Hotel Influencers: Best Practices for Working with Creators

Why Hotel Influencer Marketing Matters

If you're looking for a cost-effective way to boost your hotel's visibility and drive more direct bookings, hotel influencer marketing is a game-changer. Here's a quick overview to get you started:

• Improves brand visibility
• Engages target audience authentically
• Drives bookings through authentic testimonials
• Cost-effective compared to traditional advertising

Having a strong social media presence is crucial for success in the hospitality industry. One of the most transformative shifts in digital marketing has been the rise of influencer marketing. By partnering with social media influencers who have a significant and engaged following, hotels can effectively showcase their properties and create an authentic connection with potential guests.

Hospitality brands targeting modern travelers, especially millennials and Gen Z, find influencer marketing incredibly effective. These groups often look to social media for travel inspiration and value the genuine experiences shared by influencers they follow. This type of marketing not only introduces your hotel to new audiences but does so in a way that feels trustworthy and engaging.

I'm Shahar Rubin, founder and CEO of Sail. With a background in technology and hotel marketing, I've seen first-hand how hotel influencer marketing can reduce costs, improve visibility, and boost direct bookings for hotels.

Must-know Hotel influencer marketing terms:- Best hotel marketing strategies- effectiveness of social media marketing on hotels- luxury hotel social media marketing

Understanding Hotel Influencer Marketing

What is Hotel Influencer Marketing?

Hotel influencer marketing involves collaborating with social media influencers to promote your hotel. These influencers have large, engaged followings and can create authentic, visually appealing content that showcases your hotel's amenities, ambiance, and unique features.

Benefits of Hotel Influencer Marketing

1. Inspiring and Visually Appealing Content:**Influencers excel at creating high-quality, visually appealing content. They can highlight your hotel's rooms, dining options, and overall atmosphere in a way that captivates their audience. This can entice potential guests to book a stay.

2. Increased Direct Bookings:Effective influencer campaigns can lead to a direct increase in room bookings. Influencers' recommendations are seen as credible endorsements, making their followers more likely to book your hotel.

3. Improved Brand Visibility:Influencers can dramatically increase your hotel's visibility on social media platforms. By promoting your hotel to their followers, they bring attention to your brand and generate interest.

4. Higher Engagement Rates:Influencers often have highly engaged followers. This means improved interaction rates for your hotel's social media content, leading to more likes, comments, and shares.

5. Authentic and Credible Recommendations:Influencers build trust with their audience by sharing genuine experiences and opinions. When they recommend your hotel, their followers see it as a trustworthy endorsement.

6. Targeted Reach and Engagement:Influencers can reach specific demographics that match your hotel's target market. By partnering with influencers who have a similar audience, you can effectively reach individuals who are more likely to be interested in your hotel's offerings.

Target Audience

Hotel influencer marketing is particularly effective for targeting modern travelers, especially millennials and Gen Z. According to an American study by Arrivia, one in three travelers turn to social media for travel inspiration. These groups trust the opinions and experiences shared by influencers they follow more than traditional advertisements.

Engagement and Brand Awareness

Influencers create engaging content that resonates with their followers. This engagement can translate into increased brand awareness for your hotel. For example, Hilton's "For the Stay" campaign uses influencers to highlight the unique experiences guests can have at their hotels, enhancing brand visibility and engagement.

Case Study: Canopy by Hilton

Hilton Worldwide’s Canopy by Hilton subsidiary launched a three-month social media campaign called "Canopy by You." This campaign showcased local tastemakers’ food, art, and designs on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook in locations that would soon become home to new properties. The campaign aimed to reinforce the hotel marketer’s commitment to curating neighborhood experiences and highlighting local culturally inspired activities that guests can enjoy.

By leveraging influencers who align with their brand values, Canopy by Hilton was able to create authentic, engaging content that resonated with their target audience. This approach not only increased brand visibility but also drove bookings and improved customer trust.

In summary, hotel influencer marketing is a powerful tool for enhancing brand visibility, engaging your target audience, and driving bookings. By collaborating with influencers who align with your hotel’s values and target market, you can create authentic and engaging content that resonates with potential guests.

How to Identify the Right Influencers

Choosing the right influencers for your hotel is crucial for a successful campaign. Here’s what you need to consider:

Alignment with Brand Values

Your chosen influencer should share your hotel's mission and values. This ensures that their content resonates with your audience. For example, if your hotel promotes sustainability, partnering with an eco-conscious influencer would be ideal.

Audience Demographics

Look for influencers whose followers match your target market. If your hotel caters to luxury travelers, an influencer specializing in budget travel won’t be a good fit.

Engagement Rate

An influencer’s engagement rate is a key metric. It measures how actively their followers interact with their content. Higher engagement rates often indicate a more loyal and trusting audience.

Content Quality

High-quality visuals and compelling storytelling are essential. The influencer should consistently produce content that aligns with your brand’s aesthetic and messaging.

Previous Experience

Consider the influencer’s past collaborations. Have they worked with similar brands? What were the outcomes? This can give you insight into their reliability and effectiveness.

Tools for Finding Influencers

Several platforms can help you find and vet influencers:

• Influence.co: Connects brands to influencers and provides detailed performance and audience demographics analytics.
• Upfluence: Uses advanced algorithms to find the best fit between brands and influencers based on content and engagement metrics.
• AspireIQ: An all-in-one platform for influencer findy, management, and campaign tracking.
• Traackr: Helps find and nurture influencer relationships through powerful information and insights.
• HYPR: Has huge databases that identify influencers, along with analytical tools to measure their influence.
• Klear: Analyzes influencer profiles’ details and their audience engagement level.

Using these tools, you can ensure that your hotel influencer marketing campaign is set up for success by partnering with the right creators.

Next, we’ll dive into best practices for collaborating with influencers.

Best Practices for Collaborating with Influencers

Types of Influencers

When it comes to hotel influencer marketing, understanding the different types of influencers can help you choose the right partner for your campaign.

Mega and Macro Influencers
Mega influencers have millions of followers, while macro influencers have hundreds of thousands. They offer massive reach, making them perfect for large campaigns aimed at increasing brand awareness. For instance, travel influencer Jack Morris (@jackmorris) showcases luxury travel experiences to his millions of followers.

Micro and Nano Influencers
Micro influencers have between 10,000 and 100,000 followers, and nano influencers have less than 10,000. These influencers often have a niche audience with high engagement rates. They are great for targeted campaigns where trust and interaction are key. Giraffe Manor effectively uses micro influencers to reach a specific audience in luxury travel.

Effective Content Strategies

Creating engaging content is crucial for a successful influencer campaign. Here are some strategies to ensure your content resonates with your audience:

Personal Stories
Encourage influencers to share personal stories that highlight their experiences with your hotel. This adds authenticity and makes the content more relatable.

High-Quality Visuals
Invest in high-quality visuals. Beautiful photos and videos can capture the essence of your hotel and attract potential guests.

Interactive Features
Make content interactive by incorporating features like polls, Q&A sessions, and live streams. This engages the audience and makes them feel involved.

Real-Time Sessions
Host real-time sessions where influencers can interact with their followers live from your hotel. This creates a sense of immediacy and excitement.

Behind-the-Scenes Content
Show behind-the-scenes content to give followers an exclusive look at your hotel's operations. This can include anything from a tour of the kitchen to a sneak peek of new amenities.

User-Generated Content
Encourage user-generated content by asking guests to share their experiences on social media. This can create a sense of community and provide authentic reviews.

Setting Clear Objectives and Guidelines

Clear Objectives
Start with clear objectives. Do you want to increase bookings, boost brand awareness, or attract a specific type of guest? Knowing your goals helps in crafting a focused campaign.

Creative Brief
Provide a detailed creative brief. This should include your campaign goals, target audience, key messages, content requirements, and brand voice. A well-articulated brief ensures consistency and aligns the influencer’s content with your brand.

Campaign Goals and Target Group
Define your campaign goals and target group. Whether you aim to attract wedding guests or promote specific amenities, having a clear target helps in selecting the right influencer and crafting relevant content.

Content Requirements
Be specific about content requirements. How many posts do you need? What should they highlight? Clear guidelines help influencers understand their deliverables.

Brand Voice
Ensure the influencer’s content aligns with your brand voice. Whether your hotel is luxurious, eco-friendly, or family-oriented, the content should reflect these attributes.

Posting Schedule
Agree on a posting schedule. Consistent posting keeps your audience engaged and maintains momentum throughout the campaign.

Performance Measures
Use engagement metrics and analytics to measure the campaign’s performance. Track metrics like reach, impressions, and conversions to evaluate success.

By following these best practices, you can create a successful hotel influencer marketing campaign that resonates with your audience and achieves your business objectives.

Next, we’ll explore some successful hotel influencer campaigns to see these best practices in action.

Successful Hotel Influencer Campaigns

Let's explore some standout examples of hotel influencer marketing campaigns. These case studies show how various hotel brands have successfully leveraged influencers to boost their visibility, engagement, and bookings.

Starwood Resorts

Starwood Resorts has been a pioneer in using Instagram for influencer marketing. Since 2014, they have partnered with travel-related Instagram influencers to promote new properties. For instance, they collaborated with five influencers to showcase their hotels in Paris, Le Metropolitan and Le Dokhan.

Each influencer shared personal experiences and high-quality visuals of their stay, including a link to LiketoKnow.it for direct bookings. This campaign helped Starwood gain over 500,000 followers and significantly increase their bookings.

Marriott

Marriott has acceptd influencer marketing across various platforms. Their campaign for the Moxy brand on Snapchat is a notable example. They partnered with comedienne Taryn Southern to produce a series of "Do Not Disturb" videos, which resonated well with their audience.

Additionally, Marriott handed over their Snapchat account to four social influencers for week-long takeovers, documenting trips to Berlin, Seoul, Dubai, and New York. This approach not only increased engagement but also promoted their Marriott Rewards program effectively.

Hilton Hotels

Hilton Hotels targeted a younger audience with their Hilton@Play initiative. This campaign involved live music events at Hilton properties, accessible only to HHonors Rewards members with a certain number of points. By featuring artists like Nick Jonas and live streaming the events on Periscope, Hilton created a buzz that encouraged fans to book stays to gain access to future events.

The Ritz Carlton

The Ritz Carlton takes a unique approach by inviting influencers to stay at their properties for free in exchange for social media posts. This strategy focuses on influencers with a strong following and high engagement rates. For example, luxury lifestyle influencers were invited to enjoy the amenities at South Lodge, resulting in 86 pieces of content that reached over 9.4 million people and generated significant engagement.

Pennyhill Park Hotel

Pennyhill Park Hotel partnered with influencers to create authentic content that showcased their luxurious offerings. By inviting influencers to experience their spa and dining facilities, Pennyhill Park generated a wealth of user-generated content that resonated with their target audience, driving increased bookings and brand awareness.

South Lodge Hotel & Spa

South Lodge Hotel & Spa worked with local influencers to produce engaging content that highlighted their spa and hotel amenities. The campaign resulted in 86 pieces of content, reaching over 9.4 million people and generating over 66,500 engagements. This led to a 9.1x return on ad spend, showcasing the power of targeted influencer collaborations.

Manor House

Manor House, a luxury hotel and golf club, used influencer marketing to tap into new audiences and drive bookings. They invited luxury lifestyle and travel influencers to experience their offerings, resulting in 158 pieces of content, 5 million impressions, and over 287,000 engagements. This campaign achieved an 8x return on ad spend, proving the effectiveness of well-executed influencer partnerships.

By studying these successful campaigns, you can see how hotel influencer marketing can be a powerful tool to boost your brand's visibility and drive bookings. Next, we’ll explore how to measure the success of these influencer campaigns.

Measuring the Success of Influencer Campaigns

To understand the impact of your influencer marketing, you need to measure several key metrics. These metrics will help you evaluate how well your campaign is performing and its effect on your target audience.

Key Metrics to Track

Engagement: This includes likes, comments, shares, and saves on social media posts. High engagement rates indicate that your content resonates with the audience.

Reach: The total number of unique users who have seen your content. A broader reach means more people are aware of your brand.

Impressions: The total number of times your content is displayed, regardless of whether it is clicked. This helps understand the overall exposure.

Conversions: The number of users who take a desired action, such as booking a room or signing up for a newsletter. This is crucial for measuring ROI.

Tools for Tracking

Google Analytics: This tool tracks and monitors website traffic and conversions from influencer campaigns. It helps you see how many visitors came from a specific influencer and what actions they took on your site.

Sprout Social: Sprout Social monitors social media conversations and statistics. It provides insights into engagement rates and helps you understand audience sentiment.

Hootsuite: Hootsuite generates and analyzes social media metrics. It also schedules posts, making it easier to manage your campaigns across multiple platforms.

BuzzSumo: BuzzSumo finds the best-performing content and measures influencer impact. It helps you identify which types of content are most effective.

Socialbakers: This is an all-in-one solution for advanced social media analytics and competitive benchmarking. It helps you understand how your campaigns stack up against competitors.

Case Study: Pennyhill Park Hotel

Pennyhill Park Hotel partnered with influencers to create authentic content. The campaign resulted in 86 pieces of content, reaching over 9.4 million people and generating over 66,500 engagements. This led to a 9.1x return on ad spend, showcasing the power of targeted influencer collaborations.

Future Trends

Short-form Videos: Platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels are growing rapidly. Short videos engage users quickly and have higher interaction rates.

User-Generated Content: UGC serves as authentic testimonials and expands brand coverage organically. Consumers are more likely to trust UGC over brand-created content.

Sustainable Travel: Influencers are sharing messages on sustainable travel. This aligns with the growing consumer preference for eco-friendly practices.

By leveraging these metrics and tools, you can effectively measure the success of your hotel influencer marketing campaigns. Next, we’ll address some frequently asked questions about working with influencers in the hospitality industry.

Frequently Asked Questions about Hotel Influencer Marketing

How do hotels work with influencers?

Hotels can work with influencers through partnerships that showcase the hotel's unique features. These partnerships often include curated images, engaging videos, and authentic reviews that highlight the property. For example, influencers might post about the stunning rooftop bar, state-of-the-art fitness equipment, or exclusive dining experiences.

Case Study: Kimpton Hotels
Kimpton transformed Room 301 into an Instagrammable space and invited influencers to share their experiences. This campaign resulted in posts that averaged 2,337 interactions, nearly four times the hotel's usual engagement rate. This shows how effective influencer partnerships can be in generating interest and engagement.

Do influencers get to stay in hotels for free?

Yes, many influencers receive complimentary stays in exchange for their content. However, the extent of this arrangement can vary. A nano-influencer might accept a free night's stay, while a mega influencer could charge thousands of dollars per post.

Flexibility and courtesy are key. Hotels should be clear about any accommodation limitations and what they expect in return. For instance, influencers should know if they need to create a specific number of posts or highlight certain features.

How do you invite influencers to your hotel?

Inviting influencers requires a genuine contact and a targeted pitch. Here’s a step-by-step approach:

1. Identify Influencers Aligned with Your Brand: Make sure the influencer's audience matches your hotel's target demographic.
2. Follow and Engage: Start by following the influencer on social media and engaging with their content.
3. Reach Out: Send a personalized email or direct message. Mention why their content caught your eye and propose a partnership.
4. Be Specific: Offer complimentary stays, unique experiences, or exclusive access.
5. Explain Mutual Benefits: Clearly state what you hope to gain and what the influencer will receive in return.
6. Next Steps: Provide clear instructions on how to move forward with the collaboration.

Example: When Hilton launched their "For the Stay" campaign, they worked with TikTok influencers to create a 10-minute video. This campaign showed the power of letting influencers tell your story authentically.

By following these steps and maintaining open communication, hotels can successfully collaborate with influencers to create impactful and engaging content.

Next, we’ll explore some successful hotel influencer campaigns to understand what makes them effective.

Conclusion

In summary, hotel influencer marketing has emerged as a pivotal strategy in the hospitality industry. By leveraging the reach and authenticity of influencers, hotels can boost brand visibility, increase direct bookings, and build trust with potential guests. Influencer marketing offers a unique way to showcase hotel features through curated images, engaging videos, and authentic reviews, making it an effective tool in the digital marketing toolkit.

The Importance of Influencer Marketing

The value of influencer marketing lies in its ability to connect with audiences on a personal level. According to recent studies, consumers are 2.4 times more likely to view user-generated content as authentic compared to brand-created content. This authenticity translates into higher engagement and conversion rates, making influencer marketing a cost-effective strategy for hotels. Influencers can create visually appealing and inspiring content that captivates potential guests, helping hotels stand out in a crowded market.

Sailtech.ai: Your Partner in AI-Driven Marketing

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In conclusion, embracing influencer marketing is essential for hotels looking to stay ahead in the ever-changing hospitality industry. By partnering with Sail, you can leverage AI-driven marketing solutions to increase visibility, drive direct bookings, and ensure your hotel's success.

Kickstart your hotel influencer marketing campaign with Sail today.