Online reviews have become a staple of all consumer research, and a trusted resource in the buying decision for nearly everyone.
If you think online reviews get lost in all the Internet noise, think again. Research shows that 91 percent of people regularly or occasionally read online reviews, and 84 percent trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation. And they make that decision quickly: 68 percent form an opinion after reading between one and six online reviews.
For hotels to sustain a profitable revenue stream there are many factors they must maintain. One of those is their online presence and reputation – and the clearest indicator of a hotel’s reputation is often found in online reviews.
Review websites such as TripAdvisor and Yelp can have a significant impact on how travelers choose their accommodation. Most of the time, the general consensus is what people will accept so it’s vital that your hotel has a reputation for quality service and professional standards.
Your hotel’s online reviews can be of huge benefit to your business or a massive detractor, depending on how well you manage them. Customer reviews will appear in many places across the web including on your own website, online travel agents, and social media.
They’re going to be one of the most viewed pieces of content regarding your property, so you need to pay close attention to them.
Consider This:
88% of travelers filter out hotels with an average star rating below three.
Negative reviews can become a huge hinderance toward your bookings, so while it’s important to earn as many positive reviews as possible, it’s also vital that you handle negative reviews promptly, and with grace.
When it comes to negative reviews, the way that you handle the issue with the disgruntles guest is often now in the public eye, and will be reviews by future potential guests. Did you know that:
Let’s talk about some ways to handle any negative reviews your hotel may have received.
Responding to Negative Reviews
1. Thank the guest by name
Even if the negative review is aggressive or hurtful, you should thank the guest for taking the time to give feedback. Take a minute and remember that all feedback is valuable. And, if you handle the situation gracefully, it can mitigate the effects of the bad review in the eyes of your prospective guests.
2. Apologize for the guest’s poor experience
Remember, an apology is not an admission of guilt or wrongdoing. For whatever reason, this guest’s expectations were not met, which is disappointing for anybody. You should express sympathy that his or her experience fell short of expectation while at your property.
When I consult with hoteliers, this is commonly the hardest part. Our pride gets in our way, or we see the situation differently than the guest. Be that as it may, the public can’t see those differing opinions.
3. Don’t point the blame anywhere else.
It can be easy to point out what the guest did, if you feel that they were in the wrong. This is a mistake. Pointing the blame anywhere else eliminates the authenticity of an apology that you can make in the eyes of future guests that are reviewing this exchange.
4. Highlight any changes you have made or intend to make
This is a good opportunity to take the conversation offline to avoid further public conflict. If the situation warrants, “changes you have made or intend to make” can be as simple as inviting the guest to contact you, so you can make it right. Don’t promise any form of compensation online to avoid setting a precedent.
5. Evaluate the need for follow up procedures.
For whatever reason, the guest has an unfavorable experience. So, it’s a good opportunity to put procedures in place to remove and incident like this in the future from another guest. This isn’t something that you need to post publicly in your response, but more of an internal step.
Gaining New Online Reviews
One of the best ways to combat a rare negative review is to earn more positive reviews. If you had one negative review last month, but 25 positive reviews this month, the rare miss might likely be overlooked or understood by future guests. But, if you had one negative review last month and nothing since then, it’s a glaring blotch on your reputation.
There are a ton of ways to gain new reviews on sites like TripAdvisor, Facebook, and Google.
My personal favorite is to follow a guest’s stay with an email thanking them for staying, and asking them to leave you a review. Include quick links to your accounts to minimize the time it takes to leave feedback, and increase the chances that they’ll give you a minute of their time.
Conclusion
What situations have you run into when dealing with negative reviews? And, what steps did you take to overcome the obstacle? Comment below with your thoughts, or tweet to us @aginto.
Online reviews have become a staple of all consumer research, and a trusted resource in the buying decision for nearly everyone.
If you think online reviews get lost in all the Internet noise, think again. Research shows that 91 percent of people regularly or occasionally read online reviews, and 84 percent trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation. And they make that decision quickly: 68 percent form an opinion after reading between one and six online reviews.
For hotels to sustain a profitable revenue stream there are many factors they must maintain. One of those is their online presence and reputation – and the clearest indicator of a hotel’s reputation is often found in online reviews.
Review websites such as TripAdvisor and Yelp can have a significant impact on how travelers choose their accommodation. Most of the time, the general consensus is what people will accept so it’s vital that your hotel has a reputation for quality service and professional standards.
Your hotel’s online reviews can be of huge benefit to your business or a massive detractor, depending on how well you manage them. Customer reviews will appear in many places across the web including on your own website, online travel agents, and social media.
They’re going to be one of the most viewed pieces of content regarding your property, so you need to pay close attention to them.
Consider This:
88% of travelers filter out hotels with an average star rating below three.
Negative reviews can become a huge hinderance toward your bookings, so while it’s important to earn as many positive reviews as possible, it’s also vital that you handle negative reviews promptly, and with grace.
When it comes to negative reviews, the way that you handle the issue with the disgruntles guest is often now in the public eye, and will be reviews by future potential guests. Did you know that:
Let’s talk about some ways to handle any negative reviews your hotel may have received.
Responding to Negative Reviews
1. Thank the guest by name
Even if the negative review is aggressive or hurtful, you should thank the guest for taking the time to give feedback. Take a minute and remember that all feedback is valuable. And, if you handle the situation gracefully, it can mitigate the effects of the bad review in the eyes of your prospective guests.
2. Apologize for the guest’s poor experience
Remember, an apology is not an admission of guilt or wrongdoing. For whatever reason, this guest’s expectations were not met, which is disappointing for anybody. You should express sympathy that his or her experience fell short of expectation while at your property.
When I consult with hoteliers, this is commonly the hardest part. Our pride gets in our way, or we see the situation differently than the guest. Be that as it may, the public can’t see those differing opinions.
3. Don’t point the blame anywhere else.
It can be easy to point out what the guest did, if you feel that they were in the wrong. This is a mistake. Pointing the blame anywhere else eliminates the authenticity of an apology that you can make in the eyes of future guests that are reviewing this exchange.
4. Highlight any changes you have made or intend to make
This is a good opportunity to take the conversation offline to avoid further public conflict. If the situation warrants, “changes you have made or intend to make” can be as simple as inviting the guest to contact you, so you can make it right. Don’t promise any form of compensation online to avoid setting a precedent.
5. Evaluate the need for follow up procedures.
For whatever reason, the guest has an unfavorable experience. So, it’s a good opportunity to put procedures in place to remove and incident like this in the future from another guest. This isn’t something that you need to post publicly in your response, but more of an internal step.
Gaining New Online Reviews
One of the best ways to combat a rare negative review is to earn more positive reviews. If you had one negative review last month, but 25 positive reviews this month, the rare miss might likely be overlooked or understood by future guests. But, if you had one negative review last month and nothing since then, it’s a glaring blotch on your reputation.
There are a ton of ways to gain new reviews on sites like TripAdvisor, Facebook, and Google.
My personal favorite is to follow a guest’s stay with an email thanking them for staying, and asking them to leave you a review. Include quick links to your accounts to minimize the time it takes to leave feedback, and increase the chances that they’ll give you a minute of their time.
Conclusion
What situations have you run into when dealing with negative reviews? And, what steps did you take to overcome the obstacle? Comment below with your thoughts, or tweet to us @aginto.