A Comparative Study of Communication Management Strategies on Social Media in the Hotel Industry in Spain in Times of COVID-19

Abstract

settingsOrder Article Reprints Open AccessArticle A Comparative Study of Communication Management Strategies on Social Media in the Hotel Industry in Spain in Times of COVID-19 by Antonio Baraybar-Fernández 1ORCID,Sandro Arrufat-Martín 1,2ORCID andRainer Rubira-García 1,*ORCID 1 Departamento de Comunicación Audiovisual y Publicidad, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28942 Madrid, Spain 2 Facultad de Empresa y Comunicación, Universidad Internacional de La Rioja, 26006 Logroño, Spain * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Adm. Sci. 2023, 13(11), 240; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci13110240 Received: 12 September 2023 / Revised: 20 October 2023 / Accepted: 2 November 2023 / Published: 8 November 2023 Downloadkeyboard_arrow_down Versions Notes Abstract The aim of the study is to analyze the communication management strategies of the top 40 hotel companies, in terms of turnover, using their corporate accounts on social networks during the Easter holiday campaign in 2021 and 2022. By using apps such as “Data Analytics” and “Content Analytics” from Welovroi, a comparative, quantitative and qualitative study, using content and discourse analysis, was designed. The comparative study seeks to identify possible changes and offers data on activity, impact and the published content. The results reveal a considerable difference—both quantitative and qualitative—from one period to the other in terms of behavior and networking on social media of the brands studied. Despite the increase in publications from 2021 to 2022, the level of engagement falls, the frequency of publications and content varies and, in addition, the importance of Instagram and Facebook, as networks which generate more interaction with the public, can be noted. The conclusions reached may also serve to improve the management of social media communication for hotel companies.