By Willem
van Rossem
July 2010
The proliferation of web 2.0 or user generates content (UGC)
websites like Trip Advisor, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc. have
empowered your
guests to share their opinion about your hotel at the speed of thought
and in
front of millions of prospective guests. Travel review websites and
social
media platforms are also becoming more credible sources of research for
potential guests. It’s not only your guests who are sharing their
opinion
online. Travel bloggers and self-proclaimed travel experts are writing
about
your hotel without you even knowing about it. Travelers trust other
travelers.
Online reviews are immediate, in real time and considered to be
truthful.
According to the OTX study done on behalf of Google, 41% of
people surveyed make leisure travel plans and 50% make business travel
plans
according to the reviews they read. Netizens also consult friends on
Facebook
and Twitter before making reservations. The
overall rating of your hotel in the various review sites and
reservation
portals has a direct impact on your sales. According to Expedia, a high
guest
satisfaction rating doubles the conversion rate of guest inquiries.
Here’s a checklist of how you need to listen in on all
that’s being written about your hotel online and how to react to it.
This is
what online reputation management (ORM) is all about and it will make
or break
your hotel’s presence on the web. This will directly impact sales and
guest
loyalty.
- Monitor:
It is imperative to monitor the
web to know what’s being said about your hotel, as quickly as possible.
With
advanced search tools and specialist ORM companies, this is
possible. Just as your guests have
been empowered to broadcast their opinion online, you have also got the
capability to listen in to what they are saying. Constant monitoring of
the
entire web including websites, blogs, video & photo sharing sites
and
social media platforms is required.
- Analyze:
The online mentions which are
found while monitoring the web must be analyzed according to
pre-defined
criterion which makes it possible to derive the hotels online
reputation
status. The mentions must be classified according to key parameters
such as
sentiment, demographics of the guest, area of operations (Rooms,
F&B
etc.), reputation of the source website etc.
- Act: Take
your guest feedback seriously
and take action. If you get consistently comments on bad coffee, you
want to
consider changing brands. If your front desk staff is complemented
various
times, show the reviews to your team and thank them for a job well
done. It´s a
great instrument for employee recognition. Your guest might be giving
you great
opportunities to increase sales with extra services, menu features etc.
And use
positive guest feedback as a marketing piece, by putting it on your
website and
other promotional literature.
- Respond:
Now that you have listened,
analyzed what has been said about your hotel on the web, it’s time to
take set
things right. A response strategy is critical to managing your
reputation
online. According to Trip Advisor 85% hotels do not have a review
response
strategy in place. Review sites and social media sites have given your
guests
an online megaphone to air their feedback about your hotel. If you
don’t engage
and respond, it a matter of time before your business starts taking a
nose
dive. However, responding for the sake of responding is not effective.
There
needs to be a clear cut response strategy which takes into account what
should
be responded to, by whom and in what manner. Your response shows that
you are
proactive about managing your online reputation and strive to answer
guest
grievances even when they are not put directly to you. It shows you
care about
your guests. The responses also pose as influencers for future visitors
who
would have otherwise been influenced solely by the guest or media
review/opinion. Responding to guest concerns puts your hotel in a
favorable
light. And it improves the likelihood for guests to return and to
recommend by
20%, according to a study of MetroMix. Specialist ORM agencies can help
hotels
in defining their response strategy and also managing it on their
behalf.
However, critical responses to negative reviews and feedback must come
directly
from the hotel staff. Many a times we come across inaccurate media
reviews and
articles which need to be promptly responded to as they inadvertently
spread
wrong information to a high quality audience. And most importantly,
these new
technologies allow you to engage with your guests in a very personal
way.
Online reputation management is a great instrument for you
to better understand your guest and their needs and perceptions. It
also allows
you to engage and connect with them in new and exciting ways. Online
reviews
form a vast source of market research and mystery guest reports that
you can
use freely to improve your services, guest satisfaction and sales. Your
guests
are working for you online. Take advantage of it. However, it
makes your hotel, it´s service
level and your actions and responses more transparent to current and
potential
guests. With the recent World Cup Soccer in mind, the ball is in your
court
now. It´s up to you to make the winning goal that makes both
guests and the
hotel true winners.
About the author: Willem van Rossem is Managing Director of
GUESTCONNECTION, a consulting company
dedicated to boosting service excellence and online reputation for the
hospitality industry. Solutions provided
include guest generated content analysis, SEO, social media engagement
strategies, training and on-site consulting. With over ten years of
international experience in hotel operations with Disney and Leading
Hotels of
the World, training, quality assurance and consulting, Mr. van Rossem
has
become a specialist in service excellence, guest loyalty and
employee performance. If you
would like to optimize your hotel operations and income, please contact
Willem
at [email protected]. |