Four Seasons keeps it personal via social media

From Hualalai, Hawaii, a tweet updates followers about how things stand after a recent earthquake. From Hampshire, England, a photo goes out showing preparations for the London Marathon. From Washington, D.C., goes a link with information about the Earth Hour celebration.

None of those Twitter messages has much to do with staying in a hotel. But they all came from the official accounts of specific Four Seasons resorts in an effort to make connections with guests and potential customers.

“Personality really does come through,” Elizabeth Pizzinato, vice president of communications for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, said at a conference hosted by Ragan Communications in Cary, N.C., this month.

The hotel chain is using those individual Twitter feeds—aggregated on Four Seasons’ corporate website—along with other social media outlets, to guide online discussion in its favor.

“The rules are very, very different in social media,” Pizzinato said. “You can’t buy it, and you can’t own it the way you can with other, traditional marketing tools. You have to earn it.”

All about the recovery