Luxury is no longer just about where you stay—it’s about where you belong. As TikTok reshapes the way consumers engage with brands, W Hotels saw an opportunity to innovate. The objective of our TikTok presence was to position W Hotels as a pioneer in luxury hospitality by tapping into the platform’s fast-moving, trend-driven ecosystem. Recognizing that the next generation of luxury travelers is highly active on TikTok, we set out to build a presence that wasn’t just aspirational but actively shaped brand perception. By leveraging platform-native storytelling and aligning with consumer sentiment, we sought to increase brand awareness, drive meaningful engagement, and solidify W Hotels as the most engaged luxury brand within Marriott International. Our goal wasn’t just to remain relevant—we aimed to grow relevance, ensuring W Hotels leads the conversation in a digital-first era.
W Hotels' TikTok strategy centered on targeting active consumer sentiment and joining platform-specific conversations. The content was rooted in real-time responses to trends, challenges, and dialogue to keep the brand aligned with TikTok’s fast-evolving culture. Instead of relying on pre-planned campaigns, W Hotels implemented a process for creating timely content that resonated with the platform's users.
The team developed a collaborative structure involving stakeholders from brand, social media, content, public relations, and hotel teams. This included a dedicated monthly budget for opportunistic content, enabling swift responses to emerging trends and topics. Regular TikTok trend monitoring also drove video creation that aligned with user interests while maintaining the brand’s luxury identity. This systematic yet flexible approach allowed W Hotels to consistently produce impactful content.
By prioritizing agility, W Hotels is able to stay ahead of trends, foster a deeper audience connection, and build a dynamic, responsive TikTok presence.
W Hotels became the most engaged luxury brand within Marriott International through its TikTok presence. The brand’s videos generated over 75 million impressions and 11 million engagements, with a focused view rate of nearly 19% (compared to a 9.16% benchmark across the Marriott portfolio). The channel delivered an average engagement rate of 14.6%, far exceeding industry norms, and a CPM of $4.36, the lowest among luxury brands. Shares and saves totaled over 65,000, depicting a powerful audience response to content.
Sentiment-driven content excelled, achieving 15x more shares, 2x more views, and 3x more reach than other videos. Audience comments such as "Give the social media team a raise,” “I claim this energy,” and "You’re so real for this," further demonstrated how the content sparked meaningful connection.
These results solidify W Hotels' ability to lead effectively in the luxury hospitality space on TikTok.