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The power of social proof: Why your hotel needs a UGC strategy

The aim of advertising is to tell potential users that your product or service is the best and most desirable. However consumers have become wise to the techniques of advertising - all companies claim their products are outstanding, so people tend to view advertising with suspicion: Of course they’d say that about themselves!

The hospitality industry must also employ advertising and marketing to achieve successful bookings, and in hotel marketing especially, new approaches are gaining traction. These include posts from hotel guests, known as User Generated Content (UGC), where the guest creates their own photos and videos, uploaded to social media sites, which can also be shared and promoted by the hotel. The beauty of organic UGC made from genuine admiration for a hotel is that it isn’t tainted by the “Influencer label”, which can be seen as close to advertising. 

Why UGC should be part of a hotel’s marketing strategy

User Generated Content must be encouraged and curated to ensure that hotels remain in the public eye. UGC strategies for hotels are important, as demonstrated by a report from NYU School of Professional Studies, which found that: 

  • 95% of respondents read travel reviews prior to booking
  • Leisure travelers read 6-7 reviews prior to booking 
  • Business travelers read an average of 5 reviews prior to booking 
  • Leisure travelers spend an average of 30 minutes reading reviews prior to booking
  • 52% of all respondents said summarised reviews are the most user friendly 

We can conclude from this that the opinions of others are highly valued by potential hotel guests. What’s at stake is the vital reputation of a hotel and all that it stands for. UGC reinforces and builds on this, so hotels must pursue a strategy to encourage guests to create content which shows the hotel in a positive light. This means having a clear idea of how to engage with guests - past, present and future - and dialoguing with them.

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The benefits of User Generated Content include:

  • Cost effective marketing where hotels can leverage ‘amateur’ but honest, believable material, rather than having to pay for professional photography, video, and copywriting.
  • Greater brand awareness and engagement with the hotel’s values, so that guests act as ‘brand ambassadors’, therefore encouraging others to book.
  • Proof of claims in that what the hotel says about itself is backed by what guests say.
  • Trust and credibility which is established and then built over time so that what the hotel claims is endorsed by the public.
  • Enhancement of the bottom line as the more trustworthy a hotel is shown to be by its actual users, the more likely other potential guests will make a booking. In particular, the more likely they are to make a direct booking, rather than through OTAs.

5 strategies for User Generated Content 

User Generated Content should be included in a hotel’s overall social media strategy with some key actions making for effective communication.

Monitor guest reviews and posts 

Leverage social media by monitoring what is happening across multiple channels. It’s not enough to occasionally dip into Facebook, flip through Instagram, or browse the comments pages of OTA sites. The commitment to read and respond to reviews is ongoing, and not only about your own hotel, but what’s being said about others in your compset. This requires a staff member to spend significant time on social media, reading and responding. If positive reviews are posted, boost these by thanking guests for their feedback and amplifying the message: ‘So glad you enjoyed our Winter celebrations - why not return for our special Spring programme?’ And if there’s a post criticising some aspect of your service, then respond immediately, politely and firmly. Even ‘negative’ posts can be turned to advantage if dealt with in a friendly and professional way. 

Ask your guests

How to get User Generated Content? Having guests write reviews and post videos is easier than you may think - Just ask! If you have established a dialogue, then during their stay, or post-stay, simply ask whether they’re willing to write something about your hotel. Frame this with leading questions based around your current marketing, such as ‘Please tell us what you think about our leisure facilities…’ or ‘We’d love to hear what you thought of our new menu…’

With the UGC flowing, curate posts that match and enhance your existing brand, and encourage guests to tag their photos with your unique hotel hashtag. Tagging content brings consistency to what’s being said about your hotel and makes it easy for people to find and follow you. Guests also like using hashtags because it’s how things work on social media, and makes them feel more ‘professional’. 

Encourage UGC 

Simply hoping that guests will post reviews is rarely enough, so the more you encourage guests to dialogue with you, the better. Sending a confirmation email and thanking a guest for their booking is the first step of a long and rewarding dialogue. Make guests feel welcome and give them a personalised experience from that first contact. You use their name and get to know their needs and wants, which is very easy with an automated Property Management System that can store a wealth of information about the guest. Someone who is seen and heard from the get-go feels encouraged to speak their mind about their Guest Journey. The dialogue will develop while the guest is in-stay, and continue post-stay. It’s a continuous process and a vital UGC strategy that encourages guests to leave reviews.

Incentivise

Give your guests things to talk about and do. Special events, or treats and rewards can make all the difference. Think about a welcome gift to go with the welcome note from the Manager. Think about special offers that will tempt guests back for another stay. These might be discount vouchers for returning guests, or an upgrade offer. People feel good about being noticed and having their needs met. Knowing your guest is a superpower which is easy to leverage because you can learn so much about them. How? Because you ask them what they need and want, and they tell you!  

Create a buzz

Ways of creating a buzz are only limited by your imagination, and rarely have to involve extra expenditure. There are hundreds of seasonal opportunities and regional activities every year which you can use to tempt guests to stay with you, often by partnering with sporting events or concerts. Promotions with local businesses such as a winery or crafts fair can attract guests both old and new, and means that the partner organisation can do a lot of the work in marketing a special event. You should always be looking a few months ahead to see how you can promote your hotel in connection with the season or events.

Employing strategies to promote different types of User Generated Content reaps huge rewards and helps spread word of mouth about how great your hotel is.

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The far-reaching benefits of User Generated Content

The key factors for all User Generated Content are:

  • Credibility - The story being told is believable and doesn’t sound like advertising.

  • Authenticity - The ‘voice’ and ‘tone’ of UGC has to properly reflect your demographic. Don’t be tempted to rewrite the words of others (although you can edit them for brevity or improved clarity).

  • Relevance - The UGC that you promote will need to be relevant to your demographic, the time of year, and other factors. 

In summary, the benefits of having User Generated Content is obvious: it enhances Sales and Marketing initiatives and supports your hotel’s brand in a way which is much more credible than conventional advertising. Another major benefit of UGC is that it’s free! OK, you need to ‘tend the garden’, but every hotel must monitor and leverage the power of social media.

As a result of UGC and a comprehensive marketing strategy, direct bookings can be encouraged because UGC demonstrates the trustworthiness of the hotel, which in turn strengthens the bottom line. And the more people talk about you, the higher the chance you’ll have a great season. It’s a win-win that simply requires you to be alert and encouraging to your guests.

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