I receive lots of questions from my clients about the best practices in social media. Because social media is constantly evolving - both in the expectations of users and the number of networks available - it's an exciting job, but one that can also be quite confusing for marketers. So I went to the source, Whitney Manson, a social media expert from Bows, Boots, & Blue, to get answers to the most commonly asked questions about how to use social media to promote a hotel or hospitality business. READ MORE

In today's competitive business environment, concierge services are popping up everywhere-from automobile dealerships and car rental companies to physicians, hospitals and banks-all promising the value-added services that hotels have created and nurtured for so long. Yet, at the same time, there has been a trend toward outsourcing this service within the hospitality industry, particularly in markets like Hawaii and New York. Has the concierge department become dispensable? In this column, Sam Wilhelm, chef concierge, Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, provides insight into what his department has been doing to make its 22-member team a priceless and indispensable service for the Resort's discriminating guests and for management too. READ MORE

That unflappable, multi-tasking concierge in your hotel lobby, who grants guests' wishes like a genie, can actually boast of belonging to one of the world's oldest professions. And the history of the concierge reads like the history of civilization itself; beginning as a helper along ancient trade routes, to the keeper of the candles in grand European castles, to the modern-day concierge with a smart phone full of contacts around the globe. And through the centuries, the goal has always been the same: To assist and comfort travelers and lodgers. READ MORE

As customers, we are bombarded with thousands of messages every day across various traditional, digital and social media channels. As employees, we have been asked to do more with less and to do so more quickly. In such an environment, the task of onboarding and effectively educating new employees is an even greater challenge due to this ever-increasing competition for attention, engagement and ongoing loyalty. To navigate this complex path, loyalty programs, B-to-B brands and even employee engagement strategists are increasingly relying on "gamification" strategies to create more meaningful, interactive experiences with their participants. Considering brand experiences succeed or fail at the very hands of the people who interact with these valued customers, there is an opportunity to leverage these same strategies as a component of internal employee training endeavors. READ MORE

Like many hotels, we are in the midst of creating our coming year's marketing plan and discussing our long term plans. The addition of a Social Media Manager is high on the marketing department's wish list and our discussion has centered around what the ideal candidate should look like. Is this a position at all or a third-party company contracted to manage these platforms on our behalf? Hands down, the most heated debate involves whether this will be a senior or junior position. With the increase in popular platforms, handling social media is getting harder within the confines of our regular job roles, that is a glaringly obvious fact. READ MORE