How to profit from negative hotel reviews
9 Comments
Some hotel operators are afraid of social media because people could say something bad about them. I think you can profit from all hotel reviews – even the negative ones. I say this for two reasons:
1) Less-than-perfect reviews mean there is room for improvement. Be glad you can get this feedback, because otherwise negative word of mouth would be spreading without your knowledge. Now you can take action and remedy the problem.
2) Keep your ideal guests happy by displaying select negative reviews! For example, if you’ve found that guests with young children aren’t the best match for your boutique hotel, post a review from a family that says the hotel was nice – except there weren’t many activities for the kids. This way you do everyone a service: from the family looking for the best hotel to your guests who love quiet.
Would you agree? How else could you profit from negative reviews?
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Macdonald Hotels have enlisted the help of Tripadvisor to encourage Guest Feedback on all of our 40 Hotels.
We find that many people check out without leaveing valueable Feedback about their stay, but when logging on to the internet feel it a realease to place their little niggles / comments about their stay online.
With Tripadvisor publishing both Positive and Negative Comments we find it a great way to have honest replies to the question “Have you enjoyed your stay ? ” and with Tripadvisor giving the oppertunity of a Managerment responce about the comments, does not remove the comment but adds to the guest understanding about certain situations that they may have incurred. Leaving the guest understanding that all comments are valuable to us.
Please review Frimley Hall and Botley Park on Tripadvisor to see what we mean.
Regards
SIR
Twitter MacdonaldHotels
I must admit… bad reviews are typically the best. The glowing ones are boring at best, or irrelevant at least. The negative reviews are what people naturally clue into, and I have to say that is where the management responses shine. Someone complains about noise? Recommend that the prospective guest reading that review ask for a top floor room. Someone remark about bad service in the bar? Let them known, in full transparency, that there were issues, some changes have been made… and you will be excited and surprised to see the changes.
Negative reviews always create excited, honest, and proper commentary…. I have actually gotten ROI from my management response because people were impressed with how they were handled and came straight to me. Pretty cool huh? I guess even bad press can lead to good press. I always thought that was a silly marketing bit… but a good response to a bad review can bring in new reviewers to write better ones down the road!
Cheers, and thanks for the article.
@hhotelconsult
Here is a relevant recent blog post of mine:
http://www.hrabaconsulting.com/blog/2009/03/30/so-which-tripadvisor-reviews-should-you-respond-to/
Michael, you’re right on: people look at the negative reviews first, and that’s a great opportunity for management. I like your ROI example…thanks for sharing.
“Keep your ideal guests happy by displaying select negative reviews!”
I totally agree !
Just like in your example, I found that guests with young children aren’t the best match for your boutique hotel.
And I made this very clear on the homepage of my Mitaroy Goa Hotel website http://www.mitaroygoahotel.com using the best means I could think of doing so…a guest review !
Cheers
Mihir
Dear Josiah,
I agree with what you wrote. Negative comments can be turned positive if the hotel handles them professionally. The public reply should contain both compassion for the complaining guest and clear statements for other guests so that you have a natural “selection” that fits your target group.
However, I do not understand completely what you mean with “post a review from a family that says the hotel was great yet lacked kids activities”? Would you create and post that “review” yourself?
I know this is common practice among hotels yet I have never done this myself nor have others done this in the hotels I worked.
Thanks for your great articles. I really enjoy reading them.
Gaby
Hi Gaby
Welcome to the Hotel Marketing Strategies Blog. Josiah is great, isn’t he ?
I think what Josiah means with “post a review from a family that says the hotel was great yet lacked kids activities” is to use an actual negative guest review about the lack of kids activities and turn it into a positive for that target audience who would rather not want kids around i.e. Couples or Businessmen.
I have done something similar on the homepage of my Mitaroy Goa Hotel website. Check it out…
Cheers
Mihir
That’s right, Mihir – I never encourage people to write their own reviews….but the select “negative” review might help you attract more of your target audience (eg, Couples), and less families, for example.
Exactly, Josiah !
I used a negative review about kids to do exactly that on my Mitaroy Goa Hotel website. Did you see it ?
Also, check out Gaby Feile from Kommboutique. She is very much into communication within the hotels sector and usually has many interesting points to share.
You can follow her at:
http://www.twitter.com/lacommunica and http://www.twitter.com/kommboutique
Cheers
M