Social media in the hospitality industry: An empirical study how hotel managers deal with user-generated content

Abstract

Social media has gained in importance in the last years. With the revolution of the World Wide Web from simple tool to complex platform, user-generated content and online customer reviews have had a great impact on both consumers and businesses. This study explores the ways hotel managers deal with social media and user-generated content. Qualitative methods are employed through the analysis of in-depth interviews conducted with hotel managers in the Stavanger region in Norway. The research provides empirical evidence of the ways hotel managers make use of social media and user-generated content in their operations. Special emphasis is placed on analysing the strategic implementation of social media into the current operations and the future planning processes of the hotels in question. The findings of the study indicate that hotel managers consider social media and user-generated content important, but little effort and few resources are employed. In addition, there is a significant lack of knowledge of social media practices and explicit strategies are scarce. Yet, managers see social media as an opportunity rather than a threat and believe it to gain importance in the future.