How to respond to negative reviews on TripAdvisor

Research has found that over 84% of internet users say that online reviews influence their purchasing decisions. Furthermore, research has shown that Internet users trust recommendations from people they know and opinions posted by unknown consumers online more than advertisements on TV, radio,magazines, newspapers or any other traditional media. With the increasing popularity of user-generated reviews on sites like TripAdvisor, many hotels, resorts and motels may be lamenting the loss of control over what is being said about them online, but the fact is that you are still in full control of how you react to these reviews.

Below are just some of our suggestions on how you can respond and use negative reviews to to your advantage.

Speak up
We would never ignore a guest shouting and getting aggressive in your hotel lobby, so why would you not respond back to negative reviews on TripAdvisor? (According to TripAdvisor, only 7% of negative reviews on their site are responded to). This is your chance to show everyone you care and you're listening. Thank the guest for their feedback, apologize and explain what happened and clear up any misconceptions. On TripAdvisor, reviewers can’t reply to hotel responses, so effectively you get the last word.

Engage
Hotels used to hire mystery shoppers to tell them what they were doing wrong, but now your guests are doing this for you. User reviews keep hoteliers in touch with guests. Wherever possible, engage writers of negative reviews and try to make amends. With expert handling, your harshest critics could become your most powerful advocates.

Show leadership
Accept the fact that sometimes, you will be the victim of unfair criticism, and other times you simply screwed up. Don’t let it bring you down. Treat every review as a learning experience to better your hotel and customer service. If need be, discuss the negative feedback with your staff and how it could have been prevented, support them and move on. 

Take the high road
If the review is petty or vindictive, there’s no need to stoop to that level. Travelers are smart enough to read between the lines. If allegations are false and defamatory, dispute the review with the review site and post a diplomatic response to set the record straight. For example, in most cases, if the reviews are false, TripAdvisor will remove the post from the site. 

Make reputation management a priority
Whether your property is a five-star hotel or a three star motel, your guests are evaluating you on how well you communicate and deliver on your brand promise. Subscribe to a social media monitoring tool and start tracking your market share of guest satisfaction. There are many free social media monitoring tools around where you can track when people are talking about your hotel. For example, Google Alerts. Formulate a strategy for optimizing your online reputation, set goals, and meet regularly with staff to review your progress.

Create a cycle of positivity
Use guest feedback to invets in more training for your staff, upgrades to your property etc. Little improvements over time will only help to generate positive reviews, which in turn will attract more travellers and generate incremental revenue for your property. You will find that if you ignore the negative feedback hoping it will go away (which it won't), it will only create a cycle of negativity, with the opposite results.

Prevent escalation
If you listen closely, bad reviews are often less about the issue itself than how staff responded when it was brought to their attention. Train your employees to prevent on-property issues from escalating to online complaints by listening, empathizing, offering solutions and following up to ensure guests are satisfied. Some issues take time and money to fix, but in the meantime, ensure your front staff are minimizing fallout by expertly managing complaints.

Take the good with the bad
In addition to occasional false and malicious reviews, we also receive reviews that overstate our virtues. Exaggerated praise can be just as damaging, setting expectations we can’t meet. And yet nobody is threatening to sue these reviewers. In the end it all balances out, and the wisdom of the crowds prevails over the folly of the few.

For more information about social monitoring or how you can use social media for your business, speak to one of the marketing consultants at TA Fastrack today. We also hold Australia-wide workshops and webinars on social media. Stay tuned.