By Daniel E. Craig, Reknown.
“Good storytelling makes people sit up and listen … It is worthy of their attention, worth remembering and retelling.” Corey Torrence, iMedia Connection
My dual careers as a hotelier and novelist couldn’t be more different, and yet they’ve overlapped in unexpected ways. As a hotel manager, I learned to pay close attention to detail, to be more decisive, and not to drink on the job. As a writer, I’ve learned to be focused, how to cope with a bad review, and how to invent clever excuses for missed deadlines.
Surprisingly, it’s the storytelling skills I’ve developed as a novelist that have helped me most as a hotelier. Hoteliers are natural storytellers. We can often be spotted at social gatherings regaling crowds with tales of impossible guests and improbable situations, all the while carefully editing details to ensure discretion and inflate our importance.
Hotels are a rich, virtually unlimited resource for stories, and social media has created unprecedented platforms and audiences for sharing them. And yet this storytelling talent isn’t always apparent in social media, where hotel content often leans toward the bland and unoriginal.
The challenge is, when we’re already scrambling to keep up with the technical and operational demands of administering a social media program, who has time for creativity? And yet as travel research and purchasing increasingly shifts online, our ability to communicate our unique offerings, to drive advocacy, and to build loyalty has never been more important. And nothing accomplishes this quite like good storytelling.
To that end, I thought I’d share a few storytelling principles I’ve learned as a writer that have equal relevance to social media in the hotel industry.
Why tell stories? In the age of social media, to stay relevant online we need to think like a publisher and communicate like a storyteller. Travelers are telling stories about our hotels on review sites and social media platforms, and while we can’t control the conversation, we can influence it, and we can own our own story. The more interesting and relevant the content we produce, the more it will be remembered and shared, and the greater traffic it will drive to our website and booking channels.
Start with your core story. A good story has compelling characters, an appealing setting, an intriguing plot, and an easily identifiable genre. For a hotel, these elements are your staff, location, guest experience, and style of property. Write these elements into your core story and post it to your website and social media profiles. Then share fragments of this story on social media channels that compel readers to click to find out more. The subtext to every story? Your brand promise, key value propositions, and core values.
“In crafting your story, work as a group to imagine the stories you want your guests sharing with others once they leave your hotel,” advises Bill Baker of BB&Co Strategic Storytelling, whose clients include Relais & Châteaux. “Envision what you want those guests doing, thinking, and feeling to create those stories and, most importantly, get your staff to see their role in making those stories happen.”
Dramatize description. Lists of features and benefits are helpful but a bit dull; they’re far more compelling when woven into stories. Packages are great for this, as are slice-of-life updates on Facebook and Twitter. Like this Facebook update from Brewster House in Freeport, Maine: “Cute couple got engaged here last night. Now enjoying champagne and blueberry-stuffed French toast.” The subtext? Romance, excitement, and scrumptious breakfast.
Speak to your audience. When we read a book or watch a movie, if we identify with the universal needs, desires, and values of characters, we form an emotional connection. Similarly, travel shoppers want to know how they’ll fit into our story and how we’ll fulfill their needs and desires. Ultimately, our guests become our critics, assessing in reviews and social media feedback how well we communicate and deliver on expectations through the stories we tell.
Take a page from the book of online reviews. Travelers tune out hotel marketers because of our propensity to tell fairytales and fantasy. Instead they turn to online reviews for the real story. Reviews contain all the elements of good storytelling: a gripping lead, a strong point of view, lessons learned, humor—and yes, occasional myth and melodrama. Use these techniques and a healthy dose of reality in your stories to capture the attention of travelers and earn back their trust.
Show, don’t tell. Online we have the attention span of three-year-olds at Toys ‘R Us: we’re drawn to shiny, moving objects and repelled by large blocks of static text. Use imagery to bring your stories to life; video in particular takes the guesswork out for travel shoppers. Video content doesn’t have to be slick on social media channels, but it should be professional, entertaining, and on-brand. If your budget allows, get it professionally produced.
Resist the urge to explain. Be concise, and let words and images speak for themselves. Advises Martin Soler with Hotel Seven in Paris, “Treat content like a news story. Break it down into sections and give it to them bit by bit to maximize yield. If you do a photo shoot, write that a shoot was done, and then a little later release one photo, then a few more, then the restaurant photos, now the single rooms, etc. Don’t just dump the stuff on them.”
Editorial, not advertorial. Blogs and social media platforms are often used as dumping grounds for media releases, specials, and the latest discounts on discounts. Those aren’t stories, they’re commercials. Put a unique, non-salesy spin on promotional content, and balance it with original, editorial-style content. And remember that the most compelling, authentic stories are told by your guests. Listen to them, learn, and encourage them to share. End of story.
A few examples of good storytelling:
1. The fantastical Faena Hotel + Universe in Buenos Aires takes storytelling to a new level by presenting its core story in storybook format.
2. L’Apostrophe Hôtel in Paris tells its story in video format by accompanying une jolie femme around the city, creating a powerful sense of place.
3. La Basse Cour in Normandy and Fort Putney Road in Vermont create intrigue by sharing the story of how they came to be innkeepers.
4. Story Hotel in Stockholm lets guests do the storytelling by scanning their handwritten notes and posting them to its website.
5. Diverse and engaging content by Hotel Seven in Paris has helped attract over 12,000 Facebook fans.
6. Hopton House’s blog in Shropshire, England conveys its distinctive pastoral setting and appreciation for nature through compelling photography.
7. Best Western’s vintage videos show that someone at the company has a sense of humor (and that there were some seriously bad hairdos in the 70s).
8. Sheraton and Fairmont have created online communities for guests and staff to share their stories on Better When Shared and Everyone’s an Original.
I wish I was braver and more creative in my storytelling. I know you're right, but I find it really hard to post things like “Cute couple got engaged here last night. Now enjoying champagne and blueberry-stuffed French toast.” Whenever I'm on the brink of tapping in something like that, I stop as it sounds sort of cheesy to my sceptical Brit ears and the "subtext" too obvious. No offence meant, maybe it's a cultural thing. Or more likely, a personal failing of mine 🙂
Must try harder!
Phil
I love this concept !
People buy people and indeed great stories.
I tried to do this on my website with my "How I became a Hotelier" post http://mitaroygoahotel.com/2011/02/06/my-back-story-by-mihir/
It just gives my back story and makes both me and my hotel seem more personal, which is what a story is all about I guess.
Take a look and tell me what you think…
Cheers
Mihir
I love your story, Mihir! Well done. It makes such a difference to know who is behind a property. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
Daniel, I absolutely loved this article!!
This is to me what Hospitality is all about. Being able to share your story, and share the unique touch points with your consumers.
And I learned when I worked for Sheraton in Charleston, SC to open my hart and share my stories, and be willing to listen to my consumers story.
Plus you have to also learn what is your 'strong point' when you share a story. Mine happens to be my accent. And I learned that when a guest came to me asking for direction to downtown I could easily given them the basic route to get down to beautiful Charleston, SC. I learned not to give them only the direction, but and experience. I told them some of some of touch points in Charleston, SC and gave them a culinaria, artististic, military, romantic, joyful, fun and exciting journey of Charleston, SC.
It is amazing what it does for your consumers when you share something with passion and love.
Every day should be a Valentine's day in the Hospitality Industry.
Cheers.. Are
Glad you liked the article, Are. Thanks for your comments – and for sharing your own little story. Now I must meet you to hear that accent! Hope we cross paths soon.
Great article Daniel, and was great meeting up with you.
Phil, in my experience most anything can be turned into a "story" and in social media land a story is about as long as a sentence. But as I was mentioning in my example to Daniel, "Hm exciting, we're re-shooting the hotel for a magazine, we'll be posting the photos shortly" is a little story. And yet it is a banal as can get, then posting the first photo:
"Here is one of the pics from our recent photo-shoot, what do you think?"
etc and make normal things interesting. You want to interact with them while staying real. I was speaking to Philippe Vaurs of the Seven hotel today and he was saying that lots of his customers at the 4star luxury property are young people that live nearby and want to have an exceptional night! We can connect with them through social media. Luxury isn't just about reaching rich people – it's about an emotional experience.
http://www.mirarmedia.com/
Thanks for your comments, Martin, and thanks for republishing this post on your blog. It was great to meet you in Paris. And thanks for introducing me to your company as well as to Philippe Vaurs and his mind-blowing Hotel le Seven. I’ll write more about it in a future post. A bientot!
This is tremendous, Dan! I agree that the days of "putting a head in a bed" as a primary goal are long behind us. Our hotels need stories that create a bond with the potential hotel guest even before they arrive (beginning online). By putting the story out there front and center, we can form a strong emotional bond with the traveler. If we liken this to online dating, for example, it is easy to understand how images with a story can be a powerful combination.
Are, I think you are spot on about opening your heart and finding your strong point when telling a story. "Passion and love" in a hotel story? You betcha'! (and who doesn't love a cool accent?) 🙂
Dan, I love your examples of hotels who have done this well. In each example, I imagine the entire hotel staff is passionate about the story and can translate that to the guests in a personal way. We can't forget to follow through.
What wonderful thoughts. Dang it, now I need to go to Paris… 🙂
Diana
Diana, Great comments, thanks for sharing. I’d be particularly interested in your perspective as a former eye doctor – you strike me as a highly visual person. Oh, and count me in for that trip to Paris 🙂
Hi, great article about an interesting subject. Hotels are the perfect place for stories, not just in their architecture and details, because of many things that happens there everyday, so many people that come and go, leaving their particular stories in every place they visit. Buenos Aires is also a great place to get inspiration, that's why many writers create their tales in its particular scenes, full of nostalgic charm and tango. Regards!
<a href="http://www.exploreargentina.com/eng/buenos-aires-la-pampa/buenos-aires/hotels.htm"> Buenos Aires hotels </a>
Managers and owners with good stories make the whole experience memorable, but too much is over-the-top, and that's difficult for some to gauge! I think good stories tend go with good attention to guest treatment as well.
Insightful and well told Daniel! The storytelling principles you share are so important for hoteliers to put into practice.
Regardless of the location or type of hotel, every hotel has a story that they can tell. With the popularity of online video right now, there’s no better way to tell a story than through video. When we asked hoteliers what their barriers to launching video are, many said that they don’t know where to start. Our advice is simple… Start with a story.
Even the simplest, lowest budget videos are effective if the story they tell is one that resonates with people. The example of the L’Apostrophe Hôtel you use in this post is great. I’m compelled to keep watching to see where the jolie femme will go next. It shows the surroundings, the experience and the hotel itself in a clever and engaging way. They could follow up this video with another that follows her through her day in the hotel…. Thereby accentuating more of the features of the hotel.
You focus mostly on storytelling for social media but a great video story can also be used in other ways beyond social media channels. A powerful story can make one hotel really stand out from another on more traditional travel channels as well.
Again, thanks for the insightful and well told story.
Glad you like, John. And thanks for elaborating re video content. I totally agree.