Social Media Background Checks

We’ve all heard someone preach the sentiment at one point in our lives; “be careful what you post on the internet.”  With modern technology and advancements in social media, it’s very common for people to post their entire lives on the internet for the world to see.  For some, this is not big deal and they have nothing to hide.  For others, they’re painting a picture of themselves that’s damaging to their reputation and ultimately their employment opportunities.  Employers don’t want to hire someone with a bad image to represent their company.  Because of this, employers will frequently turn to engines like Facebook and Google to do a quick background check on their potential new hires.  CareerBuilder released a new survey that found, “51 percent of employers who research job candidates on social media said they’ve found content that caused them to not hire the candidate.”

Upon doing a Google search of a person’s name, you can see their social media accounts, arrest histories, newspaper appearances and anything else that may have been put online.  This is a good practice for your human resources team to use when trying to avoid expensive background checks on potential employees.

So what do you look for in a person’s social media accounts that might make them a bad hire?  Here are just a few examples:

–Bad mouthing former/current employers

–Discriminatory comments

–Links to criminal behavior such as drugs, underage drinking, etc.

–Sharing confidential info from previous employers

While people often view social media as an opportunity to seek out negative qualities in job candidates, this isn’t always the case.  If you’re in the final stages of making a decision and can’t decide between a few candidates, their social media pages can provide insight as to who might be a better fit.  Here are some positive things you can look for to separate the best suited candidates:

–Social media portrays a professional image of the candidate

–Demonstrates strong writing and communication skills among peers

–Background information supports their professional qualifications for the job

–Get a good feel of a candidate’s personality to see if they fit in with the company

While you certainly can’t truly know someone without meeting them and taking the time to get to know them, social media can help you understand who you’re dealing with when it comes to hiring new employees.

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For the full article, please click the following link:

http://www.htrends.com/trends-detail-sid-78636.html

4 Ways to Increase Direct Bookings

With the growing market for Online Travel Companies (OTC’s) hospitality professionals are constantly searching for new and unique approaches to increasing direct booking to their property.  Here is a glance at four things you can do to increase your own direct bookings.

1. Own the Customer Experience.  Every other business sees the potential in this industry and people are flocking to it to get their piece of the pie.  Don’t allow other companies to take over parts of the customer experience like booking through OTC’s, reserving activities through a 3^rd party and allowing travel companies to give transportation advice.  Your hotel must own the customer experience from beginning to end to show your guest that you have all the tools and information to give them the trip of their dreams.  If you own the entire experience, you gain trust and loyalty from that guest.

2. Web Experience is Guest Experience.  Your customers begin their search process online.  When booking airfare, accommodations and activities for their trip, the entire process begins with the click of a mouse.  The first place travelers will go are OTC websites because of their simple structure and ability to compare multiple rates at once.  Your website needs to be as transparent and easy to use as an OTC website.  This includes mobile optimization as many travelers will book their accommodations while on the go via their smart phone or tablet.

3. Think Like the Guest.  Your guest wants to find as many necessary services in your hotel as possible.  Do everything you can to eliminate communication with OTA’s.  Give them info on local venues, restaurants and travel in a simple manner such as a direct phone line to the concierge.  Even if they don’t use it, they will recognize its presence and take note of it when making future plans.

4. Crucial Interactions.  This is one we discuss on this blog frequently.  As an employee in hospitality, you’re given a few select opportunities to interact with the customer in a memorable way.  Your front desk knows which medium your guest booked their accommodations through and as a front desk attendant, this opportunity should be taken advantage of to remind your guests of the benefits and incentives they’re provided by doing so.  “Businesses must connect with customers and consistently encourage and reward “good” behavior.”

Follow Colorado Hotel and Lodging Association on Social Media for industry trends, news and information!

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Sources:

http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/global/154000320/4064664.html

http://www.htrends.com/trends-detail-sid-76785.html

3 Keys to Understanding Your Customers

There’s a simple formula to follow if you want to get a complete profile of your hotel guests.  A new white paper by Market Metrix details how you can grow your property by focusing on three key areas; direct guest feedback, competitive benchmarking and social media.  By combining data from all three areas, you can develop a thorough understanding of your customers/guests.  Market Metrix is the leading provider of customer and employee feedback solutions for hospitality companies around the globe.

1. Direct Guest Feedback.  This one is a bit obvious, but guest feedback is essential to understanding your customer’s wants and needs.  “Direct guest feedback, typically from guest surveys, helps you understand what’s happening operationally, take action and build your property’s reputation.”
2. Competitive Benchmarking.  It’s important to know how your competition is doing and what’s making them successful or unsuccessful as to improve your property.  This can help you discover emerging drivers and trends throughout the industry.
3. Social Media Monitoring.  Online presence and digital reputation is a cornerstone for a successful brand.  Monitoring your social media pages helps you manage your online reputation while being able to respond directly to inquiries and negative comments.

When you put these three key areas together you get a full picture of your guest, performance and market.  By clearly detailing what’s working and what’s not working it allows you to focus on more important areas of your operations to improve guest satisfaction.

To download the FREE white paper from Market Metrix, click here!

Sources:

http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4062247.html