Hilton's DoubleTree is attempting to shift social conversation regarding travel to a more positive sentimentality by prompting users to share stories of kindness, and will be using social tracking to determine the impact of the campaign.

While consumers highly value travel, their discussions on social media focus on the negative, usually regarding unfortunate experiences such as lost luggage, delays and rude customer service representatives. DoubleTree is trying to get consumers to emphasize the kindness of others while traveling by sharing photos and stories of happy encounters through the hashtag #NiceTravels and tracking the campaign throughout the year to gauge sentiment. 

"Social listening and social media are fundamental to our new campaign, as they allow us to keep a pulse on what people are saying and sharing about their travel experiences," said Maggie Giddens, public relations director of DoubleTree by Hilton. "Our plan is to reward niceness and identify opportunities to spread niceness to those who need it, and social media is the conduit for delivering that message and reminding people that nice travels.?

The Nice Travels campaign was kicked off yesterday on Pay it Forward Day, with DoubleTree handing out two cookies to passersby at major travel locations in New York in the hopes they will keep one for themselves and pass on the other. DoubleTree is hoping social media users will share photos of acts of niceness in travel of which it will compose an interactive mosaic. 


DoubleTree shares user-generated content

Participants share the photo and include the hashtags #NiceTravels and #ContestEntry on Instagram, Twitter and its mobile-optimized dedicated site to win various prizes such as cookies and hotel stays. DoubleTree is composing a mosaic of the campaign pictures in the shape of the cookie, which will live on the dedicated campaign site and be continually updated. 

Doubletree will be tracking the campaign through social listening tools and will reward travel areas that are boasting positive sentiment regarding nice travelers and instances of kindness. The travel brand will give away cookies and other gifts in cities that are tracking positively on its social listening tools. 

Hilton Worldwide also inspired travel enthusiasts to realize their fantasy vacations by introducing a mobile-optimized microsite where visitors can create digital vision boards and share them with friends via social media (see more).

Also, the travel brand placed mobile at the center of its 2016 marketing initiatives, which include enhanced digital keyless entry options, its largest-ever campaign with a call-to-action for rewards memberships and a celebrity-supported social media contest, pointing to mobile's potential to build brand across demographics (see more).

"Our goal is to prove that being 'nice' does actually travel," Ms. Giddens said. "The idea behind the campaign is that when a guest stays with DoubleTree by Hilton, 'nice' stays with them, starting with a warm chocolate chip cookie welcome that each guest receives at check-in and continues with the care that is infused throughout their stay by our team members.  

"We want to share a level of 'nice' that resonates with guests that they then want to pass on," she said. "Nice Travels invites people everywhere to pay it forward in their own way, joining the movement to make ?nice? travel."