To be truly social, you need to get all departments involved in your social media strategy In conversations with fellow industry professionals, I often get asked questions like: “How do I get my hotel’s social media platforms more engaged?” My answer is usually the same: You get engagement by being social and involving all your property’s departments in your social media efforts.

GMs usually don’t have difficulties understanding how sales and marketing or front office can contribute to social media engagement, but other departments seem to be trickier. What about engineering or housekeeping, for example? This prompted me to think about a series of articles about the “social” hotel and its departments. We start off in the heart of the house: the kitchen.

Today’s social chefs don’t just own their whites and knifes, but increasingly, also Facebook pages and Twitter accounts. Take Andreas Mensch, the executive chef of the Pullman Deira City Centre.

Sure, you can find him in the hotel’s kitchen and restaurants, but you’ll also find him at www.facebook.com/ChefAndreasMensch, sharing recipes, pictures, and videos of his work. It’s a win-win for all sides: Chef gets to showcase his work, the hotel gets to pick up engaging content for its own Facebook page, and the hotel’s fans get great looking, up-to-date content they’re happy to share.

Don’t like Facebook? Why not get your chef to create a portfolio of his work on Crevado (https://crevado.com/) or Dunked (http://dunked.com/). Both are easy to use platforms and provide stylish environments for culinary artists. They’re also easily integrated with your LinkedIn company profile, chef’s personal LinkedIn profile, or your hotel’s Facebook page.

Source: HotelierMiddleEast.com