Arlo Hotels

Turning Internal Culture into Authentic Content

I think it starts with recognizing that your internal culture is already a huge part of your brand story. In hospitality especially, the people behind the brand are the ones actually bringing the experience to life every day. Social teams should be plugged into what’s happening at the property level, talking to employees, understanding what guests are responding to and finding the stories that already exist within the brand rather than trying to manufacture them for social. Some of the strongest content can come from simply giving your team a platform and letting their personalities and experiences shine through.

Creating Social Content That Builds Relationships

Not every post needs to sell something. I think brands sometimes get caught up in making sure every piece of content has a clear promotional message or CTA, when social media is really about building a relationship with your audience over time. We try to think about what someone would actually want to watch, share or engage with even if they weren’t actively looking to book a hotel. That could be introducing them to someone on our team, highlighting something happening in the neighborhood, tapping into a cultural moment or just creating something entertaining. If every post feels like an ad, people are going to start treating your account like one.

“If every post feels like an ad, people are going to start treating your account like one.”

Giving Employees a Voice on Social Media

Your employees often know the brand and the guest better than anyone else. They’re having conversations with guests every day, seeing what people get excited about and experiencing the brand in a way that someone sitting behind a social media account simply can’t. Giving them a voice makes the brand feel much more human. At Arlo, one of the ways we’ve started doing this is through our Hidden GEMs series, where we spotlight team members and have them share some of their favorite neighborhood spots. It allows us to showcase our people while also giving our audience something genuinely useful and reinforcing the idea that our teams are part of the communities our hotels are in.

Balancing Brand Consistency with Real-Time Trends

I don’t think brand consistency means every piece of content needs to look or sound exactly the same. It’s more about having a strong enough understanding of your brand that you know how it should show up in different spaces. We always ask whether there’s a natural way for Arlo to participate rather than jumping on something simply because it’s trending. You have to give social teams enough flexibility to move quickly while still having a clear point of view that everything can ladder back to.

Listening to Build Stronger Social Connections

Listen more. Listen to your guests, your employees, your community and the people engaging with your content. Some of the best insights I’ve gotten haven’t come from an analytics dashboard, but from actually having focus groups with creators and team members and asking them what they think about the brand and what they want to see from us. Social media gives hospitality brands such a unique opportunity because you’re not just marketing a product - you’re marketing an experience, a place and the people behind it. The more you can bring those real voices and experiences into your content, the stronger that connection becomes.