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By now, every business knows that if it doesn’t have an online presence, it’s missing out on a massive market. This applies to hotels, as well, and many brands are expanding their presence on social media in a big way.
This expansion helps you as you try to find the perfect hotel for your lodging needs. When you’re booking a large group or a long-term stay, cut-rate accommodation isn’t good enough. You need to know exactly what you’re getting into, including everything the hotel and its surroundings offer.
So how do you use social media to find your next place to stay? Check out these tips to maximize your search.
1. Look for a Multiple Platform Presence
What’s your favorite social media platform? If it’s a common one used by millions of people, hotels should have a presence on it.
It’s easy to spot the other platforms it posts to as well. Look for the little icons in the social media “About” section. While you’re there, scan the information to see how popular the hotel is. If there are thousands of check-ins, likes and follows, it’s most likely a reputable place.
Keep in mind that many hotels will choose one main platform as they get started with social media advertising. If the place you’re considering only has a handful of posts and followers on Instagram but thousands on Facebook, that’s okay.
2. Scan the Posts, Reviews and Comments
There’s no reason to book a hotel that has dozens of complaints on its social media page. With a minute or two of scrolling through the posts and comments, you’ll quickly decide if the place is worth your time or not.
Reputable hotels will make consistent posts. They don’t have to be daily, but there should be enough on their page that you can see their brand identity. Are they community-focused? Guest-oriented? Do they support the country, city and citizens?
Keep scrolling through the reviews to see if there are any complaints from previous guests. Negative reviews are common and not enough for you to judge the hotel in general.
What you should be looking for is the response from the management to the complaint. If they’ve attempted to resolve the issue, that speaks volumes about the hotel’s customer service.
If you see glaring reviews one way or the other, you can assume there’s something to them.
3. Skip the Hotel Pictures and Look at the Guests
When a guest “checks in” on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook, it often links to the social media platform of the hotel. The establishment has hired a professional photographer to take pictures of every location in its best light. On the other hand, guests show you what it truly looks like.
Are the rooms clean? Do they look comfortable? Are the little amenities you know will be appreciated available? Does everyone look like they’re enjoying themselves as appropriate?
If your goal is to find a business hotel, pinpoint images that show the conveniences of the location, as discussed in this article by Hotel Engine. Yes, a comfortable night of sleep is important. However, so are things like amenities, nearby food options and transportation.
As the saying goes, pictures are worth a thousand words. Read into previous guests’ posted images and use them to help you make your decision.
4. View the Page Transparency
Facebook and other platforms have a way for you to verify the legitimacy of a company. Using the page transparency section, look at when the business page was opened.
Newer hotels sound great, but they often don’t have all the bugs worked out yet. Look for tried-and-true accommodations that have had a social media presence for a while and have stayed consistently owned. This is visible in the page history under the transparency section.
The owner of the page should reside in the country where the hotel is located. Although this isn’t essential, it does show that the lodging facilities are legitimate and the management will be easier to access if there’s any type of problem during your stay.
Conclusion
Finding a hotel by using its social media presence is more thorough than checking out the pictures and reviews on a booking site. When you narrow down your search to a few possibilities, head over to your favorite social media platforms and use these tips to finalize your choice.
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