Did you know that 75% of travelers said that they want to hear from hotels during the COVID-19 pandemic? Hotels should jump on the opportunity to speak to this desire for travel-related content. After all, sowing the seed of wanderlust can lead to bookings once travelers are reassured it’s safe to take off.Here at Screen Pilot, we think giveaways are a great way to excite current fans and hopefully attract some new potential guests. But that’s only the first of many options. Use these social media tips when you're ready to launch your own giveaway.But first, read on for ideas from three diverse properties to inspire your next campaign.
Sunriver Resort
“Hi friends, it's Takoda the Bear here. My birthday is at the end of April and I'm feeling BEAR-y generous...”
So begins the announcement for Sunriver Resort’s recent giveaway that promotes a two-night “Stay and “Play” golf prize package. While this Bend, Oregon, resort is temporarily closed, they’re using social media to engage their fanbase by promoting sweepstakes for future stays. The above golf giveaway received more than 5,000 entries!The contest posts have also earned great feedback from guests, with commenters sharing sentiments like, “I can’t wait for life to resume so we can book our annual week at Sunriver!” and, “We would love a few days in Sunriver!” — social proof that is invaluable to hotel marketers.Hosting sweepstakes like this one can also highlight resort amenities your community may be missing. Screen Pilot recommends doing this throughout this period of restricted travel.
Screen Pilot Social Team Tip: Consider boosting posts like this to a lookalike audience of your current page fans to maximize exposure of the positive comments.
Texas A&M Hotel & Conference Center
Spring is usually an exciting time to be in college, with spring break getaways and seniors starting to celebrate graduation. But the COVID-19 pandemic has hit college students particularly hard: college campuses closed, classes moved online, and even graduation ceremonies canceled.
To remind their community of Texas A&M’s spirit and tradition, Texas A&M Hotel & Conference Center in College Station, Texas, started a “How You Aggie At Home” contest that asks participants to share how they’re staying in the Aggie spirit under quarantine. The prize is for a future overnight stay (and breakfast!) at their on-campus hotel with views of the stadium, which is an enticing proposition for any Aggie football fan. The story-based contest is successfully activating their fan base. Check out a sample of entries below:
Screen Pilot Social Team Tip: Advocacy platforms like Flip.to make it easy for hotels to host contests on social media -- and collect user-generated content that can be repurposed for organic and paid social.
La Cantera Resort & Spa
To stay connected to past and future guests, La Cantera Resort & Spa in San Antonio, Texas, recently launched their “La Cantera Connected” hub to provide fans with a virtual resort experience. As mentioned in a previous blog, one of the hub’s highlights is an Instagram cooking contest that asks the audience to share their best home-cooked recipes (with #SFKRecipeContest), of which the resort’s chefs will then recreate and choose their favorite. One winning recipe will be added to the summer menu at Sweetfire Kitchen.
The winner will also enjoy a private 5-course dinner for eight, a perfect way to reconnect with friends and family once social distancing is lifted! The local community will benefit as well, as 10% of proceeds from each purchase of the winning dish will be donated to the San Antonio Food Bank. This contest is a great example of how a giveaway can serve multiple purposes: highlight a resort amenity, engage guests’ creativity, and give back to the community.
Screen Pilot Social Team Tip: When hosting a hashtag-based contest like this, make sure you “Follow” the hashtag on Instagram so new entries are automatically pulled to the top of your feed.
If you need help executing a social media giveaway or want to brainstorm contest, ideas just drop us a line.
Did you enjoy the read?
Get original hospitality industry insights delivered to your inbox. Sign up to receive Screen Pilot’s Weekly COVID-19 Resource Center Update.
Did you know that 75% of travelers said that they want to hear from hotels during the COVID-19 pandemic? Hotels should jump on the opportunity to speak to this desire for travel-related content. After all, sowing the seed of wanderlust can lead to bookings once travelers are reassured it’s safe to take off.Here at Screen Pilot, we think giveaways are a great way to excite current fans and hopefully attract some new potential guests. But that’s only the first of many options. Use these social media tips when you're ready to launch your own giveaway.But first, read on for ideas from three diverse properties to inspire your next campaign.
Sunriver Resort
“Hi friends, it's Takoda the Bear here. My birthday is at the end of April and I'm feeling BEAR-y generous...”
So begins the announcement for Sunriver Resort’s recent giveaway that promotes a two-night “Stay and “Play” golf prize package. While this Bend, Oregon, resort is temporarily closed, they’re using social media to engage their fanbase by promoting sweepstakes for future stays. The above golf giveaway received more than 5,000 entries!The contest posts have also earned great feedback from guests, with commenters sharing sentiments like, “I can’t wait for life to resume so we can book our annual week at Sunriver!” and, “We would love a few days in Sunriver!” — social proof that is invaluable to hotel marketers.Hosting sweepstakes like this one can also highlight resort amenities your community may be missing. Screen Pilot recommends doing this throughout this period of restricted travel.
Screen Pilot Social Team Tip: Consider boosting posts like this to a lookalike audience of your current page fans to maximize exposure of the positive comments.
Texas A&M Hotel & Conference Center
Spring is usually an exciting time to be in college, with spring break getaways and seniors starting to celebrate graduation. But the COVID-19 pandemic has hit college students particularly hard: college campuses closed, classes moved online, and even graduation ceremonies canceled.
To remind their community of Texas A&M’s spirit and tradition, Texas A&M Hotel & Conference Center in College Station, Texas, started a “How You Aggie At Home” contest that asks participants to share how they’re staying in the Aggie spirit under quarantine. The prize is for a future overnight stay (and breakfast!) at their on-campus hotel with views of the stadium, which is an enticing proposition for any Aggie football fan. The story-based contest is successfully activating their fan base. Check out a sample of entries below:
Screen Pilot Social Team Tip: Advocacy platforms like Flip.to make it easy for hotels to host contests on social media -- and collect user-generated content that can be repurposed for organic and paid social.
La Cantera Resort & Spa
To stay connected to past and future guests, La Cantera Resort & Spa in San Antonio, Texas, recently launched their “La Cantera Connected” hub to provide fans with a virtual resort experience. As mentioned in a previous blog, one of the hub’s highlights is an Instagram cooking contest that asks the audience to share their best home-cooked recipes (with #SFKRecipeContest), of which the resort’s chefs will then recreate and choose their favorite. One winning recipe will be added to the summer menu at Sweetfire Kitchen.
The winner will also enjoy a private 5-course dinner for eight, a perfect way to reconnect with friends and family once social distancing is lifted! The local community will benefit as well, as 10% of proceeds from each purchase of the winning dish will be donated to the San Antonio Food Bank. This contest is a great example of how a giveaway can serve multiple purposes: highlight a resort amenity, engage guests’ creativity, and give back to the community.
Screen Pilot Social Team Tip: When hosting a hashtag-based contest like this, make sure you “Follow” the hashtag on Instagram so new entries are automatically pulled to the top of your feed.
If you need help executing a social media giveaway or want to brainstorm contest, ideas just drop us a line.
Did you enjoy the read?
Get original hospitality industry insights delivered to your inbox. Sign up to receive Screen Pilot’s Weekly COVID-19 Resource Center Update.
