London - Britain
On the third and fourth of this September, the British capital, London, hosted the activities of the first edition of the Hospitality Social Media Summit (HoSS), which brought together more than 200 senior leaders in digital marketing, brands and social media from 14 countries, including the UAE, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Britain and Austria, in an event described as the first of its kind that deals with social media as a commercial function and not just a content channel.

International brands in one hall

The attendees included representatives of international hotel brands such as Fairmont, Hilton, Trump Hotels, and Frasers Hospitality, in addition to prominent independent hotels and restaurant groups, including COYA and JKS Restaurants, and a number of hotels affiliated with “Preferred Hotels and Resorts” and “Small Luxury Hotels of the World.”

“Social is sitting in the wrong room.”

In a remarkable speech during the summit, Laura Ferrari, former director of social media in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region at Hyatt Hotels Company, summarized the essence of the transformation required in the sector, saying:
“What stayed with us more than anything was the realization that the social media strategy was sitting in the wrong room. The discussion has shifted from “how do we create more content” to “how do we make social deliver business results.” This is not a small transformation, but a structural transformation, and the teams that achieve it will differ greatly from those that do not.”

Why does this Arab hotel matter?

The summit may seem like a Western event far removed from the concerns of the Arab investor, but its content touches on one of the biggest challenges facing hotels in the region: large spending on social media platforms without a clear measurement of return. Gulf hotels that produce daily content on Instagram and TikTok and spend millions on influencers are today required to answer one question: How many rooms can I book for this content?
This question formed the focus of the summit discussions, which concluded that successful teams are those that move from measuring the “number of views” to measuring the “number of direct bookings.” This is a practical message for Arab hotels that seek to compete with international destinations, not only with a beautiful visual scene, but also with a digital marketing system that can be measured and improved. The summit is also an opportunity for the Arab investor to monitor the tools and technologies that have begun to impose themselves in the global market, and the extent of the need for them in tourism facilities in the region.