As social media continues to become an integral component of any marketing plan, many hotels are taking a new approach by developing creative promotions, contests and announcements to stand out in the crowd and grab the attention of the Internet’s increasingly influential user base. One hotel that has caught on to this trend relatively early is High Peaks Resort in Lake Placid, New York. During the off season of 2009, this hotel found a creative way to capture the interest of customers through its “Elevate Your Rate” social media promotion.
How “Elevate your Rate” worked
For 46 days, the High Peaks Resort offered rates based off of the elevations of the 46 high peaks. For example, on May 13, 2009, the elevation for Mount Marshall, which was that day’s offering, was 4,360’ so the “elevated” rate for a room was $43.60 per night. Alerts for the contest were given via social media outlets, most notably Facebook and Twitter. Now you’re probably wondering how the hotel kept its followers’ attention. Well, this discount only ran for 46 minutes each day. Since the timing of the announcement was different day to day, anyone hoping to snag the sale had to keep up with the hotel’s Facebook and Twitter updates, thus giving the hotel the undivided attention of a large number of highly relevant users. This was the perfect time for High Peaks to advertise other favorable aspects of the resort.
Although revenue per a room was relatively lower compared to the resort’s usual intake, this contest successfully helped High Peaks Resort fill rooms during a typically slow season and, more than anything, it gave them the publicity needed to gain a following, build a bond and increase brand awareness. So overall, this was a fairly inexpensive and effetive marketing campaign.
According to analysts at eMarketer, as of 2010, there are around 127 million US social network users and that number is growing at an unbelievable rate. With so many social savvy travelers communicating online, it is becoming a necessity for hotels to join in the social conversation and find a way to stand out from the competition through creativity, relevancy and consistency. This is why it’s important to keep in mind that social media promotions and contesting help keep customers engaged and excited about the brand. In addition, it shows that your business is dedicated to putting in the extra effort needed to please your followers, friends and fans. That being said, now’s the time for hotels to enter the twenty-first century and start thinking outside of the box by using the power of social media marketing to help build upon your business.
Written by Jacquelynn M.
