i haven't been here in so very long! nice to see familiar names.
i've become incensed by the whole influencer/social media presence at lux hotels.
social media & lux travel - i've unfollowed all social media accounts where influencers dominate a particular lux hotel feed. my take is this type of marketing is not reality. it's a personal business, looking good and taking selfies for personal benefit. i have nothing against the career choice of an influencer...go for it! goodness, i've 4 20-somethings in my household and they DO follow this stuff. but do they patronize these places? no. they don't have the money or they choose to spend their money on other things. they FOLLOW and they LOOK at this stuff.
would love to know, is this demographic shift, social media marketing, effective in lux travel...does it increase the bottom line...does it attract the trendy and hip who spend a significant amt of money at the property...and the bigger question - is this type of marketing creating brand loyalty? isn't that the goal?
i've drastically changed travel plans to avoid any lux property dominated by social media influencers clearly marketing to the hip and trendy. specifically i've stayed at only 1 four seasons in the past 2 years and for this reason. in this context, i'm early 50's, i travel with my 20-somethings, am fun and adventurous but NOT trendy and hip. when choosing to spend $400-$1k/night on a room i want tradition, serenity, peace, genuine service, comfort and i want to feel welcome. when at a lux property i don't want any association with trendy and hip!