Martin Kubler Martin Kubler

Martin Kubler starts the New Year with top tips on establishing a fantastic Facebook page that’s sure to be a favourite among guests

Welcome to 2013! I hope you had a happy and social festive season and haven’t given up on your New Year’s resolutions yet.

One of my many resolutions, aside from eating healthier and going to the gym, is to make hotels even more social in 2013 and I thought I’d start the year by looking at one of the cornerstones of a hotel’s social structure: your Facebook page.

What makes a great hospitality Facebook page? Here’s a hint: It’s definitely not just the number of “Likes” a page has gathered.

CLICK HERE FOR KUBLER'S FAVOURITE FIVE HOTEL FACEBOOK PAGES IN THE REGION

We are all in the business of hospitality and providing a friendly greeting upon arrival and a sincere farewell will always remain some of the most important aspects of our work. A great Facebook page should reflect that.

Firstly, your Facebook page should be visually appealing with engaging timeline imagery that changes regularly. It’s the first thing your online connections see when looking at your page, so make the most of the 815 x 315 pixels Facebook allows you for the timeline cover image.

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Use it to showcase your USPs or to draw attention to upcoming events – careful with the latter though, as Facebook’s official terms of service forbid the use of timeline covers for advertising purposes.

Also make sure that you’re displaying meaningful address info in the “About” section, just under your timeline cover picture: “P.O. Box XXXX, Dubai, UAE” isn’t going to make it easier for your fans to find you.

The blue address line is actually a hyperlink that directs visitors to your location on Bing Maps. Test the link yourself to ensure that Bing shows your hotel in the right place.

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