The hotel business has traditionally not been an early adopter of breakthrough trends and innovation. However, with respect to mobile and social media, we have seen a huge mind shift.

The hospitality & travel sector has recognized the value of engaging with its consumers in the new age of media and many have started early on to embark on this journey. As hotels are social spaces I can see as to why this adoption has come more naturally to the hotel business.

However, despite good intentions, there is a big gap between consumer expectations, needs and hotels understanding of their expectations in this new world of social interactions.

Some examples would be how to interact (tone and voice), where to interact and with what level of consistency. Social Media is a long term commitment. It’s not like an affair from which you can walk away easily. It’s hardcore marriage. It is not a fad.

It is a revolution in the brand marketing space and there is a huge paradigm shift of how the interaction with consumers is changing as well as how businesses protect the value and cultivate the potential of their brands.

Hotels have also recognised that the new media space is complicated and assistance is needed for building powerful brand spaces in the respective social media channels (Twitter, Facebook etc) to engage with consumers, provide relevant content and create loyal followers that will eventually turn into profitable customers.

Let me define Brand Spaces a bit more specifically. it’s an environment for brands to interact/engage with consumers online – eg. Facebook fan page or in its most simplistic form: Google Places – a value added business listing that allows hoteliers to improve their product visibility early on in the search process.

The information however needs to be fresh and always current. The transparency of reviews and general information reinforces the importance of managing a brand’s reputation in Social Media. Hotels should “own” their “spaces”. In all honesty – many hoteliers do not fully leverage this capability which is a shame and must be an area of focus for every hotel ecommerce manager and SEO strategy.

I don’t get the angst generated by hoteliers about consumer reviews. It’s a real pity that hotels don’t take greater advantage of this opportunity. Handling customer service issues or guest feedback (positive or negative) is not something uncommon to the hotel business. It has always formed an integral part of the hospitality service culture.

As such – the only foreign circumstance is that the conversation has now moved online and it is no longer “private”. A genuine reply to a negative customer experience associated with an apology goes a long way. Consumers quickly realize and acknowledge the genuine character behind the dialogue and it is most often rewarded with loyalty.

Social Media is genuine and so are customers. It is the interaction between people about their experiences, views and thoughts. It is important to understand that consumers consult/review multiple sources in order to form an opinion and as such the 80/20 rule applies.

Don’t be afraid of negative reviews – turn them into a compelling USP by taking the bull by its horns – reply in a friendly manner, be grateful for the feedback, respect the other persons view, don’t judge – it didn’t happen to you – be genuine and you will be rewarded.

So in short – yes, absolutely, the hospitality industry’s interest is at the forefront of the social media phenomenon and we see a bright future for hoteliers and travel businesses that recognize that the time has changed. You must listen first, then engage with your consumers online and build strong and powerful brand spaces.