Most hotels have a long way to go, but these top ten are setting a good example. There are some unique and charming web series online.
This list is based on YouTube and Facebook subscribers, as well as interaction with subscribers and the variety and creativity of their videos that offer a sense of their company life and mission.
1. JUMEIRAH HOTEL & RESORTSJumeirah Hotels are luxury hotels based in Europe, the Middle East and Far East. One quick look at their youtube channel and you will see they're not joking around with luxury. Each hotel looks like a fantasy.
In their latest video, they partner with Red Bull. "To celebrate, Infiniti Red Bull Racing's 750bhp Formula One car became the first to run and do donuts on the Burj Al Arab helipad.
Burj Al Arab's distinctive sail shape makes it an icon of modern Dubai. Its duplex suite-only accommodation, host of private butlers, chauffeur driven Rolls Royce, Mercedes and helicopter airport transfer service cause it to be constantly voted as the world's most luxurious hotel."
2. HYATT
The Hyatt is good about adding videos often and giving viewers a solid idea of what is important to their company. One of their campaigns is called #InAHyattWorld. The campaign centers on mini documentaries of Hyatt employees helping out strangers with little things to help make their day more pleasant. In this video, they hand out umbrellas during a rainstorm. They also have a video where employees open doors for people all over the city, and another where they offer free juice refreshments on a warm day.3. FOUR SEASONS
The Four Seasons looks like they encourage their staff to participate in their social media efforts by adding a variety of helpful tips and information on the cities each hotel is in. This keeps their youtube page up to date and full of useful information. They have a nice series called "Concierge Recommends" and while I wish the quality of the sound was better, the concept is good.
Another nice web series they have is the wedding series. They film different couples' weddings that take place at their hotels and turn them into mini documentaries that help showcase the hotel, but also share the couples story, which is ultimately what makes viewers keep watching.
4. HAMPTON INN
Hampton has made up a new word, "Hamptonality", to show off their special type of hospitality. The latest videos posted on their youtube pages are stories of football and football fan give-aways. Searching a little further back you can find videos on how they're helping improve their communities, Hampton staff volunteering to help at the Boys & Girls club in Atlanta, or the story of how they opened their doors to people displaced by Hurricane Sandy. However, my favorite video from Hampton is this sweet documentary about TJElevatorFan and what they did to make this child feel important.
5. HOLIDAY INN
The Holiday Inn recently put in lots and lots of benjamins to improve their hotels. Along with the renovations, they've added a musical web series to show off the improvements. They took real customer reviews and turned them into song. Some of the videos are as short as 16 seconds, which can be used for Instagram, and others are a bit longer, like this one showing their new, almost sound-proof, rooms.
6. BEST WESTERN
Best Western has a variety of web series, including one with Cesar Milan offering tips on traveling with pets to showcase their pet-friendly hotels, but my favorite series is their Best Western Indie Films. Best Western is a franchise, so they decided to showcase the different individuals and/or families that run some of the hotels. It's a great way to showcase the care and attention that goes into even an economically priced hotel chain.
7. W HOTEL
The W likes to push their music and fashion interests in many of their videos, but my favorite is their Four Stories series. It is clear from their videos and facebook presence that they're looking to attract the "cool crowd" or at least those who want to be part of it. They know their target demographic and they execute their strategy well.For the Four Stories web series, the W Hotel partnered with Intel and chose four short screenplays out of almost 1000 submissions. Four Stories was created "to identify and support rising visionaries in filmmaking, and provide them with a platform to share their talent with audiences around the world." Of course the films were shot in various W locations. The one below is directed by Actress/Writer/Director, Lake Bell.
8. KIMPTON HOTEL
Anyone who's stayed in a Kimpton hotel knows they have a unique, fun touch they put on things.
Their videos do a good job of showcasing who they are as a company and what's important to them. I hope they keep building their page with more "how to" videos. Also, their "Meet Mat" commercial with the Ron Swanson-like mustache yoga mat is adorable. More of that please!
9. HILTON HOTELS
Most of Hilton's videos are more or less beautiful tours of their different hotels. They have the most facebook fans of any of the hotels we've included in this top ten list. Their last video was posted about three months ago. They helped kick off Market Days as part of their "Stay Hilton. Go Out" campaign in Chicago and had a concert featuring Steve Grand.Hilton has so many subscribers, they will hopefully keep adding more videos like the concert and maybe take note of the personal videos that Best Western and Hampton are making that they can add to their mix.
10. SOFITEL
Sofitel has been good about adding videos often, showcasing a different hotel every time. They were also one of the few hotels listed that had a link to their youtube page on their facebook page.
While it's great that they keep adding new videos, they are a bit boring and more like moving slideshows. Hopefully they're working on adding a more personal touch to up-coming videos.
