ITC Hotels Responsible Luxury Fellowship campaign, India’s largest by brand; Outrigger’s investment in a Japanese landing page; Dorchester Collection’s social media “listening” tool. Just three of 15 winners from our 2017 Social Hotel Awards (the SoHos!). Tweet us @HOTELSmagazine to let us know your thoughts and keep on sharing!
Best digital video: brand
ITC Hotels
The plan: Use video and user generated content to highlight the nuanced components of the brand’s commitment to “Responsible Luxury,” moving away from the perception that that term references only green practices.
The practice: Invite 20 online influencers to stay at an ITC hotel and discuss the idea of responsible luxury in the form of video diaries. A dedicated microsite (www.responsibleluxuryfellowship.in) was then developed showcasing the influencer videos as well as additional video content.
The payoff: With 82 videos total, the Responsible Luxury Fellowship campaign is the largest influencer-led video campaign by a brand across India. The campaign ultimately had a cumulative 1 million video views across Facebook and YouTube, and 75 million impressions across social media platforms, with a reach of 6.7 million.
The runner up: Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
Best integrated campaign: brand
Outrigger Hotels and Resorts, (tie, Holiday Inn)
The plan: Boost hits to the brand’s Facebook page, additionally targeting a Japanese audience.
The practice: The campaign was executed entirely in house from pixel placement to ad set creation and setting the campaign and ran for two months. In order to better reach a Japanese audience, the team translated copy and headlines into Japanese and developed a Japanese-language landing page. Total spent? US$5,300.
The payoff: 402,876 total impressions with 4,157 link clicks and a conversion of US$110,514.01
The runner up: Rotana Hotel Management Corporation
Best reputation management: brand
Dorchester Collection
The plan: Create a social media “listening” tool to enhance guest experience by communicating to guests via their preferred channel and allow hundreds of hotel employees to engage with guests digitally with the goal of submitting at least two guest stories per month. Traditional social media guidelines were changed to allow employees more freedom.
The practice: The company created its own platform to share those stories. Basic “rules of engagement” were created indicating where and when to engage. The goal was to respond meaningfully: quality over quantity.
The payoff: In the first month of the launch the brand engaged with 44% of guests who posted on social media within properties. In just one month, guests shared 16,709 photos, 969 videos and 3,144 comments. Influencers with large reach also made a big difference. 34 guest postings had over 1 million followers, 284 between 100K and 1M and 1,288 between 10K–100K. In just one month Dorchester reached an audience of 228,000,000.
The runner up: ITC Hotels