Having a presence on Facebook and Twitter shows the younger consumers that you are in the know about the modern technologies and communication tools. Hoteliers need to be promoting their properties and taking ownership of their local area by being known as the hotel of their city. For example, when a consumer searches your city’s name on Facebook, your hotel’s name should also show up. Remember that social media is FREE! So using it is a wonderful and inexpensive way to interact and reach out to your consumers.

This can be easily done using social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Not only will contests create buzz for your property but they will also help you gain a loyal following and fan-base on those sites. This is important because it helps provides your hotel with credibility and nowadays, everyone goes to the Internet to find hotels. As prizes, you can give away free night stays or if that seems like too much, even just giving out simple gift cards will do.

Don’t be afraid to act boldly and creatively. A great example is when Caribou Coffee showed up their competition, Starbucks, by announcing a promotion that coffee drinkers deserved a choice and offered a free decaffeinated coffee on certain days during a limited time window. The kicker? Starbucks had previously announced they were going to stop brewing decaffeinated coffee in the afternoon. Caribou won new consumers by taking advantage of the market’s affect on a direct competitor. I’m not saying that hoteliers should be offering free nights but they should absolutely be keeping their eyes open for unique attention grabbing opportunities.

It’s clear that consumers turns to the Internet for the inside information about properties. They rely on the experiences of previous hotelgoers. Good reviews can be worth more than an expensive ad in a national magazine but bad reviews are a guaranteed business killer. Always make sure to respond to the negative reviews. Offer your apologizes and see what you can do to make it up to that guest. Most sites will allow properties to respond to a negative review so take advantage of that opportunity. Responding shows that you care and are wiling to make things right to win back their business. So every time a potential consumer sees a negative review, they will also see that you have addressed the matter and it will give them the confidence to book their next stay with you.

To ensure positive recommendations, your property needs to offer top-notch customer service to guests. Consider fun and interesting incentive programs for your staff. Also, make sure to reward them when they have done well. Never skimp on employee training and customer service focus. Consider them an investment. Creating a great working environment for your employees that makes them feel appreciated can make a huge difference in the standard of service that they provide to your guests.