Centralizing Comms with The Social Hub

The Social Hub is a rapidly expanding hybrid hospitality company based in Amsterdam, providing a dynamic experience for hotel guests, students, and extended stay visitors. With a mission to foster community and connectivity, The Social Hub offers more than just accommodation; it includes co-working spaces, meeting facilities, and various dining options. Currently operating 18 hotels, the company plans further expansion into cities like Porto, Rome, Florence, Lisbon, and Turin. With around 1,250 employees across support hubs in Amsterdam and Barcelona and operations, The Social Hub is committed to delivering exceptional service and memorable experiences to its diverse clientele.

During its rebranding from The Student Hotel to The Social Hub, the company decided to adopt a new communication platform. This move aimed to align internal communications with the rebranding effort to ensure employee buy-in and success.

They meticulously evaluated three vendors, ultimately choosing Staffbase for its adaptability to branding needs and user-friendly interface. Staffbase's professionalism and support further solidified its selection.

The implementation journey commenced with thorough training sessions, ensuring that stakeholders were equipped to leverage Staffbase effectively. A clear project plan facilitated a systematic rollout, focusing initially on communication and activation before progressing to information portal construction.

To drive user adoption, The Social Hub employed activation campaigns, competitions, and incentives, fostering engagement and reinforcing the platform's value. These efforts included activities such as a launch week competition for the first team to fully sign up on the platform, daily online quests with prizes, and a poetry competition encouraging employees to share their favourite city on the social feed.

The Staffbase app and intranet were crucial in communicating The Social Hub's rebranding and consolidating updates on system mergers, email changes, and PR developments. Company leadership also played a pivotal role in articulating the narrative of the rebranding, kicking off the process with a company-wide meeting conducted by the board, explaining the reasons for the rebrand and celebrating the change.

This ensured clarity and alignment among employees, fostering a smooth transition and buy-in from all levels of the organization.

Having a platform that supported user-generated content was a significant win for The Social Hub during the rebranding. Updates and photos from hotels filled the social feed, fostering community and excitement.

Actively involving leaders in posting updates and ensuring platform visibility drove widespread participation and engagement. This strategy fostered a sense of community and showcased the enthusiasm surrounding the milestone.

Implementing Staffbase has fostered shared ownership among team members, enhancing collaboration in sharing news and managing platform channels. It's played a pivotal role in nurturing company culture by promoting unity and connection among employees, which is crucial as the company expands globally.

Initiatives like the All Stars program significantly boosted team morale and engagement, reinforcing the platform's role as the heart of The Social Hub's culture. With a commendable 65% activity rate and a remarkable 91% registration rate, it's evident that the platform effectively fosters engagement and preserves the organization's unique culture across regions.