More than 500 hotel and restaurant reviews span seven million destinations on TripAdvisor. Each month, the site receives 390 million unique visitors who are directly booking hotels. With tremendous online power given to consumers, these independent reviews have the power to greatly enhance or irreparably tarnish reputations.
Guests are more likely to book a hotel that has higher scores, and more reviews equal a stronger reputation if handled correctly. For every percentage point a hotel improves its online rating, its RevPAR increases by 1.4 percent—meaning each and every rating can have a direct impact on your revenue. Furthermore, for every point its reputation improves on a five-point scale, a hotel can raise prices by 11 percent without seeing a decrease in bookings.
It may be tempting to respond to every review or hound guests to visit TripAdvisor. However, the following tips will enhance online reputations and increase revenue while saving time.
Ensure positive reviews
Reviews start the moment a guest walks into the establishment and continue well after they check out. Field queries and/or concerns as soon as possible. Always take the right approach as this will demonstrate the hotel's character with each carefully chosen word. Frequent guests should have their preferences stored so expectations can be exceeded each time. Provide fun props or suggest the best views to take photos to post online, which will become testimonials.
Don’t be too eager
Responding to online reviews is key, but only up to a certain point. According to "Hotel Performance Impact of Socially Engaging with Consumers," a study from Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration, levels of hotel revenue rise when management responds to online reviews. However, returns diminish after a 40 percent response rate. When responding to reviews on TripAdvisor, do so sparingly. Going beyond the 40 percent response rate might have a negative impact on reputation and review scores. Doing too much is just as bad as doing nothing at all. Focus on making responses constructive to the negative rather than responding to the positive.
Encourage guests to post to TripAdvisor
Ask guests to post a review by making the request as visible as possible. Have a tent card in the room or place the request on the dining table when they are enjoying the restaurant/cafeteria. The study from Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration found that hotels perform better regarding price, occupancy and total revenue with a wealth of reviews. 49% of travelers will not make a reservation for a hotel that has zero reviews.
Think Guest Supply
Common guest complaints include a lack of good lighting, cleanliness and poor accommodations. The needs of today’s hotel developers are met with Guest Supply’s comprehensive selection of lighting fixtures, lamps and accessories. Options come standard or can be customized. Clean rooms are also key as guests post pictures of anything they find unsatisfactory. From state-of-the-art vacuum cleaners to eco-conscious laundering, Guest Supply makes sure staff has all the resources needed to pass any white glove test. Explore our full spectrum solutions for hotels at www.guestsupply.com.
Empower the voice of each guest.
