London UK/Spokane WA – October 2, 2017 – Online reputation has become vitally important across all industries and for those operating in the hospitality sector it’s an essential area to manage. Today when booking a hotel, googling and reading reviews is one of the most common steps travellers will take – it has a huge impact on your bottom line.
Those hotels that fail to manage their online reputation can seriously harm the number of reservations they’re achieving. It’s not an area that you can afford to skip on. The sheer number of holidays and reservations made online should give you an indication of why your digital reputation should be among your top priorities.
If you don’t have a clue about where to start managing your online reputation and how to use it to secure customers, we’ve got the practical tips that you need.
Google your hotel – The first step that you should be taking is to Google yourself. It’ll give you an idea of what potential customers are seeing about your hotel and give you a baseline to build your success from.
Respond to feedback – In might seem like a time-consuming task but it’s one that can have a very positive impact. Review sites like Trip Advisor draw in a huge number of people every day so ranking well is crucial. Where good feedback is left, a simple, professional thank you message will be appreciated. If you’ve received critical feedback it’s crucial that you respond. You don’t want to appear that you’re making excuses but you should directly address any issues outlined, including how you’re going to make improvements.
Encourage reviews – As well as responding to reviews, you want to encourage them. Up to date reviews could tip the scale in your favour if someone is deciding whether to make a booking. It can be as simple as mentioning it when your guests check out or you could offer an incentive to really boost numbers.
Engage on social media – Social media has become a core marketing strategy for hoteliers and is an effective way to build engagement, staying in the minds of potential guests. While you can have a friendly persona on social media platforms it’s typically best to keep it professional, viewing it as an extension of your other customer service aspects.
Refresh your listings – When you come across a listing for any business that’s outdated it can be frustrating and off putting. Regularly go through the online listings for your hotels to ensure it has fresh pictures, data, and more. It’ll show that you’re a business that take a proactive approach.
