How Hosts Can Use Clubhouse To Get More Bookings in 2021 🚀

I welcome everybody to another episode of the Brucely podcast, another round table. And tonight, what we are going to be talking about is Clubhouse and how this new app can help you potentially get more direct bookings in 2021.

Having a blast. Gonna get it on the Bruce Lee podcast. Bruce Lee, like Bruce Lee. Cause it's so hard and the tea is loose leaf making up those rhymes. Don't write it, just do it loosely. If you want my respect, you're better, but direct. Here are the words in the podcast. That's what comes next.

All right, everybody, and thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you for joining us. As you can see, we have got three lovely guests with us. We have got Mike on the way. Soon his time zones got a little bit ahead of him, so he's on the way. But for now, what we're going to do is we're just going to say hello to all of our lovely guests on the roundtable. All of the guests that you can see and you can here this evening with us, they have been using Clubhouse in some way, shape or form over the course of the last couple of weeks and months. And what we're going to do is we're just going to have a little chat about the. This app, we're going to have a little chat about how we're all using it. And also as well, we're going to see and just think and just predict how this app is going to potentially change and affect the world of hospitality. So we'll start off with the first guest to my right, to my left. Liam, if you could just do me a massive favor, please. If you could just give. Give everybody a little bit more about you, where you're based in the world and just how, first and foremost, how long you have been on Clubhouse four.

Yeah. So thank you for bringing. So, Mark. So I'm based in Norwich in the uk. The heart of the broads, hence the farmer accent. And I've been on Clubhouse now since the end of December, which feels about two minutes because it's been a whirlwind being on there, but really enjoying it.

Fantastic. And then next to Liam, we have Nicola Hushman from Competa Escape. So, Nicola, can you just give us a little bit of a introduction? And again, how long have you been on the Clubhouse for?

I've been on Clubhouse since the beginning of January. I run Competer Escapes, as you've mentioned, and I've also got a hotel here in the uk.

Thank you very much. And Dina. So, Dina Steele, if you could just please A little bit of an introduction about yourself. And again, how long have you been on on Clubhouse for?

Yeah, so I joined mid January Clubhouse and I'm coming to you from Kona, British Columbia, Canada where we are running some luxury rentals. We're pivoting into that space from just our standard short term rental condo. So we're very excited to launch that this year.

Fantastic.

My name is Mike Chogra and I'm based outside of Boston, Massachusetts. We run a portfolio of 21 short term rentals across four different states, primarily using the management model. I do own some. In this past year we also got into the boutique hotel space where we're acquiring boutique hotels and basically running them like short term rentals. Like we don't have a front desk, it's all contactless, self check in. So really just taking it to the commercial space and we're taking another one on next month. I'm the host of the Short Term Rental Secrets podcast and I have a coaching community.

What is Clubhouse, Liam, if you could answer that. And second, first and secondly, like how have you personally become addicted with the app and how are you, how are you personally using it for your business and for also your learning as well? If you could do that.

Yes, Clubhouse, really, I mean it's the ideal mix between a podcast, an audiobook and a telephone call, really, where you can actually just jump on, get involved in the conversation or whatever the subject is. So I've always liked audiobooks, always loved podcasts and tips to be able to be on a medium where you can jump in and join the subject. It's been really helpful. And to answer your question, I'm using it really in three ways. So the first way is to learn and to find out more. So obviously running serviced accommodation here in Norwich, there's a lot of moving parts to service accommodation and there's loads of experts on Clubhouse at the moment who are happy to share their high level information.

How would you describe Clubhouse to somebody when you're saying and you go, oh, I've been on this thing called Clubhouse, how are you sort of describing it to other hosts when they ask you this question?

I was going to say addiction is a really good word because it is highly addictive and I think it's the actual old school interaction that you don't get on Facebook, you know, when you're messaging people all the time. And Liam picked up on one of the points I would say is that the experts there sharing their knowledge is, it's phenomenal and obviously it's down to you to verify that the expert you're talking to is an expert in there field and not just show blogs.

But so what's your own personal opinion on, on, on the Clubhouse, Dina? Would you say, would you say that it's, would you say that you're, you're using it as a learning curve or are you using it to, to chat to other people? How are you sort of using it?

Oh, I see my screen's frozen there. I, I'm using it mostly for learning. I look at it like it's a mastermind, a free one. I love it. I love stepping into rooms with a lot of big names and little names. I, I, I'm learning so much.

How long have you been on the platform? And again, why do you like it so much? Why, why are you a fan of this app?

Yeah, so I've got on, I think I got on like the last week of December and I absolutely love it. I have not found any other platform like it and I think part of the reason why I like it so much is the Instagrams and the Facebooks and the Twitters. It's all this kind of like 30 second to two minute clips where clubhouse, it's long form content and you can kind of filter out who's real and who's not. Like you can only BS your way through so much on a 2, 3, 4, 24 hour clubhouse where it's just really cool content and you're a host obviously.

And obviously you, as a side thing you are starting to grow a potential coaching program. But how could you see Clubhouse for a hospitality business, hospitality owner, how could you potentially see it to get more bookings?

So I've tried something recently on Clubhouse. I actually tried a giveaway from Sunday, from Valentine's Day. I've actually advertised it in my bio on Clubhouse, talked about it in the rooms that we're giving a two night stay away which we drew tonight actually. So we got a lucky winner for that and just I think that hosts could use it as another form of promotion. I mean it's one of those things where I've tried that just to get some more eyes on the business page. But really the thing that people would get more excited about I think is that experience kind of stays.

What would you say would be the most important thing for everybody to do when they get started on, on Clubhouse? And if for anybody who is watching this live and they are needing an invite, we do have some people in this room who will be able to help you get started. And uh, but we'll talk about that later on. So, Mike, so the first thing you do, you, you, you get your clubhouse account. You, you open it up. What would be the first thing that, that you would be doing? And, and how would you give anybody some advice?

So the first thing is I would make sure that my Instagram profile is optimized. So for I would have either a link tree or their direct link on my Instagram bio to my property website. Even if you don't have a website, have, you know, a link to Airbnb or VRBooking.com, whatever it is, so that it's linking to your properties.

When you first loaded up the app and you were playing around with it, what was some of the first things that you, that you did? Did you optimize your Instagram? Did you notice that more people were coming to checking out your Instagram? Or, or did you, did you sort of have a little play around? Like what would be the advice Again, same question to you, really, what advice would you be giving to somebody who now would be starting for the first time, say today or tomorrow?

I would optimize my clubhouse profile 100%. I noticed right away my personal. I was looking kind of snooping and perving on other people was a blank profile or just like two sentences took me nowhere even if they had an Instagram link. So it was funny. I suffer from insomnia. So one night I was lying in bed and just checking out all the bigger names on there and what they were doing with their profile and call to actions website, link to your Instagram, tell them to talk, you know, reach.

Out on Instagram live links in your bio. That will actually work. So if somebody goes to my clubhouse bio, I'd want them to be able to click on a link to go to my website or a link tree or whatever, similar to Instagram. Because I think they're. To your point, they're definitely boosting Instagram, which is great for Instagram. I don't think that they're affiliated at all. So, you know, if they had the messenger function and like a link tree thing, I think a lot less people would leave Clubhouse. It would be all integrated. And it's probably just doing it in phases. I mean, you have to master one thing and build the whole infrastructure. I'm not a techie, but on the, the chat function inside of a room, I think when that does come up, the reason I like that it's not there now is because it definitely minimizes the troll effect.

Whoa. Having a blast. Gonna get it. On the Bruce Lee podcast. Bruce Lee like Bruce Lee Cuz it's so hard and the tea is loose leaf Making up those rhymes don't write it, just do it loosely.