Key Takeaways:
1. Positive Reviews = Flag Happiness = More Deals for the Flag and the HMG
One of the primary reasons that HMG operations execs place such high emphasis on reputation/review management is because positive guest scores and reviews ultimately lead to more deals. If an HMG has a reputation for quality service in their hotels, everyone benefits. In the case of a flagged hotel, more franchise agreements are written for the brand and more management agreements are given to the HMG.
2. Property Operators are Busy
Hotel General Managers no longer have the freedom to delegate all tasks. They are working with their teams’ hands on to help run the property. Additionally, they need to be guest facing as much as possible. The more time a GM can spend on the floor ensuring a positive guest experience, the less negative reviews a property will have. This is where their time is best spent versus spending their time responding to reviews reactively.
3. Escalation Effect
What happens if a GM is busy while a scathing negative review, that could potentially escalate into something very damaging to the property, comes in? A hotel’s vendor/partner can quickly be called to help do damage control. Part of a hotel management group’s responsibility is to safeguard the asset on behalf of the owner. A hotels reputation is one of the most crucial components of the asset.
One of the biggest tasks hotel management firms face is managing the reputation of their portfolio properties. And it often requires different policies, processes and people than what might be occurring at the property level…
Reputation management software that monitors and responds to guest reviews makes things easier, but software alone can’t manage a hotel’s reputation.
People do that.
The Property Owner, General Manager, Operations Manager, management company and often an outside vendor drive these efforts.
We asked a few for their advice.
