HOTELMARKETING.COM

Hotel bookings migrate from websites to Facebook and phones

May 27, 2010 |

Resulting from more and more hotels guests using smartphones and referring to Facebook for their travel needs, a select number of social media savvy hotels are developing booking widgets to extend reach beyond their websites.

Up till now, the only place to book a hotel room online was at the hotel's Web site or through an Online Travel Agency (OTA). Now hotels can engage customers via Facebook applications and iPhones.

The Trump Hotel Collection recently expanded its social networking presence to provide another avenue for bookings with a customized Facebook page.

This is an example of magnetic marketing, where a social networking platform like Facebook becomes the conduit for connecting people with the right information at the right time. Of course, not all visitors to Trump's Facebook page are there to book rooms. However should they be so inclined once there, the convenience and immediacy factor of having the booking widget accessible is a value-add feature. It also underscores Trump's goal of servicing the guest in a seamless way, even before he or she walks in the door.

"It makes sense to tie together our social networking presence with a brand Facebook page since it is the most comprehensive, consumer-facing social network in the marketplace today," said Jim Petrus, chief operating officer, Trump Hotel Collection."

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