Nothing gets your brand attention like innovative marketing ideas. To stay competitive in a vast industry, you have to be willing to step outside of the marketing bubble and try new things.
There are tons of examples of hotel brands successfully tackling new strategies. These innovative hotel marketing ideas, like building a stand-alone content site or offering opportunities to socialize, are capturing the attention of millennial travelers looking for something exciting to incorporate into their next trip.
Need a little inspiration? We picked out some of our favorite hotel marketing innovations in the last few years.
A Standalone Travel Resource
Each destination offers something unique to every traveler. Tapping into the magic of your surroundings can draw a lot of attention to your brand.
One great example of stand-alone content marketing was Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts “London Revealed” campaign.
The company built a destination website promoting London’s best attractions, beaches, and experiences. The best thing about the site was that it wasn’t obvious it was a marketing campaign. Users had to scroll to the bottom to see that the hotel was behind the information.
How is this effective? It positions you as a thought leader in your location. Additionally, you’re offering travelers the information they want most, and they’ll probably look to you for advice in the future.
Custom Curated Experiences
These days, travelers want to live like a local. Staying in a hotel doesn’t have to take away from that experience. Give your guests something to get excited about and send them out into their surroundings with customized activities.
Kimpton Hotel Palomar’s “Live Like a Local” campaign did just that by sending their guests on a local scavenger hunt. Using social media to issue challenges, guests and residents were sent all over San Diego to landmarks, restaurants, and attractions. Then, they were asked to share the adventure using designated hashtags.
Offering an interactive experience can keep your brand memorable in the minds of travelers.
Socialization Opportunities
We may live in the digital age, but that doesn’t mean we have to stay there. Social hours and open spaces where travelers can converse after a long day is growing in popularity.
It’s one of the key foundations of the Aloft hotel brand, who have open working and socializing spaces in each of their locations. At night, they offer live music and communal games to encourage interaction between guests.
How is this marketing? Aloft uses social media to keep guests connected and engaging with their brand throughout their stay. Hashtags and reminders to share their adventures are everywhere, which means they can interact both in real life and digitally.
So much of travel is about stepping outside of your norms and doing something different. Meeting and learning from fellow travelers can be a defining factor in whether someone chooses your location or not.
No matter how big or small your brand is, you can still tap into these ideas and develop new ways to engage with your guests. The most important aspect of hotel marketing is a willingness to try new things. Fail or succeed, at least you did something to set yourself apart.
