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The Pan Pacific Hotel in Vancouver is located the heart of the city and overlooking the magnificent waterfront, and is surrounded by panoramic vistas of the harbour, mountains, Stanley Park and the city skyline. You would think that the view, service and amenities of this hotel would sell themselves, however, Pan Pacific has been very active in the social media world to promote their hotel effectively. So of course we had to get ourselves an interview! We asked Rishad Daroowala, Social Media Marketing Manager at Pan Pacific Vancouver to give us the scoop on how they are using social media to promote this luxury hotel.

Website: www.panpacific.com/en/vancouver
Twitter: @panpacificvan
Facebook: www.facebook.com/panpacificvancouver
Blog: roomwithaviewblog.com

1. What made you decide to start using social media as part of your marketing strategy?
   The decision to include social media in our marketing strategy was not a difficult one. As most marketers now know, social media is the ideal tool to reach out fans, customers and potential clients in a way that is personal, timely and interactive. Coming from the hotel side of things, never before have we been able to share our great experiences with the public and have real-time discussions with our guests so effectively.
2. Tell us about a time when you won business because you were using social media.
   There have been a few instances of winning over business through the use of social media including: rectifying and responding to complaints, pleasing customers in a timely manner and posting exclusive promotions for our Facebook and Twitter fans.
   
   However, one particular instance that comes to mind was when a young couple was shopping around for various Hotels in the Downtown core to host their upcoming wedding. A woman messaged over twitter that she felt overwhelmed with all the different options and didn’t know which hotel to choose from. She wanted the perfect wedding and wanted more than just the usual sales pitch. After listening to her thoughts, I responded and forwarded a blog post I created titled “Why Book your Wedding at the Pan Pacific Vancouver.” The post included all the information about having a wedding at our Hotel, with a friendly non-corporate feel to it. The post not only included services offered, but also photos from previous weddings and reviews on our Catering Team from couples who recently had their receptions at the hotel. In addition, I followed up with her by letting her know our prices as well as our competitors (some of which had cheaper rates).
   
   In the end, she was very pleased that someone responded to her concerns and provided her with the exact information she was looking for. Despite our rates being slightly higher than some of our competitors, she still decided to have her wedding at our hotel as she respected our honesty and valued our efforts.
3. Which social media marketing effort got you the most results? What did you do, and what did you get out of it?
   Recently we teamed up with the Pan Pacific Whistler and Seattle and created the “Dream Getaway Contest” for our Facebook Fans. We asked them: If you had your choice of a complimentary weekend at any one of our three hotels, which one would you choose and why? What would you do while there?
   
   After only a few days, we received hundreds of responses, and read some really inspiring, detailed and hilarious stories from our fans. We connected with our fans, had hundreds of readers join our Facebook Page and everyone became really excited at the thought of staying at our hotels. Not only did we see positive results from the contest, but we also saw a spike in bookings and feedback from our fans.
4. What is your biggest social media pet peeve?
   My biggest pet peeve would have to be when companies use social media because they simply want quick revenue or promotion. I see many businesses jumping on the bandwagon because social media is the latest buzzword and they’ve heard recent success stories. Companies like this usually fail in their approach because they come across as deceiving and their motives are usually transparent to users. A SM strategy should be well thought out and providing a benefit to its customers should be the primary goal. This does not go to say that companies shouldn’t expect to gain a financial return, however they should understand that in order to see results, they must put in an honest investment.
5. If you could give one really good tip to social media newbies, what would it be?
   Be authentic! Social Media is the “no B.S” approach to marketing. Cheesy corporate talk is out and being personal and engaging is in. If you try and pull a fast one over your audience, they’ll usually see right through you. If you’re personal and honest, they’ll reward you. Be authentic and you’ll usually get the results you’re looking for….trust me!
6. Name three people on Twitter that you think our readers should follow.
   @lululemon – A great balance between marketing (showcasing products) and providing valuable links and resources for its Yoga N’ Lifestyle audience. They follow-back almost all of their followers and always respond to questions and tweets. A great example of how a company of its size should use Twitter.
   
   @hummingbird604 – Raul is a great guy to follow as he provides a personal account of experiences and opinions on Vancouver events, culture, restaurants (and much more). He’s one of the better bloggers in the city and is very responsive and active on Twitter. His personal touch is received well by his fans. 92,000 tweets isn’t too shabby either!
   
   @VIAwesome – VIA founder and Editor, Bob Kronbauer gives out the latest news from around the city of Vancouver and links to one of Vancouver’s best websites: Vancouver is Awesome. A great resource for Vancouver culture and events.
7. Name three people on Facebook that you think our readers should follow.
   Skittles: The company that made us “Taste the Rainbow” have a killer Facebook page with hilarious videos, cool photos and lots of contests. They have over 15 million fans and never use any sales talk. They do a great job of inspiring discussion. Plus, who doesn’t like Skittles?!
   
   Mashable: Should definitely be on the “like” list for anyone trying to keep up with the latest in marketing and social media news.
   
   The Pan Pacific Vancouver: Duh! Cool info from around the hotel and the city of Vancouver, as well as the best hotel promotions and contest giveaways! And because this is a marketing website.