In present times, the role of social media has significantly increased. From choosing the career to selecting a place for vacation to selecting a hotel or resort for the stay to everything, we clinch to social media. And it is all because social media has better suggestions and reviews that really help us to have the best of everything. In simple words, social media has become a primary source of taking advice from. A true and honest friend with the best of advice. 

 

So following are ways SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCE THE CUSTOMER’S DECISION OF SELECTING HOTELS –

CUSTOMERS REVIEWS– the first and the foremost reason on how social media influences the decision is by the reviews that the travellers shares. Consumers trust material from other travellers on social media, more than  any information provided by official tourism websites, travel agents and mass media advertising.

Ratings – the hotels and resorts selected by the customers now a days is mainly based on the ratings that are received by the place by their guest. The rating of a single guest is not capable of influencing the rating of the hotel. The rating on social media is mainly based on the average rating given by every new guest. And this average rating plays a very important role in influencing the decision and mindsets of the people willing to stay at a particular place

Visual contents – so this is a very important point that affects the decision of the customer. The visuals are the photos that the property owners and guests share on social media website. The more the photos are beautiful and engaging, the more the guest in the place. Visual content plays a crucial role in the selection process and is therefore vital in hospitality industry. Every guest who is in search of a hotel or resort wants a luxury in minimal pricing and therefore the more the photos are luxurious the more the guest willing to come.

Discounts and offers – social media plays a very important role in sharing the special discounts and offers that are given up by the hotels. Usually the hospitality industry uses public platforms like Facebook or Twitter or Instagram for sharing the special offers and discounts that are for a limited period. And all of these platforms are the major engaging sites of every individual. So when spotting any wonderful discount/offer, the guest is unable to resist and makes a booking.

So the above mentioned are the core reason how social media influences the decision of the customer. It is very important to have a great response and image on the social media site to have more customers and guests.

Every hotel or resort aims at having maximum guest and visitors on a daily basis. No hospitality would ever desire to have an empty hotel with no guests. And to have more  guests, social media plays a critical role. So following are discussed some ways to have more of customers or to influence the customers –

• Be active on social media – being active implies sharing new pictures that are engaging, offers, special discounts etc. To attract more customers, in present times, the social media is very active and is used as a primary source for decision making. Any site with attractive and enchanting photos are sure to take a lot of eyes on the particular site thereby increasing more of the guest. An inactive account is able to fetch less of the attention.
• Share attractive discounts and offers – what every guest desires is offers and discounts. The more of the offers or discounts, more of the guest to a particular place
• Publish upcoming events – updating the customers about the upcoming events in the hotels and resorts helps in fetching more of the customers. Like live screening of cricket match, parties on various occasions, etc. Should always be updated on the social website so as to attract the individuals who are already interested in such events.
• Encourage customer reviews – be updated about the reviews posted by the guest on a regular basis and also encourage more of the guest to write reviews and interesting stay stories to encourage more of guest to visit the place.
• Curate unique travel trips – post related to fun and enjoyment activities that can be performed along with the stay at a particular place, is sure to invite more of the guest. Do a detailed research and post on social media to encourage more of guest to be part of such things.
• Upload pictures of hotel staff – various pictures of the hotel staff that are making an effort to ensure your happy and enjoyable stay, is a sure way to influence the decision of the guest. 

FINAL VERDICT 

Social media, in the present scenario, is a key influencer in the decision making process of a customer. It helps in making a judgement about a particular place by the visual contents, customers reviews that are available on the social media. Also, such things are considered unbiased and more relatable and reliable. Every person spends to have a comfort and a website overloaded with the comfort reviews is sure to have more guests. Social media helps in building the image of a particular place, in the mind of the customer that helps in influencing the booking decision. It really has a huge impact on decision making process of the guests.

There has been a tremendous increase in the number of guests and visitors since the evolution of active social media. It has greatly affected the market in both positive and negative ways(positive for good service provider and negative for bad service provider). A hotel or a resort  with great reviews and ratings are able to build a strong foundation while others with negative comments are washed off from the market. Also, the guests are able to explore new places and hotels with amazing activities and discounts.

So at the end it can be said, yes social media does have a strong influence on decision making process of the customers.

May be due to busy schedule; if you can’t handle all by yourself – Why not leave on professionals? Outsource your social media workload to a good social media marketing agency and get results in a few days.