Hotels and Social Media in 2011
February 16th, 2011 | 
Author: Five Wishes for Hotels and Social Media in 2011
Ideas from Brian Bagel – Global Social Media Manager
1. Put your on-staff experts to work. Many hotels have a tremendous advantage in social media. People on their staff have a duty to be experts in certain subjects. Your concierge is an expert on your hotel’s surroundings. Your chef is a food expert. Your gardener’s job is to make things grow. Your decorator’s job is to make the environment warm and beautiful. People want to know about what they know! There are entire TV networks dedicated to this stuff. If you can get them to write a few sentences every month, you’ve got yourself some tremendous social media fodder.
2. More social media only offers. Social media specific rate codes for your fans and followers still aren’t utilized to the extent that I think they should be. You want your social media following to think they’re getting something special from time to time. An extra 5 or 10% off on a room for certain periods can go a very long way. The discounts don’t need to be Groupon-level steep, but enough to show your biggest fans that you appreciate them.
3. Someone to really take a big foursquare/Facebook Places leap. I’ve seen plenty of specials that offer people glasses of wine, food, and rewards points, but I haven’t seen anyone go all out yet. Why not try to get some buzz and give away free rooms for a larger number of check-ins? Or why haven’t brands really taken to the services and linked check-ins across multiple locations for super-offers like major retailers have? I’d love to see that and I’m sure frequent customers would as well.
4. Cross promotion. Social media doesn’t live on an island. I’ve said this many times, and yet I still want to see more. Social media is best supplemented by online and offline collateral. People need to be made aware that your property has a social media presence. I’ve seen more and more commercials touting a Facebook page rather than a website. I think now is the time for hotels to get in that game.
5. Fewer minutias. There was a time when a post like “it’s sunny today” went over like gangbusters. It was simple, felt personal, and kept a social presence active. I’m not saying that those kinds of posts are now bad, but there are too many of them. I’d love to see more depth. Tell me about an interesting event going on in the area that people from outside your location might not know about. Or tell me about an interesting sign you saw near your property, and post a photo. That’s the kind of content that has a better chance of getting shared and keeping your fans and followers engaged.
Social is no longer something that can be ignored. And while it might not be perfect for every hotel, it is an important option for most. There are a number of benefits, including the rise in social media’s footprint in natural search results that can be taken advantage of with a little bit of effort and ingenuity. While many hotels have done an excellent job in social media, there’s no reason hospitality shouldn’t be a leader in the social space.
Source: Brian Bagel TIG Global Social Media Manager
State tourism bureaus use social networks to attract visitors
Tourism Bureaus Use Social Sites to Promote Sights
Where Google won’t work, state tourism bureaus use social networks to attract visitors
SOURCE: By KATHY McCORMACK
The Associated Press
CONCORD, N.H.
Dog sledding without snow?
Karen Tolin knew the concept was a little hard to understand, but she believed a Facebook promotion for her White Mountains dog-sledding business through the state tourism division would help clear it up – and draw some customers during the off season.
She was right.
Visitors mentioned the August offer when they booked a “rolling” dog sledding tour – when dogs pull passengers in a wheeled cart, something more common in the West. Tolin combined an excursion discount with a whitewater rafting trip called “Paws and Paddles.”
State tourism bureaus, including New Hampshire’s, have been aggressively using social networks to promote business and attract visitors with travel packages, itineraries and tips from travelers themselves. Tolin’s Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel is among those reaping the benefits.
“No one Googles ‘dog sledding,’” said Tolin, of Gorham, “so taking advantage of social media in addition to traditional advertising has been a big deal and has gotten the word out, and has increased our business in a big way.”
Indiana has partnered with Foursquare, a smart-phone application that reveals the user’s location, to provide discounts at museums, restaurants and other places through its Leaf Cam foliage-viewing site. Virginia recently won a national award for using Twitter to promote wine tourism. Nearly three-quarters of Michigan’s Facebook fans learned from fellow travelers about unfamiliar places and activities.
“We’re starting to see more and more organizations see the value of blogging,” said David Serino, a Michigan-based travel industry consultant who tracks and ranks social media use among state tourism sites.
“We’re generating content that’s keyword-rich and the content we’re generating is very search engine-friendly,” he said. “The content is extremely beneficial to the traveler. With blogging, you really get the insider information or the insider’s take.”
New Hampshire’s Division of Travel and Tourism Development started its Facebook page in July 2009 and connected it to its VisitNH.gov website. When it began offering promotions in November, it had about 1,400 fans, said Tai Freligh, a spokesman for the division. Today, it has nearly 20,000.
The state selects monthly partners for “fan benefits” exclusive to Facebook and Twitter users. The discounts come as printable coupons or promotional codes. There’s no cost to the partner for the promotion – which also is advertised to state, regional and national media outlets – and an e-mail database of 126,000.
Participation in the promotions lets businesses that don’t use social media gain exposure without the risk or commitment of setting up and maintaining their own page. But those that do have a social media page, like Muddy Paw, have noticed a boost in fans.
Tolin’s business also has received exposure through a separate visitor information website and social media network for northern New Hampshire businesses run through a nonprofit economic development group, an effort called NH Grand.
About 40 people took a Muddy Paw ride over Columbus Day weekend, Tolin said, compared with very few a year ago.
Not all businesses say they have benefited from the monthly exclusives. The Great Northern Moose Lodge, a bed-and-breakfast in Dummer, was part of the August promotion. Owner Richard Tessier said he got some calls but no takers.
“We went into it with the understanding that even if we didn’t get anything out of it, it was worth the exposure,” he said.
The Radisson Hotel in Nashua made $30,000 in new sales from a December promotion letting visitors stay free a second night. The state’s very first promotion – 50 percent off midweek accommodations at the Inns and Spa at Mill Falls – generated only about $1,400 with eight room reservations, but a lot of hits.
The travel division is marking the first anniversary of its fan benefits with a promotion at the Inns and Spa that combines accommodations with shopping and dining.
“The dollar amount wasn’t huge,” said Inns and Spa marketer Michelle Brown, “but I think the recognition and teaming up with the state was important.”
California Western Monarch Day Celebration on Feb. 5, 2011
Tomorrow is the California Western Monarch Day Celebration on Feb. 5, 2011 – 10:30 a.m. to 2:30p.m. Come to Pismo Beach to see the amazing Monarch Butterflies.
Wear Red Today 2-4-2011 GO RED FOR WOMEN
Stand up and speak out against heart disease by wearing red in February or throughout the year.
All across the country, people have been wearing red to show their support for Go Red For Women and to help raise awareness of heart disease. But it’s not just individuals who Go Red. Companies are joining the movement and so are entire cities!
Join Pacific Leisure and Pismo Beach in supporting GO RED FOR WOMEN Friday Feb. 4th, 2011.
Click here for more info about GO RED FOR WOMEN
Posted in Pismo Beach California | 
Tags: Go Red for Women, Pismo Beach Supports GO RED for Women, Wear Red 2-4-11 | 
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What the Budweiser Horses do when they are not in Pismo Beach
Merry Christmas!
We missed having the horses this year at the Pismo beach Car Show.
Holiday Harmony in Pismo 2010 Pictures with Santa
If you took your family to the Pismo Beach Holiday Harmony, and visited Santa… Pacific Leisure has put them online at the Pismo Chamber of Commerce website.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE HOLIDAY HARMONY VISIT WITH SANTA PICTURES
Pacific Leisure participated in the Grover Beach Walk Celebration
Pacific Leisure participated in the Grover Beach Walk Celebration.
There was a huge crown of local residents that enjoyed in the Beach Walk Celebration tonight.
Pacific Leisure provided Digital Signs for Forde Properties, Elder Care Residential Services, JitterBug the Simple Cell Phone and Patient Advocate this evening.
Posted in Our Services |
Tags: Grover Beach, Grover Beach Walk Celebration, Pacific Leisure Marketing |
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Grover Beach Hosts Block Party on West Grand Avenue
Grover Beach Walk Celebration
Grover Beach Hosts Block Party on West Grand Avenue to Celebrate Construction Completion
GROVER BEACH, CA. -
The City of Grover Beach will be celebrating the new enhancements of
West Grand Avenue by hosting a construction completion party on Thursday, October 7 from
6 p.m. to 8 p.m. with entertainment, prizes, discounts and giveaways at participating stores.
The “Grover Beach Walk Celebration” will feature local vendors, food, artwork, dancers and a
DJ. There will be entertainment for all ages, including a bounce house for children. Guests will
receive a “passport” to take to participating stores to receive stamps for a chance to win prizes.
Stores and restaurants will also be giving away samples or offering discounts during the event.
“The new Beach Walk will be a beautiful welcoming to the city’s beach as well as downtown
areas. The Beach Walk will allow locals and tourists to leisurely stroll along the ‘beach
shoreline’ and enjoy shopping and dining,” said Mayor John Shoals.
The event will showcase West Grand Avenue’s new improvements, which include pedestrian friendly decorative sidewalks and crosswalks, new landscaping, benches, and decorative street
lights.
The enhancements were done to increase pedestrian traffic and to attract tourists to the
area, revitalizing the West Grand Avenue entrance. The new look was inspired by the City’s
beautiful beaches and sand dunes. Sidewalks and crosswalks were painted to look like waves
lapping onto the beach, making the walk down West Grand Avenue a unique experience.
The block party will take place on West Grand Avenue between 4th Street and the railroad
tracks. Both sides of the street will be open to traffic during the event, and guests can park on
side streets, as well as in the parking lots of participating businesses.
“I do think that people are ready to put us on their map. I expect sales to go up from here on out
and look forward to more shop owners moving to this area,” said Amanda Powers, owner and
designer at Shell Beach Floral Design.
Pacific Leisure will have Digital Signs on display featuring Forde Properties and Elder Care Residential Services at the 170 Grand Junction Office building during this event.
Pismo Beach Motorcycle Classic Event 9-19-2010
Pacific Leisure was on the scene taking this Video of the Pismo Beach Motorcycle Classic Event
Video of Morro Bay Art in the Park 2010
Pacific Leisure enjoyed taking the video of Art in the Park 2010 in Morro Bay California
