Maintaining an immaculate Instagram feed has been added to the pressures of modern travel. Social media is now dictating which places are worth visiting, and some travel services have responded accordingly.
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Amsterdam’s Kimpton de Witt Hotel is the latest to announce it is training their front-of-house staff to capture Instagram-ready shots for their guests’ social media.
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The idea is part of a growing trend introduced by Conrad Resort Maldives last October. Guests are offered their very own Instagram ‘Butler’, an expert staff member who acts as a social media tutor during their stay.
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The Butler guides visitors around Rangali’s trails, teaching them Insta-worthy Yoga poses as well as suggesting which camera angles to use and times of the day to shoot.
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“Travellers are visiting certain destinations on the basis that they’ll get a greater response to the content they share online,” says Dr Bynum Boley, Tourism Professor at the University of Georgia.
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These services seem to be filling a gap in the market, after a survey by Schofields Insurance revealed the primary motivation for travel is no longer the availability of cheap alcohol or the chance to experience local cultures.
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The opportunity to take envy-inducing photos to post on social media has, instead, become the first factor travellers consider when booking a holiday.
“We live in an age when people feel compelled to get feedback from others online as a way to validate the importance of their life experiences,” says John Suler, author of Psychology of the Digital Age, a book exploring people’s behaviour online.
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The more impressive a destination can sound to followers, the more likely people are to book a trip there. Even if it implies paying more than £1,000 to have a living ‘wiki-how’ following guests for the remainder of their holidays. After all, if it’s not on the ‘gram, it didn’t happen.
Hotels Introduce Features as Social Media Commands Travel Trends
By Daniela Costa

Hotels are now being equipped with social media savvy staff as Instagram becomes prime motivator for choosing a destination
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