The Hospitality Industry encompasses a variety of services like hotels, food service, recreation, tourist destinations, events etc. The marketing revolves around customer experiences that you offer because there are not many tangible products to provide or showcase. This makes image building pivotal for your growth. With globalization, both business and leisure travel and stays have increased manifold. This multi-billion dollar industry has a large number of big and small players, and to stand out, you need to focus on brand recognition and relationship building. A majority of your customers search for hotels and resorts online. And hence the importance of a good social media presence, search presence and web presence in general. Your website, photo galleries, social profiles and online reviews all matter, and influence decision making. Read More at http://pixelsutra.com/blog/hospitality-industry-be-the-first-choice-of-customers/

1. P I X E L S U T R A
HOSPITALITY
I N D U S T RY
B E T H E F I R S T C H O I C E O F C U S T O M E R S

3. 1
The Hospitality Industry encompasses a
variety of services like hotels, food service,
recreation, tourist destinations, events etc.
The marketing revolves around customer
experiences that you offer because there are
not many tangible products to provide or
showcase. This makes image building pivotal
for your growth. With globalization, both
business and leisure travel and stays have
increased manifold. This multi-billion dollar
industry has a large number of big and small
players, and to stand out, you need to focus
on brand recognition and relationship
building. A majority of your customers
search for hotels and resorts online. And
hence the importance of a good social media
presence, search presence and web presence
in general. Your website, photo galleries,
social profiles and online reviews all matter,
and influence decision making.
INTRODUCTION
HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY: BE THE FIRST CHOICE OF CUSTOMERS

4. BUILD A CATCHY WEBSITE
Great Website :Your website should be mobile-optimised, and the home page should
contain all the important information like offers, search options, a calendar for dates
selection, offers, destinations etc. And of course, it should not look boring and cluttered
– it should be exciting and inviting instead. You may want to check out the websites of
Best Western and Accor Hotels. Since you already know how your customers search
hotels (online), it is wiser to partner with websites like Tripadvisor and Trivago to make
the most of it.
You need to post the best pictures of your property, list all the facilities you provide,
mention the type of rooms available etc. Also, ask your happy customers to post reviews
on such sites. Also, make it a point to reply to negative reviews as well. This goes a long
way in building customer confidence.
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5. A FRIEND IN NEED, A FRIEND INDEED!
Personalization : Personalization is really important – so direct your message to a
person, not a crowd. Keep a tab on the location of your prospects, address them by their
name, monitor their preferences, talk in a language they are most comfortable with, and
know that they need and when. For instance, Red Roof Inn approached the prospects like
a friend in need (and proved itself to be a friend indeed!). They tracked when the flights
were delayed and posted an ad saying, “Stranded at the airport? Come stay with us!”
What an awesome way to grab the opportunity! This resulted in a 60% increase in
bookings across non-branded search campaigns. Your customers carry their mobile with
them almost everywhere! Moreover, they are engrossed in checking updates on their
phone. Mobile apps provide your customers a convenient and handy experience while
searching and booking hotels. Design a wonderful app and then, encourage your
prospects to download and use it. Once they have your app, you can keep them engaged
with timely and relevant notifications that might interest them (refrain from overdoing it).
Now you can be rest assured that they will check out your app before taking a decision
about the next travel or stay. It is also important to update your app regularly and fix the
bugs, if any.
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HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY: BE THE FIRST CHOICE OF CUSTOMERS

6. WHO NEVER FALLS FOR TAKEAWAYS!?
Gamification: You can also use gamification to engage more users. Give away rewards
point or free stays on referral or bookings through the app. All the renowned brands like
Choice Hotels, Marriott and Ritz-Carlton have well-designed apps.
VIDEOS TRIGGER!
Videos: In the marketing and advertising world, the power of videos is immense! Videos
can be incredibly engaging. For instance, the following video by Four Seasons Hotels and
Resorts will make you feel like leaving your office and going for a holiday as soon as
possible:
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7. You can also introduce your brand through videos. Videos can easily tell facts and
figures without sounding boring. They are also great at conveying emotional and exciting
moments.
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Feel Welcome
Experience the Extraordinary
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h t t p s : / /
www.youtube.com/
w a t c h ?
v=YOnXuDWL2Qs
HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY: BE THE FIRST CHOICE OF CUSTOMERS

8. You can also include celebrities in your videos to endorse your brand. For instance, a
video from Starwood featured Lewis Hamilton. Being an expert in your field, you can also
share some helpful tips and hacks with your customers through videos. For instance, Best
Western has this series of travel hack videos. You can also think out of the box and
come up with something unique, to make your customers fall in love with you:
Events: Wedding, events, photoshoot, tourist destinations etc. are very important for the
Hospitality Industry. You can showcase how a wedding or conference organized by you
looks like. You can also attract more tourist to the destinations where your hotels are
located. Show them all the attractions and activities they might miss if they don’t visit.
Best Western has a series of videos called “Destination Travel Inspiration”, which takes
you through various locations and their beauty.
SHOW ‘EM WHAT THEY ARE MISSING
Wasn’t it a very pure, natural video, that too loaded with cuteness?
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Travel Kid Interviews - What's the BEST Summer Vacation?

9. The above video not only provides you the glimpse of the wonderful city of Los Angeles
but also jazzes up your mood with the upbeat music. Plus, there is a cleverly placed
annotation to download the app. Corporate Films can be used to take the viewers
through your facilities and infrastructure. You can also brief them about your mission,
core values, strengths, achievements etc. You may even share your yearly report with
the world through a video like this one.
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h t t p s : / /
www.youtube.com/
watch?v=rRF3rVimGzk
InterContinental Brand Film
Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles - Welcome to LA!
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HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY: BE THE FIRST CHOICE OF CUSTOMERS

10. THE MEETING POINT!
Creating wonderful videos is one thing, and sharing them on the right platforms is
another. Your prospects will not come looking for you at your hotel. You have to reach out
to them and be discovered at places where they hang out often. Yes, we are talking about
social media!
Images, GIFs and videos go a long way in attracting more audience. Give them a taste of
what it is to be at your hotel.
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11. YOU NEED THAT RAPPORT!
Involve your fans and followers by asking them questions and holding contests. If
someone posts something about you (positive or negative), try your best to acknowledge
their feedback. Of course, you can feel proud about a good feedback and share it with the
world.
Keep your fans and followers informed about the ongoing and upcoming events at your
hotels and resorts. Tell them how happening your place is!
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HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY: BE THE FIRST CHOICE OF CUSTOMERS

12. Always promote the discounts or offers that are going on, because more the number of
people who know about it, the better.
LinkedIn: Utilize your LinkedIn page for business oriented talks. You can share
information about the awards you received, the ranking of your brand, mergers,
expansions, employment news, CSR activities etc.
LINKEDIN ⼀一 USE IT TO THE FULLEST
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13. Campaigns: Another way to get attention is by launching campaigns. You need to
design your campaigns strategically and post about them on social media to make it
work. Airbnb is really good with campaigns. Airbnb collaborated with The Art Institute of
Chicago to recreate Van Gogh’s famous bedroom. The campaign resulted in increased
publicity for both, Art Institute of Chicago and Airbnb.
Since you want to be seen as a knowledge leader in your field, you can also share your
business insights and panel discussions on Linkedin. Share those mind-blowing images
on Instagram and please your young followers. Get some inspiration from the Instagram
profiles of Four seasons, Marriott, Choice Hotels and Intercontinental.
BE AN ACTIVE CAMPAIGNER!
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HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY: BE THE FIRST CHOICE OF CUSTOMERS

14. Immersive Experiences: Want to do something unique for your customers? Well,
Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) can help you steal the show! AR and VR
are among the newest technologies on the block. Marriott hotels introduced an In-Room
Virtual Reality Travel Experience called “VRoom Service” for their customers. Such
innovations attract attention, engage customers, create memorable moments for them
and build your image as a technologically advanced brand. Best Western Hotels offer
Virtual reality videos of their various locations. It clearly shows that the hotel is trying its
best to bring customers closer.
GIVE AN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE
VR videos offer an immersive experience, just like an actual visit. Such videos also help
your prospects understand your services better and take better decisions. Augmented
Reality is an interesting technology that overlays information on whatever is being
captured by the user’s camera. So, you can provide your customers with unique menu
cards, information about nearby places to explore and navigation to the desired
destination.
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Best Western The Plaza Hotel 360 VR
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15. Undoubtedly, videos, website and social media content, AR and VR can provide you with
the visibility and recognition you need. For more detailed discussions on brand building,
email us at hello@pixelsutra.com. We will be happy to partner with you.
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Demo of AR components for the Enlightened Hospitality Group Social Dining App
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HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY: BE THE FIRST CHOICE OF CUSTOMERS

16. !16
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