Monday, August 04, 2014

Manhattan Boutique Hotel Stows Social Data Through WiFi System

Morgans Hotel Group is experimenting with the social media usage of its customers.  I feel like this poses an interesting fine line between invasion of privacy and getting to know your clientele better.  While it is up to you whether you log into Facebook, once you make that decision, you are connected with the hotel's WiFi network containing your demographic data and social media usage.

"The eventual idea is for Morgans Hotel Group guests -- whether residing in one of its properties or merely stopping by the bar – to log into its WiFi system through a social account of their choice such as Facebook, Google Plus or Twitter. The hotel group currently is testing the WiFi logins at the Hudson Hotel only.

The system could help Morgans counteract the loss of customer data otherwise intercepted by room-booking middlemen such as Hotels.com and Priceline. Travel sites help hotels sell rooms they wouldn't otherwise, but without the traditional direct transaction with guests, hotels lose out on customer information. That makes keeping in contact, making targeted offers and building loyalty a challenge."

I am not sure I am in favor of this even though the hotel's clientele has discretion as to whether to participate or not.  This is just another example of constant interconnectivity and online community building through consumer affiliations.  Interesting marketing campaign for Morgans; I am curious to see the reception.

Source:
http://adage.com/article/datadriven-marketing/boutique-nyc-hotel-stows-social-data-wifi-system/294438/

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