Hotel Owner Hotel Owner July 2017 digital | Page 6

MONTH IN REVIEW
www.hotelowner.co.uk
For inbound tourism to
prosper long-term we
need the Conservatives
and DUP to champion
our industry
Deirdre Wells OBE
SOCIAL MEDIA
AccorHotels
triples customer
engagement with
Hootsuite
UKinbound has asked the new
government to review its approach in
Brexit negotiations after the electoral
results “verified the electorate’s hard
Brexit fears”.
The travel association is calling on the
Conservatives and DUP to implement a
strong sector deal and visa reforms.
UKinbound conducted a survey in
May where 75% of respondents said
implementing a strong sector deal
and improving the visa process for key
markets were their top priorities.
UKinbound suggested that the
government addressed the following
points:
n An immigration system flexible to
business needs - residency rights for
EU workers
n Continued access to the Open Skies
Agreement
n Visa-free travel between the UK and
the EU
n A strong narrative promoting the UK
as a welcoming destination
Deirdre Wells OBE, chief executive
officer, said: “The general election
result clearly shows that the electorate
is against a hard Brexit, and so is the
UK inbound tourism industry.
“Our members are calling for a
continued strong relationship with the
EU and the implementation of a sector
deal that addresses issues such as the
customs union, Open Skies Agreement
and residency rights for EU workers.”
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PIPELINE
UK tops
European hotel
development
pipeline
The United Kingdom is one of the top
countries in Europe to show a pipeline
of over 5,000 rooms in construction,
according to data from STR.
EUROPEAN UNION
UKinbound asks
government to
prioritise tourism
in Brexit talks
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AccorHotels has tripled its customer
engagement following a partnership
with Hootsuite to develop its global
platform, AccorHotels Social Desk.
The hotel operator realised that
social media was a “necessary way to
engage guests” at every step in the
buyer journey.
The decision to make a new
platform came when the group noticed
that it wouldn’t be able to run the
social accounts of its 4,200 hotels and
240,000 employees whilst “maintaining
the consistent” voice of its brand.
The platform gives social media
tools, training, education and content
to all its hotels. It reported a tripling
in its customer engagement and a
doubling in its internal adoption from
hotels and lift in reach. The hotel
group saw its 4.5 million followers
increase to 10 million.
AccorHotels is now encouraging
other hotel groups to use its platform
to engage with its own customers.
Just four countries reported a
pipeline of over 5,000, with Germany,
Turkey and Russia following the UK.
The UK currently has 15,119 rooms in
construction in 114 projects.
STR reported that as of May 2017,
a total of 167,543 rooms in 1074 hotel
projects were under development,
which represents a 15.3% increase
compared to the same time last year.
The data includes projects in the
in construction, final planning and
planning stages but does not include
projects in the unconfirmed stage.
Europe reported 77,360 rooms in 487
projects in construction for the month.
Based on the number of rooms, that
showed a 21.3% increase in year-over-
year comparisons.
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“I was deeply shocked to hear what
had happened and wanted to do
something to help.”
This was said by Ed Bracknell, GM of the Crowne Plaza Kensington,
who has organised a charity dinner for the victims of the
Grenfell Tower fire.
July 2017