2. WHO ARE WE?
#Lofthostel
#sustainablity
#loftfeelings
#everydaymoments
#lifeatloft
Posts: Ideally 1 everyday, minimum 1 per week.
Time of posts: The best time is 13:00, however use
personal judgement
Avoid: Politics, steriotyping, advertsing (think is this
interesting to yourself and would you want to read
this)?
Remember: Who we are, our personality (Fresh,
Friendly, Confident and Honest), does this add value to
our followers?, #´s.
Posts: Ideally every 2nd or 3rd day, minimum 1 every 2 weeks.
Time of posts: The best time is 15:00, however use
personal judgement.
Avoid: Too many posts of the balcony, Ensure the picture
are clear and not offensive. Ask yourself, would you want to
see this on your own instagram account.
Remeber: #´s, to post these pictures on our Facebook as well.
The 6 Social Media Questions
1. Is this news worthy?
2. Can I apply a picture / video to
this post?
3. Is this better suited for my own
Facebook / Instagram?
4. Does this add value to our
followers?
5. Is this our Tone of Voice, (is this
Lofts´personalit? Fresh, Friendly,
Confident & Honest)?
6. Is this news worthy?
3. WHO ARE WE?
Like any commercial organisation, we are competing.
We’re competing to be the best hostels, have the best
staff and atmosphere. So, we need to be clear about
what makes us different from other hostels and
accommodation types, importantly, we need to be able
to communicate this.
So...
We communicate in three ways; the way we look, the
way we sound and the way we behave. As well as our
visual identity, which includes our logo, colours and
typography, our verbal identity is a crucial part of who
we are and how we connect with people, be it guests,
groups, outside tourists, Icelanders, suppliers or
business partners. It comprises our tone of voice, our
stories and our names. We’ll take a look at each of these
over the following pages.
Consistency is everything
The more consistent we are, the more likely it is that
people will understand what makes us special. The way
we express ourselves has to be joined up and consistent
so that people admire, respect and, crucially, trust us.
It’s no good saying we’re friendly if our language and
actions are anything but. So we need a strong verbal
identity that we all understand and know how to use.
4. OUR TONE OF VOICE
Our tone of voice is the way in which we write and speak,
what we say and how we say it. Like a person, what we say
is dictated by our principles, experiences and aspirations,
how we say it is informed by our personality.
There has been a rigorous process to define our unique
qualities. We’ve distilled these into a vision, big idea,
values and personality for the different hostels and HI
Iceland.
5. OUR VISION
What’s a vision?
A vison captures your overall direction in
life, where you’re heading, where you want
to be in the future. It’s your big, stretch
goal.
TO PROVIDE HOSTELS OR OTHER
ACCOMMODATION, WHICH PROMOTES THE
EDUCATION OF ALL YOUNG PEOPLE BY
ENCOURAGING IN THEM A GREATER
KNOWLEDGE, LOVE AND CARE OF THE
COUNTRYSIDE AND AN APPRECIATION OF
THE CULTURAL VALUES OF TOWNS AND
CITIES IN ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD,
WHILE NOT DISCRIMINATING RACE OR
FINANCIAL MEANS.
Our vision...
6. OUR BIG IDEA
What’s a big idea?
A big idea is your reason for being. It’s why
you’re on the planet. It’s what’s different about
you, distilled down into one short sentence
that’s easy to understand and remember. It’s
your one-line sales pitch.
WE PROVOKE A
COLLABORATIVE
APPROACH TO
SUSTAINABLE
TOURISM TO MAKE
A POSITIVE IMPACT
ON INDIVIDUALS
AND ON SOCIETY.
How does our big idea sound?
If we break our big idea down into separate elements
and explain what we mean by each of these, it’s much
easier to see how to bring it to life in the way we write
and speak. Think of scenarios where this happens and
bring them into life where it’s relevant and useful.
We - we work together as a team, in the same direction
towards the same goals. There’s a supportive culture
here, which gets the best out of everyone.
provoke - we actively provoke new and different ways
of thinking and doing things. We stimulate thought and
challenge and push to make it happen.
a collaborative approach - we collaborate with each
other, cooperating between hostels and departments
as well as external organisations and people to create
exciting ventures and to break new ground.
to sustainable tourism – We operate in a sustainable
manner ensuring all our activities and policies focus on
the three pillars of sustainability, social, environmental
and economic. We further pass this knowledge onto
our guests and wider community.
to make a positive impact - we believe passionately
that our role is to bring about significant change for
good. It is part of our ethos and we achieve this
through our policies and mutually beneficial activities.
on individuals – Our hostels are designed
and run to bring forth an exciting
environment that explores creativity, to
enable knowledge and freedom to come
seamlessly.
and society – Our efforts towards
sustainability has a direct and positive
impact on the society and the world at
large. Our not-for-profit business model,
allows us to give back to the community
and stay focused towards our vision.
7. OUR VALUES
What are values?
These are beliefs that you hold dear and would stick
to no matter what, even if it cost you money. Just
like a person.
Our values
SUSTAINABILITY
INCLUSIVITY
LEARNING &
UNDERSTANDING
INCLUSIVITY
Our commitment to facilitate and promote travel
through the provisions of a quality accomodation
network.
What we mean
That our accomodation is available to all, it is safe
an affordable and that it respects differences and
diversity of others.
SUSTAINABILITY
The commitmentment to act in a socially,
environmentally and economically ressponsible
manner.
What we mean
It is our effort to reduce the carbon footprint of the HI
network, to become finiancially sustainable hostels
with the assured quality and standards that we wish to
uphold with the HI name. Developing and participate in
social and cultural programs that strengthen social
sustainability.
LEARNING &
UNDERSTANDING
Our commitment to facilitate and support
learning and understanding.
What we mean
That we can give guests an experience of diverse
cultures, people and places in their travels. That
there is a promotion and push towards
responsible travelling and that we support
education outside the classroom. Operating as
part of rather than apart from the community.
8. OUR PERSONALITY
What’s a personality?
Your personality traits inform how you express yourself,
how you do things.
FRESH
FRIENDLY
HONEST
CONFIDENT
We are...
Fresh
What we mean
Clean, creative, cheerful, bright, new,
openminded
What we don‘t mean
Dull, unimaginative, stale,
How does `fresh´ sound
we talk in a manner that is inviting and new,
we try and give a new perspective on things.
It is about making the new things familiar
and familiar things new (Samuel Johnson).
We avoid saying or doing things in a certain
manner just because that is how they have
always been done. We xplore the creativity.
We are...
Friendly
What we mean
Inclusive, welcoming, responsive,
supportive, warm, down-to-earth, flexable,
helpful, personable
What we don‘t mean
Rude, Impatient, cold, distant, no focus,
snobbish.
How does `friendly´ sound
We talk in a down-to-earth tone and avoid
using over formal language or ambiguity.
We’re direct and honest. We connect with
people in a human way and are inclusive and
warm. People often talk about the welcome
and support they get at Loft Hostel. We’re
quick to respond and help to make things
happen (big and small). We’re in touch and
relevant.
9. OUR PERSONALITY
We are...
Confident
What we mean
Accomplished, self aware , we celebrate
success, we take pride in what we do
What we don‘t mean
Arrogant, over-promising, self-important.
How does `confident´ sound
We’d all like to be a little more confident. So
let us recognise our achievements and
individuality as a Hostel. This isn’t about
being arogant but doing justice to the
people and work here. We need to take
pride, acknowledge our hard work, whether
this be in our endless effort to recycle or our
amazing housekeeping and service etc. If we
ourselves are proud and confident in what
we do, others will be as well.
We are...
Honest
What we mean
truthful, authentic, trustworthy
What we don‘t mean
Hipocritical, inaccurate, misleading,
untrustworthy, excuses, dogmatism, lieing
How does `honest´ sound
Being honest and coming accross as honest
is key to our brand and sustainability of the
hostel. A good way to remember to come
across as honest is by the following
accronym HAIL.
H- honesty, be clear and straight
A – authentisity, be yourself
I – integrity, be your word
L – love, wish them well
Being honest is not about truthfully telling
everything you see and think. Some things
are best left inside your head. Rather being
honest is about expressing the good but
being truthful to that.
