The Reviews are the Powerhouse of the 21st Century for Hotels

The reputation of your hotel or guesthouse holds much greater power than promoting your own brand.

Building a name for yourself in a world dominated by big brands is challenging. As an independent hotel, you can’t rely on a prestigious name or a chain to help you succeed. You can only rely on yourself and your audience. It’s crucial to thoroughly understand the entire journey your guest will take, from start to finish, and recognize how you can accompany them along the way. Pay attention to every opportunity, no matter how small it may seem.

The Advantage of Smaller Hotels

Smaller hotels have the unique advantage of being closer to their guests. This proximity allows you to create a unique style, whether it’s in design, family tradition, local specialties, cuisine, premium amenities, or loyalty programs. Unlike larger chains, you don’t have to spread your budget across multiple establishments. Instead, you can maximize the potential of your small hotel. Strive to consistently stand out positively and provide personal care to guests. Offering an original concept will boost your ratings, leading to more publicity, increased bookings, and higher revenue.

Leveraging Guest Feedback

To meet guest needs and exceed their expectations, ensuring their stay is perfect, it’s essential to gather feedback. Reviews and ratings from your guests can help reveal what sets your hotel apart. While you may know your hotel’s most appealing features, your perspective might be subjective. Guests might see things differently, making their opinions invaluable. Asking for feedback will help you understand how guests perceive your hotel, what they like, and what improvements they would appreciate.

The Value of a Good Reputation

A good reputation is priceless, regardless of the type of accommodation you provide. We’ve all heard of businesses that failed due to a tarnished reputation. The best way to gather positive reviews is to offer a quality product and ensure the hotel meets guests’ standards and expectations. This involves verifying your online reputation, understanding what guests like or dislike, promoting your strengths, and improving areas that need attention.

Managing Online Reviews

Managing your online reputation can be challenging with numerous platforms like TripAdvisor, Booking.com, and Yelp. There are ways to simplify this process and consolidate reviews, mentions, and social media posts in one place. Platforms for review management can help monitor all sources where guests might leave reviews for your hotel.

Requesting and Utilizing Feedback

Requesting feedback can be as simple as sending an email a day or two after the guest’s stay ends or asking for a review while they wait for the final bill at the reception. Using an electronic satisfaction survey tailored to highlight your hotel’s strong points can redirect guest attention where desired. Customize the survey according to current needs and request feedback on specific areas, such as breakfast quality, to understand guest satisfaction levels.

By highlighting your hotel’s strongest features in the survey, the review content will showcase what you want potential guests to know. Genuine feedback on every aspect of the hotel is crucial, including neutral and negative opinions, as they highlight areas for improvement and future enhancements. Short and simple questions in surveys tend to yield better responses.

In the hospitality industry, leveraging guest feedback is essential for enhancing the guest experience, building a strong reputation, and standing out in a competitive market. By focusing on quality service, actively managing online reviews, and utilizing guest feedback effectively, smaller hotels can successfully compete with larger chains and foster guest loyalty.