Top 10 hotels for online, mobile and social media
A study by L2 and Buddy Media has revealed the top ten hotel brands, according to their usage of digital technologies.
It showed that differentiated content and mobile booking capabilities helps the drive traffic, with sites containing user reviews losing 38% less traffic to online travel agencies.
52 hotel brands were ranked on 350 data points across four categories: website, digital marketing, social media and mobile presence.
The top 10:
1) Four Seasons grabbed the number one spot due to well managed multi-property social media communities, and keeping a cohesive brand experience across all platforms. It also has a new website which features curated itineraries and user reviews, and is optimised for mobile browsing. The brand was also applauded for allowing staff to contribute content. It also uses multiple Instagram accounts for properties globally.
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2) Hilton came in second, even though it got the highest score for search marketing. It has the largest, and fastest growing, community on Facebook, and does well to leverage technology on-site for guests.
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3) Marriott was third, due to its robust booking engine which helped to tie in its digital offerings with revenue. It scored marks for being co-founder of Roomkey.com, the new hotel search engine. It also delivers a strong mobile experience, both in-room and on-the-go.
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4) Hyatt scored high on its use of mobile features.
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5) The Ritz-Carlton, due to its use of Foursquare initiatives, which only 58% of brands use, as well as its new site.
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6) InterContinental scored well for its initiatives to guest-source photos which bolster social media numbers. It also has the number one YouTube video for “InterContinental Bora Bora Le Moana Resort”.
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7) Westin got the highest score for its site. It also partnered with Bazaarvoice to integrate guest opinions on its Buddy Media–powered Facebook page.
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8) Sheraton was classed as ‘strong but safe’. However, in February, it got the third highest number of Facebook ‘likes’, at 115,292.
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9) W Hotels scored highly due to its ability to differentiate the brand online by curating content.
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10) Fairmont scored well due to its ‘Greatest Love Story’ photo contest, which generated user content across multiple channels