Top 10 Hotels on Instagram, 2017 edition

June 23, 2017

As one of the most prominent social media platforms today, Instagram’s undeniable power to influence consumer decision-making is stronger than ever. With 700 million monthly active users, selling a product on Instagram has never been easier, especially now that Facebook has extended Dynamic Ads to the Instagram platform.

We have updated our original list of top 10 hotels on Instagram to share with you some of the most popular accounts on the platform today. When it comes to travel inspiration, these hotels are going the extra mile to get the most marketing power out of this popular social media platform.

Conrad Hotels

@conradhotels, 40k followers

Conrad Hotels, a Hilton brand, is one of the first hotel groups to have taken its Instagram to the next logical step: e-commerce. Using the platform Like2Buy (currently frequented by many fashion bloggers), Conrad is able to connect each one of its Instagram photos to a bookable local experience at their hotels as part of their “Stay Inspired” campaign.

Pro Tip: The hospitality industry is now just beginning to discover what the fashion industry has been using for years. New e-commerce platforms such as Like2Buy and LiketoKnow.it are allowing brands and influencers to make their Instagram posts shoppable.

Soho House

@sohohouse, 242k followers

Originally a private members club based in London, Soho House has now spread across the globe offering accommodations as well. Not only were they able to create “the place to be seen” in major metropolitans, they also seem to have created “the Instagram account to follow.” Their secret ingredient is selling their lifestyle brand, not just the clubs or hotels themselves. The account often features products, places, and people from their network of brands and partners.

Pro Tip: Your hotel might not always have its own brand of juices to promote, but you can still partner with like-minded companies to feature their content on your Instagram feed and vice versa. This can range from anything such as artisanal products, nearby restaurants, local artists, and more.

CitizenM

@citizenm, 17.8k followers

Amidst the kitschy quotes and playful guest photos, CitizenM Hotels occasionally hosts Instagram giveaways offering free nights to their followers—all they have to do is leave a comment tagging a friend. Not only does this engage their followers, but it also spreads the word of mouth to other potential fans organically.

Pro Tip: Running Instagram contests is a simple and easy way to spread the word about your hotel and get fans to spread the word about you. The only drawback? You’ll need an already decent fan base to get traction. Just remember to follow all the legal rules and clearly publish your terms and conditions online.

Freehand Hotels

@freehandhotels, 29.5k followers

Freehand Hotels keeps community and people centered in their branding. Building their community around great food and local culture, Freehand often uses Instagram to promote events and parties at their hotels, often hosted by other Instagram influencers.

Pro Tip: Don’t underestimate the power of social influencers to give your own social media presence a boost. Work with those that complement your brand and develop a promotional strategy that brings these people together both online and offline.

Edition Hotels

@editionhotels, 102k followers

With 100k followers and over 3000 posts, Edition Hotels’ Instagram account is going strong. They use the link option very effectively by updating their website link to whatever event or activity they want to highlight. They also use link shorteners to track activity such as how many people clicked on the link and when. This allows them to understand what kind of posts increase engagement on their Instagram.

Pro Tip: Actively manage your profile’s link. It’s the only direct connection between your Instagram account and wherever you want your followers to go. It may be your website, your TripAdvisor profile or a big event you want to promote.

Ace Hotel

@acehotel, 148k followers

Taking a similar approach to The Standard (another lifestyle brand that made our last Top 10 list), Ace Hotel makes a point not to overtly feature its properties on posts, but rather to create a specific brand image. There’s a definitive artistic feel to the account (that’s also reflected in the hotel blog they maintain) and the photos look intentionally more spontaneous and freewheeling than your typical hotel account.

Pro Tip: Are you creating original content for your hotel brand? Tie it together with your Instagram account by reflecting the content in your blog on Instagram posts.

The Line Hotel

@thelinehotel, 46.4k followers

Since we included The Line in our list for the first time, they doubled their number of followers and further increased engagement on their images. One of the professional ways they achieved Instagram success is their unique hashtag: #staycuriousplz. When you click on the hashtag, it takes you to a collection of all images with that hashtag. Not so surprisingly, there are more images with that hashtag than there are on their official account, which means other users are adding to their hashtag. Online community building at its best.

Pro Tip: Create a unique hashtag for your hotel (not necessarily related to the hotel name) and start to spread it as a movement among your followers. As it grows, you’ll start to build an Instagram community of engaged followers; you’ll be able to draw from this community later for guest posts and other content.

The Saguaro

@thesaguarops, 25.8k followers

This account is a feast for the eyes—it’s all about colors, colors, and more colors with their images. Of course it helps that the hotel is painted in a matching shade of rainbow pastels. But don’t underestimate the mesmerizing draw of a colorful account; it’s a popular Instagram trend that crosses a number of industries and brings in color fans from all over the world.

Pro Tip: A visually inviting account as a whole gives users a reason to follow your hotel instead of just liking single posts. Not sure how to create the right look? Work with a creative agency or photographer to plan the account’s color scheme and artistic approach.

Tye Haus A-Frame

@tyehaus, 46.4k followers

Possibly one of the most captivating travel accounts on Instagram, Tye Haus is not really a traditional hotel. It is an A-frame cabin rental that managed to establish itself as a popular travel niche thanks to numerous professional photographers and travelers who stayed there. Their Instagram account itself easily competes with hotels. Best part, all content is curated from guests.

Pro Tip: If curating guest photos for your own account, look to find photos from social influencers who also have a decent following; tagging the original photographer helps to widen that community. But also don’t forget to select images that fit with your brand’s look and feel—it creates a cohesive message for your followers.

Hotel Villa Honegg

@villahonegg, 90.2k followers

How does a small boutique hotel with 23 rooms have more than 90,000 followers on Instagram? Well, the stunning location up in the Swiss mountains helps, but the property itself had a little social boost. In 2016, a popular Brazilian travel blogger posted her own video on Instagram showcasing the hotel’s stunning infinity pool, and the rest was history—this viral sensation of a hotel is now booked out more than a year in advance!

Pro Tip: Find out what enchants travelers about your hotel through the “Places” feature on the search page. Find and tap on your hotel name to see all the photos that travelers have tagged with your hotel location. The selection of “Top Posts” will give you a good sense of what guests love most about your hotel.