Tips for Managing Online Hotel Reviews: An Interview With TripAdvisor
"We often hear from travelers that how a property responds to criticism has more influence on their booking decision than the criticism itself.”—April Robb, TripAdvisor
Social media is all about managing your hotel’s online reputation, and no platform wields more influence on travel decisions than TripAdvisor. Recently, I interviewed April Robb, TripAdvisor’s Social Media Program Manager, responsible for social media outreach, brand monitoring, and blogger relations. She offered up some great advice to hoteliers for managing online reviews.
What’s new at TripAdvisor?
Hotel reviews are popping up everywhere online, and there appears to be a trend toward sites sharing reviews, like on Google Maps. Where else do TripAdvisor reviews appear?
As the world’s largest travel community, TripAdvisor truly represents the wisdom of the crowds. The sheer volume of reviews we have for an individual property allows travelers to base their decisions on the opinions of many.
What factors affect a property’s ranking in the popularity index?
What steps do you recommend hotels take to increase positive reviews?
Hotels should address any problems that travelers have identified so they don’t impact future guests’ stays – and reviews. They should also think about managing their entire listing, not just the reviews. Make sure the listing is as complete as possible. Travelers love photos and, as of March 1st, owners can upload an unlimited number. They can upload videos, as well. Also, the detail tab on the hotel listing page is a great place to enhance their property description.
What is TripAdvisor’s policy on hotels offering incentives or rewards to guests like upgrades, discounts or amenities for writing a positive review?
Whenever we find out about a property offering an incentive – and we encourage travelers to let us know – we get in touch with them. We determine if they are unaware of our policy, and made an honest mistake, or if there was an attempt to game the system. In the latter case, they are subject to a variety of penalties, and their property is no longer eligible for inclusion in our Travelers’ Choice awards and Top 10 lists. Also, reviews that are shown to have been submitted as part of the incentive program will be further verified and potentially removed.
What can a hotel do if it feels a review is fraudulent or fictitious?
Content integrity is something we take really seriously, and approach in several different ways. First of all, members are asked to check a box when they submit a review in order to certify that the review is their genuine opinion, and that they have no affiliation – business or personal – with the property. By checking the box, they are also confirming that they haven’t been offered an incentive or payment for their review.
What does TripAdvisor do if it suspects a hotel has posted a fictitious review?
We have three primary methods to insure the legitimacy of reviews: submissions are systematically screened by proprietary site tools that are continually upgraded; our team of quality assurance specialists investigates any suspicious content; and our large and passionate community helps screen our reviews and reports anything suspicious. If we determine that a hotel has posted a fake review, that review is removed, the property’s other reviews are investigated, and the property incurs penalties that may impact their popularity ranking. In some cases, a red badge will be posted on their hotel page, alerting travelers that the property’s reviews are suspicious.Do you recommend hotel managers respond to all reviews?
As for positive reviews, we definitely see properties that respond and thank travelers for feedback. I think it goes a long way to creating loyal brand ambassadors.
Daniel Edward Craig is a former hotel general manager turned consultant and the author of the hotel-based Five-Star Mystery series. His articles and blog are considered essential reading for hoteliers, travelers and students alike. Visit or email [email protected].