Impact of Social Media Marketing on Hilton Hotel Operations: Research

This research project investigates the impact of social media marketing on the operations of Hilton Hotels. The report begins with an introduction highlighting the importance of social media in the hospitality industry, particularly for brand promotion and customer engagement. The literature review explores existing research on social media marketing techniques, including user-generated content, tagging strategies, behind-the-scenes content, advertising, and live campaigns. It also examines the roles of various departments within Hilton, such as the front office and food and beverage, in utilizing social media for marketing and operational efficiency. The study delves into how Hilton leverages social media platforms to enhance customer relationships, promote services, and build brand reputation. Key strategies discussed include advertising campaigns, content creation, and the use of social media to showcase hotel amenities and services. The research also touches on the significance of coordination between marketing and operations departments to achieve organizational goals and maintain a competitive edge. Overall, the report provides a comprehensive overview of how Hilton Hotels employs social media to drive marketing success and improve its market position.

RESEARCH PROJECT

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................1
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.........................................................................................1
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ............................................................................6
CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS.................................................................................8
CHAPTER 5: RECOMMENDATION..........................................................................................15
CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION .....................................................................................................16
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................17
APPENDIX 1: QUESTIONNAIRE..............................................................................................19

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Social media platform is the most leading element for the growth of the business which brings
new opportunity for the company. Specially in hospitality industry which rely in the word of
mouth and good reviews from the loyal customers. Present research has been based on the social
media platform. That aim is to identify the social media marketing on the operations of a
hospitality firm (Attia and Edge, 2017). However, study will be presenting the deep
understanding of social media platform to develop the new developing areas of growth. Research
taken Hilton hotel to explore the value or importance of promotion of activities with the help of
social media platform.
Therefore, study identify the new ideas and concept related to social media marketing.
That brings new ways or method to use promotional platform for developing new activities.
Apart from that, this study also taking help of different research tools that will help to collect
data or resources to explore the research findings and outcomes.
Company overview
Hilton is the wide hotel chain or big brand of American multinational hospitality
company. This brand is known for its high luxurious services who also attained guest with
loyalty. The brand is targeted at both business and leisure travelers with locations in major city
centers.
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
According to the views of Tuten, (2017) social media plays an important role in 21st
century marketing techniques. It allows an organisation to successfully develop and implement
such marketing strategies that can help it to grow and achieve desired success. Today, most of
the people spend their times on Social Media in order to stay updated and see what's new in the
world. Organisations across the globe makes use of these platforms to promote their products
and services.
However, Solomon (2017) states that the opportunity of social media has allowed the
organisations to grow and earn large profits. The ideas and concepts which are used by the
organisations in order to promote their products and services on social media includes sharing
user-generated content from their own fans and followers. This is used by a variety of
businesses across the world in order to get rich content from their own followers and use it in
terms of marketing.
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As per the views of Ashley (2015), it allows the organisation to show their followers the
organisation's reputation and growth within the industry's environment. Also, it is one of the best
strategy used by the organisation to promote their products and services on large market level.
Similarly, Tuten (2015), states some organisations makes use of “tagging a friend”
content. The organisations marketing department engages their followers of social media in
tagging their friends in the content which they find intimidating. This allows the organisation to
develop new followers and increase its word of mouth with an easy approach.
As per the views of Sajid (2016), this is one of the finest strategies used by the
organisations in order to achieve strong market advantage and growth. Tagging a friend is one of
the recent trends which is being used by a number of organisations across the world to gain a
better marketing and promotion won social media without investing huge sums of money and
labour. The organisations take advantage of this concept and earns large profits through their
marketing techniques.
According to the views of Felix (2017) organisation's to market their products and
services on social media make use of techniques such as posting behind the scenes photos and
videos of their brands on social media websites. It allows the organisation to achieve good
rapport within the market, as when it allows its followers to have a glimpse of their brands and
products and the environment in which it thrives into. The organisation followers become more
aware the quality of products which they produce and the surrounding in which they operate into.
It makes the organisation achieve desired set of growth and earn better consumer advantage.
As per the views of Rauschnabel (2017) and Hinsch (2017) another important concept
that is used by Hilton Group Hotels across the world to promote and market their products and
services on social media is using advertisements. The marketing teams of these organisations
runs advertisements in their contents which allows the organisation to successfully promote their
products and services online.
According to Stephen (2017), advertising the brand's concept makes the organisation
achieve desired set of growth in selling of its products and services as well as provides good
reputation to the brand's image as well. It is one of the most effective techniques used by Hilton
hotels in order to promote their products and services and achieve market growth.
According to Minazzi (2017), most of the social media websites such as Facebook,
Instagram, twitter today allows the organisations to run live campaigns and videos. Hilton Hotels
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while running these social media campaigns make use of such techniques where it promotes its
hotels services by live streaming them. It allows the organisation to achieve desired set of growth
and advantage and achieve market profitability.
Similarly, Kotler (2015), these techniques of social media allows the organisation to
achieve desired set of growth and advantage within their market scenario and reach to a global
audience. These concepts and methods used by Hilton Hotels are some of the most effective
methods used by the organisation to achieve desired set of growth and advantage and increase its
reputation in the market and among its customers.
However, Armstrong (2015), in order to ensure the market growth of these set ideas and
concepts in the marketing department of the Hilton Hotels ensure that the effective strategies are
being followed to make sure that the growth and determined within the scenario. This also has
been seen as an important aspect to achieve new market and set profitability standards within the
organisational scenario of Hilton hotels. It allows the organisation to achieve growth and market
advantage as well.
According to the views of Zhu (2015), the operation's department of the Hilton Hotels
such as its front office department plays a vital role in making the organisation achieve its goals
and objectives. The front office department of the hotel deals with activities such as reservations,
bookings, guest relationship, communication, maintaining hotels resources etc. This allows the
organisation to maintain its customer relationship deeply and set roots and foundations towards a
better future. The front office departments primary activity is to ensure proper reservations and
ensuring guest relationships.
According to Chen (2015), the operations and action plan is made by the organisation to
achieve these relationships and ensure proper reservations are taking place. The front office
department along with the help of marketing department of Hilton Hotel makes use of such
strategies where it promotes its hotels products and services in order to ensure proper growth and
development. Both of these departments works in cooperation to achieve set goals and ensure
organisational success.
However, Dahl (2018), said that This allows the organisation to develop better marketing
techniques and its front office department to ensure department is ensuring the set tasks are being
achieved properly. Hilton Hotel makes use of developing strategies and techniques in order to
maintain the coordination between these two department and ensure set growth.
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Similarly, Hyder (2016) and Keegan (2017), states that the food and beverage department
of the Hilton hotels is one of the core departments of the hotel that allows the organisation to
gain a better market reputation. The food and beverage department allows the organisation to
provide better services of food and beverage to its guests. This allows the organisation to achieve
a better reputation and maintain a stronghold within the hospitality industry.
As per the views of Keegan (2017), it can be seen as an important aspect that the
organisation achieves better market growth and advantage within the industrial environment. The
food and beverage department of the hotel allows Hilton hotels to make its services as per the
new trends and consumer desires and achieve set growth and advantage.
As per the views of Rowley (2017), the department later plans the action plans after the
preparations of set strategies and growth in order to develop its marketing needs. The
department's action plans allows the manager to ensure proper growth and development and
maintain a better market advantage. The action plan is later taken into consideration by the hotel
and set standards allows the organisation to maintain a stronghold within the economy of the
country which it is serving into.
According to the views of Alves (2017), the operation's department of Hilton Hotel play a
major in maintaining a competitive advantage as well. The Kitchen is one of the most important
operation's department of the hotel because it prepares required foods and dishes for the
organisation and provide high-quality food to its guests. Better quality food makes the customer
of the organisation stay in the hotel for a long period and it makes the organisation to increase its
profitability. Better food and service provision also allows the organisation to achieve a good
market reputation as its increases its word of mouth and gradually increases its customer growth.
It has been seen as an important aspect to earn respect and growth and maintain a better
competitive advantage.
Similarly, the views of Fernandes (2016), states that Hilton Hotels as per its performance
in the market prepares an action plan in order to develop the organisation's market advantage and
growth. It also allows the organisation to grow its products and services and maintain a better
stronghold.
According to Raposo (2016), these all efforts create a better reputation of the organisation
and Hilton Hotels manages to increase its business reputation within the national and
international market. Also, this is one of the best strategies used by the organisation to manage
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its products and services and know about the consumers desired and requirements. It allows the
organisation to garner a good reputation and develop its products and services to new extents.
According to the views of Sajid (2016), today hospitality industries across the world are
using social media platforms to achieve set goals. Social media is one of the most effective
techniques used by the organisation in order to promote its products and services and gain new
customers. Social media helps Hilton Hotels to create a strong market hold and develop its
products and services in new markets easily.
The usage of social media allows the organisation of maintain better market advantage
and gain respective profitability. For example, in order to promote the drinks served in its
restaurant Hilton Hotel's marketing department with the help of food and beverage department
makes small video snippets of the drinks being made and served in the restaurant. The video is
later posted on Social Media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter etc. in order to
reach global audience and let them know about the service which the hotel is providing to its
guests. This allows the hotel to makes use of cost-effective methods in order to promote its
products and services online and gain better market reputation.
According to Felix (2017), important strategy which is used by the organisation is
development of its services as such that its products and services attract its followers and new
customers on social media platforms easily. For example, Hilton hotels housekeeping
department prepares its room and hotel areas in such ways that it looks more enticing to the
customers and their social media followers. The organisation's marketing department later
uploads the videos and pictures of these rooms and areas in Social Media websites to gain new
customers. Also, it makes the organisation reach new consumer market easily whilst ensuring
new profitability and growth. It is an important aspect within the organisation to promote its
products and services as such that new markets and their consumers come along to gain better
advantage and growth.
As per the views of Stephen (2016), the social media platforms allows the Hilton Hotels
to become aware of the products and services which they are selling are performing as per their
set needs or not. The comments provided by their followers allow the organisation to understand
that at what places it is lacking and what are the changes it needs to make in order to ensure
better market advantage within its customer market. It allows the organisation to achieve new
growth and development and overall increase its performance to a greater extent.
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According to the views of Rauschnabel (2017), the other important aspect of Social
Media is its worldwide reach. In terms when Hilton Hotels promotes its products and services on
any of the social media website, its products and services directly reaches to a large worldwide
audience. It directly impacts the sales of the organisation and increases its guest count. Also, it
gains new market position in selling of its products and services within new markets worldwide.
As per the views of Hinsch (2017), It influences the organisation's growth in terms of
profitability and helps it to achieve better growth and advantage. Platforms such as Instagram
and Facebook allows Hilton Hotels to promote its products and services in the form of pictures
and videos. It makes the organisation achieve new profitability and gain new customers.
According to Stephen (2016), the uploaded pictures and videos are viewed by the
customers across the world and Hilton Hotels see an increase in its products and services on a
large extent. Overall, it makes the organisations' products and services reach to a global audience
and maintain better advantage within the industry's working environment. Hilton hotels earn a
large amount of benefits from the social media and its workings. Also, the organisations products
and services are impacted and changed as per the needs of requirements of the consumers of
social media.
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research methodology refers to different set of methods which is used in research in
order to execute investigation systematically. It properly provides the researcher with a set
methodology in order to achieve the set results (Wang and Geale, 2015). Also, proper
methodology is going to allow the preparations of the study easily. Below mentioned are the
different methods which are used within the present study in to execute the investigation
systematically.
Research Type: There are two types of research in general, Qualitative and Quantitative.
The qualitative research makes use of numbers in order to resolve its problems. The main
emphasis is place on numerical data collection. The qualitative research makes use of feelings,
emotions, words, sounds, other elements which are unquantifiable and non-numerical. The study
will make use of quantitative research. It would allow the study to gather the right set of data
analysis and would ensure proper development of data (Setia, 2016).
Research approach: Two types of research approach are used in general, which are
deductive and inductive. The research approach used in the present study will make use of
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deductive research approach (Lushey and Munro, 2015). The deductive approach tests the
assumption's validity where theories and hypotheses are made. This approach will help the
researcher to test the assumptions' validity in order to achieve the set goals and objectives of the
research properly.
Research Philosophy: There are two types of research philosophy which is used in the
study to understand the depth of the analysis done and assumptions made. The types of research
philosophy includes positivism and interpretivism (Alvesson and Sköldberg, 2017). The present
study will make use of positivism approach is highly structures, large samples and measurement
quantitative. The positivism approach is one of the most effective approach used by the research
in the present study.
Research design: The research design refers to a general plans in which what one does to
answer the research the question. Two types of research methods include qualitative and
quantitative research methods. The present study makes use of qualitative research method. This
is going to allow the research to be in more depth and understand the analysis clearly.
Data Collection: Data collection allows the research to collect the data properly and
analyse its facts and figures on the topic properly (Loughran and Mannay, 2018). Mainly there
are two types of data collection methods which are primary and secondary. Primary data
collection methods are based on the mathematical calculations. These calculations include a
variety of process such as questionnaires, methods of correlation and regression etc. The
secondary data collection methods are published in books, newspapers, magazines etc. The
present study is going to make use of primary data collection which will include facts and
figures.
Sampling: There are two types of sampling used in the process of research methodology.
It allows the research to get more depth by selecting few people as participants in research. The
types of sampling include probability and non probability (Stanley, 2016). The probability
techniques of sampling every member of the set population is having a known chance of
participating in the study. Probability sampling includes methods such as simple, multistage,
stratified and cluster sampling. The people will include 20 managers working in Hilton Group.
The non probability sampling on the other hand selects the group members in a non-random
manner. None of the member in the population is having a chance to participate in the study. The
methods of non-probability sampling includes purposive, convenience, quota, snowball sampling
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etc. The present study is going to make use of probability sampling. Probability sampling is
going to make the research more elaborate.
Data Analysis: Data analysis refers to information refining. Its objective is to extract the
data which is used in a huge amount of information. It assists the researcher in researching to the
conclusion (Krippendorff, 2018). The present study is going to make use thematic analysis.
Thematic analysis allows the study to gather more depth and the researcher to analyse the
information easily. Theme designing will be used in the study as per the set questions and
answers provided by the participants. It would allow the study to get more elaborate and provide
essential results in form of extracted information (Lee, 2016).
CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS
Theme 1: Social Media Marketing allows the organisation to achieve its goals and
objectives?
Question 1: Social media marketing allows the organisation to achieve its goals
and objectives?
Frequency
Yes 12
No 6
Might Be 2
Interpretation: From the above findings, it can be seen as Social Media Marketing
Hilton Hotels in achieving its organisational goals and objectives properly. Out of 20 managers
12 have agreed that the social media marketing is helping the organisation in achieving its set
goals and objectives properly. Also, it is helping the organisation in creating a strong market
advantage by helping it in achieving set organisational goals and objectives. The graph
showcases that 6 people disagree from this set goals and objectives and 2 of them think them
there is a chance that it is helping. The chart shows that the organisation is having strong
advantage of using social in achieving its set goals and objectives.
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Theme 2: Creating International Standards?
Question 2: Social media makes the organisation create international marketing
standards?
Frequency
Yes 8
No 5
Might Be 7
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Yes
No
Might Be

Interpretation: The above graph shows that the organisation is strongly creating
international standards with the help of social media. Out of 20 managers, 8 of them agree that
social media helps the organisation in achieving International standards. 5 of them do not agree
and 7 think that there's a chance that social media is helping the organisation in achieving
international standards.
Theme 3: Social Media Apps
Question 3: Social media apps are used by the organisation in order to promote
its products and services in the market?
Frequency
Facebook 10
Instagram 7
Twitter 3
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Yes
No
Might Be