luxury hotel social media marketing

Boost Your Luxury Hotel Social Media Marketing With 10 Tips

By: Frank DePino | March 15, 2024

Before the internet, luxury hotels were able to rely on print advertising to bring in business. Now, that’s no longer enough. After all, 65% of all ads are on the internet and only 3% are print. To reach their target audience and beat the competition away from potential guests, luxury hotels must use social media marketing strategies to their advantage.

Luxury hotel social media marketing is often the first – and sometimes only – opportunity to make a great impression on potential guests. That’s why it’s so important for your luxury hotel to have clear social media marketing strategies. But with so much info to choose from, it can be tough to know where to start.

That’s why we’ve put together this list of the top 10 hotel resort social media marketing strategies and which social media platforms to use for luxury hotels.

We’ve divided this list into various strategies, best practices, and the top five social media platforms you should be using. This makes it easy for you to plan how to stay in touch with your past and future customers. Read on to take your luxury hotel’s social media marketing to the next level!

A hotel manager just figured out how to market a hotel

How to Market a Luxury Hotel on Social Media

In the hospitality industry, having a hotel social media marketing strategy is crucial if you want to connect with potential guests. Here are the social media marketing strategies you can use to get the right content in front of your target audience.

1. Know and Respect Your Target Audience

This is Rule Number One for any business, but it’s especially important for luxury hotels. Who are the guests you’re trying to attract? What kind of experiences do they want to have at your hotel? Once you know the answers to these questions, you can start creating targeted content on the platform that will speak directly to your ideal customer.

2. Optimize Your Website

If you want to take your luxury hotel social media marketing strategy up a notch, optimize the website. Data shows that 48% of global website visits come from mobile phones. Adapting to your customers’ digital habits by having a mobile-friendly site will help make a great first impression on potential customers. Also, updating the site will make it easier for potential customers to find you on search engines. Click here for our article on Hotel SEO, making their first experience as frictionless as possible.

3. Strategize Campaigns Based on Seasonality

Luxury hotels are busiest during peak travel seasons like summer and winter. But that doesn’t mean you should only be active on social media during those times. Your content strategy should reflect the changes in seasonality. For example, during the winter you should focus on promoting your hotel with marketing campaigns as a romantic getaway, while during the summer you’ll want to focus on your family-friendly activities.

4. Offer Brand Exclusivity

One of the things that makes luxury hotels so special is that they offer an exclusive experience. You need to make sure that comes across loud and clear in your social media content. We’ve written about why your values impact your hotel branding. Be sure to promote special deals and packages that are only available to your followers. Highlight the VIP treatment that guests will receive when they stay at your hotel. Basically, let your followers know that they’re getting something that nobody else can get.

5. Use a Specific Strategy for Each Social Media Channel

With so many different social media channels out there, it’s important to have a specific strategy for each one. What works on Instagram might not work on Facebook, and vice versa. Figure out which channels are most popular with your target audience and then tailor your photos, videos, and other content accordingly.

The owner of a luxury hotel has prepared the room for his guests, discovered thanks to social media marketing

Best Tactics for Your Hotel Resort Social Media Marketing

Planning a successful social media marketing campaign is all about knowing what to do next. You’ve learned some great social media strategies for connecting with potential guests, but now it’s time that you choose which tactics will be most effective in carrying out your luxury hotel’s social media marketing plan and achieving success!

Here are the recommended tactics to achieve success:

1. Invest in Professional Photography

If your hotel’s Instagram feed is filled with iPhone snaps, it’s time to invest in some professional photography. Hiring a professional to help you take photos or videos of your hotel’s rooms, amenities, and surroundings will make all the difference in the world. Ensure that every image or video you share reflects your hotel’s luxury and is of the highest quality. Once potential customers see beautiful pictures that portray your hotel as a welcoming and luxurious place to stay, they will be far more likely to make a reservation.

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2. Establish a Sense of Community

In addition to investing in professional photography, you should also focus on curating user-generated content (UGC). When people experience the luxury of your hotel for themselves, they’re going to want to share photos and videos on Instagram or Facebook. Encourage them to tag you in their photos so you can share them on your own social media platforms and attract potential guests. Not only does this help establish a sense of community around your brand, but it also gives you free content to share!

3. Use Hashtags Strategically

Hashtags are a great way to reach new people on social media—but only if you use them correctly. Stuffing your posts with as many hashtags as possible might seem like a good idea, but it will actually just come across as desperate and spammy. Instead, make sure to plan in your social media marketing campaign that you use a few well-chosen hashtags that are relevant to your brand and target audience. For example, we’ve shown how to reach luxury travelers, so hashtags like #luxurytravel or #luxuryhotel are a good fit.

4. Collaborate with Influencers

We’ve said it before: “Rather than promote your hotel, promote a lifestyle.”
Working with influencers is an excellent method to promote the lifestyle of your upscale hotel while expanding your social media following. Look for influencers who have loyal followings and who reflect the luxury image you want to project. You don’t want to be linked with someone whose actions could harm the reputation of your company, and scare away potential guests, therefore it’s crucial to make sure the influencer you choose shares your beliefs.

5. Respond Quickly to Comments and Complaints

In the hospitality industry, customer service is key—and that extends to social media as well. If someone leaves a negative comment or review on one of your posts, respond quickly and courteously. We’ve touched on this before, don’t get into an argument or try to defend yourself; just apologize and offer to help rectify the situation offline.  Once someone has something nice to say about your hotel, be sure to thank them and share their testimonial! A little kindness goes a long way on social media (and in life).

Read on for our tips on how to tailor your luxury hotel social media marketing content for the top five social media platforms you must be using.

A user shows on his phone that there are tons of social networks available for marketing

Choose the Right Social Media Platform for Your Luxury Hotel

In the luxury hotel industry, social media is an essential tool for driving brand awareness and customer engagement. But with so many different platforms, it can be hard to know which ones are right for your business. Since 61% of social media interactions, in North America, occur through mobile technology it’s crucial you choose the right platforms.

To help you choose the right platform to use for your social media strategy, we’ve compiled a list of the top five social media platforms you should use.

1. Facebook

Facebook

With over 2.9 billion monthly active users, Facebook is by far the largest social media platform in the world. And for luxury hotels, it’s a great platform for promoting special offers and deals, as well as connecting with guests so they can provide testimonials about their stay. Here are more of our tips on how to get the best from Facebook.

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2. Instagram

Instagram

Often thought of as a younger, hipper version of Facebook, Instagram is quickly becoming one of the most popular social media platforms among luxury brands. It’s beneficial for hotels, as it allows you to share beautiful images and videos that give potential guests a glimpse of what your property has to offer.

3. YouTube

YouTube

A video-sharing platform that’s often underutilized by hotels, with over 2.6 billion active users, it’s a powerful tool for reaching potential guests. YouTube offers a great way to share behind-the-scenes footage, promotional videos, and video storytelling. We’ve highlighted the importance of video storytelling here.

4. LinkedIn

LinkedIn

Although it’s not typically thought of as a social media platform, LinkedIn is actually a great tool for connecting with potential guests and creating relationships with B2B influencers in the hospitality industry. LinkedIn users like statistics but the data shows that when statistics are paired with a relevant picture, retention jumps to 25%. So, on LinkedIn use your unique visuals to connect with potential guests. 

5. Pinterest

Pinterest

Last but not least is Pinterest, a visual-based platform that’s perfect for sharing photos and videos of your hotel property. It’s also a great place to connect with potential guests who are planning their travel arrangements and looking for inspiration on where to go.

There you have it: five social media platforms that every luxury hotel should be using. By utilizing these platforms, you can reach new guests, promote special offers and deals, and much more.

So, what are you waiting for? Start using them today!

Two Luxury Hotels Social Media Strategies

Two Luxury Hotels Social Media Strategies

Now you know all the best hotel social media marketing strategies. 

Let’s look at some case studies, exploring two luxury hotels’ social media campaigns: Hilton and Marriott.

Case study 1 – How do Hilton hotels use social media?

Hilton Hotels & Resorts uses social media as a way to create the sensation that you’re at the destination while sitting in your office chair. Their social media marketing strategy is built around highlighting the people who are traveling and that the place you’re staying is as important as why you’re traveling. The tactics they use include professional photography, establishing a sense of community, and video storytelling.

What Hilton Hotels doesn’t do is use the same content for each social media platform. For example on LinkedIn, they highlight business-related content and event planning for their B2B audience. However, on Facebook, they share longer videos to emphasize the sensation of being at the destination. For Instagram, they focus on destination glamor shots, highlight their local employees, and share company milestones.

By tailoring their content for each platform they maintain their consistent branding but ensure it reaches the right audience with the right messaging.

Case study 2 – What social media does Marriott use?

Marriott Hotels & Resorts has developed its social media strategy to be people-centric by highlighting guest feedback and celebrating its employees. Their social media marketing campaigns are built to promote a positive experience that will recharge their guests. Each of their social media platforms focuses on a different part of that program as well as their employees.

On Twitter, they retweet their guests’ tweets and promptly respond to both positive and negative customer feedback. With Facebook, they share longer videos of their destination sites. On Instagram, they heavily engage with their audience by asking for stories from their guests who stayed at a highlighted destination. Lastly, they use YouTube to emphasize video storytelling, highlighting the positive experience of travel.

Marriott tailors its content for each platform, helping them boost its brand and engage the audience with relevant messaging.

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Conclusion

To wrap it all up, creating a strong social media presence is essential for any luxury hotel looking to attract new customers. By following the strategies and tactics above, you can take your luxury hotel’s social media marketing campaign to the next level and set your luxury hotel apart from the competition, ensuring that potential customers have a positive first impression of your brand. Your brand’s success matters to us. Contact us to find out how our digital experts can help you take your brand to the next level.

By: Frank DePino

Frank DePino is Principal and Founder of Mediaboom. Since 2002, Frank has led Mediaboom’s award-winning staff of creative and technical professionals, building the most effective marketing and advertising solutions for its clients.

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