1. Social Media HOW IT IS USED IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

2. Warm up  Brainstorm with a partner:  Come up with a definition of social media  What social media do you use?  Which ones do you not use? Why?  How do you think business can use social media?

3. Dictionary definition (Merriam Webster)  forms of electronic communication (as Web sites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (as videos)

5. Most common social media:

7. The future of social media

8. Reasons for choosing Social Media  News has lost credibility  Connections vs impression  Circles of trust

11. How travel search has changed

12. Trusted source of travel info has shifted:

13. How people plan their travel

14. Loyalty frameworks are outdated!

16. What Social Media can do for you: 1. Reinforce your message and help it go viral 2. Embrace and project your brand’s personality 3. Allow for real-time, two-way communication 4. Allow you to communicate at point-of- need 5. Build business and generate ROI

17. Hotels embracing Social Media  One of the pioneers in using social media: Starwood  “Sherabration Sweepstakes” (2006)  Travelers share a personal travel story  “Sheraton Shared Moments” (2009)  Prize: dream holiday at new resort

18. Taking it to another level

19. Social media channels that Kimpton uses:

20. Risks of using Social Media REPUTATION MANAGEMENT & DAMAGE CONTROL

21. Case Study 1: The Grand Resort Hotel & Convention Center in Tennessee topped TripAdvisor's 2011 list of America's dirtiest hotels. Kenneth Seaton, the owner of the hotel, complained in a $10 million lawsuit that the ranking for his Grand Resort Hotel and Convention Center was the product of a flawed rating system dependent on "unsubstantiated rumors," and intended to irreparably damage his business and reputation. The Grand Resort closed in November 2012 and was sold, according to published reports. Seaton’s defamation lawsuit was dismissed with the Judge finding that TripAdvisor's putting the Grand on its "dirtiest" list did not constitute defamation, since it was opinion rather than an assertion of fact.

24. Case Study 2:  Hotel Quebec Sues Laurent Azoulay, Guest, Over Bad TripAdvisor Review  On April 26, Laurent Azoulay booked a two-night stay at Hotel Quebec in Québec City as part of his eight-year-old son's hockey tournament. The father says he woke up during the middle of the night Friday to find bed bugs nipping at his legs.

26. How to handle a social media crisis BEST PRACTICES

27. Social media is public  Your fans and followers have the right to make negative comments – it’s your company’s job to turn those negative comments around and defend yourself to change it from a negative to a positive situation.

28. Constantly monitor  Monitor your business on social media and respond to tweets, mentions, and comments on your company’s profiles in a timely manner. Social media is real-time, so the faster you respond, the better your customer service will look.

29. Know when to take it offline  If possible, suggest that customers contact you privately to send their email address or phone number for more in-depth discussion.

30. Be apologetic  People forgive mistakes, so don’t be defensive but apologetic (if the crisis is truly your fault)