Let’s face it: hotels and resorts are no longer just about cozy rooms and room service; they're about creating experiences that people can’t wait to share on Instagram. And guess what? Influencer marketing has become the key to unlocking that magical, "I have to book this place" feeling.
In fact, the influencer marketing industry is projected to grow from a solid $24 billion in 2024 to a jaw-dropping $32.55 billion by 2025. That’s a 35.63% growth rate—talk about a suite deal.
But this isn't just about throwing money at influencers for a few flashy photos. It's about authenticity, long-term partnerships, and finding those micro-influencers who speak directly to niche audiences with a level of engagement that big names can’t always deliver.
The industry’s shifting focus is clear: brands are prioritizing relationships over transactions and tangible results over just likes and shares.
Take Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, for example—they took the immersive experience route and turned influencer partnerships into long-lasting brand advocacy. Curious how they pulled this off? Keep reading to explore the strategies shaping the future of influencer marketing in the hotel and resort industry.
- 1. Craft Immersive Brand Experiences That Create Long-Term Influencer Loyalty
- 2. Empower Influencers to Share Their Own Stories (Because They Know Best)
- 3. Use Organic, Passionate Influencers for Maximum Reach (Without Breaking the Bank)
- 4. Design Connected, Interactive Influencer Campaigns That Engage and Entertain
- 5. Leverage High-Profile Influencers for Exclusive, Real-Time Experiences
- 6. Use Data-Driven Influencer Selection to Maximize Campaign ROI
- Innovative Strategies for Hotels & Resorts in Influencer Marketing
- Frequently Asked Questions
1. Craft Immersive Brand Experiences That Create Long-Term Influencer Loyalty
When it comes to influencer marketing, you can’t just expect influencers to talk about your brand once and then disappear. The real magic happens when you create an experience so engaging and memorable that influencers become your brand’s long-term advocates.
The key is to offer something that goes beyond a simple promotion. Make it an immersive experience that speaks to the influencer’s personal passions. They’re not just there to take photos; they’re experiencing something that becomes part of their story—and when influencers feel emotionally connected to a brand, they’ll continue to share that story long after the campaign ends.
Think of it like this: You’re not just creating content for a campaign—you’re building an ongoing, authentic relationship.
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts took this strategy to heart. Instead of just inviting influencers for a quick stay and asking them to post a few photos, Fairmont created a truly immersive experience at multiple properties around the globe. These weren’t just trips; they were experiences. From breathtaking views to luxurious amenities, influencers felt like they were part of something special.
They were so connected to the brand that even after the campaign ended, they continued to share content about their stays. This wasn’t just about getting a post—it was about building an ongoing relationship where influencers became true ambassadors of the Fairmont brand.
The campaign focused on Fairmont’s unique properties, and influencers were invited to share their experiences through blogs, Instagram, and other social platforms. The #FairmontMoments hashtag became a hub for all things Fairmont, and influencers continued to post content long after their stays.
As a result, Fairmont achieved 48 pieces of blog content, hundreds of Instagram stories, and a huge wave of brand visibility. And this wasn’t a one-time thing—these influencers turned into long-term brand partners.
Results & Analysis:
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89M impressions across social media platforms
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200+ Instagram stories shared, generating massive engagement
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48 blog posts and content pieces, with 700K views
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Evergreen content that continued to drive brand visibility post-campaign
By building an emotional connection with influencers, Fairmont not only got incredible reach but also ensured ongoing content from influencers who became passionate advocates of the brand.
Key Takeaway
From my perspective, this approach works because it’s about creating something that makes influencers feel like they’re part of your brand’s story, not just a marketing tool. When you do this, they become more than collaborators—they become ambassadors who are genuinely invested in your success. Make the experience unforgettable, and the content and loyalty will follow.
2. Empower Influencers to Share Their Own Stories (Because They Know Best)
If there’s one thing we've learned from influencer marketing, it’s that influencers know their audience better than you ever will. They’ve built their following based on trust, relatability, and authenticity. So, why not let them do what they do best—tell their own stories?
This strategy is about giving influencers creative freedom to share their experiences with your brand in their own voice. When you allow influencers to craft their own narratives, the content feels more genuine and resonates deeper with their audience.
It’s not just a paid promotion—it’s an authentic story that aligns with their personal brand and connects on a much more emotional level. Trust me, audiences can spot a forced message a mile away, so the key is to empower influencers to share from the heart.
Hilton’s Hilton For The Stay campaign is a perfect example of this strategy in action. Rather than feeding influencers a script of what to say, Hilton let influencers share their personal experiences with the brand. Hilton partnered with Vamp, an influencer marketing platform that made it easier to connect with influencers and streamline the campaign.
By giving influencers the space to craft their own stories around their stays, Hilton allowed the content to feel authentic, not like a traditional ad. Influencers didn’t just showcase Hilton’s rooms; they showcased moments that mattered to them, whether it was a relaxing morning in a suite or an intimate family dinner at the hotel restaurant.
This approach made Hilton’s campaign stand out because it didn’t feel like a commercial—it felt like a personal recommendation. And that’s the magic of letting influencers tell their own stories. It’s their experience, and their audience believes them because it’s real.
Results & Analysis:
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360K reach, with 359K impressions generated by influencer content
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An average engagement rate of 4.1%, showing that people connected with the authentic stories shared
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High-quality content that felt organic and relatable, driving real engagement with the brand
By focusing on storytelling, Hilton was able to make its message far more powerful than if they had simply shown off a beautiful hotel room.
Key Takeaway
From my own experience, letting influencers take control of their narrative is one of the best ways to make the content feel genuine. When they share their own stories, it’s way more relatable to their audience and much more likely to drive meaningful engagement. So, let go of the reins a little and watch how the authenticity pays off.
3. Use Organic, Passionate Influencers for Maximum Reach (Without Breaking the Bank)
Look, influencer marketing doesn’t always need to come with a hefty price tag. Sure, paying influencers can get you the content you want, but if you focus on finding influencers who are genuinely passionate about your brand, you can get incredible results without breaking the bank.
This strategy is about finding creators who already love your brand or have a genuine passion for your product. When influencers share content because they genuinely believe in what you’re offering, that authenticity will resonate with their audience, and it’s often more powerful than any paid promotion.
Plus, organic content tends to have more longevity—it doesn’t feel transactional, so the engagement keeps going long after the campaign ends.
Delphin Hotels took this approach, and it worked wonders. Instead of paying influencers to promote their luxury resorts, Delphin invited influencers who were already passionate about travel to experience their stunning properties in Antalya, Turkey.
These weren’t sponsored posts—they were organic, real experiences that influencers couldn’t wait to share. The influencers posted about their experiences on Instagram and TikTok, generating high-quality content that engaged their audience in a genuine way.
@kaifagan_ Is this the best hotel in turkey? @Delphin Hotels @Sanam Harrinanan #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #turkey #holiday ♬ Walking On A Dream - kalia!
By focusing on influencers who were excited about their stays, Delphin didn’t just get content; they got a genuine brand endorsement that paid off massively.
Results & Analysis
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8.6M+ organic impressions
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403% impression rate—blowing the initial target of 1M out of the water
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238K engagements and a 2.77% engagement rate, proving that organic content packs a punch
Delphin’s campaign showed that when you align your brand with the right influencers—ones who already have a passion for what you do—you don’t need to pay them to get outstanding results. It’s about leveraging authentic partnerships to drive massive reach and engagement.
Key Takeaway
From where I stand, the lesson here is clear: You don’t always need to drop big bucks to get influencer content that works. Find influencers who genuinely love your brand, and let them share their experience. When the content is authentic, it will resonate much more deeply with their followers, and you’ll see the engagement and results keep rolling in.
4. Design Connected, Interactive Influencer Campaigns That Engage and Entertain
If you want an influencer campaign to stand out and capture attention, it’s time to think beyond the standard post-and-go approach. What you really need is a campaign that’s interactive, fun, and keeps the audience actively engaged.
Think of it like a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure book, but in social media form. Create a scenario where your influencers guide their followers through an ongoing experience, allowing the audience to choose the next steps in the journey. This strategy doesn't just amplify your brand—it creates an immersive experience that fosters deeper connections with followers.
By building a sense of involvement and excitement, you get influencers’ audiences directly invested in your brand and your content.
TUI nailed this with their #BlueDecide campaign. Instead of influencers simply posting static images or video clips about their stays at TUI Blue resorts, they created an interactive experience that let followers make real-time decisions about what the influencers would do next.
They sent influencers to different parts of the world—Mexico, Greece, and more—and, before the trip, influencers posted teaser content explaining the rules of the game. While on their vacations, influencers encouraged followers to vote on what activity they should do next, from watersports to cultural tours. Each decision the audience made was immediately turned into fresh content, allowing them to feel involved in the influencer's journey.
This wasn’t just a campaign—it was a shared experience between the influencers and their followers. The interactive nature of the campaign helped boost engagement while showing off the various curated experiences that TUI Blue offers. The influencers didn’t just share content; they invited their followers to be a part of the story.
Results & Analysis
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354% overdelivery in influencer stories compared to the original brief
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250,000 people reached during the campaign
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167% more in-feed posts than originally planned
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Great feedback from followers, including messages like “I’d never heard of TUI Blue, but now I want to go!”
By offering a personalized, interactive experience, TUI transformed what could’ve been just another vacation campaign into something memorable and engaging. This strategy worked because it wasn’t just about influencer content—it was about creating a dynamic, two-way conversation with the audience.
Key Takeaway
From where I’m standing, this is a game-changer. Interactive campaigns where followers play a part in the story not only increase engagement but they build stronger emotional connections with the audience. People love feeling like they have a say, so when planning your next influencer campaign, think about how you can make your audience feel included and engaged.
5. Leverage High-Profile Influencers for Exclusive, Real-Time Experiences
When you bring high-profile influencers into your campaign, it’s not just about their follower count—it’s about creating an exclusive experience that can’t be replicated. This strategy is all about giving influencers a chance to experience something special that aligns with their personal brand and resonates deeply with their audience.
The key is to focus on moments of exclusivity—like attending an iconic event or visiting a prestigious location—that allow influencers to share content their followers can’t get anywhere else. These experiences should be tailored to the influencer’s persona, ensuring the content feels authentic and the connection to your brand is natural.
Accor Hotels nailed this with their Elite Experience campaign. They brought the Insta-famous Pattie Gonia to the Tony Awards while staying at the luxurious Sofitel NYC. This wasn’t just about getting a celebrity to post about your brand; it was about giving Pattie a once-in-a-lifetime experience that she could share in real-time with her audience.
Pattie’s followers got an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the Tony Awards, from the glitz and glamour to the intimate moments that most people would never get to see. By connecting Pattie’s experience to both the prestige of the Tony Awards and her personal connection to the LGBTQ+ community (since it coincided with World Pride), Accor created a campaign that felt deeply personal and extremely relevant to her followers.
The real-time content was a hit, especially with Instagram Stories, where followers were able to interact with the journey as it unfolded. The campaign generated incredible buzz, both for the Sofitel NYC and the Elite Experience loyalty program, tapping into a new, highly engaged audience that valued exclusivity and emotional connection.
Results & Analysis
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6.9M total campaign impressions
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1.3M total reach across social media
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761K+ Instagram story views, with engagement soaring during the event
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Earned media value of $1.1M
By focusing on the exclusivity of the event and aligning it with Pattie’s unique influence, Accor created an experience that felt personalized, authentic, and deeply engaging. The campaign capitalized on real-time content and gave the audience an inside look at an exclusive experience, which resonated on a much deeper level than a typical influencer post.
Key Takeaway
When working with high-profile influencers, remember this: it’s not just about their reach—it’s about creating exclusive, memorable experiences that their followers can’t get anywhere else. The more tailored the experience is to the influencer’s brand and audience, the more impactful the campaign will be.
6. Use Data-Driven Influencer Selection to Maximize Campaign ROI
If you’re running a global influencer campaign, the last thing you want is to waste time—and money—on influencers who don’t align with your brand’s goals. That’s where a data-driven approach comes in.
Using data to evaluate influencers, based on their engagement, audience demographics, and past performance, ensures that your partnerships are not only relevant but also impactful. The strategy here is simple: identify the influencers who are most likely to resonate with your target audience, use the data to back up your decisions, and then execute a campaign that is highly targeted and efficient. T
This approach makes it easier to justify influencer partnerships to internal teams and, more importantly, track performance to ensure maximum ROI.
Meliá Hotels International used this exact approach to overhaul their influencer marketing program. Faced with a huge number of influencer requests and a sprawling portfolio of brands across the globe, Meliá realized they needed a more systematic way of selecting influencers. They turned to Traackr, an influencer relationship management platform, to help them evaluate and select the best influencers for each of their six brands.
By using Traackr’s data-driven insights, Meliá could identify influencers who aligned with their brand values, target audiences, and engagement metrics, ensuring that every collaboration had a real business impact.
This approach allowed Meliá to scale their influencer efforts while keeping track of performance and ensuring that each partnership was strategically aligned with their objectives.
Results & Analysis
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14% increase in activated influencers
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204% increase in video views
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167% increase in mentions from influencers
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238% increase in reach across their brand portfolio
By using data to guide their influencer selection process, Meliá was able to streamline their efforts, target the right influencers, and significantly boost engagement and reach. This method allowed them to measure and report on the success of each campaign, making it easier to scale and repeat successful strategies.
Key Takeaway
From my perspective, the key to successful influencer marketing is making decisions based on hard data, not gut feelings. If you want to maximize your ROI, use a platform that helps you select the right influencers, track their performance, and optimize your campaigns. Data makes all the difference, and when used correctly, it can help you run highly efficient and impactful influencer marketing programs.
Innovative Strategies for Hotels & Resorts in Influencer Marketing
Across the six campaigns, common strategies emerged—interactive, immersive experiences, data-driven influencer selection, and real-time engagement. Hotels and resorts can use these insights to craft more authentic, targeted campaigns that drive long-term customer loyalty.
As trends shift toward greater personalization and data analytics, it’s crucial for brands to innovate and experiment with fresh influencer strategies. Influencer collaborations are powerful tools for engagement, and the potential for growth is enormous if brands embrace creativity and data.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is influencer marketing for hotels and resorts?
Influencer marketing for hotels and resorts involves collaborating with individuals who have a strong online presence to promote your property. These influencers create content that showcases your hotel's unique features, attracting their followers and potential guests.
How do I choose the right influencers for my hotel?
Select influencers whose audience aligns with your target market. Consider factors like their follower demographics, engagement rates, and content style to ensure a good fit with your hotel's brand.
What types of content should influencers create for my hotel?
Encourage influencers to produce authentic content such as blog posts, social media updates, and videos that highlight their personal experiences at your hotel, showcasing amenities, services, and local attractions.
How can I measure the success of influencer partnerships?
Track metrics like engagement rates, website traffic, and direct bookings generated from influencer content. Utilize unique promo codes or affiliate links to accurately attribute conversions.
Should I focus on macro or micro-influencers?
Micro-influencers often offer higher engagement rates and more targeted audiences, making them cost-effective for reaching niche markets. Macro-influencers can provide broader exposure. Choose based on your campaign goals and budget.
What are some effective influencer marketing strategies for hotels?
Strategies include crafting authentic stories, leveraging data-driven insights, aligning campaigns with seasonal promotions, utilizing influencers for content creation, building long-term partnerships, tailoring experiences for influencers, engaging with micro-influencers, and cross-promoting content across multiple channels.
How do I build long-term relationships with influencers?
Engage influencers over extended periods by involving them in various campaigns, offering personalized experiences, and maintaining open, collaborative communication to foster genuine brand advocacy.
How can I encourage influencers to create authentic content?
Provide influencers with creative freedom, share your hotel's story and values, and encourage them to capture genuine experiences during their stay, ensuring content resonates authentically with their audience.
