By now, we all know that reviews impact a traveler's booking decision. Numbers and studies vary, but in general, hoteliers know that not paying attention to ratings, reviews, and opinions of guests will cost them bookings, revenue, and a good reputation.

What was once a TripAdvisor domain has now become an omnipresent form of guests sharing their opinions: on social media, Google, booking platforms, or through a hotel's guest satisfaction survey. The ability to catch and view all reviews that are written across the web is a bigger challenge than ever. One might think: is it still necessary to reply to all of these reviews? The answer is: yes!

The more options we are presented with, the harder it is to make a decision. That doesn't change the fact that guests want to be heard and appreciated. It is part of the psychology of online reviews, or simply the "why" behind submitting a review. Consumers write reviews to be listened to. They share their feedback on their hotel stay to make a difference. Hoteliers need to acknowledge the time that the guest takes and the suggestions he makes and react to it. If the experience was a positive one, consumers also acknowledge the great service or product that they invested in and to help the business succeed further. However, a negative experience can often result in negative reviews, since people feel the need to vent and get an explanation or an apology from the management, as well as to put out a "warning" for future customers.

This is where hotels can still make a difference. But time is a valuable resource, which is why there are online reputation management tools that make replying to reviews as easy as possible. State-of-the-art features such as posting replies directly on some of the largest review sources such as Booking.com and Google are the key to a high response rate. Replying from within the software saves valuable minutes that hoteliers would otherwise spend logging in and out of multiple sites to see where and what guests have reported about their experience on-site. Combining this tool with a survey solution can provide up to 78% coverage of reviews that can be replied to within one tool. According to TrustYou's review source analysis Booking.com is the #1 source for reviews (32%) on a global level, followed shortly by Google (24%), and TrustYou Surveys (23%).

But simply replying isn't enough - it's about what you say. Nothing is worse than the generic "Thank you for your review, we are glad you enjoyed your stay." The key to a successful reply making it personal. The guest took the time to write a review - so the hotelier response should feel as if you've really listened to their opinion. And here's the good news: only 15% of all reviews are negative, so for the most part, it should be a pleasure to interact with your guest's reviews. To make it easier, here are some useful tips for the case of a negative review:

  • Open on a personal note: Let the guest know that you appreciate the feedback, regardless if it's positive or negative and that it is will trigger the process to help you make future improvements.
  • Acknowledge and address the issue: If the guest had a negative experience, address the issue and don't opt for a general, impersonal, and superficial response, even if that's the easiest way to go. This is the time to do a quick introspection, to investigate the problem, and to see if there's a real reason behind the complaint. As long as you take responsibility and try to actually make amends, the guest will appreciate your honesty and effort.
  • Assure the guest that necessary measures will be taken in the future: It is not enough to only take credit for the negative experiences that a guest has had. You have to assure him - directly - and future guests - indirectly - that you will take the necessary measures so that the specific thing that caused the complaint will not happen again.
  • End on a positive note and invite the guest back: The "sandwich approach" is recommended when giving feedback to subordinates, but it is also applicable when replying to reviews. The secret is to start with something positive (thanking the guest), address the negative (taking credit for the issues and trying to solve them ASAP), and go back to the positive, in order to end the reply on a good note.
  • Keep it personal: Make sure to sign off the review with your name and an appropriate way for the guest to contact you. It shows that the hotel is truly interested in ensuring its guests have a great experience.

All in all, it takes some empathy, a bit of structure and some practice to reply to negative reviews in a way that shows concern and helps to solve issues to prevent similar cases from happening. By making sure that hotels take their guests' reviews seriously and replying to them gives them the ultimate two-way advantage for the reputation and for marketing:

  1. Previous guests realize that their feedback has high value to the hotel and they feel appreciated, and will hopefully come back to your hotel
  2. Future guests see that you care for your guests and can assume that they will very likely have a good and personal experience when they book a stay

Ultimately, replying to reviews is still the best outlet to show guests that you care. Doing this on a regular basis and making it a main KPI will help to increase your online reputation and help to get you more bookings.

Über TrustYou

TrustYou optimiert Kommunikations- und Feedback-Prozesse in der heutigen, schnelllebigen Geschäftswelt. Mit dem Bewusstsein für die Bedeutung vereinter Kommunikationskanäle konzentriert sich das Unternehmen darauf, sofortige Antworten über bevorzugte Kundenkanäle bereitzustellen. Das Zuhören von Gästefeedback ist ein wesentlicher Bestandteil, um Kunden zufriedenzustellen, Produkte und Dienstleistungen zu verbessern und die allgemeine Geschäftsstrategie zu optimieren.

Im Mittelpunkt von TrustYou steht die Customer Experience Platform (CXP), eine stabile Lösung, die nahtlose Kundeninteraktion ermöglicht. CXP ermöglicht es Unternehmen:

  • Gästewünsche effektiv zu hören und darauf zu reagieren, um endlose Möglichkeiten zu schaffen.
  • Umfassende Erkenntnisse von verschiedenen Online-Plattformen zu verstehen, um eine informierte Entscheidungsfindung zu ermöglichen.
  • Hotelbewertungen auf Websites und Google zu präsentieren und positives Feedback zur Steigerung der Buchungen zu nutzen.

TrustYou setzt sich dafür ein, es Unternehmen möglich zu machen, Vertrauen aufzubauen, fundierte Entscheidungen zu treffen und in ihren Branchen erfolgreich zu sein. Erfahren Sie mehr über TrustYou und unsere CXP-Plattform unter www.trustyou.com.

Über unsere Plattformen

Customer Experience Platform (CXP): TrustYou's "CXP" (Customer Experience Platform) gewinnt an Bedeutung und bietet essentielle Kundeninformationen auf einen Blick. Diese innovative Lösung liefert handlungsorientierte Informationen, die auf spezifische Bedürfnisse auf Objekt- und Kettenebene zugeschnitten sind und neue Standards in der Branche setzen.

Customer Data Platform (CDP): TrustYou präsentiert stolz die Customer Data Platform (CDP) als Antwort auf die wachsende Nachfrage nach verbesserten datengetriebenen Einblicken und Personalisierung. Diese innovative Lösung sammelt und konsolidiert Kundendaten aus jedem Kundenkontaktpunkt, um einheitliche Kundenprofile zu erstellen und Einblicke in das Kundenverhalten in der gesamten Organisation zu bieten. In einem zweiten Schritt integrert sich CDP mit Best-of-Breed-Marketingzielen wie Mailchimp und Google Ads, um effektive Marketingkampagnen durchzuführen und Direktbuchungen zu erhöhen.

Für weitere Informationen besuchen Sie: www.trustyou.com

Kevin Kitchen
Vice President of Sales & Operations
TrustYou