Social media is playing a more pivotal role as digital content consumption on accommodation continues shifting to mobile .
The pandemic put a major dent in accommodation bookings in early 2020 for US consumers, but the industry has experienced a robust recovery since. Bookings on desktops and laptops for rentals, hotel brands, and Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) have returned to pre-pandemic levels over the past couple of years.
Social platforms have also become essential resources for consumers to explore and consume digital content related to accommodation. Many brands leverage their social presence to connect with travel shoppers. However, alternative accommodation brands and Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) appear to be more effective than hotel supplier brands in reaching audiences, witnessing much higher engagement. For instance, Vrbo, a vacation rental company, achieves impressive engagement on Facebook, generating over 6,000% more actions (likes, comments, shares, etc.) than the average post in the Hotels and Resorts category. This strong connection with shoppers could significantly expand word-of-mouth and attract new customers, ultimately fostering a community of brand ambassadors.
Another way accommodation brands are connecting with travelers is by leveraging their affiliate programs to harness influencer traffic and connect with shoppers. Some top posts have generated over 200,000 actions, significantly capturing consumer attention. Influencers with a strong and loyal fan base can help brands reach new customers as well as maintain top-of-mind awareness with existing ones.
Linear TV also remains an important channel to reach this audience. Booking.com and Hilton have been especially active in leveraging TV commercials, more so than other players in the accommodation space. Booking.com even combined its 2023 “Somewhere, Anywhere” TV commercials with a social campaign to promote a $500,000 sweepstakes for fans who posted #ShareYourAnywhere on Instagram and TikTok. This marketing move likely not only helped reinforce the ad recall of the TV commercial but also further increased word of mouth for the brand.
Conclusion:
Targeting accommodation shoppers requires a cross-platform effort, and social media continues to play a more pivotal role now that the pandemic has accelerated the shift to mobile in terms of consuming accommodation content online. Social media has become an essential channel for vacation rental companies and online travel agencies (OTAs) to engage consumers, and hotel supplier brands are increasingly getting into the game. For advertisers aiming to reach accommodation shoppers, the priority now is no longer whether to use social media, but how to leverage it, from effectively planning the campaigns to precisely measuring the results.
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