DA: The value of the term ‘customers come first’ now really applies. Whenever we develop campaigns or start anything, social networking or otherwise, it is completely different, because PR as we know it has gone, burned, done, finished. [The days of] sending a press release or a photo caption — it’s over. That era has officially changed and it’s made our job more tactful and less polished.
Daniel Spijker: This definitely signals the end of the professional reviewer; now the reviewer is actually the traveller themself.
There is a lot more to social marketing than reacting to reviews. How do you proactively approach social media?
DS: I had a good example a few days ago; I was setting up my profile on TripAdvisor and I found a forum where a woman was giving advice to people about hotels in Abu Dhabi. She was very enthusiastic about Aloft opening, so I contacted her and I’m going to show her the hotel.
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DA: It comes down to the concept in this part of the world of giving. If you are generous you have got guests for keeps and the same thing applies on social networking; if they know every time they go to your page you are going to surprise them with something engaging, you’ve got them for keeps. This is an engaging conversation. You ruin it and it’s over.
It takes one second and they can remove themselves [from your page].
RS: We have lots of competitions coming up, especially with the Rugby Sevens which has Crowne Plaza DFC as the main sponsor.
You use what you’ve got going on with the hotel and if you make it interactive and involving, people will come to you as they see you as a human face rather than a brand face and they can speak to you.
And how do you convert your fans and followers to hotel guests?
RS: We have started converting the people that are following us now into customers. For example, I met up with a group that had organised a ‘Tweet’ invite to the Belgian Beer Café at Crowne Plaza — there were 18 people that had arranged to have mussels.
They Tweeted me and asked if I could help so I went to meet them. This is just one of the groups that we’ve had.
DS: Our opening campaign is on Facebook. I agree with you that if someone takes the time to be a fan you need to give them something back.
It’s not one way traffic and not about blasting with advertising. We’re going to launch a big campaign, I’m going to give away a lot of prizes, even a trip to our sister property in Beijing. And then on our Facebook page I’m launching two applications — one is an auction for rooms, parties etc.
This is something I have never seen hotels doing; we are going to have our own auction application.
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