Hotels in Ghana cannot afford to be late adopters of social media even though it looks as though many are still yet to have any form of a digital social presence. In this digital era, such businesses need to focus on a new breed of end user customers: the Instagrammer. The Instagrammer who is always on the lookout for the perfect photo at a picturesque hotel poolside; whose finger is ready to gram their foodie photos and is ever eager to not just buy offered services & products but is excited about the likes, captions and comments which will be generated on their posted content. This is the one businesses have to focus on and rethink on ways to attract him/her to their establishment.
As a blogger, I have stayed in several hotels either for work or leisure and very few have impressed me with their interior design aesthetics. There's almost nothing catchy to take photos of, food is served without any thoughts towards plating. Bedrooms are bland and I can't wait to check out after just a night's stay. A few hotels like Urbano Hotel are however are beginning to recognise how adding a catchy feature can draw Instagrammers to your hotel. The 'I LOVE ACCRA' signage outside the hotel is very popular on Instagram.
The following are some creative ideas to think on implementing as a hotel to become more instagram friendly.
Eclectic Artwork
Delight your guests with unusual wall & lounge artwork which sparks conversations and memorable selfies. Paintings of huts and fishermen in 1D format are a thing of the past. There are many contemporary artists in Ghana transformingthe artworks space in Ghana with thought-provoking wall-hangings & digital art products. Serge Attukwei, Accents & Arts & Bright Ackwerh are some examples of contemporary Ghanaian artists shaking things up in the art world.
Unusual Lighting Fixtures
Bad lighting means terribly disappointing photos. Improve on lighting in the hotel rooms, lounges for guests to capture amazing well-lighted photos. Large windows will also boost natural light into bedrooms which creates beautiful skin tones for guests looking for a #nofilter photo. The more artsy the light fixtures in your hotel, the better.
Rustic & Classic Crockery
Every had a foodie visit your hotel? Then as a hotel, you are no stranger to seeing foodies taking absolute care to take the perfect shot of their meals. Get some eclectic crockery to add pleasurable experience of taking photos of food. White plates are usually the standard as it elevates the colors of food whilst also making your guests salivate. Go beyond the expected to offer your guests & foodies a delightful surprise with rustic textured plates and saucers or classic crockery just like Grandma's. Instagrammers will be loyal customers even after checking out. Wooden platters are also fast becoming a viral kitchen accessory on Pinterest & Instagram.
These beautiful, handmade wood platters by Studio Badge in Osu will definitely delight your guests.
A colorful start @BurjAlArab #BabAlYam #Breakfast #Poolside #Dubai Thank you @passporttofriday
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Furniture
What could be more gorgeous than a photo of your guest lounging in a vintage armchair or reclining in an African wax print covered day bed? That will be an instagram worthy photo for days. Investing into eye-catching recliners, outdoor furniture to make your hotel more homey is worth every penny in this age of snaps and grams. It draws your prospective guests to your hotel as more and more guests are swiping through the instagram pages of hotels before deciding to make a reservation.
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Poolside
A poolside is not only a place of relaxation but also one of rejuvenation which brings your guests out of their rooms and closer to nature. A poolside should be one of the most instagrammed places in a hotel. A great example is this Marrakech hotel Riad-Yasmine which has the most instagrammed poolside in the world thanks to the troop of bloggers who visit there just to take an overhead photo in the gorgeous pool. Adding cane outdoor chairs, potted palms and colourful poolside umbrellas, tiled floor surfacing all comes together to make the hotel instagram account easily go viral.
Flooring
What does your hotel floor look like? Slate grey boring? You should care as a hotel about the design of the hotel floor surface because your guests love to take photos of their feet whilst holding the perfect art latte or showing off their fresh kicks. You want the eyes of guests to be drawn into your hotel with very intriguing floor tiling. Choose between Marble tiling, brick tiles and geometric patterned tiles to add personality to your floors.
Bring in Nature
Greenery is essential to any hotel’s interior & exterior design. Potted plants such as rubber plant bring in a lush life appeal to rooms and reception areas. Use creeping vines in the restaurant and poolside area for added organic texture . Wood paneling, indoor waterfalls
Walls
What makes a wall interesting enough to take selfies against? If it has an appealing color or texture. Walls can be redesigned with the inclusion of bricks, textured wallpapers or granite stonework.
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Food Plating
There’s so much pressure on chefs to plate their creations in the most appealing way for a guest. This is not too evident in most hotels in Ghana. Enough care doesn’t go into ensuring that the food looks appealing if even it does not taste great. As more restaurants review apps are being developed and used by guests, it’s only wise to ensure that meals served for guests are worthy of not only an Instagram post but also for the purposes of reviews on Foursquare or TripAdvisor. More work needs to be done to train up chefs in ensuring food is not just lumped onto plates.
It doesn't need to cost you much as a hotel. There are many cost-saving ways to get interesting pieces to place around the hotel to get your guest snapping and posting on Instagram.
As a hotel, encourage your guests to share their photos and to tag the hotel account during their stay. This will be great user-generated content (free content for the hotel) to repost as a Guest Feature for the week.