BUILDING LUXURY HOTEL BRAND IMAGE THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING: EVIDENCE FROM W HONGKONG

Abstract

This study examines the role of social media marketing in building the brand image of a luxury hotel, using W Hong Kong as the research context. The study adopts a quantitative approach and applies Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to evaluate the relationship between Social Media Marketing and Brand Image. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire, with 152 valid responses retained after the screening process. Social media marketing was assessed through dimensions such as content attractiveness, informativeness, interactivity, trendiness, and online engagement, while brand image was evaluated through perceptions of luxury, modernity, distinctiveness, reputation, attractiveness, and memorability. The findings indicate that social media marketing plays an important role in shaping consumers’ perceptions of the hotel brand. Visually appealing, informative, interactive, and experience-oriented digital content can strengthen the perception of W Hong Kong as a distinctive and contemporary luxury hotel. The results also suggest that social media should not be viewed merely as a promotional channel, but as an important digital brand-experience platform through which consumers interact with and interpret hotel identity. This study contributes to hospitality marketing literature by highlighting the importance of social media communication in luxury hotel brand-image development. Managerially, the findings suggest that luxury hotels should maintain consistent visual storytelling, interactive communication, authentic customer engagement, and distinctive digital content to reinforce competitive brand positioning.