As hotels start on the road to recovery in 2021, it’s essential to identify the different types of travelers that will be filling our hotel rooms and the best way to capture their booking. Prior to COVID-19, the industry was riding historic highs in metrics like ADR and RevPAR. We saw travelers of all ages, from Baby Boomers who were retiring from the workforce and traveling more than ever to Gen Z who were just entering the workforce and planning to spend their hard-earned cash on vacations. Group, business, and leisure travel were all at all-time highs and people were traveling all over the world, whether doing local staycations or cross-country flights. Each traveler segment was contributing to the historic numbers we were seeing across our industry and hoteliers were using all sorts of ways to reach and target them. Some used traditional advertising like billboards and hotel coupons, and others more modern, online strategies like OTAs and social media. Then in early 2020, COVID-19 hit and completely changed the landscape of the hotel world.

Some segments like business and group travel all but disappeared in 2020, while others like Gen Z, Millennial, and leisure travel have started to recover at a somewhat quicker pace than initially thought. So, what are we left with as we work back towards those record-breaking numbers of 2019? Which segments are going to lead the charge in 2021 – and most importantly, how do we reach them? Well, we know that Millenials and Gen Z are the most likely to be active on social media sites and the pandemic has only increased their screen time. We know travelers are booking closer to home and trading their plane tickets for road trips. That means even more screen time on their phone as passengers are stuck in their cars driving towards a destination. Lastly, people are looking for an escape. Social media sites like Instagram and Facebook are the perfect way to offer them that getaway they so desperately need after months of lockdown. This is why social media is so critical to a hotel’s success in 2021! 

Building a Social Calendar

So what does a successful social strategy for a hotel look like today? Let’s look at an example of the Hotel Paradise. For this example, the Hotel Paradise posts 48 times on Facebook in 2021. The property customizes its posts showcasing the hotel features, amenities, local stories, and events. That sounds like a solid strategy, right? But, let’s look at that in calendar view: 48 posts over the course of an entire year might sound like a lot on paper, but laying it out on a calendar exposes all the missed revenue opportunities for this hotel. Their yearly posting plan is equal to 4 posts per month and 1 post per week. We talk to a lot of hotels that have similar strategies to this and are frustrated with things like follower growth, engagement and most importantly ROI. They feel like they are taking a lot of time, effort, and energy into creating their posts, but aren’t seeing results.

The fact is that there are travelers on your hotel’s social pages every day. Travelers are making booking decisions not just 4 times a month or once a week, but every day. And with COVID-19 still at the forefront of traveler’s minds, they are making their booking decisions sooner and quicker than ever. In fact, according to Expedia Group Media Solutions, travelers are “searching in the 0-21 day booking window more than any other time frame.” That is within a month’s time of search and book. So as we look at this calendar it becomes pretty clear, if you are not constantly engaging with your online audience it is costing you revenue now.

Travel Media Group Social Calendar

This is what a hotel’s social calendar looks like when partnering with Travel Media Group. Notice how the property is not just posting on Facebook, but on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn, which multiplies its opportunities to convert travelers using 4 different platforms. Notice the number of posts in comparison to the last calendar we saw. This property over the course of 2021 will end up with anywhere from 208 to 260 social posts, that’s 16-25 posts per month, and 4-5 posts per week. So in one calendar season or 3-month span they will have already posted more than the other property will have posted for the entire year. 

This is what a 2021, post-COVID-19 social strategy looks like for a hotel. It’s not enough anymore just to say you have a Facebook or Instagram account for your property. Hotels are using these social profiles as serious revenue drivers for their business in 2021.

Social Success with Travel Media Group

With the power of analytics, we have the tools to show growth and revenue potential. Above are statistics from our social hotel partners at Travel Media Group and the average Facebook page growth for properties in 2020. I challenge you: find out how many likes your hotel has on its Facebook page and see what type of growth you had in 2020. What would it mean to increase your online audience by “x” amount of travelers? What would that do to your online conversion and revenue? These are all questions we can walk through with you and help as the industry ramps up for recovery in 2021. If you are interested in learning more about Travel Media Group’s social media solutions reach out to us today.