Hilton Hotels & Resorts received a Best of the Best nod for the refresh of its @HiltonSuggests Twitter account in HOTELS 2017 Social Hotel Awards.
Hilton’s @HiltonSuggests twitter account needed a refresh. Made up of actual Hilton employees (front desk attendants, sales and catering managers), the account responds to travel seekers’ inquiries in real-time. Some 115 team members in 119 markets devote 20 minutes of their day to searching for tweeters in need of travel advice, giving tips and recommendations, from where to eat the freshest seafood to where to get the best beer in town. In order to keep things fresh, Hilton gave the account a new design strategy, launched internal marketing campaigns, and created new partnerships for team member recruitment. The result? The brand’s Twitter account has grown to over 11,000 followers.
The plan: Reimagine @HiltonSuggests to help travelers better connect with Hilton to find unique experiences, sources of insider knowledge, and connections with friends and networks that live there locally or have traveled there.
The practice: The company released a refreshed design strategy to all content, launched primarily internal marketing campaigns to increase visibility, and created new partnerships to recruit team members. The renewed vision led to the brand’s ability to reach more travelers in more markets (a 20% increase). The company also developed a new series of recognition programs for Hilton Suggests team members to encourage continued consistent participation, including a Quarterly Essence of Surprise & Delight award, and the Global Guide Awards.
The payoff: In 2016, the brand achieved a 20% growth in Team Member participation, and 20% increase in cities reached. That same year, @HiltonSuggests sent out 10,975 responses to travelers around the world, which also helped grow the brand’s Twitter account to over 11,000 followers.
The runner up: ITC Hotels