Cafe Shaped Business – The Roger Smith Hotel

Very sweet. A win-win for all concerned. I like your style, CB!
Cheers!

$125? I think some Manhattan bloggers may be looking to sublet their overpriced apartments right now. Looks wonderful!

Agreed on all counts! I was there the same weekend...and the hospitality, fun, location, energy even better than the rooms and rates! Sweet to meet you, Chris, and share the Grammy Party late night!

Wow - $125/night is an awesome deal. Kudo's to The Roger Smith Hotel for not only identifying the importance of social media, but rewarding those for using it! It's also nice to know that the positive experience carried through all aspects of your stay. I'd love to know if they see a spike in reservations from this. Thanks for sharing.

They had me at $125.

Now that..is viral, it's social, it's CRM, it's customer service and someone knew what they were doing..

Did they throw in complementary Wi-fi? I live here, but I might just book a room at that rate just for a stay-cation next time I need a cheap break but can't afford to leave town!

Just to let you know Chris - all the artwork on the walls were done by the owners of Roger Smith Hotel. Great to see you this week and thanks for shouting out my peeps at The Roger Smith Hotel.

I wish I had read this post yesterday before I booked a night at another hotel at a HIGHER rate.

I'm always in and out of the city and staying over night. Definitely going to check it out on a future visit.

I drive past the Roger Williams every time I'm in the city and now I have a whole new respect for it. I love seeing stories about traditional businesses using social media or any innovative marketing for that matter. Thanks for sharing!

CB... This is great stuff.... maybe companies should spend a couple of hundred bucks and arm their favorite customers with cameras to spread their message real time.....rather than wasting huge amounts on social media ads that don't work.....thanks again.

And a wonderful meetup it was, Chris! The brunch was fantastic, as was the Tweetup which the Roger Smith Hotel sponsored later. Thanks for meeting with me and I look forward to many more in the future.

Chris Kieff

This is absolutely amazing and should've been thought of a long time ago! $125 in Manhattan, and a free upgrade?

It only makes me more curious as to what other businesses will come up with in response to this. I suppose time will tell!

Great post as always!

Servant's quarters?
Love it.

People are always asking me where to say in NYC that's not too expensive. So it is great to know about the RogerSmithHotel. Their rooms are so big, I wonder if it might have been an old apartment building before it became a hotel. I agree - who cares about the old lady wall paper, need to upgrade the bathroom- that kind of hotel room space in a Manhattan hotel is so rare, it's worth it.

Proof that social media can be applied to any business.

And of course, there was that groundbreaking social media moment two years in the making: http://twitpic.com/1e72d

Nice to see you on Sunday.

Chris it isn't that difficult to be gracious to such a kind soul as yourself!
Thank you and can't wait to see you again soon.
On behalf of the entire roger smith hotel it was nice to have you.
@bsimi

Chris, thank you for such a wonderful post. As for the questions, we do offer comp WiFi for all of our guests. We have also extended our "Talk About Roger", blogger special to all bloggers until the end of March. Let us know if you have other questions about the hotel.

Again, Chris, we were so happy to have you and look forward to seeing you next time you are here in NYC.

Hey Chris it was great to meet you at the Roger Smith Hotel. I am one of those people who does not take advantage of what NYC has to offer because I just used to it.
It is very good to know about the hotel and I had nice chat w. Brian about social media and customer service.
And, I get to be in your photo stream it makes me "microfamous" in my world.

Kimpton Hotels is may favorite, but after seeing the Roger Smith - I may have a new New York favorite.

I've always been interested in the things that Roger Smith is doing, having a "space" that welcomes social media events of all sorts isn't really heard of in NYC, yet alone the country. There used to be more cafe's with net connections that people used for hangouts, but those have all gone. The fact there are items that cater to bloggers, social media, makes it a very unique and interesting place.
That and it's great to meet people like you in person :-D

What I love about this hotel's idea is the compounding returns they are getting. It's too easy to go for a buzz event/idea that gets a big bang up front with diminishing returns later on. Your challenge to all of us to find a way to work this idea is a good one, one I'll be brainstorming with my team! Thank you!

OK, $125 is a FABULOUS rate for NYC and the perks...WOW! So, where's the first place I'd checkout (because of your post) of course it will be the Roger Smith. Even better, I teach how to Live Rich for Less & this is one place that's getting LISTED. Thanks Chris.

Ok, so broadcast your plans and let the *right* people know what you need. Go for the right kind of relationship formed that can pay off for both parties in the long run, and make sure to publish the results. And tweet ups are the perfect events to run! They cost virtually nothing to organize!

You've given me a lot to think about!

I thought I was the only one who filmed my hotel rooms. hehehehe

Not only is @Bsimi a great marketer who's done great things with social media for the @Rogersmithhotel, but he's a native New Englander. Don't you love it when Bostonians kick butt in the big apple!

I have not thought of creating excited passionate carriers of my story...but that works! I tell every one about the stories and places that have really connected with me...my newest one is Micro-credit.

This has really gotten me thinking about how I am going to do that.

Thank you.

Chris - Pretty good quality on the video. What type of camera were you using?

Wonderful posts and i had valuable time by watching your video.Thanks a lot.

That's great $125, I would really appreciate if i get same for me also next time when i visit to New York, i would prefer Roger Smith Hotel.

Wow, I think people underestimate the value in giving something away for less than it's worth with the expectation of a bigger payoff in the long run. This has a lot to do with incentive and can be transferred easily to any marketing strategy. By giving you a suite that was worth a lot more than $125 for the night, they probably more than made up for that in the business generated by you talking about the room and sharing it on your blog. And it makes them seem generous, like they are giving something up, while they are actually gaining from it. It's a great image for them and great for business. More people should use strategies like that.

@Joe - it was a Flip Mino. I love mine. It's my second Flip camera. Will use them always.

Thanks for the timely post. I've been trying to help my PR committee understand why bloggers are media, with even more reach. This post will help me greatly! Would love to have you in Park City, UT.

I seconnd Krista's comment; come to Park City this spring, and we'll match that rate for a slopeside condo. Just bring your skis (and video cam).

Chris --

Here's an unpopular thought (and one I'd love to hear from about from Adam Wallace) -- although you had a great experience, told others about it, and the comments to your post are overwhelmingly positive -- I see a startling lack of awareness of the bottom line profitability all this love generated.

Truly, I think that this was a great example of how social media connects people and can be used to generate buzz, but:

1) Did the hotel make any money from your stay? I can only imagine that the free upgrade, the discounted room, and the bought drinks cost more than the mere $125 you paid. (I have two blog posts on how to measure marketing like this -- you can read Metric Monday posts at http://www.davidkinard.com).

2) Was there any mechanism put into place that will allow the Roger Smith Hotel to see if their generosity and social media efforts will pay off? How is this scalable across the hospitality vertical in a profitable and measureable way?

3) What expectations were created by your experience that are likely not to be repeated by the non-celebrity blogger? When the guy with a blog readership of 250 shows up, will he get a free upgrade or did you just get the VIP treatment because you're a VIP?

I think if anything, they gained in loyalty from you, and I applaud that Adam Wallace acted in a manner that sought to delight the customer. For sure you had a great brand experience. But at the end of the day, unless they are treating all their guests this same way, that brand experience is likley yours alone to appreciate. The social media link here is that we got to vicariously enjoy it through you -- and seeing how the vast majority of people who read your post are NOT likely to go to New York and stay at this hotel, our brand experience was with you, not the Roger Smith Hotel.

My humble opinion...

-- David Kinard

Hi David--

C.C. Chapman booked the very next day, so they got a sale they weren't going to get. Further, judging by the comments and those in Twitter, they'll get more sales the next time someone comes through.

Cutting a rate is typical in hotels for bloggers or otherwise. Not sure you're following the dynamics, but the hotel business is choking right now. Not enough people are traveling, and they're not staying as long when they do.

The benefit that Roger Smith gains from targeting bloggers and media makers specifically was played out right here on my blog by what I did next: I talked about it. Further, I showed you a video so you could make your own decisions.

The point, David, is that should someone who read this post be booking something in New York City in the coming months, they'll at least consider the Roger Smith. Do you think with hundreds of options that it's a small feat? Not me.

So, we might beg to differ, but I see this as a great marketing move.

Dear David K.,
From a purely financial standpoint, I couldn't agree more about 'making money' at this rate. We need to promote, advertise and expose our business to as many people as possible. We are choosing to extend bloggers a discount because it is a market segment that we want to embrace. Social Media at The Roger Smith Hotel is a life-style not a new method of 'bait n' switch'. We were a sponsor at Twestivalnyc, our in-house video team Panman Productions was involved with all the live-streaming for SMWNYC, another blogger - Lisa deBruin @winedivergirl, was also here over the weekend and had similar compliments towards our hotel, the service and the wonderful staff/family we have.
As the Director of F&B and resident SM assistant to Adam, my goal is to make everyone a 'VIP' (3 of the worst letters in hospitality) If you come and spend 10 minutes in our bar having a coffee or a week here filming and blogging our commitment to you is making your moments turn into memories.
Thank you for your insight ~ just remember, here at The Roger Smith Hotel every guest is very important.
p.s. As a side note we have booked 11 events since last week all from people exposed to the hotel through direct SM efforts.
Stay social, stay real, stay connected.

Wow ... I love the sharing going on here. I can appreciate the variety of thoughts/comments especially between David, Chris and Brian.

Overall It looks to have been a great experience for Chris and brought some nice buzz to the hotel. Though i tend to agree with David on his 3rd point - i doubt I'd get the same treatment :) ... but I'm cool with that. @chrisbrogan has done a lot in the SM space and it makes total sense to extend this kind of services to folks like him who benefit from the experience and spread a good word about the hotel to the thousands of people who see his content.

All that said, it's also cool to see that this strategy is a way of life for the hotel. I would have never thought hotels were this into social media ... at least down to the personal level that this interaction has taken - not just broadcasting, but engaging people. Many props to Brian and the rest of the hotel staff!

I will definitely think of this hotel the next time im in NYC so the strategy Brian and his hotel are taking seems to be working very well :)

---
http://twitter.com/franswaa

The other day I asked on Twitter what is the shelf-life of a social media conversation? Does the number or frequency of entries limit the exploration and depth of a topic? Well, I am pleased to see the depth of this conversation and the quality of responses -- well after the original post.

Kudos to Brian Simpson of Roger Smith for responding. I am really glad you did that as it reinforces your commitment to be a part of the social conversation. I also appreciated that Chris commented -- even if he did disagree with my original post. And, for the record, I stand corrected in that it appears the Roger Smith Hotel is indeed tracking the impact of its social media participation.

Indeed, in troubling economic times, I applaud the hotel for reaching out to a niche group and working to meet their needs. Hospitality is a fierce market to compete in, and servicing the unique needs of specific audiences is a great way to gain new business. I look forward to reading about the success of the hotel in the WSJ someday soon!

-- David Kinard

David, Frank & Chris,
I love this - this is what we need to learn and most importantly improve our efforts in regards to SM as a whole. We are ready for critism, more importantly we are ready to react when it comes.
I appreciate ALL the feedback and banter and thank you personally for being an important part of our learning curve.
Let's all keep this up and we will all succeed!
Bsimi

Great example of social media in action to create real value for the participants and generate revenue for a business.

Thanks for the information, it's definitely a big plus for anyone to know!

It only makes me more curious as to what other businesses will come up with in response to this. I suppose time will tell!

I think it is all very interesting. If it is not very expensive with all the best because we're finding good locations. For the rest of the trip with our family.