Hilton Uses Social Listening to Showcase ‘Superior’ Stays

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Travelers are bound to experience at least one vacation nightmare—but Hilton is trying to change that.

The hotel chain launched a three-part social media series called “Hilton Saved My Stay,” starring real travelers whose vacation stays were less than enjoyable.

Hilton’s social media team took to platforms like TikTok and Instagram to gain insight from real travelers on their recent vacation experiences. The brand used social listening to mine travelers’ vacation horror stories—from weird Airbnb hosts to tiny home rentals that were just too tiny—and saved their trips with a stay at a Hilton.

The effort aims to gain the attention of Gen Z and new audiences as consumers prepare to book their summer trips.

“This campaign is designed to demonstrate how a Hilton stay is superior and why it matters where you stay,” Dan Reynolds, Hilton’s svp of global content, media, and partnerships, told ADWEEK.

Created in partnership with TBWA\Chiat\Day NY, “Hilton Saved My Stay” is a part of Hilton’s “For the Stay” global brand platform. Launched in 2022, it aims to emphasize a hotel stay as “the crucial element that can make or break any trip.”

Reynolds said that “Hilton Saved My Stay” was specifically designed to attract “Zillennials,” or people born on the cusp of Millennial and Gen Z.

The first video, “Close Quarters,” details a couple’s awkward home-share experience and has already reached 6.97 million views and over 37,700 engagements across TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, according to the exec.

The new campaign expands Hilton’s social media push, which has become an important part of its marketing mix in recent years. Reynolds said the brand uses specific channels like TikTok to attract younger consumers that it may not speak to as frequently.

In 2023, Hilton launched a 10-minute TikTok ad starring Paris Hilton—granddaughter of founder Conrad Hilton, with whom the brand frequently partners—earning 4 million views within its first two days online.

Hilton hotels also works with creators like British F1 driver Lando Norris to gain product feedback and help tell its story.

“We’re actively mining the existing stays for new stories and thinking about new formats and new ways to bring those narratives to life,” said Reynolds.