Each year, review websites have more and more influence on how people make booking decisions. According to Travel Weekly, guests are also finding online reviews to be more credible than before. Online reviews have a definite impact on how travelers see hotels online and where they decide to stay.
On TripAdvisor, the competition can be tough. One study showed that hotels ranked #1 get 56% more direct bookings than hotels ranked #40 in the same city. Here are the ways that you can improve the TripAdvisor ranking for your hotel:
- Receive more high-quality, recent reviews
- Improve on what you have – don’t start over
- Listen and respond to online reviews
Improve TripAdvisor Ranking with More Reviews
In 2018, TripAdvisor rolled out a new algorithm that changed the ranking of many hotels. According to TripAdvisor, there are three main influences on ranking: quality, quantity, and recency.
Quality refers to the overall “bubble” rating; a hotel with mostly 5-bubble ratings will rank higher than one with mostly 4-bubble ratings. Quantity is the number of reviews you’ve received. According to TripAdvisor, they need enough reviews “to provide statistical significance” to allow comparison to other businesses. Generally, statistical significance can be found when you have at least 30 data points. The more reviews you receive, the better.
Recency means that more recent reviews are given more weight than older reviews on TripAdvisor. While older reviews still contribute to a hotel’s bubble rating, they have much less importance than newer reviews. That said, the 2018 update included a new aspect that influences ranking: consistency of reviews over time. Because of this, we recommend that hoteliers resist the urge to start with a clean slate and instead proactively manage their reputation going forward.
Think Twice Before Starting Over
When a hotel is sold, changes flags, or undergoes extensive renovations, it is possible to start over on TripAdvisor. With an application process, the account will be wiped clean of reviews, ready for the hotel to start over. However, with the added TripAdvisor factor of performance over time, starting clean may not be the best course of action. Here’s an example:
