In yesterday’s post I talked about the Klout Perk I was offered for the Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau. Today I wanted to break down every place that we went with a quick comment on the establishment and how social media impacted our decision to visit.
Dinner on Friday at Restaurant Zoe: A newly re-launched Restaurant Zoe had only been open for two weeks at it’s new location. They had an amazing menu and dining experience. If you go you must have the Fresh Ricotta Gnudi, Lamb Sausage, Citrus, Fried Sage small plate.
Why did we go there: Recommended highly on Yelp.
Restaurant Zoe: Chocolate Orbs
Drinks at Red Fin: After a long day we wanted to have a few more drinks close to the out hotel, Red Fin provided that.
Why did we go there: We were offered a few places to stay and ended up choosing Hotel Max. Red Fin is part of their hotel and was recommended before we got to Seattle via Twitter.
Breakfast at Lola: It was a solid breakfast; you have to work hard to screw up breakfast.
Why did we go there: Recommended by a friend via Twitter. We originally were going to go to some places at Pike’s Place for brunch recommended by @SeattleMaven but it was pretty brutal and windy outside.
Gauguin Exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum: What? I am totally cultured. It was very interesting, although it was packed which made getting around the exhibit a little bothersome.
Why did we go there: This was the only stop in the US of this exhibit, it came recommended to us by @SeattleMaven and it was part of our welcome kit. It was great to interact with the @Iheartsam Twitter account when they found out we were going.
Photo by Matt McGee
Pike’s Place: You have to go there when you visit Seattle, right?
Why did we go there: We originally were going to go to brunch at one of the restaurants here based off the recommendations by @SeattleMaven. We ended up walking through after the Gauguin exhibit.
Massage at the Four Seasons: My date wanted a little luxury and relaxation; we got that in spades, with an end of the stay steam and massage.
Why did we go there: While at the Gauguin exhibit someone from the Four Seasons (@FSSeattle) reached out to me via Twitter about having lunch there. I replied asking about their spa and they put us in touch with their spa Twitter account (@SpaExpertsSea).
Dinner at Ray’s Boathouse: An amazing meal but even better service. From the time we arrived to the time we left we were treated with amazing service. It didn’t hurt either that we basically shut down the restaurant sitting around with the staff sampling some of the wine from their dinner service. Every single person we met there was completely nice and fun to talk to. Also they have Bodega Goulart on their wine list, which is one of my favorite wines.
Why did we go there: When we started looking at places to go and tweeted to @SeattleMaven @RaysBoatHouse was one of the first restaurants to proactively talk to us and ask if they could help book anything. They even helped bump back our reservation via Twitter when we were running late from the massage. Ray’s was a perfect example of how proactive outreach leads to an amazing experience.
The Space Needle and the Experience Music Project: The Nirvana exhibit was one of the highlights of the trip. Being a fan of the band growing up and seeing how the Northwest music scene evolved in the late 80s and early 90s was really interesting.
Why did we go there: Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses was highlighted on the 2DaysinSeattle website and it was something that stood out when planning the trip.
Where we stayed: The Hotel Max was our hotel of choice and the staff went above and beyond to make sure we were comfortable. Additionally they were really friendly via Twitter (@hotel_max) to make sure we had a good time. When I return to Seattle again I would without a doubt stay there again.
In looking back over the trip it is amazing to see how much social media impacted just about everything we did. Granted the context around the trip was already based in social media but the people I interacted with helped influence my choices as well as my satisfaction.
Next: What were the results of this campaign personally and for the Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau?