Can hotels use crowdsourcing?

This morning I was interviewed by a journalist on the subject of crowdsourcing. While it may be outside our usual topics, I think there are some useful applications for the hotel marketer.

First, what is crowdsourcing? From Wikipedia:

Crowdsourcing is…the act of taking a task traditionally performed by an employee or contractor, and outsourcing it to…a large group of people or community in the form of an open call.

Jeff Howe, who coined the term in a 2006 Wired article, gives a simpler soundbite definition:

The application of open source principles to fields outside of software.

Here are some ways hoteliers could use the concept of crowdsourcing:

1. Facilitate content co-creation. Encourage your guests to create their own media of your hotel: photos, videos, and blog posts. Doing this builds brand awareness, and gives you access to great creative content.

2. Create design work. If you need to design a new website or identity package on a shoestring, try sites like 99designs and crowdSPRING. You’ll have more control over the project’s direction, and only pay for results. Unlike working with a single firm, you’ll tap into the creativity of many people.

3. Use social networks as a virtual mastermind group. Connecting with other hoteliers on Twitter and Facebook allows you to share ideas. LinkedIn Answers and Yahoo Answers provides advice from marketing professionals that are facing the same challenges.

Let me ask you: How can you use the principles of crowdsourcing?