
Everyone uses Social Media in one way or another, so most hotel guests already have an audience, it’s up to the Hotel to create a shareable experience the guest wants to share with the audience and then empower the guest to easily share the story.
Here are three ideas that Hotels could employ to create more social currency for their guests and in turn more social media promotion of their hotel from guests.
#1. Have a Hidden/Secret Something
Some Hotels have a secret bar that requires a password for entrance or has a fake bookshelf for an entrance. Some Hotels have secret menu items or secret signature cocktails, not printed on any menu, but casually mentioned to the guests as a tip from the concierge or bellhop upon check-in.
Just check out the hashtag “#SecretBar” to see how much people love sharing these experiences.
Each Hotel will have to tackle this idea differently based on their available resources. Maybe there’s a hidden game room, or maybe there’s a codeword guests can say upon check-in to get a tray of warm cookies delivered to their room. If you’re a small B&B, maybe it’s a hidden walking trail. Get creative with it and see what secret/hidden experiences you can offer your guests.
#2. Have Something All Guests Take a Picture With/Of
It might be a unique work of art or a famous piece of memorabilia on display. It doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive, it just has to be remarkable in some way.
You’d be surprised about the things people end up sharing on Social Media. For instance, you wouldn’t believe a number of people who share pictures of their towel animals on Instagram and Twitter. The social currency may be as a simple as “I’m on a vacation and even the towels here are fun!”
#3. Make a Guest’s Day
The Ritz-Carlton is known for the policy that each employee is allowed to spend $2,000/day per guest to solve a guest’s problems, without asking a manager. This is known as the gold standard in customer service within the hospitality industry. Rumored stories of this $2,000 rule have surfaced as:
- Hiring a carpenter to build a shoe tree for a guest;
- A laundry manager who couldn’t get the stain out of a dress after trying twice and then fly up from Puerto Rico to New York to return the dress personally
- A waiter overheard a gentleman musing with his wife, who was in a wheelchair, that it was a shame he couldn’t get her down to the beach. The waiter told maintenance, who passed word, and the next afternoon there was a wooden walkway down the beach to a tent that was set up for them to have dinner in.
Now there aren’t many hotels like the Ritz Carlton, but most Hotels can go the extra the mile here and there to make a guest’s day. It could be a simple as extra towels in the room, or bottle of champagne delivered to their room on the house with a handwritten note. Once a Hotel staff starts thinking this way, the opportunities begin to naturally present themselves.
Make Sure You Have Social Sharing Information Available
To harness all this extra effort you’re putting out to help people tell amazing stories about your hotel, make sure it’s easy for your guest to tag you in their posts. Have your social media handles and hashtags printed on all hotel print collateral. The easier you make it for them to tag you, the more often it will happen.
What Are You Waiting For?
Go out there and help your guests tell better stories about you.
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Credits
This post was written by the team at Eastern Hotel Supply. As a premier hotel supply provider, the team at EHS is focused on providing the best hotel products from the best brands, with a focus on hotel luggage carts.
About the author
Are Morch is the founder and owner of Are Morch – Hotel Marketing Coach. Get more from Are on Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Instagram| Podcast
