There are many ways to manage and improve your hotel’s online reputation.
NB: This is an article from Fuel
The abundance of third-party review sites means that staying on top of it all can be like playing a game of whack-a-mole. The most effective way to encourage positive reviews and prevent negative ones is by providing great hospitality in the first place. As part of that, communication is key.
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In theory, guests can always call down and make requests to your front desk. But for some guests, it takes a little prompting.
SMS marketing offers a variety of unique ways to keep communication flowing. SMS can get you one step ahead to improve your online reputation via:
- Creating strong initial communication with your guests
- Prompting guests to provide feedback and leave reviews
Text messages are an important marketing tool to have under your belt. Read our guide on How to Succeed with SMS Marketing for a general overview on all the ways you can use SMS at your property.
USE SMS FOR BETTER GUEST COMMUNICATION
Use SMS to get in touch with guests prior to their arrival. Send out an automated pre-arrival reminder as well as a welcome text. This can help add a personal touch, and let guests know you’re there for them even before they step in the door.
An automated guest messaging solution like Fuel GMS lets you create ongoing, triggered texts like this one. Once this basic campaign is up and running, you are adding a personalized touch to every visit without any extra work on your behalf.
What’s more, you can easily tailor your automated pre-arrival text to your hotel. For example, remind guests to visit the pool during the summer, or stop by your on-site café for hot chocolate during the winter.
We recommend sending a pre-arrival message the day before, a welcome message once they check-in, a check-out message the day of (reminding them of late check out options), and finally a post-stay survey message. More on that later!
In addition to these messages throughout their journey, consider using SMS marketing for relevant and timely messages. You don’t want to over-communicate, but personalized messages will elevate their stay. For example:
- Hi {{firstname}}! It’s time for happy hour! Stop by the lobby bar for $6 pints, house wine or house spirits
- Hope you’re having a great stay at our Hotel, {{firstname}}… we have a new discounted rate for the Aquarium! Check it out:
- {{firstname}}, Hotel’s pool hours have started! Make the most of it with a poolside drink, here’s our Pool Bar menu:
The first step to soliciting great reviews and avoiding bad ones is to make it clear that you’re there to provide exceptional service. Invest in a messaging service that allows you to communicate with guests while also driving engagement and revenue.
Half of all negative reviews on TripAdvisor are usually due to poor service. Providing more methods of communication with your guests will help you get ahead. In addition to sending out prompts and reminders of what you offer at your hotel, Fuel GMS integrates with services such as Twillio, which allows you to communicate with guests over SMS to further improve service outcomes.
What’s more, using automated messaging can help you provide that special touch when you’re relying on a smaller staff. Rather than having staff reach out, you can let your technology do it for you, while still keeping the message personal and specific.
THE VALUE OF POST-STAY SMS MESSAGING
Text message marketing offers a valuable way to communicate with guests to avoid issues and provide exceptional service. But it’s also an incredibly important tool for post-stay surveys and satisfaction.
In one instance, a Fuel customer was receiving 2.6 surveys per day based on email reminders alone. By adding in a text message prompt, the hotel doubled that to 5 surveys a day. Receiving more feedback helps you understand your guest’s needs.
At the end of a survey with a positive response, you should always be prompting guests to review your property on key sites like Google and TripAdvisor. Increasing survey responses also increases the number of positive responses you can potentially turn into public reviews.
Here’s an example of a post-stay survey SMS prompt. Keep the message brief and make it clear that the survey itself is short.
Prompting guests to review via SMS allows you to meet them where they’re at. It also tells them that the survey is quick and easy to fill out anywhere. An SMS reminder makes it clear they don’t need to sit down at their computer to fill it out – their mobile device is just fine!
According to a study conducted by TrustYou, if the prices are similar between two hotels, guests will choose a hotel with better online reviews. An automated message after a guest has checked out means you can see their feedback before it goes live on a review site. Deal with issues immediately and avoid public back-and-forths with unhappy guests. Meanwhile, guests giving positive feedback should be prompted to share their thoughts online at the end of their survey!
TECHNOLOGY THAT AUTOMATES SMS MARKETING FOR HOTELS
Sending out text messages or SMS to your guests is a key way to provide exceptional service and improve your brand reputation both word of mouth and, of course, online. In order to create these campaigns, you need a Guest Messaging Solution that creates, manages, and sends out these campaigns.
