Ahead of the Hospitality Social Media Summit, taking place in London on 3–4 September 2026, we spoke with Whitney Reynolds, the summit’s headliner and co-producer, and one of the world’s leading voices in hospitality social media.
Whitney is the former Global Director of Social Marketing at IHG and Kimpton, where she spent 12 years shaping social strategy across some of the world’s best-known hospitality brands. Under her leadership, Kimpton won Skift’s inaugural award for Best Social Presence among hotels, and she has been recognised by PRWeek and Brand Innovators’ 40 Under 40.
In this interview, Whitney explains why social media should now be treated as a business function, what separates attractive content from content that creates demand, and why humanity will be the differentiator as AI transforms content creation. She also shares what delegates will build across the summit’s two days, and what hospitality leaders should be doing differently the Monday after.
Social media was once treated as a publishing channel within marketing. Today it influences discovery, reputation, loyalty and revenue. Where should social sit within a hospitality business now, and who should ultimately be accountable for its performance?
Social media is no longer a channel within marketing – it’s a business function that happens to use social platforms. It has the ability to influence every aspect of the business, even ones you might not think of, like development, talent acquisition, and nurturing client relationships. The most effective social media teams begin with the organisation’s business goals, translate them into measurable social marketing objectives, and develop a strategy that drives those outcomes. That work requires a unique combination of community building, platform expertise, content strategy, and an understanding of how social behaviours and algorithms continue to evolve – skills that are distinct from brand, communications, or paid media. Social practitioners themselves should be accountable for social media performance. They should own the strategy, advocate for the resources needed to execute it well, and regularly demonstrate how their work is contributing to the business’s priorities.
From your experience leading social across IHG and Kimpton, what separates hospitality brands that convert attention into demand from those that simply produce attractive content?
Experiences. Sparking the senses. Beautiful photography of hotel spaces is no longer a competitive advantage; it’s the baseline. A recent Bloomberg Business Week article posed the question, “Can you tell the difference between a $300 hotel room and a $1,300 one?” As hotel design continues to converge, spaces alone are becoming harder to distinguish. The brands that convert attention into demand are the ones that sell the experience, not just the product. They bring the stay to life through on-property programming, memorable moments, and the sensory details that help people imagine what it feels like to be there. That’s what creates desire (and ultimately demand); not just another beautiful image in the feed.
Hospitality leaders often say social is important, but many still struggle to explain what it contributes commercially. Beyond reach, engagement and follower growth, what should a strong social strategy be expected to deliver?
Social media contributes commercially across the entire customer journey, from building awareness and increasing consideration to driving bookings, strengthening loyalty, and inspiring advocacy. The reason many hospitality leaders struggle to articulate its value is that social teams haven’t always connected their work back to the business’s priorities. That’s our responsibility as social strategists. We should begin with the organisation’s goals, translate them into specific measurable social marketing objectives, and report on the outcomes that matter to leadership. Reach, engagement, and follower growth are useful indicators but they’re not the end goal. They’re only meaningful if they help move the business forward.
Teams are under pressure to post more, adopt new platforms and experiment with AI. Which changes genuinely matter for hospitality leaders right now, and which are mostly distractions?
The biggest distraction is the belief that you have to do everything. Hospitality marketers have more opportunities than ever, but effective social strategy is about making disciplined choices. Every new platform, technology, or content format should be evaluated against the business’s priorities, not because it’s generating buzz. If your goal is to reach Gen Z and your audience is spending time on TikTok, expanding your presence there might be the right decision. But it should be driven by a clear business objective, not by fear of missing out. The hospitality brands that will succeed aren’t the ones chasing every trend. They’re the ones that stay relentlessly focused on the initiatives that create the greatest business impact.
At Kimpton, social helped create a brand people felt part of rather than simply followed. What creates that sense of belonging, and why do so many hospitality brands struggle to achieve it?
Belonging starts with making people feel seen as individuals, not as audiences. At Kimpton, we prioritised one-to-one engagement. We used people’s names, asked genuine questions, remembered returning guests, and responded like humans rather than brands. That kind of acknowledgment builds trust, and ultimately community. Many hospitality brands assume this level of personalisation isn’t scalable, but I think it’s more a matter of mindset than resources. When leaders prioritise meaningful engagement alongside content creation, it becomes one of the most powerful differentiators a brand can have on social.
As AI makes it easier to produce polished content at scale, what will distinguish hospitality brands that remain memorable, distinctive, and human?
In a sea of increasingly polished content, humanity will become the differentiator. As AI makes it easier to create beautiful on-brand assets at scale, people will gravitate toward the moments that feel real: the unexpected turn of phrase, the genuine facial expression, the imperfect detail, the emotion and warmth that remind us there are people behind the brand. We’re already seeing hospitality language start to blend together: so many hotels inviting guests to “linger longer.” The brands that stand out will be the ones with a distinct personality and the courage to express it consistently.
Many hospitality businesses outsource social delivery to an agency. What strategic knowledge must remain inside the business, and what does being an effective, educated agency client look like?
An agency should be an extension of the team. The best agency partners take the time to deeply understand business priorities and translate them into social efforts that drive meaningful business outcomes. They also know the right questions to ask to uncover the stories, resources, and insights needed to bring those efforts to life. The most effective agency-client relationships are built on transparency and trust: clients who openly communicate evolving priorities, and agencies that proactively advise and execute against those goals.
If you were building a hospitality social function from scratch today, what are the three foundations you would refuse to compromise on?
Most importantly, I would centre everything around strategy. That’s it. Social teams need a clear understanding of the business goals they are supporting and the ability to translate those goals into measurable objectives to track against. Next, I would prioritise genuine guest connection. Social Is one of the few places where a brand can have thousands of individual conversations at scale. Community management and connecting the online experience with the on-property experience must be core to the function. Third, I would invest in true creativity. In an increasingly crowded and AI-enabled content landscape, the ability to tell compelling stories through visuals, words, and distinctive brand personality will be more important than ever.
You are headlining the Hospitality Social Media Summit in London this September. There is no shortage of marketing conferences, so what did you feel was missing from the way hospitality professionals are currently being taught social?
In many markets, hospitality professionals aren’t really being taught social through the lens of hospitality. Throughout my career I’ve attended countless marketing and social media conferences, but I often found myself trying to translate advice designed for retail, consumer packaged goods, or e-commerce into an industry where the customer journey is entirely different. Booking a hotel isn’t the same as buying a shirt or a beverage. Travel is a considered purchase Influenced by emotion, trust, and timing. It’s not a quick decision-making process. What’s been missing is a framework for using social throughout the travel consumer lifecycle, from inspiring the trip to enhancing the guest experience and loyalty. That’s the gap I hope this summit helps fill: giving hospitality professionals practical strategic guidance that’s built specifically for the challenges and opportunities of our industry.
Day 1 is structured as a working strategic masterclass rather than a series of presentations. What will delegates build during the day, and what decisions should they expect to have made by the time they leave?
We intentionally designed Day 1 as a working masterclass rather than a series of presentations because strategy isn’t something you learn by listening. It’s something you build. Throughout the day, delegates will create a practical social strategy blueprint tailored to their own business, including the goals they’re supporting, the audiences they’re prioritising, the channels they should invest in, and how they measure success.
Day 2 moves into eight practical labs led by people who have run social and content for brands including Hyatt, Meliá and Nespresso. Hospitality teams have heard talks on paid social, creators, AI and international audiences for years, yet the same problems persist: spend without bookings, content without rights and tools without results. Why does the gap between knowing and doing remain so difficult to close?
The gap exists because information isn’t the problem; implementation is. Most hospitality professionals don’t need another presentation about why AI, paid, or creator partnerships are important. They need the confidence and practical experience to apply those tools and frameworks to their business. That’s why Day 2 is built around hands-on labs rather than lectures. Delegates won’t just hear about best practices; they’ll discuss real scenarios, ask questions, and practice applying what they’ve learned. That kind of active learning is far more likely to translate to meaningful change once they’re back at their desks.
What do you want a marketing director, commercial leader or general manager to be doing differently on the Monday after the summit?
I hope delegates return with a different way of thinking about social media. I want them to be asking, “What business goal are we trying to achieve and how can social help us get there?” I hope they’ll have the confidence to make more strategic decisions about where to focus their time, resources, and creative energy rather than trying to do everything. I also hope they’ll see social as a strategic business function – one that deserves clear objectives, meaningful investment, and accountability for results. If delegates leave with a practical strategy they can immediately put into action and a clear framework for demonstrating social media’s commercial contribution to their business, then we’ve achieved exactly what we set out to do.
The Hospitality Social Media Summit takes place live in London and online on 3–4 September 2026. Across two days, delegates will work with award-winning global leaders to build practical social strategies, systems and assets designed specifically for hospitality.
To explore the programme, meet the faculty and secure your place, visit hospitalitysocialsummit.com.
