Ways To Save Your Hotel’s Reputation After A Bad Review

Whether you love them or hate them, online reviews do get read. They have a significant influence on a customer’s booking decision, which means hoteliers need to take notice, and most importantly, they need to take action. Today, more than ever, travelers are basing their travel decisions on what they read on review sites like TripAdvisor and Yelp. More often than not, customers will make their decision whether to book with you or another hotel solely from reading online reviews. Customers may be so convinced as to what these reviewers have to say about your hotel that they won’t even bother to visit your hotel’s website. Others will directly search for your hotel and go to the website to look for what they need. From there, the research continues, and the consumer will visit reviews sites to figure out what the reality of the stay is from a guests’ perspective. Some consumers have the belief that websites may not come off as truthful or accurate. They believe the actual hotel experience might be different because of all the hype and marketing fluff on the site. The reality is, hotels are not the only ones who have control of their brand image anymore. OTAs, review sites, and travel metasearch engines like Kayak and Trivago, as well as reviewers, all have control of your hotel’s brand image, especially in the online sphere. Studies have shown that more people tend to leave reviews if they’ve had a bad experience than a good one. That being the case, it is crucial to follow these tips to save your hotel’s reputation after a bad review.

Don’t Allow a Bad Review to Define Your Hotel

No matter how good of the customer service you provide or how great your amenities are, hoteliers, at one time or another, will encounter guest complaints. Dirty sheets, plumbing problems, bed bugs, or an encounter with a rude staff member. Guests will find something to complain about, and they may even broadcast these problems with the rest of the online world. In that case, hoteliers need to be prepared to defend themselves, especially if the reviewer leaves a false claim. It is not enough to monitor what is being said about your property. Hotel management must respond to these negative reviews promptly. There are plenty of review sites that allow hoteliers to respond to discussions like TripAdvisor and Yelp, so take advantage of this opportunity and comment back!  Appropriate responses should include a sincere apology, a promise to address the problem, and a brief exclamation as to how you intend to fix the problem and make their next stay more pleasant. Make sure to respond on time. This shows that guest feedback is valuable to you and that you value customer service. By acknowledging and addressing the review, a frustrated guest can often be converted into a loyal customer.

Save Yourself the Embarrassment

Leave a management response letting the reviewer know that you intend to correct the issue. Then make sure that you follow through with any promises made and fix the problem. Create a game plan with your staff and take the necessary steps to resolve the issue. Take these negative reviews as constructive criticism to help you improve your hotel’s services. Generally, with online reviews, a reader has to see the same complaints over and over for him/her to be convinced it’s true. That said, if you fix the problem after one review, you shouldn’t hear the same complaints from future guests. Don’t let the bad reviews pile up, or else you will always have to defend yourself. Make sure to reassure the reviewer and potential guests reading the ‘bad’ analysis that the issue will be resolved. It is also a good idea to give details as to how you and your staff deal with the matter. Remember to take the initiative and be proactive by training staff, making appropriate renovations, and fixing any recurring problems.

In the end, it’s all about the guest

Like with any customer service, the truth of the matter is that the guest is always right. Make an effort to win guest loyalty back. Take these guest reviews as an opportunity to reevaluate the issues that they bring up to strengthen your property’s amenities and services and to ultimately enhance the guest experience. Let your responses be a way to express your desire for them to stay at the hotel again. Go even further by offering a special deal on their next stay at the hotel. Remember, guest experience and loyalty is vital. Create a pleasant experience for your guests while selling your property truthfully. Keep your guests happy. By doing so, expect them to come back and refer friends to stay at your hotel.