Skift Take
Hyatt may have cast a larger net by engaging guests on Twitter, but the discussion still leaves out a significantly larger percentage of customers who aren't on Twitter, or who are too busy traveling for business to engage in Twitter chats.
Twitter is becoming an invaluable platform for travel companies looking to help their customers. But Hyatt Hotels turned the tables and asked for guests’ help in late September when it hosted a virtual focus group to gain deeper insight into guests’ needs.
Hyatt organized four Twitter chats led by travel bloggers and influencers to take place throughout September 26. The discussions focused on travel routines, rituals, and tips.
The event generated almost 9,000 tweets.
“We were able to talk with more than 1,000 travelers in one day in locations around the world, which is a larger sampling size in a shorter period of time, compared to past efforts,” says Kristine Rose, Vice President of Brand Experience at Hyatt.
The focus groups follow a 18-month listening exercise, which Hyatt says led to new communication cards, a service that provides frequently forgotten items, and healthier menu options.
“Since we are challenging ourselves to think in new ways and move faster, we decided to engage with Twitter knowing that it is an extremely valuable tool for social listening,” says Rose.
Below is an example of one of the questions discussed:
Q1. What is a WOW factor that you look for when staying in a hotel? #TNI #travel #HyattWLFG
— Peter Shankman (@petershankman) September 26, 2013
Hyatt CMO John Wallis followed up the exercise with a blog post outlining what the hotel group learned and what they were doing to implement changes to guests’ stays.
The group also created an infographic (below) outlining what the group learned.
Participants’ most common travel wishes ranged from practical improvements like skipping hotel check-in to impossible improvements like teleporting to their destination.
The hotel group also gained the following insights:
- One in three business travelers experience stress while traveling. Only one in six leisure travelers experience stress.
- The top three stressors for business travelers are getting less sleep (54 percent), missing family and friends (50 percent), and having new things to navigate (41 percent).
- The most common words used to describe participants’ travel personality are ‘curious,’ ‘adventurous,’ ‘planner,’ ‘hungry,’ and ‘organized.’
The full infographic from Hyatt is embedded below:
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Tags: hyatt, social media, twitter
Photo credit: Hyatt's PR Twitter account, as seen on an iPhone. PlaceIt by Breezi