Hotel Reviews: Why They Mean A Lot

If there is one thing that can be extremely damaging to any hotel, it is negative reviews.

This is especially the case when you consider the fact that the vast majority of people search for reviews before they book a hotel or cottage. If your Trip Advisor business listing is suffering because of this, read on to discover more.

Managing your reputation is one of the most important aspects of hotel marketing and Airbnb management too, whether you have romantic hotels, hostels, or any other type. You can have the most stunning hotel website design, you can post to your social media accounts regularly and you can invest heavily in search engine optimization, but if the Internet is flooded with negative reviews then your business is going to suffer.

Considering the fact that Trip Advisor boasts more than 700 million opinions and is the go-to solution for reviews, you can see why this is where the main focal point of your efforts needs to be. Trip Advisor has a free program called Review Express, which allows you to send follow-up emails to past guests to encourage them to leave favorable reviews. You should take advantage of this, as it will improve the number of reviews on your hotel and increase your Trip Advisor ranking. Remember, no reviews can be just as damaging as bad ones.

Aside from this, you need to invest in reputation management software and services to ensure you are on top of your performance and rectify any problems so that no more bad reviews are posted.

Improving your Trip Advisor listing

Did you know that hotel guests read an average of six to 12 reviews before they make a booking? Not only this, but hotels ranked number one on Trip Advisor benefit from 56 percent more direct bookings than those that are ranked number 40. So, how can you improve your presence on Trip Advisor and market your business more effectively? The first thing you need to do is to have a hotel distribution strategy and ensure you have an engaging business listing, which will include your website and your contact information. By doing this, you will be able to promote your hotel to a huge audience.

One of the key features of Trip Advisor you should be taking advantage of is the instant booking option, as this allows customers to book a hotel reservation directly on Trip Advisor, saving them time and hassle and ensuring more bookings for you. Finally, one of the most important parts of Trip Advisor hotel marketing is ensuring your reviews are positive. As mentioned, Trip Advisor offers a free Review Express program, making it easy for you to request previous guests to leave glowing reviews about your business.

No matter whether you run a hotel or you have a property on Airbnb, use the advice above to master Trip Advisor.