Travel Media Group is kicking off the new year with part I of our 2024 social success series. This virtual event is all about using your hotel’s social media channels to effectively set guest expectations during the discovery and post-booking piece of the traveler’s journey. With proper guest expectations set before a guest’s arrival, you give your hotel the best opportunity to exceed expectations and impact your brand’s reputation online.

In this blog, we will cover:

• Why traveler expectations continue to rise and how social media can help set the stage for the guest experience at your property 
• Using descriptive social media copy and images to paint a picture for your guests
• How to leverage guest sentiment data and utilize it on social media
• Creative social media content ideas for your hotel’s feed and more

Setting guest expectations can either set your hotel properties up for success or failure. Using social media to set guest expectations properly is very easy if you know how. The process of setting expectations through social media pictures is very different from setting expectations via online guest review responses. In the social media realm, hoteliers do not need to include much text to explain to travelers what they can expect from their hotel visit. Instead, hoteliers must clearly convey what travelers can look forward to by posting enticing and attractive photos and videos. A guest should be able to view your hotel’s social media content and immediately be curious to learn more about it.

Take a look at the images above and read the social media captions associated with them. Notice how the hotel creatively used social media posts to reach two different yet essential traveler segments. In one example, we have the hotel speaking to guests looking for pet-friendly hotels, and the other post targets business travelers. Remember that these two posts incorporate high-resolution images, engaging captions, and a link to the hotel’s booking website to optimize their chances of capturing as many bookings as possible. Ensure that you follow those same guidelines, but also respond to any guests who leave feedback in the comments section.

As you actively manage your online guest feedback on review websites like TripAdvisor & Google Reviews, it is important to know that you can parlay useful guest sentiment found in reviews to help set guest expectations. Take a look at the free parking image above. This example demonstrates how travelers dislike parking fees when staying at hotels and express that sentiment in their online reviews. In this case, the hotel realized that this issue is prevalent in their market and therefore posted on social media that their hotel property offers free parking. This social post lets travelers know they can look forward to no parking fees from this hotel property.

It can not be emphasized enough to include and optimize dynamic media on your social media feeds to set guest expectations. Implementing videos in a social media strategy keeps audiences interested and is more effective at sharing the story of your hotel properties. Check out the image above for the astounding statistics demonstrating how impactful video is in increasing social reach and engagement. Platforms like TikTok & Instagram Reels are crucial to help spread hotel awareness and drive revenue growth. Ironically, videos are one of the most underutilized digital tools that hoteliers leverage, which gives hotel brands that frequently post social videos a significant competitive advantage.

A great practice exercise for your hotel portfolio is to audit its social media accounts and identify what type of story your social media feed tells travelers. Go back through recent posts and see if each post has a goal associated with it. See if any posts resonated with guests and received high engagement and ensure that guest comments are responded to. Ask yourself if the message your social feeds tell travelers aligns with your hotel brand and does an excellent job embodying your hotel voice. An in-depth analysis of all social media accounts and optimizing them to set expectations for guests at the start will lead to an effective strategy that provides the desired results you are looking for.

With more hotels and hotel management groups ramping up their social media efforts and initiatives, it is time to discover new ways to amplify your social media presence and set guest expectations. Now is the perfect opportunity to find out what digital solutions can help bolster your hotel portfolio’s digital footprint by taking the work off your schedule and leaving it in the hands of experts who specialize in crafting high-quality social media content for hotels and hotel management companies. A solid social media presence increases brand awareness, traveler engagement, and hotel bookings, putting your hotel portfolio ahead of the competition.