LOS ANGELES—Viceroy Hotels and Resorts is ramping up its social media marketing efforts in an attempt to reach its guests.
“These are loyal customers and it is appropriate to speak to them in ways that they want to be spoken to, whether it be through TopGuest, Twitter, or other (social media venues),” said Mary Bennett, VP of e-commerce for Viceroy Hotels, which operates five luxury hotels as well as residences.
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Mary Bennett |
Viceroy’s multi-pronged social media efforts this year included inviting bloggers to visit its properties; stepping up its communication and promotions on Twitter; and launching marketing campaigns via Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare. In one of its most successful campaigns, Viceroy recently targeted moms and travelers who blog to promote its Viceroy Palm Springs hotel’s Mom’s Stay and Play Getaway.
“The mommy community is very important from a blogging standpoint. Whether they are blogging about preschool, fashion or travel, they are important, particularly in Los Angeles,” Bennett said.
There are 3.9 million women with children who blog in the United States, according to an October 2010 eMarketer report. In addition, an estimated 54% of online moms visit blogs monthly—a potentially lucrative marketing tool for hospitality companies.
To tap into that audience, Viceroy’s marketing team invited six bloggers—from sites such as www.hollywoodhousewife.com and www.savvysassymoms.com and who have a combined audience of 60,000 unique visitors and approximately 250,000 impressions—to stay at the hotel and experience the Stay and Play package. It features a US$200 spa credit, a welcome goodie basket, a US$50 breakfast credit, valet parking, complimentary yoga classes and other amenities, starting at US$525 a night. The package is available through 30 December 2010.
“The experience included spa treatments and dinner at Citron and they tweeted about their experience while on property,” Bennett said.
Promoting the package through the bloggers made a significant impact on Viceroy’s efforts to publicize the campaign. Approximately 53,800 people were reached via Twitter alone, which resulted in 322,825 impressions, according to Bennett.
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| The Viceroy Anguilla |
Proactive promotions
Targeting moms who blog is just one aspect of Viceroy’s far-reaching social media efforts.
In late August, Viceroy launched a 20% off promotion to guests who virtually checked in at least five different times to Viceroy’s restaurants, bars and spas via Foursquare, Facebook and Twitter. TopGuest, a geo-location service that rewards travelers for virtually checking into hotels, restaurants and other companies, sends the 20% off coupon to use at Viceroy’s restaurants, bars and spas.
The promotion was designed to reward frequent guests and “drive revenue for our spas, bars and restaurants,” Bennett said.
“We worked with the TopGuest team, who sent an e-mail to their database, and we sent an e-mail to our database,” Bennett said. As of the end of October, Viceroy had 4,700 check-ins just on Foursquare. Viceroy plans to keep the 20% off campaign going for the foreseeable future.
Engaging guests
While Viceroy’s marketing team used social media sites to distribute packages and promotions, the group’s primary goal is to communicate with and engage guests online.
“The 35- to 45-year-old demographic is the largest growing demographic for us online,” Bennett said. “There is the perception that social media is for the under-30 crowd and college kids, but it is not. It is all about being engaged.”
To that end, each Viceroy hotel is responsible for executing a social media strategy that engages guests. Each property designates a social media “champion”—someone who utilizes social media in his or her personal life. “The general manager and director of sales and marketing determine who the best person for this position is,” Bennett said.
The social media champions follow established best practice guidelines, which were established by an outside agency and Viceroy executives. The guidelines advise against overwhelming social media users with countless promotions. Guests do not want to see promotion after promotion, Bennett said, and Viceroy executives do not want to alienate travel agents.
“Last year, you saw hotels going to these discount sites and offering huge discounts,” Bennett said. “Travel agents said they are not going to work with those hotels.”