How about meeting Fernando Pessoa? A journey into hotel brand anthropomorphism and personality on social media.

This article examines how the Lisboa Pessoa Hotel, a boutique four-star hotel in Lisbon, Portugal, implements brand anthropomorphism (BA) and brand personality (BP) through its social media platforms to enhance guest engagement. Using a qualitative netnographic approach and content analysis of Facebook and Instagram posts, the study finds that while the hotel leverages its association with the poet Fernando Pessoa to build a distinctive brand personality—particularly emphasizing competence, sophistication, and excitement—it underutilizes anthropomorphism strategies that could deepen emotional connections with guests. Guest-generated content and frequent use of emojis contribute to the brand's personality but do not fully humanize the brand or maximize online engagement. The research highlights the potential of BA and BP as marketing strategies in hospitality, especially via social media, and recommends that hotel managers adopt more personalized, first-person communication and digital avatars to strengthen brand-human connections and improve guest interaction.