Investigation of Instagram Posts of Luxury Class Hotels: A Study in İstanbul

Abstract

Today, people and businesses gain new habits and experiences thanks to the rapidly developing and increasing use of social media platforms. One of these social media platforms is Instagram. Instagram is a social media platform for many people where they can share photos and videos and spend their free time. It is a social media platform for businesses where they communicate with their current and potential customers, make their advertisements and promotions, and carry out marketing activities. The effective use of Instagram by hotel businesses is a factor that affects their success in the competitive environment. This study examined the shares of luxury class hotel businesses on Instagram. For this, 8 luxury class hotel businesses located in the Beyoğlu and Şişli regions of Istanbul were included in the research. These; CVK Park Bosphorus Hotel, Fairmont Quasar Istanbul Hotel, Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus Hotel, InterContinental Istanbul Hotel, JW Marriot Istanbul Bosphorus Hotel, Park Hyatt Istanbul Hotel, Pera Palace Hotel Istanbul, The St. Regis Istanbul Hotel. A total of 108 posts shared by the mentioned hotels between 01-31 October 2021 were examined and the data obtained were presented in tables. The findings obtained as a result of the research showed that the examined hotel businesses mostly shared on Instagram in the categories of Facility and Brand Promotion, Venue Service and Opportunity Promotion, and Event News. It was determined that the examined hotels shared the least in the Social Responsibility, Awareness category. Finally, it was seen that the hotels in the study did not share enough posts and it was suggested to increase the number of posts.