Facebook and Instagram, with 2,9 and 2 billion monthly active users respectively, are two of the largest social media platforms today. This means a huge opportunity for hoteliers to connect with their audience and potential guests.
To boost revenue and make the most out of these two channels, over 2,100 hotels are already using HiJiffy’s AI-powered conversational solution, which is able to integrate with both platforms and the hotels’ management systems.
Although many affirm that Facebook is losing traction, for the hotel industry this may not correspond to a clear reality yet: the platform was responsible for 64% of the social media interactions between travellers and hotels for the Easter Holidays, being a preferred option over Instagram.
Instagram was only the choice of 25% of travellers
More than a brand awareness or communication tool, hoteliers can turn social media platforms into a revenue generation channel by allowing their guests to book a stay while they flick through their hotel’s photos, all without leaving the apps.
And when it comes to communications regarding the Easter Holidays, Facebook was king among the different channels: it was the choice of 64% of travellers to get in touch with hotels.
Instagram was only responsible for 25% of the interactions, while Google My Business messaging accounted for 11%.
Note: The analysis considered all interactions during the pre-stay and in-stay phases, (15th of February until the 18th of April).
The danger of shutting the direct messaging door to guests
Today, most hotels with a proper online presence are basically getting flooded with direct messages, either on Facebook or Instagram. And some are getting so overwhelmed that they are unable to keep up. The result? They end up turning the messaging option off as a result.
But we don’t need to be a marketing genius to realize this is bad on many levels: bad for sales, bad for acquisition, bad for brand reputation…
With just one click, these hotels are effectively negating every brand investment they made throughout the previous months.
The solution? Artificial Intelligence.
Digital interactions without losing the “human touch”
Specifically developed for the hospitality industry, HiJiffy’s AI-powered conversational solution ensures instant response to all kinds of questions in more than 100 languages with average automation rates above 85%.
The Booking Assistant is integrated with the hotels’ management systems and all the relevant social media channels and messaging apps – from Facebook to Instagram or Google My Business, or from WhatsApp to Line, WeChat or Telegram.
This way, guests are able to make reservations in a simple, fast and 100% digital way wherever they are, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without the need for human interaction.
Additionally, by centralising all the contacts received in the different channels in a single inbox, it maximises efficient management of communication with guests, drastically reducing the number of hours that the front-desk teams dedicate to these tasks each month.
Since HiJiffy’s AI-powered chatbot is inherently personal and informal, allowing hotels to adjust the tone of voice accordingly to their brand guidelines, it enables digital interactions without losing the “human touch”. This way, without sounding forced or robotic, hoteliers can adopt a warm and friendly way of communication, creating personalised engaging interactions.
Why is HiJiffy’s Conversational AI solution so effective?
HiJiffy’s conversational AI solution goes beyond the restrictions of text-based interactions of the traditional booking assistants, being the next step in the evolution of the traditional NLP or rule-based chatbots.
HiJiffy enriches interactions with visual UI elements (e.g., buttons; calendars; maps; carousels; images; and more), helping with interactive elements when the conversation isn’t the most effective choice. Everything is done without giving up on providing a one-on-one experience.
Using the combination of text-based conversation and rich graphic elements, HiJiffy is reshaping how hotels – chains or independents – communicate with their guests, achieving higher customer satisfaction while increasing conversion rates.
