Hotel News: The luxury hotel company Ritz-Carlton has embraced social media by being amongst a growing group of luxury brands joining Twitter. In a Q&A session with the Los Angeles Times, Simon Cooper, COO of Ritz-Carlton revealed why he has decided to join Twitter.

When asked about the reputation of the Ritz hotel chain as having a reputation for hosting wealthy, older guests who may not Twitter, Cooper revealed:

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"I can honestly say it would be hard to categorize a Ritz-Carlton guest of today by age or personal wealth. We enjoy the patronage of loyal customers who have stayed with us for decades, but also see a vast number of younger guests who enjoy stunning environments and superior quality of service, and others who choose to celebrate very special occasions in their lives with us, such as weddings, honeymoons and anniversaries.

"The evolution of the Ritz-Carlton brand has been an interesting exercise in growing a luxury market, shifting the design approach of our hotels significantly and breaking down perceived stiffness. But also helping to contribute considerably to our shifting customer mix is a phenomenal growth rate. At the time we are speaking, there are 72 Ritz-Carlton hotels; a further 30 projects are now underway throughout the world. What does this mean?

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"The demographics of our guests are multi-generational, multi-national, and multi-cultural and social networking is the new tipping point for the formulation of opinion for them all. Sites such as Twitter and Facebook give us the platform to engage in transparent conversation with millions of people."

Through his 'tweets,' Mr. Cooper allows potential guests and those interested in luxury travel and inside glimpse into trends in luxury travel, from Ritz-Carlton locations around the world.

For JustLuxe Carly Zinderman