12 Proven Social Media Marketing Ideas for Hotels
Turn scrolls Into stays. Your feed, their next vacation 🌴
Ever notice how we spend more time planning our vacations than actually experiencing them? Scrolling through dreamy hotel photos, watching room tours, and drafting that perfect out-of-office message—the anticipation is half the fun!
For hotels, this pre-vacation excitement is marketing gold. Your potential guests are already on social media looking for their next getaway inspo—but is your hotel showing up where they're scrolling? Let's talk social media marketing ideas for hotels that go beyond basic booking reminders and actually turn those double-taps into confirmed reservations.
Organic Social Media Marketing Ideas for Hotels That Build Community
Let's start with the free stuff (because who doesn't love that?). Organic social media is your hotel's chance to showcase personality and create connections before guests even arrive.
#1. User-Generated Content Campaigns
Your guests are already taking photos at your property—why not encourage them to share? Create a branded hashtag that's short and memorable. Display it prominently in Instagram-worthy spots throughout your hotel.
Then, feature this content on your own feed (with permission, of course). Not only does this provide you with authentic content, but it also makes your guests feel like stars. Win-win!
Pro Tip: Send a pre-arrival email to upcoming guests with your branded hashtag and a gentle nudge to share their stay experience.
#2. Behind-the-Scenes Content
People love seeing what happens behind the curtain. Show:
Your chef preparing the day's special
Housekeeping creating those perfect towel swans
The concierge's local recommendations
Staff birthdays and celebrations
This humanizes your brand and builds trust with potential guests. Plus, it showcases the real people who make the magic happen.
#3. Local Area Highlights
Your hotel doesn't exist in isolation—it's part of a destination. Share content about:
Hidden gems in your neighborhood
Seasonal events nearby
Best local coffee shops
Insider tips only locals know
This positions your hotel as a local expert and resource, not just a place to sleep.
Paid Social: Social Media Marketing Ideas for Hotels That Convert
When you're ready to put some budget behind your efforts, here's how to make those ad dollars work harder.
#1. Targeted Room Package Ads
Create specific packages for different audience segments:
Weekend getaways for couples
Family vacation packages with kid-friendly amenities
Business traveler perks with workspace highlights
Pet-friendly stays with special amenities for furry friends
Then, target these ads to the exact demographics who would be interested. A mom in her 30s doesn't need to see your business traveler special, but she might jump at a family package with free kids' meals.
“Studies show a 5.3x increase in click-through rates (CTR) when targeted ads are used, and around 37% of social media users make purchases from these ads.”
- The Institute of Data
#2. Retargeting Website Visitors
You know those people who visited your booking page but didn't complete a reservation? Remind them what they're missing! Create retargeting ads that showcase the specific rooms they viewed, current promotions or limited-time offers or the amenities they seemed most interested in
Add a sense of urgency with limited-time offers to push them toward booking.
#3. Geo-Targeted "Staycation" Campaigns
Not all your guests need to come from far away. Target locals within a 50-mile radius with special "staycation" packages. These ads work great during school breaks, long weekends, winter "cabin fever" season, and summer when people want pool access
Locals make great repeat customers for your restaurant, spa, and other amenities too!
Influencer Collaborations That Actually Make Sense
Working with influencers doesn't have to break the bank—but it does need to be strategic.
#1. Micro-Influencer Partnerships
Forget celebrities with millions of followers. For hotels, engagement rate matters more than follower count. Look for travel or lifestyle micro-influencers (10K-50K followers) who:
Have an audience that matches your ideal guest demographic
Show high engagement rates (3%+ is good)
Create high-quality content that aligns with your aesthetic
Have actually worked with hotels before
Offer a complimentary stay in exchange for content creation, but be specific about your expectations (number of posts, stories, etc.).
#2. Content Creator Weekends
Host quarterly content creator weekends where you invite 5-10 influencers to experience your property simultaneously. This creates:
A buzz of content all at once
Opportunities for creators to collaborate
More exciting content as they experience amenities together
Cross-promotion as they tag each other
This approach gives you more bang for your buck than individual stays.
#3. Local Expert Takeovers
Partner with local experts like food bloggers to showcase your restaurant, wellness influencers for your spa, adventure guides who bring guests to local attractions, or local historians who can tell the story of your building or area
Let them take over your social accounts for a day to provide a fresh perspective and tap into their audience.
Collaborative Campaigns & Giveaways
Partnerships multiply your reach and create exciting opportunities for potential guests.
#1. Destination Packages with Local Businesses
Partner with nearby attractions, restaurants, or unique experiences to create bookable packages that can be promoted across all partners' social channels:
A "Taste of the City" package with local restaurant vouchers
An "Adventure Weekend" with tickets to nearby activities
A "Wellness Retreat" with spa services and yoga classes
These packages provide more value to guests while spreading your marketing reach.
#2. Social-Exclusive Flash Deals
Create urgency and reward your social followers with exclusive deals through 24-hour flash sales announced only on Instagram, "secret code" promotions shared in Stories, or mid-week specials for last-minute getaways
These create FOMO and train your audience to pay attention to your social posts.
#3. Ultimate Getaway Giveaways
Collaborate with complementary brands (airlines, luggage companies, restaurants, attractions) to create a dream vacation giveaway. The entry requirements should include:
Following all partner accounts
Tagging friends in comments
Sharing to Stories
This dramatically expands your reach while building your follower base.
Measuring What Actually Matters
All these social media marketing ideas for hotels are great—but how do you know what's working? Look beyond likes and track:
Direct bookings that come from social media links
Engagement rate on different types of content
Mention of specific promotions when guests check in
Growth in direct messages about bookings
Use of your branded hashtag
Set up proper UTM parameters on all your links so you can track which platforms and campaigns drive actual reservations.
Be More Than A Place To Sleep
When your social content captures the feeling of staying with you—the sunrise view from the balcony, the perfectly crafted cocktail, the moment of relaxation by the pool—you're selling something much more valuable than a room key. You're selling an experience they can already imagine themselves in.
Ready to transform your hotel's social media from basic booking reminders to a reservation-generating machine? Let's get social!
Slide into our inbox to build a social strategy as unique as your property!
Read More from scott social↓
WRITTEN BY:
Halie Engler
Social Media Strategist + Copywriter
