Tourists and residents alike enjoy visiting the glamorous St Julien Hotel & Spa—the first world-class hotel to open in Boulder, Colorado since 1905. With dramatic views of the Flatirons, eco-friendly luxury accommodations and a jam-packed social calendar—from business meetings to samba night to afternoon tea—the St Julien has become a destination for people of all ages.
“Ever since the hotel opened in 2005, we have given our guests, both hotel and local, a place where they can socially and professionally gather in an environment that is conducive to their expectations in both product and service,” said Anthony Grippo, who manages social media for the St Julien. In 2010 Conde Nast named the St Julien Hotel & Spa as one of the top hotels in the country.
With guests coming for weddings, business, or a vacation, the hotel has built a solid reputation on its outstanding service. But St Julien’s hospitality isn’t confined to four walls. You can find St Julien Hotel & Spa and Jill’s Restaurant on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and FourSquare.
The St Julien’s social media program is still new at only about a year old. “We do find success in sharing our events and activities on each platform today and it certainly helps letting guests know what’s going on at the hotel,” he said. “As our programs grow, guests increasingly share positive experiences and photos with us regarding their time spent at the hotel, the highest form of gratitude for what we do.”
Hotels like the St Julien are on the right track. A Sparkloft Media “State of the Tourism and Travel Industry: Social Media 2011” survey found that Facebook and Twitter were the most effective social media sites for hotels. The survey also stated that social media is most beneficial when engaging with leisure visitors.
Mr. Grippo said that at the St Julien they have also discovered that “everyone loves free stuff” and he recommends giveaways as a way to promote the hotel brand. “Run contests and run them often,” he said. “Running contests has been the most successful way we have grown our fan base.”
But is that enough?
According to www.dontdrinkthekoolaidblog.com, hotels make the mistake of not being human and only counting followers. Mr. Grippo says that is not a problem at the St Julien. “Measuring results is not necessarily counting followers and check-ins,” he said. “Measure your results by how often you are engaged by your guests and how well they respond to your posts. Guests enjoy the opportunity to communicate directly with you and it is critical to respond timely.”
We applaud the St Julien – not only because we love Samba night—because they are endeavoring to extend the spirit of hospitality online, and leveraging the best practices in social media to engage their guest before they walk in the door.