What the best hotel managers know about responding to guest reviews

This is post from our friend Rajul at London Hotels Insight. He gives us some case studies how a couple hotels are doing this well, and I think you’ll get some good ideas here.

–

Hoteliers in London often ask me how to deal with TripAdvisor comments.  A recent survey by TripAdvisor/Market Metrix found that 85% of hotels have no guidelines on how to handle negative guest reviews published online.

To address this issue, I would like to look at London hotels that appear to do this well.  I hope this will encourage others to follow suit, knowing that complaint recovery is one of the best ways to build customer loyalty.

We all love to use TripAdvisor, but it does have faults. Occasionally, people use the site malevolently.

I know one very solid London hotel where someone posted a lot of negative comments when they returned home and asked friends and family (who had of course never stayed at the hotel) to do the same. These negative comments went against the grain of most other reviews in a hotel where I personally know the management to be very diligent.

If the hotel can prove foul play in such cases, management should contact TripAdvisor directly to see if invalid comments can be removed.  TripAdvisor is usually understanding and even-handed in these situations. It’s not about whether a hotel gets complaints but how well – and how personally – it responds to them.

But back to the original question: assuming a negative comment is genuine, how should hotel management respond to it, if at all?

Some hotels put in standard responses – the worst possible solution.

By entering some “blah blah” about how you value their feedback, etc. (without addressing the specific underlying issue) a hotel’s management is simply being arrogant.  It’s better not to bother responding at all.

Other hotels respond to negative comments by thanking the guest (which is a good start) and then mentioning some specific steps they have taken.

Better still, they may actually give ownership of the issue to the hotel department head responsible for that area, who responds in person.

That for me underlines that complaints are a genuine improvement opportunity – if the hotel in question is fundamentally well-run of course.

One hotel that does this well is the Lanesborough.  I admire its management, the staff training, its hi-tech amenities (including free WiFi) and the ethos of transparent pricing which is so unusual in super-luxury hotels.

The Lanesborough takes a diligent, personal approach towards online guest reviews. Whenever a comment appears on TripAdvisor, the relevant department head at the Lanesborough actually follows up on the specific experience that led to the comment.  The response is then personal, written by the person directly responsible and acknowledges the issue raised.

(I encourage you to check some recent TripAdvisor reviews for the Lanesborough yourself)

The Lanesborough is by no means a cheap hotel – in fact it houses one of London’s four most expensive hotel rooms within its distinguished walls. But I’m impressed that it is not too snooty to respond to TripAdvisor reviews (when several of its top-end competitors in London do not seem to bother acknowledging online guest comments at all).

Now, let’s take a look another hotel that goes even further: Threadneedles Hotel in the City, which currently has a very respectable ranking in the top 40 London hotels (and has been rising steadily up the charts).

I love the fact that the hotel’s management is confident enough to admit mistakes and tries engaging with the few guests who complain. They even use phrases like “We are very sorry for the terrible service you experienced…” which is brave and gives them great credibility.

I recall a comment made to me once by the former Hilton CEO.  He candidly said that in a people-driven business like hotels you’re always “missing the target”: it’s all about rectifying the situation superbly when this occurs.

(Here is a link to some recent TripAdvisor comments at Threadneedles Hotel…scroll down to read the “Management Response” section under each)

Unlike many hotels, Threadneedles Hotel addresses its few online guest complaints head-on and with humility. It’s clear that management closely read the complaint, acknowledge any errors and then describe what they’ve done to address it. The focus on “customer recovery” after a complaint is fixed is admirable.

The vast majority of the Threadneedle’s guest reviews are positive.  In those cases too, the hotel’s management will thank the guest and invite him or her to contact them directly if a return visit is planned.

Mr Brian Tapson, who is Assistant General Manager at the hotel, has kindly shared some of the hotel’s internal standards with London Hotels Insight:

* All guest feedback is responded to on a personal level.
* Both positive and negative feedback is addressed within 24 hours.
* Guest feedback helps to continuously shape policies and training.
* All guest reviews are shared with and communicated to staff.

These are simple standards, consistently executed.  I wish more hotels followed this lead: congratulations to the Threadneedles Hotel!

This story originally ran on London Hotels Insight. Thanks to Rajul for posting it here.