• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, December 3, 2014

All that time you thought was wasted on social media may actually pay off. If you’re super-popular on Facebook or Instagram you can stay at a luxury hotel for free, courtesy of the new “Social Network as Currency” promotion from the Nordic Light Hotel in Stockholm, Sweden.

Under the terms of the promotion, guests can receive discounts on their room, which would normally cost $365 per night, calculated according to the number of social media followers they have. Guests with 100,000 Instagram followers or Facebook fans, or 2,000 Facebook friends, can earn a 100% discount on a room. 1,500 Facebook friends or 15,000 Instagram followers will get you a 15% discount, 1,000 Facebook friends or 10,000 Instagram followers gets you 10%, and 500 Facebook friends or 5,000 Instagram followers gets you 5%.

To qualify for the discount, guests must like the hotel’s Facebook page, then post messages on their own social media profiles when they make the reservation, at check-in, and check-out; all these messages must include links to the hotel’s Web site and Facebook page and the #nordiclighthotel hashtag, and guests must tag themselves at check-in and check-out as well.

As noted in some previous posts, this year has already seen a number of promotions from hospitality providers trying to exploit guests’ social media networks.

A new hotel booking and comparison Web site, Hotelied.com, is offering customers discounted rates based on how many online social connections they have; customers can get up to 50% off the normal rate.

In August-October of this year Hilton ran a promotion called “Our Stage, Your Story,” encouraging guests to post a cool travel photo to Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, with the hashtag #HiltonStory. Each week Hilton selected one winner to get a free weekend at any one of 550 Hiltons around the world.

Radisson Blu, a specialty brand of the hospitality chain, held a contest called “Social Eyes,” which will reward travelers who share inside travel tips on the Radisson Blu blog about destinations where Radisson Blu hotels are located. Each week the traveler with the best tip earned a free room night at any Radisson Blu hotel worldwide.

In May Marriott launched a new “PlusPoints” loyalty program, which awards redeemable points for social media activity including retweeting posts from the Marriott Rewards Twitter account, following hotels’ Twitter and Instagram accounts, checking in on Facebook, or posting photos of a Marriott stay on Instagram, among others. And Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants has created a new “Kimpton Karma Rewards” program will give guests perks and freebies for a variety of activities, including mentioning a Kimpton hotel or restaurant on social media.