Tips from Martin Kubler on making your senior management team more social

1 Make them social from the beginning: Don’t just give your new senior managers an email address; give them a Twitter handle, too. @ehk_[hotel name] or @fbm_[hotel name] are just two possibilities of many. Print the Twitter handles on their business cards and regularly discuss how their Twitter activities can support the hotel’s overall social media efforts.

2 Make “social” part of your management meetings: Every department should contribute to your hotel’s social media activities. Make sure you’re up-to-date with what’s on your hotel’s feeds and pages, so you know who to ask for more updates in the next meeting.

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3 Be a digitally reachable GM: Good GMs are highly visible and reachable for guests and staff when it matters. These days, ‘reachability’ often extends into the online space, too, so give your guests a choice of whether they want to email you, Tweet you, or send you an IM on Facebook. You may choose to delegate the answering of incoming messages via these channels to somebody else, but at least make it look like you’re there.

4 Welcome and praise publicly: Today, welcoming guests and praising your staff also extends into the online space. If you get a tweet from a guest mentioning his or her arrival date, make a little note and send them a welcome Tweet on their arrival day. Similarly, if your team has achieved something special, feel free to mention it socially on networks like LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.

5 Use your time walking around your property wisely: You’re spending a lot of time walking around your hotel anyway, so why not snap a few pictures in the process? Your marketing and social media team will thank you!