Should Hotels Have Social Networks

July 16, 2008 · Comments

hotel I think about this all the time. I want loosely joined social networks for those times when we’ve got an opportunity to meet like-minded people. When I visited the famous Nikko hotel in San Francisco a few months back, I saw all kinds of interesting people in the lobby. At conferences, I’m always wondering who from the event might be at the hotel where I’m staying. I think there’s something to it, but only if done right.

Ideas for a Hotel Social Network

Here are some ideas. Could you think on this too? What would you add?

  • Opt in. HAS to be opt-in.
  • Levels of privacy. Should have an anon email washer like Craigslist, but then options for “revealing” further info.
  • Monitoring. I suppose legal restrictions and good community would require someone to watch the community (which gave me a whole other idea for another post).
  • Some kind of questionnaire. I might want to be able to filter, like LinkedIn, the reasons why someone might want to reach me, and what I’m up for, or not.

Seems like a start. What else?

What Not to Do

I think there are some pitfalls to this, too. Lots of ways it could be implemented poorly.

  • Require hefty registration processes. Make it easier than that. Room #, email address (validated), and then profile info and options, only.
  • Advertising thinly would be okay, but too much wouldn’t work nicely. Besides, this should be a $5 addition to your bill, like a movie rental.
  • Push any kind of “singles” agenda. You don’t want to become the hookup hotel. Um, unless you do.
  • Allow 3rd party vending of that information. That’s just Beacon.

Some Cool Things

Okay, well I think they’re cool. What do you think?

  • Text messaging arbitrage to allow for temporary text access to other opted-in guests for the duration (meaning you don’t exchange cell numbers – like Twitter).
  • Potential for guest-organized collaboration. What if fourteen musicians found out they were staying in the same place? Jam session?
  • Green opportunities, like ride sharing and/or recreational meetups.

Crazy? Interesting? Can’t Work?

And if it’s all of that, or not all of that, or you think it’s interesting, why hasn’t someone done it?

—

The Social Media 100 is a project by Chris Brogan dedicated to writing 100 useful blog posts in a row about the tools, techniques, and strategies behind using social media for your business, your organization, or your own personal interests. Swing by [chrisbrogan.com] for more posts in the series, and if you have topic ideas, feel free to share them, as this is a group project, and your opinion matters.

Get the entire series by subscribing to this blog, and subscribe to my free newsletter here.

Photo credit, dave_mcmt

Related articles by Zemanta
Zemanta Pixie

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader.

Tagged as: , , , ,

ChrisBrogan.com runs on the Thesis Theme for WordPress

Thesis WordPress theme

Thesis is the search engine optimized WordPress theme of choice for serious online publishers. If you’re a blogger who doesn’t understand a lot of PHP, Thesis will give a ton of functionality without having to alter any code. For the advanced, Thesis has incredible customization possibilities via Thesis hooks.

With so many design options, you can use the template over and over and never have it look like the same site. The theme is robust and flexible enough not only to accommodate a site like ChrisBrogan.com, but also to enable the site to run far more efficiently than it ever has before.

  • Kinda reminds me of the Walmart failure noted by Jeremy Owyang: http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2007/08/24/w...

    Channels/connectedness already in place. Admittedly the Hotel could facilitate in some way.
  • I think this is a fantastic idea. I think about these kind of things all the time. I never thought of the Hotel idea though, hehe. But as soon as I saw your post on it, I was like ah ha! Yes this is a good idea.

    If the hotel had some sort of built in terminal in every room that offered Web access you could tie this "social network within the hotel" system into it.
  • @Paula - I'm not sure how those connect. I read the post, but I don't see how you're connecting it. (BTW, love your blog).
  • Yes, brilliant idea. Stellar.

    I think you're brilliant for putting it out there, too.
  • Jessica suggested Placely.com in a DM. It's not what I had in mind. That's kind of like Yelp for locations (which is neat on its own).

    Think loose. You show up. You fill out a quick profile with opt-ins, get temporary "buffer" information to keep people from getting your real digits and email, and then the network aligns itself with your interests.

    When you check out, it all goes away.
  • Amber Naslund (@AmberCadabra) suggested on Twitter that she'd worked with hotels on a project like this: http://hot.gettys.com/ . Quite interesting site.
  • A friend of mine owns a company that provides wireless services for hotels. He told me that one of the #1 sites people visit on the road was. Myspace.com. That either means that people really want social networking at hotels or that there are some really creepy business travelers.

    Ultimately I think being on your own away from home leads people to seek out other like-minded people. But as you note it has some potentially disturbing possibilities.
  • @Tac - I think the potential-for-creepy factor is big. But then, there's another opportunity for someone to grab, eh?
  • Sorry Chris...I can be a bit obtuse at times. Walmart tried to reinvent a channel that already existed elsewhere. You mentioned LinkedIn. Leveraging existing energy has to be their focus.

    It's a matter of the laws of physics (and sports). Don't try the 'standing jump', leverage the 'pole vault'.
  • Paula - really great visual the second time around. I like the pole vault metaphor.

    But if the network is anything but loose, and anything but ridiculously simple, I don't think the activity will happen. Do you?
  • Some planes have a form of this int heir entertainment controls. You can email a seat number.
    Sounds more like a way for Hookers to find clients.
    Seriously though, it makes sens ein some ways but now it seems everyone twits they are in the lobby and poof people appear.
    If the hotel allowed you to text a room#, twitter style, that would be cool, and it show up on your tv screen when you turn it on.
    But really how would you stop people from trying to hook up with it, or well maybe that is the point for some people.

    Might be useful for hotel club members, hilton honors, et al.
  • It's a matter of 'the network'. What, where? The best way I can illustrate my point would simply be to suggest that it would have to be something that might tap Twitter via API.

    They should not 'create' the network, but should leverage a 'view' of it. The moment in time (the length of stay) is a network snapshot to facilitate the experience.

    All said, I'm just playing along here. I'm still looking for the compelling evidence that supports 'uptake'. There are way too many evidences that this wouldn't have traction:
    1) Two primary hotel stays: personal, business. P: I'm 'getting away', likely not trying to 'connect'. B: More likely, but just for not eating alone.

    Wait a minute...isn't that the primary purpose of the hotel bar? You have to look at the existing models for social exchange and determine what value they already provide and what they don't.

    Another option leveraging an existing network -- the hotel channel network. Again, leveraging 'known' social models, individuals could post anonymous 'personals'. That, however, might put the hotel at risk -- something they'd not want to flirt with.

    There are a whole-lotta more dimensions to this that suggest the hotel might want to be as disconnected from this as possible, but simply act as a facilitator (ala. the bellman -- informal 'connections').

    Again, look at all the existing social 'transactions' that already go on and see how they could be facilitated in other ways.
  • @hmaust on Twitter points to a Hyatt project: http://www.yattit.com/ . Still not what I'm saying, but interesting.

    @Paula - very good points about uptake based on people trying to avoid such interactions.

    Facilitating the existing transactions in another way is interesting.

    What if a 3rd party built the networks? What if it were like Yelp? Or an ATM (those crappy charge-you-$5-to-withdraw type)?
  • 3rd party network...that's again, creating something 'new'. That's not leveraging existing energy. This is not a scenario that has a lot of kinetic energy as it is -- not enough to overcome the barriers to entry, so you have to piggy-back off of another train in motion.
  • Jonathan Yarmis
    If it's *not* about "hooking up," then there's no purpose to the geographical-specificity of a single hotel. If for anything else, I'm interested in proximity (neighborhood, town), not property-specific.
  • Way to think Jonathan "proximity (neighborhood, town), not property-specific". That immediately adds to the value of the service (but only in densely populated environments -- which sortof goes hand-in-hand with "hotel" vs. "motel").

    It goes back to what are the specific goals/scenarios that would be capitalized: finding someone to go out to dinner with, getting recommendations from others as to what to eat/do and where, etc. etc. -- some of which is already covered by the social aspects of the travel sites...but fractioned. A 'value' might be to synthesize some of those channels/voices.
  • I can see a world of possibilities and advantages for me as a hotel guest. I am member of an informal tourism group. I relayed your post to the group. It makes great food for thought.
  • Isn't part of http://indenti.ca whole idea, that it's open-source and meant for projects like this? Chris, you bring up some great points for hotels to provide something along these lines.
    I've used BrightKite to check-in to locations and post info/photos, but unless we all have those huge networks, it's not as useful. A "temp network" would be interesting for many uses, not just hotels. (Conferences, perhaps?)
  • What if our social web - which we don't yet have any control of to speak of - had a strand for exactly this purpose. Linked to your calendar and containing your interests, likes, etc., this would automatically do what you've written about. As your trip approaches, you'd be able to see potential connections and reach out accordingly.

    Cool idea Chris
  • Why not have the hotel's themselves create their own social networks. Guests automatically get access to that network while they stay there.

    I agree with Jonathan...why stop at hotels...how about housing developments, neighborhoods, towns, etc.

    Also, 'another social network' is difficult to swallow. While there are plenty of existing white label social network platforms out there, every network created means having to manage another social network. We need to let folks build their own social networks, but simplify and centralize the interaction within and between many different networks. If that was easy, then you could create a social network for super niche, short term purposes and still get strong participation from end users. While existing white label solutions have made it easy for anyone to create their own social network, they have not lowered the marginal cost of joining another social network. That needs to be improved before these things really take off. That's why we are working on it. :-)
  • Remember, I'm not so much talking about which software is best for the job. I'm talking about the social structure around it. Does it make sense that way?
  • FWIW, this idea has been around for a while. Ocean liners once printed and circulated passenger lists (at least in first class). Social networks can be run in a much more sophisticated manner--but hospitality firms have been trying to set them up for some time!
  • I absolutely think it makes sense Chris. But I think part of the answer to your question "Why hasn't someone done it" or at least why they haven't been successful doing it is because while 'joining' this social network in the real world is as fluid and simple as 'showing up' to your hotel (or to a conference, event, your neighborhood, a concert, etc), in the digital realm you have to create a whole new you and 'establish' yourself each time. I think that gap needs to be bridged for the idea to make sense or be possible (whether it's a hotel or any other fluid/temporary social network people are talking about).
  • OK, bear in mind that for the most part, people commenting here are heavy duty social media users and 99% of the people in hotels are not. The fact that people are going to MySpace pages means nothing other than maybe they are updating their MySpace page with "Whee, I'm in Hawaii!" or seeing what their friends are doing.

    It's probably not worth the effort for hotels to do this. And for those who are traveling and want to meet people with common interests, there are lots of other ways to do it (such as good old Craigslist).

    There's also the reality that if connections matter. If I'm going to Boston and a friend says, "Oh, you should connect with Jill" (to have dinner because we would get along great, to talk business because we ought to be working together), that friend will make the introduction (and that has happened to me). The fact that someone is staying at my hotel means very, very little.

    Unless I have down time and I'm bored, in which case offline social networking works. You know, go down to the lobby or bar, get a coffee or a drink, and talk to the other people who clearly didn't feel like sitting in their rooms. No wifi required!
  • Chances are this comment will get lost in the mass but I'd like to jump in on this.

    My take: Definitely viable. Lots of interesting use cases. Definitely has to be opt-in (would help the creepy factors I'd think).

    I'll preface with when I think of this working, I think of a resort-like hotel for week long vacations or for big conferences.

    Hotels would have to approach sets of people in different ways of engagement. I think hotels have to act as an API of sorts. Not only having their own network that people can engage through if they don't have a regular network they use but this would be a small subset of people because most others that would want to get involved are present in other networks already, whether personal or business. So hotels would be smart to allow these networks to tap into their customers social network of choice and have it be transparent while the hotel's customer is enjoying the resort.

    So, for example, our site allows connections to be made for ppl in financial services space. These ppl go to conferences ALOT. We would want to tap into whatever hotel is hosting the conference that week and allow that engagement to happen for those that are there (offer the proximity based things, networking potentials, knowledge sharing opportunities) but when they are done they take that information/knowledge with them or back into the network they use most frequently. Tipping their hat to hotel for allowing the service (both real and virtual) and go on their merry way.

    Lots of potentials for hotels IMO if someone in those chains can come around to this concept of engagement.

    Great topic Chris, thanks. Would love to chat sometime.
  • A few years ago I designed a social network for a cruise line which although a little different than a hotel is certainly related and applicable. Because travel and hospitality is so experiential and guests share experiences often on a ship, a community is a no-brainer here, both for the reasons mentioned above as well as for creating the potential for repeat trips via groups of "travel friends". Sharing of common interests, experiences and photos would be extremely valuable. Repeat engagement and re-activation of infrequent or inactive guests would be extremely worthwhile. In the cruise example, I left the company before the vision was executed and unfortunately a weak representation using photos was implemented, but quickly failed. Carnival cruiselines is probably the most advanced in the area and Sheraton Hotels is using community more for ratings and reviews than anything else.
  • Really interesting perspectives, guys. Thanks so much for taking the time to talk about it.
  • Ton of potential to this idea, Chris.

    I'm fascinated by the idea of temporary social networks. Ones tied to specific events (like hotel stays or conferences or concerts).

    It seems like there's reason to plug in to such a network before, during, and after these events, but it's temporary.

    I think it's different from, say, a fan group on Facebook, because it's tied to a specific moment in time when people will be in the same place.

    FWIW, I think you could logically have a travel or vacation-themed network, an entertainment/concert/sports/theater network, a conference network, etc., and have organizers of said events get involved.

    Monetization could get messy, but upside is big, I think.
  • One more thing...I wouldn't WANT to stay in it for the long-haul, so there has to be an easy-and-assumed exit.

    I'm attending an event, not signing up for life.

    Something about receiving emails from a conference organization 2 years after the event bugs the crap out of me.
  • This is a neat idea...could also be a great tool for single people like me (in addition to networking, of course!)
  • I'm reminded of one of my favorite new iPhone applications. Graffitio allows you to create location-based "walls." So, say you were in the Four Seasons Beverly Hills, a wall created for an place would have comments from all those around, those who came before and space for those that would come after.

    I think its a great idea and completely mobile based, great for the hotel bar or restaurant. a quick way to connect.
  • If only there was some sort of infrastructure for easily overlaying a social network onto a physical area... that's what we're talking about here.

    Much in the same way as we've come to expect a "place" ( a hotel, restaurant, whatever ) to have a website for basic brochure info and maybe more, I think it's time to figure on place- or event-specific networks becoming more common. Clearly there's a need. The idea of bending and folding existing networks or solutions such as MySpace or Twitter to appease this need will work only until someone develops a tailored, elegant solution for it.

    Maybe the infrastructure solution that makes that happen could be built so that I could just throw my profile-as-XML ( that I own, or that I've generated on sign-up ) at an instance of a specific location, and instantly I'd have a profile on this or that network. I start going to a local coffee shop and I love it, I see that they have an instance of this insta-social-network, so I throw my profile at it. Boom, now I'm a member of this micronetwork.

    The hotel I'm staying at during a conference, the conference itself, the coffeeshop down the street ( or the neighborhood, for that matter ), the cruise I take next month... each having its own virtual network to augment the physical one would be sweet.

    Only a matter of time, I suspect. Hmmmmmmm
  • Lots of great ideas. Particularly liked comments from Warren Sukernek (including the expansion of all things related -- esp. photos). Edward Wiest's comments immediately brought to mind the need to focus on the role of 'cruise director' as an analogy.

    Again, architecturally this would be more of an effort to 'thread together' a view to accommodate the various scenarios and technologies (e.g. leverage Flickr, Britekite -- any number of 'capabilities' -- behind the scenes, but have a 'branded' front that abstracts everything together that makes it look like it's a hotel experience).

    Pete Simon's concept of "profile-as-XML" fits this, as well.

    Bender was on the right path with the idea of "temporary social networks" -- in this case they're both temporary and virtual, but the elements have value beyond the moment because they're still available elsewhere (e.g. in Flickr). This concept of the diminished value of 'separated' is key to Enterprise 2.0 efforts. I keep insisting, other than for corporate content, there is no value to me creating a collection of links (research) that are part of a corporate-only model, because I lose it all when I leave the company. Same efficiency issues are critical here.
  • Watcher
    Have you geeks ever put down the computer/iPhone/XML for a moment and stepped into the bar at a hotel?
  • Very interesting idea and I would certainly use if such options were available.

    The fact that such meetings can potentially lead to anything goes without saying.How about meeting some long lost friends or relative in a totally diff continent just by signing in on the hotel network. Well, some spooky things are possible but I guess those can always be ironed out. The big picture is people might want to use. I have written about this idea in my blog as well.
  • Tom Shea - I think Graffitio is fascinating and I'm surprised it hasn't gotten more press.

    One really counterintuitive thing that I like about it is that it is anonymous - there really isn't any overt connection, you just see what strangers have 'written' in the air around your current location.

    After I installed it, I dicovered that there were a couple of 'walls' in my primarily residential neighborhood already.
  • Chris, I love that you posted this. I'm a member of some member clubs like Soho House and I often attend events (and stay in hotels) on my own. I wrote a blog post along these lines a while back actually http://snurl.com/30o1f.

    I yearn to connect with like-minded folks but personally find the barrier talking to a complete stranger still somewhat high. More and more I'm doing it, but perhaps missing someone around the corner who is in the same industry and/or someone who would want to work with me but we just have no way of finding each other.

    The same is true for my block of flats (apartments). I see great potential for mini neighbour social networks beyond that of just knowing the person next door. I once saw someone aalso in running gear, so what about a mini running club? But how do you tap into everyone and arrange this aside from going door-to-door? How about a child-minding system when some couples want to go out? What about a lending/sharing system e.g. having a party and need some extra chairs. Instead people remain in their isolated existence and struggle with issues that could easily be resolved by people just connecting.

    As already discussed, the challenge is infrastructure, but say for Soho House, you could easily activate a mini profile (or your linked in profile)when you enter and connect to where you're sitting, for how long, and perhaps what time of contact you're interested in. People can then access a site and/or touch screens to browse and then connect (or text/mail first).

    Perhaps someone should start a company around this? I've considered it...anyone else interested? ;-)
  • This is a very interesting post.
    Actually, I have a meeting next week with the e-commerce/marketing manager of an international hospitality firm regarding a social media project I am working on.
    If interested, I can provide you some feedback.

    Love your blog.
  • Hello All,

    I am the founder of Yoopster - Travel networking for Hotels and Airports. I am a frequent traveler and always been bored stuck in hotel rooms or/and long layovers at airports. Check www.Yoopster.com it is exactly what everyone is discussing about on here. If you guys need more information, you can contact me at ibrahim.ali@yoopster.com

    Spread the word and let all the travelers connect.
  • Great post, I have been working on this type of project for 3 years and will have the beta version available for testing in December, I'm currently in the hotel business and after going to a lot of hotel conventions and staying in hotels I saw that there was a need for this type of vehicle, so now it's coming to life, after talking about it to several hotel owners we have gotten a good response and have signed on over 40,000 US Hotels as of today, if you want to contact me with additional ideas please do so at lamarw@hotellounger.com

    Spread the word
  • archie
    Social n/work for hotels sounds so great.finally we are coming to have the utilities exploited the right way.How about meeting potential target group/clients online,finding out they are on the same floor..virtual cafe's for singles as somebody said.Possibilities are endless.As well as the risks.
  • Thanks for providing information and prices of different variety of Cruise. I need this

    info because i am using online shopping services.
    Thanks
  • Thanks for providing information and prices of different cruises. I need this information because i am using online cruise traveling services.
    Thanks
  • Its a great post and useful also because today everybody want to buy shopping goods online.:)
    Thanks for such an helpful post
  • Ever been stuck in your hotelroom bored out of your mind, in a beautiful city to explore and wanting to meet others in the same hotel? Ever had to sit at the airport for 6 hours or more layover or your flight being delayed, bored and wanting to meet others in the same airport?

    If you are a business traveler, pilot, flight attendant, on vacation .... and always are bored during your airport travel and hotel stay, then welcome to the world of "Yoopster" where travel networking has never been easier. Founded by a business traveler, Yoopster is a travel utility network where users connect staying in the same hotel or nearby location.
    For those travelers who get stuck at the airport for long hours and are bored, there is a section for you to connect with other fellow travelers who are also stuck at the airport.
    This service is free for ALL travelers.



    Use http://yoopster.wordpress.com for discussion about the site



    Please support us in spreading the word and having hotels register so all business travelers can connect with each other.




    Yoopster Team
blog comments powered by Disqus

Previous post: Small Is a Weapon

Next post: Thinking About the Negatives