In the hotel industry, unhappy guests are a fact of life. They are a part of any general manager’s daily routine and every hotelier is armed with a variety of tactics to deal with them. In the past it was known that one unhappy guest would tell 10 people about their experience. However, in today’s digital age, one unhappy guest can influence thousands of potential customers.
What can a hotel do to avoid the effects of a negative review online? Noted local marketer Mike Blumenthal published: Review Management: 7 Tips on Avoiding Bad Reviews. Here are a few of his tips most applicable for hotels.
1. Follow Up With Customers Immediately After Their Stay
Send a simple email to a guest thanking them for their business and asking them for feedback about their stay. This builds goodwill with the guest and effectively encourages them to contact you with any complaints rather than going directly online.
2. Make The Complaint Process Obvious
When someone is physically in your hotel it is obvious how to lodge a complaint. How about when someone is on your website? There should be a clear and easy place on your website where a guest can register a complaint. Create a simple page with an easy form and add a prominent link on every page of your site. Make it simple for someone to enter a complaint and visible to potential guests that you are interested in guest feedback.
3. Follow Up Quickly and Try To Resolve The Issue
Collecting this feedback is no good unless you follow up. Some of the worst, most passionate, online reviews are from guests who feel that they were wronged and their voice was not heard. You certainly can’t please all of the people all of the time, but following up quickly can take much of the emotion out of their situation and maybe even prevent them from going online with their complaints.
4. Respond Online to Negative Reviews
When negative reviews are posted online it is important to respond. Simply, it shows potential guests that you care. No one expects perfection, and seeing a hotel take the time to address and thoughtfully respond to complaints gives that guest confidence that they will have a good experience at your hotel.
An effective review strategy is a critical part of a hotel’s marketing. These steps will help you avoid negative reviews, improving your presentation to potential guests. To read Mike’s full article visit:
http://blumenthals.com/blog/2011/08/11/review-management-7-tips-on-avoiding-bad-reviews/