In previous GuestIQ-The Guest articles, we covered some horror stories with technology and social media. We pointed out the viral video The United Song. We also pointed out how, with social media, popular bloggers wield a scary amount of influence within their circles. Obviously, however, social media could also be beneficial to companies.
In this video, Chris Brogan talks about social media. Brogan offers an example of how the Roger Smith hotel used social media to its advantage. When Brogan asked about where he should stay in New York, two people suggested the Roger Smith hotel. Then, the Roger Smith hotel contacted him, invited him to come, and offered him a “blogger’s special.”
Brogan suggests that the managers at the Four Seasons down the street often wonder how they are losing business to the Roger Smith hotel. I’m not so sure if that’s true, because looking at the transient rates for the Roger Smith hotel, the Roger Smith hotel is definitely in a different segment than the Four Seasons hotel. The two hotels probably rarely compete for the same potential guests.
Although I doubt that Four Seasons managers are jealously looking a the Roger Smith hotel and thinking about the greener grass on that side, there is no doubt that the Roger Smith hotel has a strong internet presence using social media and their blog. They were able to use their internet presence to capture market share and sell rooms.
