GLOBAL REPORT—Hoteliers understand the importance of being transparent on their websites, according to sources, and they are moving beyond posting user-generated content from TripAdvisor. Hoteliers are finding ways to take the control in-house to create a more authentic image to guests.
Choice Hotels International in February launched an online system for guests to post verified reviews. Unlike some third-party online review sites, guests posting on Choice’s website are asked to input their booking confirmation number to verify they have stayed at the hotel they’re reviewing.
Robert McDowell, senior VP of global distribution for Choice, said the guest reviews are published within 24 to 72 hours after they are filtered for profanity and employees’ names. Choice has hired a third-party company to moderate the reviews and hotelier responses.
“We have a loyal following, especially through our loyalty program, which helps us populate those reviews. We do think we’ll get some non-loyal guests as well,” he said. “But we also understand that TripAdvisor will continue to grow with the people that they have as well. We don’t think we’re in competition; we’re just looking at a different customer segment that’s going to be leaving reviews on our site.”
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has had a system in place for verified guest reviews since 2011, and the company in December announced the addition of user-generated photos from Instagram to be housed on properties’ websites.
“When we noticed how many great photos our guests were taking at Starwood properties and uploading to Instagram each month, we wanted to give them an easier way to share their photos more widely in a rich catalogue,” said Abbey Reider, director of global social strategy at Starwood Hotels. “It also provides prospective guests a glimpse into the unique characteristics and amenities of our properties while making travel arrangements.”
According to a TripAdvisor-commissioned survey conducted by PhoCusWright, when asked about traveler-submitted photos, 73% of global respondents said they look at these to help them make choices.
According to Reider, only photos that are geo-tagged at a specific property by Instagram users are pulled into the guest galleries. She said all the content is moderated and approved before it is posted. Therefore, photos containing private information, distinguishable faces or other inappropriate content will not be displayed.
“Much like our moderation of ratings and reviews, there will be a light review process aimed at protecting privacy while maintaining an unbiased look into each of our properties,” she said. “In this spirit, we will keep all appropriate photos on the site even if something negative about a certain property is shown.”
Verifying the value
Reider said posting user-generated reviews and Instagram photos on the properties’ websites demonstrates that the company is committed to transparency.
“But more importantly it also demonstrates Starwood’s dedication to its guests by providing services and being present on the platforms most meaningful to them,” she said. “The best way for potential Starwood guests to learn about a destination is from others’ experiences, and Starwood is committed to fostering that communication within our site.”
Daniel Edward Craig, founder of online reputation management firm Reknown, said studies have shown consumers trust information from other consumers more than from marketers, and posting verified reviews can help to increase the possibility guests will remain on the hotel’s website longer.
“I think part of the challenge for hoteliers is that we clearly know that a lot of guests were leaving our site to go to TripAdvisor, so this helps provide some transparency to guests that are on ChoiceHotels.com,” McDowell said. “They have further confidence to book directly with us versus trying to search out additional information on our properties.”
However, “The consumer knows TripAdvisor and trusts TripAdvisor as an independent third party, but I think consumers are a bit suspicious about reviews posted to brand websites because they know there’s some control involved,” Craig said.
Authenticity through transparency
Craig said if hoteliers choose to post user-generated content to their websites, it needs to be monitored for anything offensive or spam, but it should not be “sanitized.” That is, hoteliers should not take down any negative reviews, leaving only positive reviews. If a hotelier discards negative reviews to showcase only positive ones, it presents a distorted view, he said.
“Travelers aren’t looking for perfection; they’re looking for authenticity,” Craig said. “They want to know what to expect. If you tell them to expect only good things and you can’t deliver, then there’s going to be a backlash in negative feedback.
“The more that you manage expectations and meet and exceed them, then it creates positive feedback. The more positive reviews you get … attracts more customers, and that can be very healthy for business,” he said.
But Craig said there is room for website transparency to grow in the future.
“If hotels really want to be transparent … be transparent with rates and having a metasearch-type engine on the website where people can search rates and have the confidence that they’re getting the best rate by booking direct on a website.
“That could be very powerful,” he said.