Boutique hotels share a global stage with big chains
In a highly competitive market like Hong Kong, hotel owners and operators need to look for ways to stand out from the crowd. Local independent Hotel Stage shares how it makes use of global online reviews to break through the noise so it has space on the stage.
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Independent travel is becoming more common. Travellers have the freedom to design their own itinerary, and choose where they stay. In a highly competitive market like Hong Kong, hotel owners and operators are always looking for ways to stand out from the crowd.
While mega advertising campaigns, hotel websites or physical brochures, and discount offers used to drive marketing for hotel properties, travellers now are increasingly basing their decisions through the experiences shared by those who have ‘been there, done that.’ TripAdvisor is the world’s largest travel site with over 570 million reviews and opinions covering millions of accommodations, airlines, attractions, and restaurants. The unbiased ‘wisdom from millions’ feedback not only guides travellers to make smart and informed choices for their trips, they also help the smaller businesses – ones that have less budgets to market to global audiences – to thrive and evolve.
Take the fairly new kid on the block, Hotel Stage. Opened just over two years ago, this independently-owned boutique hotel is located in the heart of bustling Kowloon. Throughout its light, bright and minimalist interior, the 97-room property features a striking range of modern art. Created by local artists, many of these works capture the ‘authentic Hong Kong‘ feel of the surrounding area. But how does a homegrown business like this compete on the global stage and ‘get discovered’ by travellers?
James Hung, the hotel’s General Manager, believes direct and real-time engagement with its customers is the modern-day way of marketing, and the likes of TripAdvisor have been crucial to its success since its launch. “Right from the beginning, we were proactive in encouraging our guests to share their experiences with us, and we soon garnered many positive reviews, and through these reviews we could see people were getting to know us and make bookings,” he explains. “We know TripAdvisor is one of the platforms most widely used by our guests, and also one that allows us to reach the international market.”