Four Seasons has done an exceptional job integrating social media into their website and general marketing, and constantly continues to expand its social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, Weibo and Pinterest as well as TripAdvisor. Their corporate Facebook page has over 800,000 fans, while their Twitter feed has over 200,000 followers. It’s evident the brand places a lot of focus on engagement with guests and those tweeting about their hotels.
Key Takeaways
✅ Four Seasons set its social media strategy at its Toronto headquarters, while each hotel, resort and restaurant ran its own pages and handles tied back to the brand.
✅ The website did the connecting work. Its “Social Media at a Glance” page listed every property’s channels, so travelers could find the account for the exact hotel they planned to visit.
✅ The corporate Pinterest account showed personality through playful board names such as “wish you were here” and “pinspiRED.”
✅ Staff built their own presence too: the concierge team at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, launched its own website and Twitter feeds with direct connections to individual team members.
✅ The follower counts and awards in this case study were reported when it first ran in 2013, so read them as a snapshot of that moment. What still carries over to any social media marketing program is the structure: central strategy, local accounts, and a website that ties them together.
In addition to corporate pages and handles, Four Seasons also maintains individual hotel, resort and restaurant pages and handles as well as interest-specific interactive blogs and sites that are also connected to social media, including YouTube, Instagram, Yelp and OpenTable.
The corporate Pinterest account is also a stand-out amongst other businesses, hospitality and otherwise. They use their Pinterest boards to showcase a lot of personality, with names including “chill out” featuring winter-related items, “wish you were here” showcasing various locations, plus “pinspiRED” featuring a variety of pins with the color red.
Staff members are also reaching out in new ways. For example, the concierge team at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, recently launched their own website and Twitter feeds, with direct connections to individual team members through social media and email.
Taking home various awards in the social media space last year confirmed the level of excellence the hotel brand has been able to convey. The Four Seasons corporate Facebook page won Best Facebook Page in the inaugural Social Hotel Awards presented by HOTELS Magazine, as well as accolades in Travel + Leisure’s Social Media in Travel + Tourism Awards (SMITTYs) for Four Seasons Hotel Austin and Four SeasonsResort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo.
“We pride ourselves on staying ahead of our guests’ needs and expectations, and that same approach extends to our digital and social media philosophy,” says Susan Helstab, executive vice president, marketing, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. “There is no limit to the virtual footprint of Four Seasons. From the blogosphere to the Twitterverse and beyond, we are continuing to grow and evolve the world of Four Seasons to foster dynamic, highly customized conversations with our guests and brand enthusiasts.”
Last year, Four Seasons launched a new website to more adequately incorporate its social presence. The new website provides an immersive, highly-personalized user experience where guests can transport themselves to a distinctive Four Seasons destination with just a click.
Four Seasons also features TripAdvisor comments, a form of user-generated content, directly on its website, highlighting the integration of social media with rich global content and impactful design.
An article on LuxuryDaily notes that Four Seasons has found, through various initiatives, that social media can be used to shape and enhance positioning and perception, increase sales, lead to conversions, extend the service model, protect the brand reputation, build loyalty and activism as well as create a personal experience that mirrors the hotel experience.
The brand’s social media strategy comes out of its Toronto headquarters, but each property is integrated.
By visiting the new website’s “Social Media at a Glance” page, users can easily identify full lists of each Four Seasons’ properties on each channel, thereby making it easy for travelers to locate the social networks for the Four Seasons hotel in the exact destination they may wish to visit. It is a simple, practical form of social media cross-promotion, with the main website pointing visitors to every property’s own channels.
The goal across all channels is to convey a genuine culture, distinctive personality along with extremely customized service, and they’re definitely on the right track.
Frequently Asked Questions
Strategy came out of the Toronto headquarters, and every property was integrated with it. Individual hotels, resorts and restaurants kept their own pages and handles alongside the corporate accounts.
When this case study ran in 2013, the corporate brand was active on Facebook, Twitter, Weibo, Pinterest and TripAdvisor. Individual properties and interest-specific blogs also connected to YouTube, Instagram, Yelp and OpenTable.
No. The Facebook and Twitter counts were reported in 2013 and should not be used as today’s figures. For current platform-level data, see these social media marketing statistics.
Keep strategy central but let each property speak for itself, and use the main website to point travelers to the right local account. Four Seasons also showed guest TripAdvisor comments on its own site and gave staff such as concierges their own channels to reach guests directly.
Ready to Build a Hotel Social Media Presence Like Four Seasons?
Four Seasons set its strategy in one place and still let every hotel, resort and restaurant run its own accounts. The website tied those accounts together, and staff such as the Beverly Wilshire concierge team gave guests a real person to talk to. Any hotel group, or any business with several locations, can copy that structure, starting with a clear social media strategy that spells out who owns which channel.
If you want help building that kind of coordinated presence for your own business, talk to Neal Schaffer about Fractional CMO services, or start with a free preview of his book Digital Threads.
Hi Debbie,
It is great to see that the hospitality industry itself is beginning to recognize social media in a bigger way as it really is a crucial part of a hotel’s integrated marketing mix.
We are at a very exciting time when a lot can be learned from watching how different hotel brands experiment on social media, to find out what works (and what doesn’t). We recently, put together an infographic that showcases the top Hotels & Resorts on Facebook (by fans) that you might find interesting:
Check it out here:
http://tentsocial.com/bid/270699/The-Top-20-Hotels-Resorts-on-Facebook-INFOGRAPHIC
Thanks for the great post!
Cheers,
Jeff
It should be no surprise; the company does most everything so very well.
I’d be comfortable wagering that a very (very) small percentage of their likes and followers have actually stayed at a Four Season’s property.