TravelMole
Tech

Marriott, ABTA and a spot of romance

Friday, 4 October 20133 min read

The trend of putting social media campaigns in the hands of others to reach new audiences is fast becoming the new way to use online platforms. Marriott Australia have done just that with the launch of their social concierge campaign, six teenage girls showcasing secret spots and activities throughout Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. All updates are then uploaded via #ThisCityMyWay. Each city has its own page and the group use Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to post about local activities and events – the posts come from locals, visitors, tourist boards and businesses. So if you’re looking for more information and inspiration about Sydney, check out the city’s bespoke web page

We all love a story of love! Old romantic Ryan Leak planned his girlfriend’s dream wedding in secret, taking inspiration from the 220 images she had posted on a Pintrest album entitled ‘My dream wedding’. Ryan whisked his bride-to-be away on holiday to Miami, popped the question, before marrying the love of his life in front of family and friends. Luckily she said yes!

More hotels, shops and businesses will soon be offering free Wi-Fi to customers if they agree in return to "check-in" at the business from their Facebook account. The initiative is part of a new partnership between Facebook and Cisco Systems which launched earlier this week. Businesses benefit because the check-ins give them more exposure on Facebook while the world’s largest social network will also give them information about the people who check in, such as their age, sex and location. This information can then be used for marketing purposes. The offer extends a pilot that saw about 1,000 Wi-Fi deployments at small and medium-sized businesses in 50 countries.

This week, ABTA released an infographic highlighting a few facts and figures about us holidaying Brits. Thailand came out on top for Gap Year travellers, whilst Paris takes top spot as our preferred city break. For more facts, including how many ice creams we consume, jump online and take a look…