Comment: Engage engineers in social media
I have now looked at turning kitchens, housekeeping departments, and hotel reservation offices more social, but do you know what a FAHU machine is?
Some years ago, a FAHU machine provided me with my first chance to showcase my engineering department’s sterling work across various social media platforms. I recently came across a picture of the FAHU machine and it got me thinking about the many different ways that your engineering team can help you with turning your hotel into a more social place to work in and visit.
I’m not going to tell you what a FAHU machine is — suffice to say, your hotel will probably have at least one. Go and see your chief engineer and ask him — it’ll be an opportunity to talk about other engineering-related mysteries.
So far, we have socially enabled hotel departments and teams, which — by and large — still work on the surface of your property. Your engineers on the other hand ... now, here’s a group of people that know your building inside out and upside down. Drag them out from the lift shafts, fire risers, or from under your FAHU machine and let the world see what they do on a daily basis!
Your engineers are potentially great social media enablers. Firstly, they usually know how to use a camera and they also have an eye for lesser-known perspectives of your building.
Secondly, they’re good with machines, which more often than not includes computers and drawing programmes. They’re also around day and night in the front and back areas of your property. All of this makes them ideal “content gatherers” for your social media platforms.
On the other hand, they’re also a big knowledge source. Whether it’s saving energy, conserving water, or mending broken things, your engineers have experience that would look good when shared socially. Especially in the “green department”, your engineers can help your property’s CSR efforts reach new heights on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.
Lastly, your engineers can also help your social media efforts reach corners no other hotel department can.
How? By helping you to install webcams in strategic places on top of your building! I’m continuously surprised at the small number of hotels in Dubai that make use of this comparatively cheap and easy to set up tool. Your engineers are the people to talk to, apart from your IT folks, of course.
Whatever you do, keep it social!
About the Author:
Martin Kubler is owner, director and chief cook and bottle washer of Iconsulthotels FZE, an ultra-boutique hospitality consultancy in Dubai.
Email: info@iconsulthotels.com or visit facebook.com/iconsulthotels