Does the Hotel Industry Lack Skills to Capitalise on Social Media?

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. February 21, 2011

Paris, 15 February 2011. At a recently concluded event on social media, Waking Up to Social Media: The Hotel Industry Response, organised by HVS Executive Search and ESSEC Business School Paris, panellists were unanimous in their opinion that the hotel industry is still too conservative to effectively tap the potential of social media channels.

The panel included:
• Iain Ainsworth, Founder & Managing Director of White Line Hotels

• Jacques Dubois, Chief Operating Officer of Rezidor Hotel Group • RJ Friedlander, Chief Executive Officer of ReviewPro • Geoffray Maugin, VP Marketing of Accor's Luxury Brands • Peter O'Connor, Professor at ESSEC Business School Paris

The event which was held on February 7, 2011 at Hilton Arc de Triomphe Paris was moderated by Chris Mumford, Managing Director of HVS Executive Search London. The audience comprised of students and hoteliers, every single one of whom were on Facebook, Twitter and/or LinkedIn. Some of the discussion highlights were:

• The panelists were undivided in their opinion of hotels needing dedicated Social Media Managers who will create content that is both original and interactive. Hotels need to move away from bombarding their “fans” with purely offers and promotions.

• The panel was less aligned on questions on corporate vs. property-level responsibility for social media management. There was also disagreement on which department is responsible for function. Rezidor's Dubois stated he did not want social media to be “swallowed up by marketing”.

• Majority opinion was that online travel agencies such as TripAdvisor are an increasing influence on hotel customers, not all of which is positive. The immediacy of the medium allows for impulsive rants by customers, without giving them a cool-off period to share a more objective review. Not all panellists agreed. Accor's Maugin commented “If Sofitel just keeps focusing on quality, it will come across on TripAdvisor.”

• Technology continues to play an increasingly important role in this new medium of marketing, especially with regards to ROI and metrics. Or as Ian Ainsworth of White Line Hotels put it, “ROI is a negative starting point. We need to measure our ROO: Return on Objectives.”

• From Google Places to free broadband for hotel guests, the discussion ended with panellists sharing their view on future trends to look out for.

HVS Executive Search and ESSEC Business School Paris will shortly release video footage and complete transcripts of the discussion. For more information please contact: Pooja Vir HVS Executive Search Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 (20) 7878-7756