Online guest reviews are more important than ever. In researching hotels, potential customers are proactively seeking information about the experiences of previous guests. Reviews and star ratings on websites like TripAdvisor, Yelp, Google, and Facebook all play an extremely important role in getting new customers to book. The more reviews available, the more trustworthy a hotel will appear.
Today’s traveler arrives well-informed, with a huge 95% reading online reviews before they book their accommodation. Furthermore, younger generations are more communicative than their predecessors, so building a strong online reputation through social proof has never been so important.
Adding to this, a survey by BrightLocal found that 84% percent of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation, and 70% will leave one if a business asks them to.
In terms of the most influential sites, TripAdvisor remains the biggest player in the travel review space, with 500 million reviews and an average 390 million monthly unique visitors. But sites such as Yelp, Google’s own review platform, and Facebook’s expansion into the travel sector are challenging this dominance.
As booking decisions are increasingly driven by peer-to-peer recommendations and social connections, understanding how to encourage reviews across multiple platforms is now vital for all hotels looking to gain a competitive edge.
With that in mind, let’s look at four of the main platforms out there and the opportunities each has to offer.
Facebook has been extremely busy expanding its presence in the travel space of late. Its City Guides and “Places the Locals Go” feature (launched earlier this year) provide new ways for users to get recommendations on hotels, restaurants, activities and tours.
And now, Facebook is branching out with dedicated tools for posting feedback and reviews.
For instance, when guests post a photo of your hotel and tag their location, they’re now asked, “Are you recommending (place)?” with the option of a yes and no answer. Given that these ratings and photos will be posted on-property, offering great service from the get-go is an obvious way to encourage positive feedback.
