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. . GMs � How User Generated Review Sites Can Make you a Better Manager! . |
September 2007
User generated review sites are the ultimate mystery shopping experience � only they are free! This is the guest speaking directly to you and the staff � this is better than a comment card. It is easy to be critical of the review sites just as the industry has had a love/hate relationship with the online travel agencies. It all began with Trip Advisor that engendered the same reaction from many hoteliers as the online travel agencies did when they first arrived � platforms that many loved to hate. Neither Trip Advisor, the online travel agencies or Web 2.0 are going away � they will only become more dominant in how our customers find us, research us and ultimately select their travel and hotel arrangements. If one has followed the studies beginning primarily at the beginning of the year, they confirm this trend. In a recent survey, Yahoo Travel found that 61 percent of people now go online for vacation recommendations. In addition, the study suggested that a property�s reviews replaced price as the deciding factor in hotel selection. Travelers are no longer just searching for a hotel based on price; they are now making decisions based on user reviews, user ratings and photos. The line between review sites and Online Travel Agencies is now totally blurred � review sites are becoming OTAs and the OTAs are (and have been for a while) user generated review sites! The industry just didn�t pay a lot of attention to the reviews on Travelocity, et al, until Trip Advisor came to the conclusion that since people were selecting hotels based on the reviews, it may as well let them book hotels while they were there. How can user generated reviews make you a better GM?
At Carol Verret and Associates we are leading by example. Stay tuned for the Hotel Sales Blog coming in early September � we want to engage in a conversation with you about your hotel sales training issues. We will also be featuring seminars and web casts that deal with how you can use Web 2.0 to your advantage. Carol Verret And Associates Consulting and Training offers training services and consulting in the areas of sales, revenue management and customer service primarily but not exclusively to the hospitality industry. To find out more about the company click on www.carolverret.com. To contact Carol send her an email at [email protected] or she can be reached by cell phone (303) 618-4065. copyright © Carol Verret, 2002-2003 -2004 -2005 - 2006 - 2007 |
Carol Verret 5910 S. University #C-18, PMB 374 Greenwood Village, CO 80121 Telephone: (303) 618-4065 [email protected] Web Site: http://www.carolverret.com/ Email: [email protected] |