“Everything You Do Is Reputation Management” (A Tnooz-TripAdvisor Webinar Summary)

I want to keep the majority of articles we publish here focused on case studies, but today I’ll make an exception. This morning, I participated in a webinar with Tnooz and TripAdvisor about the future of reputation management.

Adele Gutman of HK Hotels told the story of how she obtained what other marketing executives only dream about – putting all four of her properties in the top four positions of TripAdvisor’s New York hotel ranking. By obsessively focusing on creating a remarkable experience for guests – and viewing service as marketing – she now earns more than 50% of revenue through direct website bookings. A few good quotes:

• “Reputation creates demand.”
• “Everything you do is reputation management: from hiring and training staff to the type of linens you order for the guest rooms.”
• “Imagine the reviews you want, and then become the hotel that inspires them.”

Brian Payea of TripAdvisor shared some fascinating data related to how consumers view management responses to reviews. According to Forrester research commissioned by TripAdvisor:

• When considering two properties, travelers say the presence of management responses would sway 68% in their favor
• 79% say a management response to a bad review reassures them
• 78% say a management response to a good review makes them think highly of the hotel

And then I presented some ideas on how to generate more direct bookings with reviews and user-generated content:

For a more complete summary of the event, keep your eyes on the Tnooz and ReviewPro blogs….