To tweet or not to tweet: that is the question for hoteliers: a preliminary study

Abstract

Social media present the hospitality industry with an unparalleled opportunity to make greater contact with its customers and ultimately create partnerships for brand growth and development. Twitter has commanded a presence in company brands, including those in the hotel industry, since its beginning in 2006. But which hotel segments are using Twitter effectively and which guest cohort should hotels target? This paper provides strategies for using Twitter by observing different strategies implemented by hotel segments and identifying a target market, Using two separate exploratory studies, one applying a qualitative method and the other a quantitative survey method, this study investigated the differences in the use of Twitter by two separate lodging segments (e.g. Mid-scale and luxury) and by Generation Y, which is the largest consumer segment today and entering its critical years of consumption behavior. Results from both studies suggest that luxury hotels and their target market are much more active on Twitter than the midscale hotel segment. However, Generation Y users may not be the end market for hotels as they are particular about the frequency of on-line information and how it is presented. Implications suggest that although there is no current expectation from midscale hotel travelers to follow a Twitter feed, the increasing presence of Twitter will demand that midscale hotels actively participate on the social media site in the near future.