Twitter As Virtual Concierge

Hyatt Hotels & Resorts has found a use for Twitter that is so simple and obvious that I’m amazed no other major hotelier has already tried it.

@HyattConcierge launched today as what is purportedly the hotel industry’s first Twitter-based virtual concierge. 

The account is being staffed 24/7 by specially trained agents within the corporate customer service group who are available to assist with typical concierge fare like spa appointments, golf outings and dinner reservations. @HyattConcierge will also field assorted guest complaints and queries.

"This is just another place for [customer service agents] to do what they do best," says Farley Kern, Hyatt’s director of brand public relations. "All of the Twitter etiquette and language are all just conventions, the same way someone needs to learn to use e-mail."

Kern stresses that the account will not be a promotional vehicle, as is the case with the vast majority of hotelier Twitter accounts. "We wanted to have a presence on Twitter that was about our guests and for our guests and designed around our guests, as opposed to having a presence on Twitter just for the sake of being on Twitter," Kern says.

That’s certainly not to disparage the dozens of other Hyatt tweeters, many of which are managed at the property level and are well maintained. @HyattConcierge, however, is an entirely different concept.

My main concern as a Twitter user myself is that the best Twitter accounts speak with unique, personal voices, even when they represent large businesses like hotels. (There is no better example of this than @LuxorLV, who I feel like I know on a personal level, even though we’ve never met.) It’s impossible to create that kind of real voice when many people are managing the same account.

Nevertheless, that’s a minor quibble with an otherwise outstanding idea. Can’t wait to see how many competitors mimic it—and just how quickly they do.

Don’t forget, HOTELS is on Twitter, too. Follow @HOTELSmagazine, @askirby, @derekmgale and @hoteleditor.