News for the Hospitality Executive |
Parsippany, N.J.
— July
31, 2012 — In a recent Wall
Street Journal Article
titled "Big
Flaws in Hotel Rankings," it was
said that "influencing reviews and ratings is a time-honored tradition
in
the hotel and restaurant industries." After about five years of
printing
reader letters about hotels in the 1960s, travel-guidebook legend
Arthur
Frommer said he realized that hotels were writing letters about
themselves. "Hotels are so dependent on reviews that of course they
will
generate their own," Frommer said. "They would be crazy not to."
As for online
reviews, which have replaced guidebooks for many travelers, Mr. Frommer
has
disdain. "It's a vast buzzing, blooming confusion."
Lodging
Interactive, headquartered in Parsippany, NJ, is an award winning
leading
provider of Internet Marketing Services to the hospitality, spa and
restaurant
industries. The company provides a portfolio of effective hotel
Internet
marketing services to hundreds of hotels, resorts, ownership
properties, spas
and restaurants. Clients include branded hotels from nearly every major
brand
as well as prestigious, landmark independent hotels. Through its CoMMingle
Social Media Marketing Agency operating
division, the Company offers hospitality focused and fully managed
outsourced
hotel social media marketing customized solutions. Lodging Interactive
is an
award winning interactive marketing agency and has been recognized as a
leader
by the International Academy of Visual Arts, Interactive Media Awards,
Web
Marketing Association and Travel Weekly’s Magellan Awards. Lodging Interactive, an interactive and social media marketing agency exclusively servicing the hospitality industry, has designed a way to remove this "blooming confusion" from the "buzzing," online marketing/social media equation. The company's Guest Review System sits on a hotel's proprietary website and enables travelers to post comments and score their hotel experiences based on service attributes. Hotel managers receive real-time alerts advising when pending guest reviews pop up, eliminating delays in addressing concerns and turning potential problems into new opportunities. "The impact that guest review sites are having today on consumers buying decisions is off the charts -- just look at the rapid growth of TripAdvisor and its competitors Expedia, Priceline, Travelocity, Orbitz and Hotels.com," said DJ Vallauri, Lodging Interactive Founder and President. "The rise in review-site popularity -- and their associated challenges -- has spurred some of the large brands, such as Starwood and Marriott, to migrate the review process to their proprietary websites. This is good for the industry overall. With the brands leading the way, soon hotels of all sizes and across all segments will follow suit, leveling the playing field for hotels worldwide and making the industry more competitive and more in control of their reputations. Hotels that want to jump on the bandwagon but don't know how or where to start, can easily and affordably turn to Lodging Interactive." All that is required for a hotel to get up-and-running is a snippet of code attached to their Website. Once initiated, hotels can immediately begin collecting real-time reviews on their own websites and respond to customer concerns in real time. This empowers hoteliers to interact personally with valued customers. When guests take the time to post their experiences, their time, effort and patronage should be recognized and rewarded with an immediate reply. The Guest Review System alerts management in real time when reviews are posted. This ensures that there are no delays in communication, and the appropriate staff can immediately fix any pending problems before the customer leaves the property. "Third-party review sites do have merit when they make interaction between the reviewer and hotel possible -- but that's not often the case," Vallauri said. "As hotels strive to deliver the ultimate customer service today, adding a proprietary Guest Review System raises the bar for service delivery and gives operators the ability to really sell their hotels. With direct bookings on a continual climb industrywide, adding this service to the hotel's website is the next evolution in website optimization and improved customer relations." As an added benefit of the Guest Review System, travelers are encouraged to share their reviews on Facebook with their network of friends. Hotels are notified in real-time of new guest reviews and have the ability to validate guest stay information before reviews are posted on their website. FREE GRS Trial Lodging Interactive is offering a free trial of its Guest Review System. There is no contract to sign and hotels can cancel anytime. When the trial concludes, hotels can maintain the service for about $60 per month with no long-term agreements and the ability to cancel at any time. For more information on the Lodging Interactive Guest Review System, visit http://www.guestreviewsystem.com. To learn more about how Lodging Interactive can take an active role in managing and monitoring a hotel's Guest Review Process, call 877-291-4411 ext. 701 or visit www.LodgingInteractive.com. About Lodging Interactive Lodging Interactive is a Best Western Endorsed vendor, a proud supporter of the Hotel Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI), and a proud member of the Asian American Hotel Owners Assn. (AAHOA). For more information contact Richard Walsh, Vice President of Business Development at [email protected] or at 877-291-4411. The company’s website is located at www.LodgingInteractive.com |
Contact: Barb Worcester PRpro / Lodging Interactive Tel: (440) 930-5770 [email protected] DJ Vallauri Lodging Interactive Tel: ( 877) 291-4411 ext. 704 [email protected]
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