Do you read your Hotel’s reviews on Trip Advisor?
10. Jul, 2009
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The explosion of consumer generated content on the web means that more than ever hoteliers should monitor their brand online and respond to reviews and forum posts accordingly. Statistics show that over 24 million consumers are reviewing hotels on Trip Advisor every month! Here is a little advice on making Trip Advisor and other hotel review sites work for you rather than against you.
Many hoteliers feel animosity towards Trip Advisor believing it to be a breeding ground for disgruntled ex employees or competitors writing bogus negative reviews. In truth these types of occurrences are few and far between and Trip Advisor has put measures in place to ensure the validity of the reviews that are placed on the website. One measure is to show users previous reviews by the same reviewer making it easier to gauge a real review against a fake one.
Hoteliers must accept that Trip Advisor is not going anywhere, it is time to engage with the website and work the system. In doing this you ensure that you are aware of what your guests are saying about you, responding publicly to these comments and therefore interacting with your online community. You can upload images, factual information about your hotel and upload new content. If you feel you wish to respond to a review, write a “management response” this could be an explanation, a correction or if appropriate, a compliment to a reviewer. It enables you to give your side of the story as well as give your potential guests confidence because you are demonstrating that you care enough to monitor what your customers say about you. A well crafted management response can go a long way.
Some hoteliers have been caught trying to cheat Trip Advisor and write their own reviews however there is monitoring practices in place to detect this activity. If you really want to positively influence your hotel’s ratings do it the best way possible – truthfully! You may send Trip Advisor any missing articles and reviews on your hotel, why not ask your guests to write a review? If a guest leaving the hotel drops a complimentary comment your way ask them to share this on Trip Advisor. Over time this activity will add up to a profile on Trip Advisor that reflects your hotel fairly.
Don’t bury your head in the sand, your guests deserve better! Use Trip Advisor to your advantage. The power of online reviews should not be underestimated – good reviews mean more reservations.
About GlobRes
GlobRes provides the best hotel central reservation systems and hotel Internet marketing services for hotels around the world. Connecting hotels with their guests through increased exposure via all channels including GDS, IDS, Digital Marketing and the hotel’s own website. GlobRes operates a fully serviced support centre, offering assistance to hotels in English, Italian, German, Spanish and French. Complete our online contact form for more information.
My name is Muzi Mohale a full-time travel blogger, your host at Travelwires.com responsible for all editorial on this blog. I blog about the travel and tourism industry in Africa. Apart from blogging about tourism, I also run 
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