Online hotel reputation battle continues

At World Travel Market's seminar “Reputation, Reputation, Reputation - How to manage and respond to what is being said about your hotel online,” hoteliers were warned to ignore their online reputation at their own peril.

Chairperson Pamela Carvell, VP of the Hotel Marketing Association, introduced the topic by emphasizing that “10 billon dollars per annum of the travel business is being influenced by consumer-generated content.

“Word of mouth is now both global and immediate, which presents a major challenge for anyone working anywhere in hospitality,” she said.

Carvell highlighted a World Travel Market report in which, of 1,000 holiday travel planners, 36% took advice from social media sites before making a reservation. Of those, 66% consulted TripAdvisor, 24% YouTube and 17% Twitter. Carvell, and indeed the other panellists, thought other evidence would indicate figures to be much higher.

“What is very, very interesting for us all is that 35% of social media users then changed their intended hotel as a result of their research,” she said.

The way in which potential guests choose and book a hotel has changed beyond recognition and it’s clear social media is playing a huge role.

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TripAdvisor urges hoteliers to challenge user reviews

At the company's first master class event in London, TripAdvisor said not enough hoteliers are challenging negative reviews made online by customers. By responding to negative reviews, you are showing great customer service. It shows you care about your customers and are more likely to look after them when they stay.

At a seminar on Social Revolution, TripAdvisor senior director of display sales Martin Verdon-Roe urged hotel owners to actively engage with customers through its site. Two-thirds of the responses on the site’s management response tool, launched last year, are responses to four or five-star reviews.

Verdon-Roe said: “It’s hoteliers thanking customers for positive reviews and not challenging negative reviews. By writing these responses you are showing great customer service. It shows you care about your customers and are more likely to look after them when they stay.”

He also suggested hoteliers talk directly to customers to resolve issues raised in reviews, but also said users would not necessarily believe “overly positive or negative” reviews.

Get the full story at Travel Weekly UK