Social Networking in the Hospitality Industry

The rise of the social web has completely changed the way people discover and share information. Though the internet has long expanded across the globe, social media has made the web a more intimate and personal space.

During the past ten years, many of the most successful companies have utilized technology to facilitate communication through social networking. Facebook, which was launched by Mark Zuckerberg from his Harvard dorm room in 2004, now has nearly 700 million users worldwide. Twitter has have gained over 200 million users in less than five years.

Today, social media affects every facet of our lives. With this huge new market, traditional businesses have come to embrace this new medium to find success in the internet age. That being so, newer companies like FourSquare and Groupon have developed innovative ways to connect businesses with customers.

Despite the proven effectiveness of social networking, the Hospitality management services industry has been slow to embrace this new technology. A recent study by TravelClick discovered that nearly 25 percent of all hotels failed to use social networking to increase their business.

A hospitality management company was considerably more likely to utilize paid advertising to extend its brand awareness and its customer base. Unfortunately, businesses that focus solely on advertising are failing to use social networking as cost-effective way to increase their profitability.

Through the power of social networking, a hospitality management company can quickly expand its marketing. Given the weakness of the current economic recovery, the Hospitality industry can not afford to miss any opportunity to reach so many potential customers at no additional cost.

The Hotel Managers Group understands how to use social networking to help increase occupancy rates and prices. Therefore, the Hotel Managers Group is committed to using this medium to compete successfully in today’s economy.