Melia Hotels International (@MeliaHotelsInt) is one of the most active hotel chains on Twitter, and was also a pioneer in the integration of social networks within the customer experience in its Sol House brand (@_SolHouse) and the Tweet Hotel Experience.
The first hotel for the brand was the Sol Wave House (@SolWaveHouse) in Mallorca which opened in June 2013. To differentiate the hotel from competitors, Sol Wave House reinvented the customer experience based on a new way of life in which the most important need is to be “always connected”. The hotel has Premium Wi-Fi Internet access which allows guests to connect with other hotel guests. The hotel team includes two Tweet Concierges who are responsible for “listening” to customers and responding to their requests on social networks. In addition, there are also special rooms for “Tweet parties” (#TweetPartySuite).
70% of its customers are active on social networks during their stay, 68% are in contact with family and friends, and 60% share photos and videos. In addition, during the pilot project, Sol Wave House managed to integrate customer service on Twitter to redefine the customer experience. For example, room service is managed through the hashtag #FillmyFridge, #BaliBed allows customers to book a Bali bed, and #SolHouseTaxi will generate a request for a taxi. This customer relationship process generated an increase of 55% in bar profits, 95% customer satisfaction, and more than 1,800 followers, as well as a large number of mentions as a Trending Topic.
The great success of the Tweet Experience has led to its implementation in other branded hotels. In 2015, the Company introduced the concept in two more hotels (Sol House Mallorca and Sol House Costa del Sol), also creating the #IWannaBeTheConcierge (http://ow.ly/Xxwei) project to recruit new Tweet Concierges. In fact, one of the most important aspects of the project was the involvement of employees through a training programme called Staff Engagement.
In 2016, the programme will be extended to new openings in Ibiza – Sol House Ibiza (@SolHouseIbiza); Morocco – Sol House Taghazout Bay (@SolHouseT_Bay); and Bali in Indonesia, Sol House Kuta (@SolHouseKuta) and Sol House Legian (@SolHouseLegian).
These hotels are designed around a new customer experience dimension in a hotel which is 100% social-media friendly, focused on millennial guests who use social networks in much of their day to day life.
Indeed, the conversation in Twitter never ends thanks to users sharing their best memories and pictures of their vacations through the hashtag #HouseFlashback.
