An interview with Martin Kubler
as appearing in Hotelier Indonesia Magazine
Martin's bio and contact details follow at end of the interview
Still an under-utilized business tool within the industry, Social Media can enhance a hotel’s outreach if implemented and managed properly. We’re very pleased to have veteran hotelier Martin Kubler join us for a two-part discussion on the implementation and use of Social Media.
[BH] Is it expensive for a hotel to get started in Social Media?
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| Martin Kubler Experienced Hotelier and Social Media Expert |
[MK] On the contrary - getting started in Social Media is deceptively cheap and easy; winning, on the other hand, isn’t. Other than time, it doesn’t cost anything to create a Facebook Page or a Twitter account; however, without a clear strategy and well defined goals, a hotel’s social media presence is virtually useless.
I would advise hotels looking to get started in Social Media to do their homework first in order to avoid wasting time and making (potentially) expensive mistakes later on.
Social Media does not exist in a vacuum, but needs to be part of the hotel’s overall marketing and communication strategy and a hotel’s social media strategy should align with its overall business goals, e.g. it needs to take into account the hotel’s target market(s) and business segmentation. A hotel with a strong corporate audience from English-speaking countries may want to focus on different social media platforms than a resort hotel with mostly leisure guests from the Far East .
Hotels should also be clear about what they want to achieve through social media. Do they mainly want to use it for marketing purposes, to communicate with guests, or to open new markets and sales channels?
Time spent putting together and fine-tuning a suitable social media strategy and setting achievable and measurable goals, is time well spent.
[BH] Is a presence in Social Media of benefit? Or much ado about nothing?
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| Hotelier Indonesia 7th Edition Jan-Feb 2012 |
[MK] Social Media is real. It’s not a fad or a bubble waiting to burst. It’s definitely here to stay and set to get even bigger and more social. It is fundamentally changing the way people interact, communicate, and consume and share information. It democratizes communications (virtually everyone can be a writer, director, or commentator) and it increases transparency.
Consequently social media is fast becoming a necessity for hotels. More and more guests use it to communicate with hotels or to find information about special offers and exclusive deals. Social Media activities such as postings to Google+ Pages or blogging also positively impact search engine results and can refer considerable traffic to a hotel’s website.
In today’s crowded marketplace, travelers are increasingly turning to Social Media when deciding where to book. Many consult online review websites such as TripAdvisor, others may consult their Facebook or Twitter networks to garner recommendations on where to stay or what to do in a certain destination. Tapping into such conversations can be extremely beneficial for hotels and can help them to gain an edge over competitors, find out more about guests (e.g. their likes and dislikes – information which ultimately helps to provide better guest service), and get insights into the latest trends.
[BH] Is the market ready for booking rooms through a hotel’s Facebook Page?
[MK] I believe that the market is ready for bookings through Social Media. While it may be some time until bookings through Facebook or Twitter make up a considerable percentage of a hotel’s revenue, now is definitely the right time to start laying the foundations.
Social Media offers an alternative sales channel, which can assist hotels to increase the number of direct bookings and save them commission payments. Many Internet users already spend considerable time on Social Media platforms, so it makes sense to offer booking facilities on Facebook and other Social Media websites. According to Nielsen’s “State of the Media: The Social Media Report”, Americans, for example, spent 53.5 billion minutes on Facebook in May 2011 alone. Hotel’s should start thinking “convenience”, i.e. if travelers are already spending so much time on Social Media platforms, why not make it as easy as possible for them to book a room via, say, Facebook or LinkedIn?
Lastly, hotel’s should not overlook the considerable importance of Social Media when it comes to “auxiliary” revenue. Travelers in many markets may still be hesitant to book high-ticket items such as room nights or conferences via Facebook or other Social Media sites, but they are far more open to “upselling”. In other words, hotels should aim to establish connections and start conversations with their audiences before guests reach the property – done correctly, this can yield valuable information which can be used to upsell products or services. For example, a guest might ask about details of the room type he or she has booked on a hotel’s Facebook Page or request information about sightseeing in the local area. It only takes a minute to suggest an upgrade to a suite or to mention how great the hotel’s sightseeing tours are. Social Media allows (potential) guests to engage with hotels in their own time and as a result, travelers are far more likely to listen to what a hotel has to say than during the traditional “check-in spiel” when guests usually only listen half-heartedly, because they want to reach their rooms as quickly as possible.
[BH] Can Social Media be used to facilitate guest communities?
[MK] Social Media is a great tool to help building, maintaining, and communication with guest communities. It allows hotels to stay in touch with guests even after they have checked out and it is also possible to quickly built social communities for special guest segments. For example: How about creating a Facebook group for members of your hotel’s loyalty program or for your long-stay guests? You’ll be opening up an additional communication and sales channel and ensure that your guests are treated perfectly on-line and off-line. Does your hotel work a lot with travel agents? Create a Facebook or LinkedIn group for your travel trade contacts and close it to the general public. In a matter of minutes, you can create a platform that allows you to communicate with your most important bookers and clients in a special forum, listen to their suggestions, answer their questions, and present them with your latest offers (outside the confines of all “rate parity” issues).
Social Media also allows you to connect with travel bloggers and frequent travelers and to entice such clients to stay with you. Think “network” and use the Social Media multiplier effect to maximize the value of individual relationships and their networks.
Everybody knows that Social Media is an extremely fast medium. Use it to your advantage and create platforms, groups, and for a, for special interest segments in minutes. For example, use LinkedIn to find professionals attending a large congress in your city or engage via Facebook or Twitter with sports fans who are travelling to your locality to watch a big sports event.
Hotelier Indonesia
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A brief bio on Martin:
Martin Kubler is an innovative, resourceful and enthusiastic international hospitality professional with executive management experience in three, four and five star properties. He has held senior management roles in internationally flagged as well as independently owned and operated hotels in Europe and the Middle East and has worked for operators such as Accor, Wyndham, Thistle, and the Bonnington Group.
Since May 2011, Martin heads up Iconsulthotels FZE, an ultra-boutique consulting firm specialising in assisting small & medium hospitality companies and international hospitality professionals to achieve their business goals through innovative use of (online) PR, social media and customised CRM strategies.
Martin is a Fellow of the Institute of Hospitality
Iconsulthotels: www.iconsulthotels.com
270669 – Martin’s Blog: www.martinkubler.com/270669
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/martinkubler or
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/martinkubler or
Twitter: twitter.com/#!/iconsulthotels
Facebook: www.facebook.com/iconsulthotels
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