Hospitality is no longer an art. It is a science, and reputation management is the proof. Reputation management has become a strategic part of our business efforts, and it is an integral part of our operations, sales and marketing efforts. It is about more than just occasionally responding to complaints; it is about creating guest engagement, increasing credibility and monetizing the interaction.
There are millions of reviews written each day across a myriad of different platforms. The Web has the power to influence one’s decision-making process, and being able to manage our business’ reputation will determine our success or failure. It is also important to understand the different platforms, the role they play in the decision-making process and the tools that have been created to help us manage the overwhelming number of review sites.
A new player
We tend to focus exclusively on TripAdvisor, Yelp and Facebook reviews. While these are important to the industry, Flip.to is taking a new approach to reputation management by engaging future guests in social media conversations. Flip.to allows hoteliers to connect with guests from the moment they make a reservation, and to create a unique experience upon arrival. By connecting with the hotel, guests are able to share with their friends and family about their upcoming trip. Flip.to then creates a custom experience for their social media connections that can help lead to future bookings.
One of the game changers about Flip.to is that it allows us to monetize the social media conversations, an important differentiator given that cost-benefit analysis has been difficult to ascertain for social media efforts. For hoteliers to use reputation management effectively, we need to have a presence on the sites by responding to reviews and reassuring the guests that we are actively listening to their feedback. Sometimes, the guest just wants to be heard and to have a voice; acknowledging the voice can be the best way to promote our properties. But acknowledging the voice and increasing bookings at the same time is a direct benefit to all parties involved.
More than responding
Reputation management is not just about responding to reviews; it is also about how hoteliers work to improve rankings on these sites. Hoteliers must implement a carefully planned strategy and have attainable goals in place.
Aim to improve your score, get your staff involved in improving the score, set small goals and celebrate the achievements as a hotel. This will help lead to better customer service from our team members and better reviews on the sites.
Reputation management is a key to success in the hospitality industry. Ensure that it is a top focus among your team by setting goals and being present on review sites. Whether using Flip.to to engage with guests or developing a strong reputation management philosophy, our guests are listening to each other and their reviews are impacting the success of our hotels.
As President & Founder of hotel management and consulting firm R.A. Rauch & Associates, Robert A. Rauch, CHA, is an internationally acclaimed hotelier with over 35 years of industry experience. Widely recognized as the “Hotel Guru," Rauch expounds upon insights and trends in the hospitality industry in his blog and “Hospitality Innsights” e-newsletter. He has been directly involved in developing several leading brand hotels, some of which the firm still owns and manages, and is a Faculty Associate at Arizona State University, where he teaches Entrepreneurial Recreation and Tourism. Contact him at rauch@hotelguru.com.
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