Who’s seen the viral video of the Four Seasons baby? (Me!) The video starts with a mom asking, “Who wants to go to the Four Seasons Orlando?” And the baby, hands raised, emphatically answers, “Me!” The internet went crazy over the “fully conscious” baby who, although just a year old, seemed to speak with clarity and showed a level of consciousness much more advanced than most babies her age.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Four Seasons Baby (@thebossbabykate)

 

The Four Seasons swooped right in, taking advantage of the publicity to invite the family for a complimentary stay at the sprawling 26-acre resort.

Although the video was completely organic, it served as a lesson in how authenticity can maximize exposure and positively influence brand sentiment—even for legacy brands like the Four Seasons. And needless to say, the company took notes.

Their campaign strategies began to evolve, going from polished ads to controlled authenticity. Curated content depicting luxury travel experiences now serves as the mainstay of the company’s global marketing strategies. In this post, I break down how the Four Seasons seamlessly weaves top-tier creators into their aspirational marketing strategy.

 

The Need to Balance Authenticity with Strategic Curation

The Four Seasons is globally recognized as the gold standard of luxury hospitality, with their primary target audience being high-net-worth individuals. Think: affluent leisure travelers or top-tier business executives.

Aligning with this brand image, the company leans on aspirational marketing to draw in an exclusive customer base who can afford luxury travel.

At one point, this meant polished ads showing the highly personalized experiences guests can enjoy when they stay at one of their hotels. For instance, their 2022 “Luxury Is Our Love Language” campaign depicted Four Seasons staff going above and beyond to add a guest’s personal logo to everything from his robe to his steak.

 

 

Now in the age of authenticity and influencer marketing, companies like the Four Seasons feel the need to catch up. Traditional advertising and polished campaigns no longer have the same impact they once had. People are looking for real stories from real people, as brand-generated content gradually loses credibility.

At the same time, they still need to maintain the aspirational image that draws in luxury travelers. A campaign that attracts the “ordinary” traveler means the Four Seasons loses its target audience and its standing in the high-end hospitality industry.

In the process, the company also loses its existing clientele. This is where they need to strike the perfect balance between authenticity and content curation.

While influencers are still a large part of the company’s marketing strategy, partnerships are exclusive to top-tier creators who closely align with the company’s luxury image. And creator content is carefully curated to make sure it fits the aspirational positioning.

The goal isn’t to attract every traveler, unlike many hospitality companies. Instead, it’s to present the Four Seasons hotels and resorts as destinations that people should aspire to stay in.

 

The Four Seasons Strategy: A Breakdown

So how does the Four Seasons work with top-tier creators? And how do they use curated content to strengthen their brand messaging?

Let’s break down the strategy so you can replicate it for your luxury travel marketing.

 

Selecting Top-Tier Creators Who Align with Brand Narrative

The Four Seasons clientele consists of wealthy individuals. It doesn’t matter whether they’re vacationing or on a two-day business trip; wealthy people want to be associated with other wealthy people.

That’s exactly why influencer selection is so vital for the success of the company’s campaigns. They don’t partner with just any travel influencer because backpackers and adventure travelers aren’t looking to stay in the Four Seasons.

Instead, they focus on creators who fit the image of their exclusive clientele, creators who evoke a luxurious lifestyle through their content (regardless of whether said lifestyle is subtle or prominent). In other words, the company partners with creators who fit the image of the typical Four Seasons guest.

 

This includes creators like Nea Arentzen, a Brooklyn-based recipe developer whose comforting Swedish recipes have earned her a significant social media following. Although the creator’s content doesn’t immediately scream luxury, she subtly exhibits a lavish lifestyle through indulgent food and travel experiences.

So her content and image align perfectly with the Four Seasons brand narrative. The company invited the influencer to bake in the new Greenwich Suite of their New York Downtown location.

She showed glimpses of the hotel room as she baked a berry Chantilly cake. Combined with a soothing instrumental background music, the content managed to capture the luxurious experience of baking in the suite’s swanky kitchen facilities. This naturally left the audience in awe. One user even asked, “Can we do a staycation next?”

Previous partnerships have also included influencers like Lexi Stephens, whose content revolves around wine tastings and luxury travel experiences. So a partnership with the Four Seasons Napa Valley was apt since it’s the only 5-star resort in wine country with a winery and a Michelin-star restaurant on site.

The influencer described her experience of staying in one of the resort’s luxurious suites and enjoying a bespoke culinary event—experiences that one would only expect from high-end resorts like the Four Seasons.

With Lexi’s audience base made up of people who also enjoy wine tastings, they were instantly sold. One commenter stated that it’s “definitely on (their) list,” while another mentioned that she’d “love to spend a weekend there.”

Curating Creator Content to Maintain Luxury Positioning

The Four Seasons doesn’t just partner with top-tier creators and call it a day. They make sure to carefully curate content that strengthens their luxury positioning.

This involves content that accurately highlights the experience of staying at one of their hotels. From Reels that show guests enjoying a lavish breakfast spread to carousel posts that focus on the scenery and the high-end amenities, the company showcases a curated experience that aligns with their messaging.

They use curated content to position their hotels and resorts as the premier destination for luxury travelers.

The following Reel, created by luxury lifestyle and parenting influencer Rosalynn Daniels, is an excellent example. She documented her vacation routine while staying in the Four Seasons Napa Valley in a video titled “Tales of a Black Mom in Suburbia (Vacation Edition).” She seamlessly incorporated the resort’s amenities into the routine—whether it’s the premium coffee machine or the impressive breakfast.

Many of her followers were swayed, with one commenter thanking her and saying, “Four Seasons Napa Valley is officially on my list because of you.”

This type of curated content is consistently visible across the company’s influencer partnerships. For example, the company continues to partner with the Four Seasons baby and her family. And even their content helps to maintain the same luxury positioning.

In one sponsored video, a staff member at the Four Seasons Hampshire closely caters to the baby as she enjoys breakfast at a table laden with fresh fruits and pastries. He helps her with the napkin and gently drizzles some honey over her pancake, highlighting the level of care and dedication with which the hotel staff treats guests.

Balancing Exclusivity with Platform-Native Storytelling

While the bespoke amenities and exceptional service are central to the success of Four Seasons properties, the sense of exclusivity is what truly sets the company apart from other high-end luxury hotels. They cultivate an exclusive clientele of elite guests for whom staying at their properties is a statement that seamlessly aligns with their lavish lifestyles.

The company has long maintained an aspirational image of the hotel that only a select few can afford to stay in.

So there’s a high risk of over-commercialization when using social media content to promote their properties. This presents a unique challenge of avoiding platform-native content styles and trends that get visibility in the algorithm but don’t necessarily align with the company’s image.

The Four Seasons balances this need by modeling their influencer partnerships after the same sense of exclusivity that’s associated with their guest book. They partner with the best of the best, the top-tier creators who closely align with their narrative.

Additionally, these creators strategically weave in platform-native storytelling in a style that reflects the company’s high-end standards.

So they still create Reels but are selective of the formats and trends they incorporate. For example, the following Reel by Steve Gonzalez shows snippets of his visit to the Four Seasons Philadelphia. The scene quickly shifts from his arrival in a Tesla to the hallway to the elevator to the room and then to the lounge and restaurants—all while jazz plays in the background (Herbie Mann, no less).

The influencer’s content perfectly balances Instagram-native content trends without falling into the trap of making the experience feel generic.

Alternatively, you can see influencers Aki and Koichi, known for their unique sense of style and matching couple outfits, incorporating fun content trends into their sponsored video for Four Seasons Tamarindo. Each scene captures glimpses of the hotel’s amenities and surroundings.

Using Content Tracking to Ensure Consistency Across Markets

The thing about influencer marketing is, there’s no guarantee. You can do everything right yet still end up with a flop. Influencers can make mistakes, and their content won’t always land with the audience.

What matters is that you stay on top of every piece of content influencers create for your campaign. This is the key to making sure that you’re publishing the right types of content and getting the desired response. It also helps you maintain consistency across all your partnerships.

The Four Seasons knows this. And since they have multiple properties across hundreds of regions, it’s all the more important to ensure consistency across all those markets.

This means maintaining the same luxury positioning, regardless of which property is involved in the campaign. You can market luxury wine tastings in Napa Valley, but if another location is trying to attract partying Spring Breakers, it could create a misaligned brand image.

The company closely tracks influencer content across all markets to ensure that it accurately reflects their positioning.

Platforms like Influencity simplify the process with a centralized content tracking dashboard. You can add influencers to track and automatically collect live engagement data from their content. The dashboard even tracks the performance of ephemeral content like Stories, making it easy to look back on the data even after they expire.

With one place to see every influencer content in your campaign, you can effortlessly check to see if they meet the quality standards and align with your brand’s messaging. This is particularly useful for companies like the Four Seasons, which are in a unique position to ensure a consistent brand presence across hundreds of markets.

Perfecting Curated Content with Top-Tier Creators

While authenticity is the new currency in modern influencer marketing, many companies face the challenge of maintaining a high-end positioning that often clashes with it. This is why they need to strike the perfect balance with controlled curation.

They need to work with top-tier creators who align with the brand’s exclusive image. They also need to ensure that influencer content matches the luxury positioning –all while using platform-native styles that drive visibility and engagement.

Take lessons from the Four Seasons to strategically curate content for your luxury travel business.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is curated content in influencer marketing?

Curated content in influencer marketing refers to influencer-generated content that’s been strategically created and/or shared by the brand in alignment with specific goals and brand narratives.

What is an example of curated content?

An example of curated content is a resort posting influencer-generated Reels highlighting their new villa accommodations to their Instagram account.

Why do you need curated content in influencer marketing?

Curated content allows brands to carefully balance authenticity with consistent positioning. It ensures that influencers create authentic content around specific goals and messaging. For example, the Four Seasons hotel uses strategic curation to maintain their luxury positioning without losing authenticity.

What is aspirational marketing?

Aspirational marketing is a strategy where brands connect their products or services with an idealized lifestyle or identity. It involves creating a sense of exclusivity to tap into the psychology of consumers and sell them a “dream” of what they should aspire to get.