Social media round-up
The meteoric rise of ‘couch surfing’ travel company Airbnb has been one of the industry’s great successes with over 11 million people having used the service to-date. However, the business has been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons recently – hotel taxes and unwanted guests using the system to rent spaces for parties etc. This week, Mashable gave readers nine things they should know before booking a room. Airbnb has a team of professional photographers – look for the watermark and you can be sure it’s an Airbnb approved property. Some cities will charge/add hotel taxes – keep this in mind. No background checks – Airbnb does not screen users, so it’s up to individuals to determine where they stay or who they rent to. All in all, it’s a great idea, but it’s worth reading the full blog and doing a spot of research if you’re planning an Airbnb getaway.
Yahoo has bought Blink, a mobile application that allows users to share messages that self-destruct, in order to poach its rising talent. The app will be shut down in the next few weeks so its seven-strong team, including some previous Google employees, can focus on Yahoo’s ‘smart communication’ products. Yahoo has bought 40 start-ups in the last two years in an attempt to revamp the company.
This week’s Boutique & Lifestyle Hotel Summit saw the subject of social media within the sector widely debated. The overarching theme of the discussions was that while the platforms are fundamental for building and maintaining customer loyalty, the smaller, boutique properties need to be careful that they aren’t just filling feeds with irrelevant content and that they have two-way conversations. This was summed up by Mark Jones at Luxury Hotels Group, "Too many hotels use social media to broadcast, not to interact." And as Andrew Sangster from Hotel Analyst, succinctly put it, "What matters is not how many Twitter followers you have, but what you do with them". #HearHear
While most like to think they have a strong ‘selfie-game’, we’re quite sure that their creations could never measure up to motorcyclist Alex Charon’s epic 600-day selfie. Using a go-pro camera and veering away from the traditional static selfie methods, Charon rotated himself to create a more dynamic view of the destinations. Visiting 36 countries and covering over 200,000km, if the video doesn’t make you want to better your selfie skills, it will definitely give you a strong sense of wanderlust.
And finally, Prince Harry became the most senior member of the Royal Family to tweet yesterday. The fourth in line to the throne took to the ‘Twittersphere’ to launch ticket sales for the Invictus Games, of which he is president. Harry’s tweet from the @InvictusLondon Twitter handle read: "Hope everyone will get behind #invictusgames. Great opportunity to support and thank the men and women who have given so much. Harry"
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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