Hotel Loyalty Program or Social Media? You Can Have Both

One of the key decisions facing hotels these days is around whether to implement a hotel loyalty program or else pour their efforts into becoming more attractive on social media.

Some people will tell you that loyalty schemes are a thing of the past and that travellers are more interested in seeing what kind of online presence you have. Others will tell you that running a hotel loyalty program is a better use of your time and resources.

The truth is that both of these ideas are great ways of capturing attention and attracting new guests. So, how can you get the best of both worlds?

Getting the Right Social Media Look and Approach

Your hotel’s social media presence is hugely important to a lot of potential guests. Instagram is a particularly good choice for hotels, as it allows you to post alluring pictures and videos that show off the best parts of your property.

Twitter and Facebook can be used to talk directly to customers, which can be a clever way of avoiding bad publicity if there are any negative comments about your hotel on these platforms. Social media listening is important in a customer-oriented industry like hospitality.

Of course, it is difficult to put a figure on the benefits that the right social media approach brings to you. It may not directly drive too many bookings, but if you get it right then it will boost the overall opinion that people have of you.

It can be a smart move to outsource this work to freelancers. In this way, a professional social media campaign doesn’t need to cost you the Earth or take up too much of your time.

A Hotel Loyalty Program Is Still Worth It

It is sometimes suggested that younger travellers simply aren’t interested in traditional loyalty schemes. This isn’t completely true, although it appears that they are more selective about which programs to join. Even if it were true, there are plenty of more mature travellers who still look for this sort of scheme.

Taking into account the size of your hotel and the type of guest you attract will help you to work out whether you should set up a hotel loyalty program. Generally speaking, it is a more attractive idea for bigger hotels and those that receive a lot of business travellers.

However, any sort of hotel can look to benefit from this approach. Once you set up a loyalty scheme for your guests is won’t be particularly time-consuming or expensive to run.

Find Out What Suits You Best?

Will you decide to opt for both a loyalty program and a strong social media presence? It is worth giving both of these strategies a try and seeing what effect they have on your business.

It also pays to be patient and try to see the big picture in terms of how well guests are reacting to these changes. It can take time for either of these approaches to reap dividends but it is well worth giving it the time necessary to make a difference.