Frequently when I travel, I check in to hotels and restaurants on Foursquare and send photos of places I find interesting via Instagram and Facebook. I've done this in several hundred places.
Normally nothing happens on the other side. There is no engagement from the hotel or restaurant on Twitter. There is nothing happening on Foursquare. They don't care about instant engagement.
Foursquare done right
When I arrived at The Oberoi Grand in Kalkata (Calcutta), India and checked in via Foursquare, I unlocked a special. Nice. Great real-time connection. The special said: "Extended stay offer: Enjoy a complimentary third night with every two consecutive bights booked at any of our hotels in Agra, Jaipur or Udaipur". It pointed to this link which offered exactly what was promised. (Many such offers point to a generic home page).
Twitter done right
Later I tweeted a photo of the hotel bar and sure enough Oberoi Hotels retweeted me.
Stand out in social media through real-time engagement
Very few hotels and restaurants engage this way. So I found this experience unique and delightful. In a commodity business like hotels (after all there are many options of places to stay), social media can be a great way to stand out. Then people talk about you like I'm doing here.