The Impact of Reviews on Hotel Bookings – Coaching Your Staff to Stay at the Top
The introduction of technologies in the transportation and communication system has made today’s world a global village, in which one can easily travel to any place they desire. The implementations of online marketing strategies have quite an impact on the tourism and hospitality industry. Hotels can expand their market and reach more customers, those who are more loyal.
Imagine traveling to a place where you have never been before. Apart from what you read online, you have little information about the place. Being a traveler, the only thing you are concerned with is not making a faux pas. The second thing you do is search for the perfect hotel that’s also affordable and offers basic facilities and amenities.
So, what do you do? Click your way to websites like TripAdvisor, Booking.com, and Expedia to read reviews about the hotels. Such websites and social media platforms play a pivotal role in revealing the truth. The different opinions and perspectives of people allow potential customers to tap into a reliable source of information. Based on the ratings, customers set their expectations and planning their trips accordingly.
Think of online reviews as an electronic form of word of mouth (WOM). Since this discussion pertains to online marketing, let’s look into e-WOM. Compared to traditional WOM, e-WOM spreads faster because the information is available to the entire world; this is why hoteliers, their establishment, and the staff need to be on their best behavior.
A Negative Review Can Make or Break a Hotel’s Reputation
A review holds the same value as an announcement made on a loudspeaker in a public space. The voice spreads far and wide, and its impact is instantaneous. How the students choose to react to the voice is based on what is being said. In this scenario, the loud voice is of the customers, and you are the student. As the hotelier, you need to address both positive and negative reviews.
Here’s an example of a positive and negative review left on TripAdvisor for the Four Seasons Hotel in New York:
The review written by J. Steiner is to the point and talks about the service of all the Four Seasons Hotels, telling people that they offer consistent service. The review also tells people that Steiner is a regular traveler and has stayed at multiple Four Seasons Hotels.
The review did not go unnoticed and was soon answered by the General Manager of Four Seasons Hotel in New York.
Now, here’s a negative review posted for the same hotel:
Reply from the General Manager:
The negative review calls out the hotel and attacks its service. Even though the Four Seasons Hotel in New York only has a couple of such scathing reviews, it is still the most preferred place for accommodations. Why? Because it strives to do better after each guest’s feedback.
Let’s dive a little deeper into the mystery of reviews and their influence on hotel bookings:
The Impact of Online Reviews
Did you know that a customer’s intention of booking a hotel is influenced more by negative reviews than positive ones? Positive reviews don’t have any impact on the customer. Features, such as star category, brand image, and moderate pricing, change a customer’s booking intention even if the reviews are negative.
According to a study published in the journal of Tourism Management Perspectives, customers do not pay attention to the positive reviews. They go straight to the negative reviews, and based on them, decide whether the information they have about the hotel matches with the online review and what people say about the brand.
A few years ago, TripAdvisor conducted a study with Ipsos MORI (a market research company) on how online reviews are used and their role in hotel bookings. More than 23,000 TripAdvisor users were polled across 12 markets.
It was revealed that being able to get users’ insights in the form of the reviews they post is one of the biggest reasons why respondents visit TripAdvisor.
70% of the users said that the helpful and descriptive reviews allow them to make an informed decision
62% of the users said that they visit TripAdvisor for the content accuracy
62% said that their primary reason for visiting TripAdvisor is the travel content available on the website
85% of the users who read the reviews said that content on TripAdvisor was accurate and reflected the experience they had at the particular hotel
86% of the users said that they feel more secure and confident when they book a hotel after reading reviews
Based on these findings, you can see that a customer’s perspective has great power and changes a person’s mind when they are booking a hotel.
People Trust People
The study further revealed that the go-to source used by people for information is traveler reviews posted on online platforms. Their decisions extend to places to eat and tourist sites to visit. 81% of the users said that they never book a hotel without reading online reviews. 79% of the users said that the higher the rating of a hotel, the more likely they are to choose it. 52% of them said that they would never book a hotel that had no online reviews.
However, you shouldn’t conclude that a few words in favor of the hotel can change a person’s mind. Service consistency matters too. 78% of the users said they focus on the fresh content that when they read online reviews. 39% said that if a hotel has a few extreme reviews, they ignore them and focus on the positive ones. On average, users on Trip Advisor read nine reviews before booking a hotel.
The reason people write reviews is not to talk about their grievances but share the excellent experience they had at a particular hotel so that other people can benefit from it too.
Importance of Replying to Reviews
According to an infographic created by Repup, reviews are the foundation of a hotel. Here are a couple of statistics that will help you understand why:
Only 32% of hotels respond to reviews left by guests. These hotels are more likely to perform better and increase their revenue and visibility on review sites.
87% of potential customers believe that if a hotel’s management replies appropriately to a negative review, they can improve their brand image.
62% of consumers say that a hotel’s response to a negative review positively impacted hotel bookings.
71% of consumers believe it is important for a hotel’s management to respond to positive and negative reviews.
68% of potential customers said that a reply from the hotel’s management on the review has the power to influence their bookings decision.
How Hotels Should Reply to Reviews
Respond Promptly
Providing a timely response is a huge deal. A customer expects to see a reply on not just their negative review but the positive one too. The faster you reply, the more it will show customers that you deeply care for them. Try to reply to a review within 24 hours.
Thank Them
Whether the review is positive or negative, thank the writer. For example, a customer just wrote a review about your hotel in which he goes into detail explaining how the cleaning crew had missed quite a few spots in the room, and he could see dust everywhere.
Your reply should be along the following lines:
Thank you for writing this review. We are sorry for your subpar experience and would like to chat with you on the matter further. Kindly gives us a call at (Phone Number).
These words make a customer feel appreciated, so don’t shy away from apologizing.
Be Polite and Professional
Never write your review in such a way that you come across as if you are trying to make excuses instead of accepting your mistake. Whether your staff was incompetent or your supervisor didn’t handle the problem properly, the first thing you should do is apologize. Then, politely ask them if they could tell you more about their experience, and, in the end, make sure that they know how to get in touch with you.
Address Complaints
As mentioned earlier, negative reviews are taken more seriously than positive ones. So, make sure your reply does justice to their bad experience.
How Your Staff Can Ask for Reviews
At Check-In
Sometimes, guests need a little push to leave a glowing review, and the start of this is free, high-speed Wi-Fi. When your guests check-in, provide them with the Wi-Fi password and ask them to leave a review before checking out.
Ask the Guests if They Need Anything
A great way to show how dedicated you are to the guests is to ask them if they need anything. No matter how small or big their demand, make sure you fulfill it to the best of your capabilities. For example, if a family wants a kid-friendly breakfast, make it happen. In the end, thank them for the suggestion and let them know that their idea was valuable; this will automatically prompt them not just to write a review but also spread the word about your hotel in their social circle.
Send Them an Email After Check-Out
Your service does not end when a guest has checked out. To make sure they had a wonderful experience, thank them for staying at your hotel and encourage them to choose you again. Next, please send an email with a link to your website where they can leave a review.
Choose the Right Time to Ask Them for a Review
Guests are most happy when they enjoy the morning breakfast, and they get what they like to eat. Your staff can ask them if they need anything and casually drop in that if they want an addition to the buffet, they can make their suggestion by leaving a review.
Final Word
So, now you know how negative reviews can bring down the reputation of your hotel. On the other hand, a positive review goes a long way in convincing many people that your hotel is the right choice for them. Instead of focusing on replying to bad reviews, work more on making your customers happy while they are staying with you. Coach your staff with the above tips, and make sure they know that the customer is king. No matter what they ask for, your staff needs to comply because that’s how you make a lasting impression.
For free Wi-Fi and other high-tech services, visit the website Motion VOIP. We have an expert staff that specializes in making hotels and resorts ready for internet-savvy travelers.