If you’re thinking about using social media to increase your hotel’s occupancy, one thing is for sure: you’ll need to find a way to stand out.

Given that the hotel industry is a competitive one, and pretty much every hotel is present on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, this can be a challenge.

But how can you overcome it?

In this article, we’re going to present you with five strategies you can use to turn your social media into powerful tools that attract guests and drive your occupancy through the roof.

Publish a Lot of Engaging Content

Using social media to increase your occupancy will require you to, first and foremost, post a lot of content that’s visually appealing and engaging.

In other words, you need to show your audience exactly what they can experience if they decide to book a room with you.

Let’s take a look at how The Ritz London does it on their TikTok account.

Source: The Ritz London on TikTok

In this short video, they show off different parts of the hotel, paired with a voiceover highlighting all of the details and uniques that make staying at this hotel feel so luxurious.

The visuals, the music, and the language that The Ritz London uses in its social media content come together to paint a picture of what it feels like to be a guest of this hotel.

So, what can you do to achieve the same effect?

First of all, you need to diversify your content in order to not only capture, but also keep the attention of your audience.

This means that a bunch of photos of your rooms taken from the same angle won’t cut it.

Sure, they show where your guests can expect to sleep, but that’s only a small portion of the hotel experience.

Not to mention, seeing pretty much the same photos over and over again is bound to get boring after a while.

So, if you want to turn your social media into a tool that drives room bookings, you need to keep things fresh and interesting, as Chalets at Blackheath does on their Instagram account:

Source: Chalets at Blackheath on Instagram

Their Instagram account is filled with aesthetically pleasing photos and videos that effectively convey the atmosphere of this hotel resort.

Seeing all the amazing amenities, the nature surrounding your hotel, and the little details that make staying with you so special is bound to make your audience want to book a room with you.

But there’s one important thing. People don’t want to search high and low for a way to book a room at your place, so it’s your job to make it easy for them.

This is where a solution like WebBookingPro comes in.

WebBookingPro is a central reservations system (CRS) that boasts a plethora of features, including a web booking engine that allows hotels to take online reservations directly on their website.

As you can see in the image below, WebBookingPro can be integrated into the hotel website and completely customized to match the hotel’s branding.

Source: Lyra Hotel Plitvice

To make it work, all you have to do is integrate WebBookingPro on your hotel website using simple JavaScript code (or Plugin if you use WordPress).

Once you’re done setting up this direct booking page on your website, make sure to include the link to it on your social media platforms: from your profile bio to the captions of your posts.

Source: Lyra Hotel Plitvice on Instagram

That way, your guests will be able to seamlessly book a room without being taken to third-party sites, which instills a sense of security and boosts your reservations.

So remember: simply being present on social media just doesn’t cut it anymore.

You need to publish scroll-stopping content that will inspire your audience to book a room right then and there.

Communicate with the Audience

Building your social media presence in order to increase your hotel occupancy isn’t just about posting beautiful photos and engaging videos, though.

It’s also about creating a connection with your audience, and how you conduct yourself on social media can make or break your hotel business.

Namely, modern social media users utilize social media as search engines, according to the findings of TINT’s State of Social & User-Generated Content 2023 study.

Illustration: WebBookingPro / Data: TINT

So, what does this mean for you?

Well, firstly, it means that posting a lot of engaging content on various social media platforms increases your odds of being discovered by prospective guests.

Secondly, it means that they won’t only see what your hotel has to offer, but also how you communicate with others in the comment section.

And if you handle these interactions poorly, the odds of losing prospective guests are high, research shows.

Illustration: WebBookingPro / Data: Sprout Social

This is why you should be committed to interacting with your audience in a friendly and professional manner, as well as politely responding to both positive and negative feedback you receive on social media.

That way, you get to build your reputation as an establishment committed to improving and providing a positive guest experience.

Plus, hotels that aren’t afraid to take accountability on social media and right their wrongs are the ones that attract guests.

Let’s take a look at how it’s done.

Source: Hilton on Instagram

As you can see in the screenshot above, the Hilton didn’t hide or ignore the comment left by a disappointed guest.

Instead, they responded in an apologetic, but proactive way:

They started off by expressing their regret about the unpleasant experience and then encouraged the guest to get in touch privately in order to resolve the issue.

Handling guest dissatisfaction in this manner shows your prospective guests that, even if there’s an issue during their stay, they can trust you to make it right.

And once you earn their trust, you’ll earn their reservations, too.

With that being said, try not to focus only on negative feedback—positive and neutral comments need your attention, too.

Hilton excels at responding to positive user comments on TikTok as well, as you can see below.

Source: Hilton on TikTok

And who knows?

Being warm and friendly in your communication might just be the thing that inspires social media users to book a room at your hotel.

So, make sure to closely monitor the platforms you’re present on and respond to all the comments and messages in a timely manner—you never know how many prospective guests are watching.

Organize Giveaways

Once you’ve polished your social media profiles and established high user interaction standards, you can start thinking about new strategies you can implement in order to increase your hotel’s occupancy rate.

One of the most straightforward ones is organizing social media giveaways.

“But how is giving stuff away for free going to bring me more guests?”, you might be wondering.

Yes, running a giveaway on social media will require you to provide free accommodation or service to one (or several) lucky winners, but it can also bring benefits that make it all worth it.

Namely, according to a case study by Tailwind, organizing contests and giveaways on Instagram won’t only help you grow your following, but also bring an increase in social media engagement.

Illustration: WebBookingPro / Data: Tailwind

And the more users engage with you, the more visibility your content will get on the platform, meaning that you’ll be reaching potentially thousands of prospective guests.

So, how can you go about organizing a giveaway?

Let’s explain using the example below.

Source: Whales and Waves Resort on Instagram

The Whales and Waves Resort in Indonesia paired up with a popular Instagram travel page Bali livin’ to promote their giveaway.

The post features an appealing photo of the resort, as well as a caption that provides clear guidelines on how the followers can participate in the giveaway.

Those two elements are the most crucial when it comes to organizing giveaways on social media.

Whether you choose to offer complimentary accommodation or an experience (such as a spa treatment), make sure that the photo or video you’re using to announce the giveaway makes your hotel and its services look attractive.

In fact, it should look appealing enough to make your followers want to stay at the hotel even if they don’t win the giveaway!

Once you’ve got your visual, craft a caption containing clear instructions on how to participate, including the terms and conditions.

Platforms like Facebook and Instagram also have certain guidelines you need to follow in order to promote your giveaway on them, so make sure to check those out before you post.

Source: Instagram

Lastly, don’t forget to promote your giveaway on other platforms you use. For example, share the details of your Instagram giveaway on Facebook.

That way, you’ll increase the reach and maximize the number of entries, drawing in a number of potential new guests that will fill your hotel.

Collaborate with Influencers

Another great way to garner more attention for your hotel and increase room bookings using social media is to partner up with influencers.

Influencers have their own audience, so collaborating with them to promote your hotel is a great way to tap into that new audience and turn them into prospective guests.

But for this strategy to bring you the desired results, you need to make sure that the influencers you choose to work with are the right fit.

So, before you reach out to an influencer, or agree to partner up with one that reached out to you, make sure that the collaboration is going to be beneficial for your hotel.

Are they a travel or a lifestyle influencer whose audience aligns with your own target market?

Does their personal brand match your hotel’s brand image and values?

Are they known to post authentic, trustworthy content?

If so, this is a good sign that a collaboration would make sense.

For example, take a look at this travel influencer’s Instagram post.

Source: The Blonde Abroad on Instagram

The photo, featuring some of the hotel’s amenities, is accompanied by a review of the hotel in the caption.

The influencer focuses on the fact that the hotel is family-friendly, meaning that this is something that’s likely important to her audience.

Highlighting this fact might inspire some of her followers to choose precisely this hotel for their family vacation.

Apart from this, it’s noticeable that her Instagram followers show interest in her content by liking and commenting on her posts.

This is another important factor for you to pay attention to.

Instead of focusing on influencers with the highest follower count, aim to work with those who have a high engagement rate.

According to research, these are often “nano” travel influencers with anywhere from 100 to 10,000 followers.

Illustration: WebBookingPro / Data: Kaizen

Influencers whose audience actively shows support and interest in their content are more likely to be effective at driving actual interest and room bookings.

So, if you’re looking to increase your occupancy, consider working with those who know how to create a buzz around your hotel and inspire their followers to book a room with you.

Leverage User-Generated Content

While collaborating with influencers who are the right fit for your hotel is bound to be beneficial, a study conducted by EnTribe shows that as many as 51% of surveyed consumers tend to scroll past influencer posts on social media.

However, an overwhelming majority of them are okay with seeing branded content, as long as it’s created by unsponsored customers.

This type of content is known as user-generated content (UGC).

Illustration: WebBookingPro / Data: EnTribe

As the name suggests, user-generated content is unsponsored content made by customers who are not professional content creators.

In a world where fake followers, fake engagement, and undisclosed ads have become commonplace, your potential guests might be hesitant to believe the carefully curated, raving hotel reviews produced by paid influencers.

Therefore, user-generated content isn’t only a breath of fresh air, but also a powerful tool you can leverage to boost your credibility and drive customer action.

Hyatt Regency knows this, so they’ve created their own hashtag, #sharemyhyattpic, to help them collect and later share user-generated content.

Here’s what this looks like in practice:

Source: Usavitta on Instagram

You can take a page out of their book by doing the same.

Create your own branded hashtag containing the name of your hotel, invite your guests to post their own authentic content using it, and then ask them if you can share it across your social media profiles.

When others see that people just like them are having a great time at your hotel, they will be more inclined to book a room with you as well.

Conclusion

In an industry as competitive as yours, using social media to drive hotel reservations is a task that will require you to employ at least some of the strategies we described in this article.

So, if you want to stand out from the competition and attract new guests, focus your efforts on publishing diverse and engaging content, interacting with your audience, and incentivizing them to book a room with you using giveaways, influencer marketing, and UGC.

That way, you’ll be able to turn your social media into an ally that makes increasing your hotel occupancy a breeze.