Spring is an exciting season for travel. There are lots of opportunities for hotels to attract spring breakers, families on vacation, and travelers looking for a warm-weather escape. With social media playing a critical role in travel planning and decision-making, now is the perfect time for hotels to refresh their content strategy.
Hotels can leverage social media to boost bookings and engagement this spring in numerous ways. Here are a few examples covering everything from short-form video trends to influencer collaborations and interactive campaigns.
1. Embrace Short-Form Videos to Showcase Spring Experiences
Platforms like Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts continue to dominate social media. Travelers are drawn to visually engaging content, and short-form videos offer a dynamic way to showcase a hotel’s amenities, destination highlights, and seasonal promotions.
Not sure where to start? There are several different approaches you could try. For example, create a “Day in the Life” video showcasing a guest’s spring getaway at your hotel. You could even highlight staff, like The Gallatin Hotel in Nashville, who did a sneak peek of a day in the life of their manager.
Nearby events or festivals also make solid video content. You can also film behind-the-scenes clips of seasonal menu updates at your on-site restaurant. Food trends constantly evolve, and drawing attention to your brand’s current innovations can be highly effective.
Marriott Bonvoy’s TikTok is an excellent example of using short-form video to inspire travelers with stunning destination visuals. The company strikes a nice balance between sharing promotional videos and embracing current social media video trends.
2. Leverage Influencer Collaborations for Authentic Engagement
There has been a huge spike in influencer marketing in the hospitality industry over the past few years. Influencer partnerships can give your hotel credibility while reaching new audiences. Spring travel is a popular time for travel bloggers and content creators to showcase their adventures, making it an ideal season to collaborate.
Identify micro-influencers (5k-50k followers) who specialize in travel and lifestyle content to get started. Offer an incentive like a spring travel package in exchange for high-quality posts and engagement. Utilize Instagram Stories and TikTok takeovers to let influencers share their experience in real-time.
One of my favorite micro-influencer case studies is Bill Young, Marriott’s “Carpet Dad.” Bill was simply a quirky father whose Instagram account about hotel carpets became an overnight sensation after his daughter Jill tweeted about his Instagram account, @myhotelcarpet. The account quickly grew from a few hundred followers to hundreds of thousands.
Given the number of times Bill had tagged Marriott properties over the years, the M Live team noted Bill’s presence and asked if he’d help design a carpet that would make its way to an Aloft Hotel, and he agreed. This is a perfect example of how tying in an “out-of-the-box” approach generated a lot of buzz and how an untraditional influencer was able to make a long-lasting impact on a major travel brand.
Four Seasons Hotels often partners with luxury travel influencers to showcase its properties, creating aspirational yet approachable travel content. A few years ago, they also launched a “follower-blind” influencer initiative called Envoy. The crux of the campaign centered around a new marketing strategy: The brand claimed to be the first to enable all content creators—poets, filmmakers, painters, and dancers—including social influencers with negligible reach—to become global storytellers on its behalf.
3. Encourage User-Generated Content with Seasonal Campaigns
User-generated content (UGC) is a powerful tool for social proof. Encouraging guests to share their spring travel experiences at your hotel can increase visibility and engagement.
Run a spring photo contest where guests can win a free night’s stay or dining voucher. You can also create Instagram and Facebook Story templates that guests can use to share their hotel stays You can also create Instagrammable spaces in your hotel to give people a subtle nudge to take photos and post them online.
Creating a branded hashtag (like#SpringAt[YourHotelName]) and featuring the best guest photos on your account is a great way to keep content streamlined. Hilton Hotels are currently running a campaign emphasizing the tagline “For the Stay,” so they’ve begun integrating a #HiltonForTheStay hashtag into their Instagram posts.
4. Promote Spring Offers and Exclusive Deals on Social Media
Seasonal promotions can drive direct bookings, and social media is one of the best places to market them. Instead of just posting about deals, create engaging content that ties them into a larger narrative.
For example, put together Spring Escape Packages that offer discounts on multi-night stays with perks like complimentary breakfast or resort credits. Sanctuary Resort in Scottsdale’s Secret Escape package offers discounted room rates and an F&B credit.
You can also use Instagram and Facebook Stories to create urgency with 24-hour exclusive offers. That leans into people’s FOMO and encourages them to book quickly before the clock runs out. Kimpton Hotels frequently shares limited-time offers with eye-catching visuals that align with seasonal trends.
Crafting promos around Easter can also be effective. If your hotel hosts a holiday brunch or family-friendly event, create an Instagram Reel showcasing the experience. You can tie this into media coverage, too, like Waterfront Beach Resort did last year when their Chef Lewis was a guest on Good Day LA to discuss their Easter Brunch.
5. Use Interactive Features to Boost Engagement
Social media algorithms favor interactive content. By encouraging participation, you can increase visibility and reach more potential guests. For example, you could add polls asking questions like, Which Spring cocktail should we add to our bar menu?
Instagram’s widgets have become more expansive, allowing for many different types of interaction. For example, you can do a “this or that” poll that compares different room views or activities and let followers vote. Or even a basic Q&A with something like, Ask us anything about spring travel to [Destination]. Loews Hotels frequently uses Instagram Stories to engage followers with polls, Q&As, and countdowns for special events.
Final Thoughts
Spring is the perfect time for hotels to refresh their social media strategy. By embracing short-form videos, influencer collaborations, UGC, and interactive content, your hotel can stay top of mind for travelers planning their next getaway.
What spring social media strategy are you excited to try?
View source
