Waiting for guests to maybe, possibly leave your hotel a review is the strategy of yesterday.
NB: This is an article from Travel Media Group
Hoteliers are learning the importance of being proactive in this new digital age. A reactive approach to reputation management puts hoteliers in a position of less power. Take the power back and put yourself ahead of your competition by encouraging your guests to leave reviews.
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How to Cultivate Reviews
As a hotelier, you want as many positive reviews as you can get, and as few negative reviews as possible. By being proactive, you can help manage these different types of reviews. The best way to do this is by encouraging your guests to leave reviews at every touchpoint during their stay.
You can have signs at the front desk or cards in each room that ask guests to give you their opinion. In addition, front desk staff can remind guests during check-in and check-out. You can even reach out after guests leave your property with a post-stay email to encourage them to give feedback on their stay.
What to Do With Negative Feedback
Once you receive any negative feedback, the work is just beginning. It’s important to find out what the issue was and rectify it if possible. Sometimes the problem will be solved by a polite and apologetic response, other times you may need to offer the guest a refund, discount, or something to that effect.
Additionally, you should analyze what issues the guest had and make changes to improve the future guest experience. If the feedback mentions the room was dirty, talk to housekeeping and remind them of the hotel’s cleaning policies. If the guest complained about the breakfast options, perhaps their expectations weren’t met. In that case, you should set expectations by making your breakfast options more available so guests can see what you have to offer.
Staying On Top of Reviews
Hoteliers are busy and reviews can pile up if you’re not careful. Letting reviews go unanswered is not a good look for your hotel and can impact your ability to attract new guests. With the current staffing shortage, it’s increasingly difficult to find the time or manpower to respond to reviews. So what can hoteliers do? Outsource review response. By allowing experts to handle review responses, hoteliers don’t have to worry about forgetting to respond or leaving an unprofessional response to a negative review in the heat of the moment.
