Social media management in the traveller's customer journey: an analysis of the hospitality sector

In hospitality, consumers rely on social media during the purchase decision process, e.g. to search for information, compare alternative destinations and share media content of their travel experiences. While previous research has mainly analyzed the consumer-side, the aim of this paper is to examine how hospitality firms manage social media within their marketing strategies considering the phases of the traveller's customer journey. To achieve our research objective, we conducted a multiple-case study by interviewing key informants from two hospitality companies. Results discuss the main touchpoints activated and their respective objectives, highlighting the growing usage of social media in all the phases of the traveller's consumer journey. The paper also presents managerial implications for the social media marketing strategies of hospitality companies.