Trends in the Hospitality Industry: Social Media

Social media in the hospitality industry

 

Social media is ‘media based, web-based or cloud based technologies’ (Khan, 2012). Different examples of social media are Google, Facebook, Twitter, TripAdvisor and LinkedIn just to name a few. Social media has now become a form of communication that not just allows the world to converse, but to have an interactive conversation.

Withiam (2014) explains how unbounded technology has given the hospitality industry, along with others, an opportunity to be able to develop relationships with customers and partnerships for brand growth and development through more contact with their customers. In today’s world the latest news and information spreads around the world at a click of a button, Khan (2012) states that this haste communication can easily break or make a business, especially in such a diverse industry such as hospitality.

Advantages of this trend are; stakeholders, mainly customers, are able to share information whether they like or dislike a firm. This allows firm owners to evaluate what customers want and if they are satisfied with the services or products produced (Withiam, 2014). Khan (2012) adds to how organizations can instantly communicate to a global audience, market their product/service and make their customers feel involved In the company for as long the consumers have access to a mobile phone, computer and of recent Pads. In the accommodation and food and beverage industry the organizations are able to advertise seasonal specials, make online bookings, address any customer complaints or dissatisfactions through business websites and receive payments. Organizations are able to keep up with the continuous latest trends by viewing what their customers want, what the latest technologies are worldwide and how to incorporate them into the business.

Social media in the hospitality industry makes opportunities available for organizations to identify their core values, attract customers to the business, create brand awareness and brand equity. Organizations can benefit from incorporating social media with their marketing to be ahead of their competitors. Every organization in any industry has the ability to either respond or ignore any positive or negative remarks made on social media networks. Although technology is continuously evolving at a haste rate and is making it impossible for any hospitality organization to ignore the social media. It is up to the organizations to create strategic plans to be able to exploit the social media in a way that can be beneficiary to the brand image and increase company growth.

Reference

Khan, A. (2012) Social media’s influence on hospitality and tourism management, Journal of business and hotel management. [Online]. Available at: http://www.scitechnol.com (Accessed: 11 April 2014).

Withiam, G. (2014) Social media and the hospitality industry: holding the Tiger by the tail, Faculty and research center for hospitality research, vol (3), [Online]. Available at: http://www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/research/chr/pubs/reports/abstract-15500.html (Accessed: 12 April 2014).