London – A hotel in Sweden offers discounted accommodation to those with a high number of Facebook friends and Instagram followers.
The Nordic Light Hotel in Stockholm launched a “Social Network as Currency” promotion giving anywhere from 10 percent off the price of a room to a free one-night stay that usually costs R4 100.
Anyone with 100 000 followers on Instagram, 2 000 private Facebook friends or 100 000 on a fan page will be gifted with seven nights a year at the hotel free.
The catch is that, in return, the hotel expects social media publicity. As a visitor, you must share a post when making the reservation, then again at check-in and one at check-out. The post must mention the hotel’s website and Facebook page.
THE ‘INSTAGRAM HOTEL’
The unique boutique 1888 Hotel in Sydney, Australia, has been designed with Instagram users in mind, meaning that every angle, every detail and every element of the hotel has been curated to be worthy of an Instagram photograph.
The hotel, which says of the property that “every level has a view”, encourages guests to take photos of the furniture, rooms and views and post them on Instagram.
Instagram users with at least 30 000 followers are eligible to receive a free one-night stay.
Those who have fewer followers can share their snaps of the hotel on Instagram for a chance to win a free night.
THE ‘TWITTER HOTEL’
The Sol Wave House hotel in Mallorca has Twitter-themed rooms decked out in blue and white, to match the social network’s colour scheme, and holidaymakers can check-in, find out about events, order room service and get deals using dedicated hashtags.
The hotel has two Twitter concierges who greet guests via Twitter. It also has Twitter-themed parties and offers Twitter-themed drinks such as a blue mojito. There are #TwitterPartySuites that sleep up to four people. Anyone who stays in the suite gets 20 percent discount on all bars and restaurants, VIP hammocks and customised mini bars.
The suites come with champagne, blue balloons and liquorice in the shape of the hash symbol.
BEST WESTERN CHALLENGE
Best Western are responsible for 4 000 hotels in over 100 countries worldwide so a freebie from them can go a long way. They hold a weekly Travel Trivia Tuesday challenge that offers a $100 Travel Card to the person picked at random who can correctly guess a location from a jigsaw puzzle.
It’s free to enter, and all you have to do is input your name and e-mail address. The hotel company is very active on Facebook, and runs a number of competitions throughout the year, where winners can win a five-night stay around the world and $2 500 (R29 600).
THE HILTON HASHTAG
Hilton Hotels maintain an active presence across all platforms of social networking. And their #HiltonStory campaign encourages users to share their experiences of their resorts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
People are encouraged to share their opinions and photographs followed by the #HiltonStory and the best are selected for a free two-night stay anywhere in the world.
FREE AIR MILES WITH KLOUT
Klout, an app that measures your social media following, announced a partnership with American Airlines whereby the more popular you are, the more benefits you can get with the airline. If you have a Klout score of over 55 (ratings go up to 100), you can access 37 of American Airlines’ exclusive lounges in 22 different cities in the US.
But don’t worry if you fall below that score; if you visit the dedicated page on the airline’s website, your entry will be submitted into a draw to win a day’s pass.
PAYS TO BE SOCIALLY ACTIVE
New hotel-booking site Hotelied, with the tagline “It pays to be you”, is offering its members the chance to stay at high-end properties in New York, Miami, Portland, Los Angeles and Tel Aviv for 50 percent off. However, discounts are only for those who have a large number of friends and followers on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn and Instagram.
These “tastemakers”, as the website describes those with an active online presence, will be offered customised concessions tailored to their social media profile.
It means that the more popular a Hotelied member is online, the larger the discount will be offline.
PUERTO RICAN PRIZES
La Concha Resort in Puerto Rico is currently promoting a “Take a Selfie Adventure Package”.
Available between May and August, the deal costs from $179 (R2 120) a night, and includes discounts on visits to sites like the Bacardi rum distillery. Guests are encouraged to pose for selfies at locations such as the island’s 16th century Fort San Felipe del Morro – in the hope that they will “tag” the hotel using its Twitter handle, or mention it on other social media sites. In return, they can win further nights of accommodation. The hotel will select one of the submitted selfies for each of the four months of the promotion, with each winning photographer earning another three-night stay.
EXPEDIA WANT TO LISTEN
For 90 minutes every Wednesday, travel giant Expedia hosts a sponsored chat session on Twitter.
The topics and prizes change each week, but as long as users discuss the items for discussion, tweeting at least once using the hashtag, they will be entered into a prize draw. Prizes in the past have included an around-the world trip, stays at exclusive beach resorts in the Caribbean and $500 (about R6000) vouchers.
BELGRADE ON A BUDGET
A hostel stay is a popular choice for those who wish to spend their money wisely or are on a strict budget. The Belgrade Modern Hostel is offering a free stay to anyone who has 2 000 or more Facebook friends.
Those with more than 100 000 followers on Instagram will similarly be awarded a free night at the hostel in Serbia. Guests are expected to post information and pictures from their stay in return as payment.
Not quite there yet? Visitors can still be awarded money off if they have a substantial number of friends or followers. The hostel has introduced a sliding scale of discount depending on online popularity.
Daily Mail