Courtesy/News Source: redforts.com
Do you read client comments before you buy a product or book a dream vacation ? Do your clients look at reviews left by customers that have visited your establishment ?
Studies show that most people read comments before deciding to buy something on the internet. In the hotel sector, considering that 80% of hotel bookings are made via the Internet, comments are very important.
So what can hotels do to get a good online reputation and gain a strong online presence ? The first thing is to get satisfied customers to express their good opinions, using tools like web applications, business cards or questionnaires. Once your client has written his review, it is important to get back to him as soon as possible (within the next 24 – 48 hours).
Why is it important to respond to comments posted by clients ? According to research by TripAdvisor:
87% of travelers say that a response from the hotel staff to a negative review improves their opinion of the hotel.
77% of travelers feels that a hotel cares about its clients if its staff responds to online comments.
62% of those surveyed says they are more likely to book at a hotel that responds to online comments than to a similar hotel that doesn’t.
With online comments playing such a crucial role in the travelers’ decision making process, it is extremely important to manage your online reputation well by responding rapidly and in the best possible way to the reviews left by clients and to the questions left by potential clients that want additional information.
We often hear hotel management say things like “I don’t have time to answer” or “I don’t know how to respond”. If this is your case, don’t worry, I have a list of answers that you can generally use as a model.
Answers to positive feedback:
1. Dear traveler. Thanks for your comments and for having selected our hotel. I’m happy that you enjoyed your stay and we hope to have you back soon as a guest of our hotel.
2. Dear client. I appreciate your comments about our hotel. We take pride in attending to our customers’ needs in the best way possible. Should you come back to the area, don’t hesitate to call on us.
3. Dear client. Thanks for giving us a perfect rating and for recommending our hotel to other travelers. I’m sure that the entire staff enjoyed attending to your needs as much as you enjoyed your stay. Take care !
4. Dear client. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience with us. It’s nice to know that our staff helped you enjoy your stay. You can follow us on our Facebook and Twitter pages for promos that might interest you. We hope to see you soon.
5. Dear client. Thanks for your comments. I’m happy to hear that you’ve enjoyed your stay with us. I hope that you’ll come to stay with us again soon. Don’t hesitate to call if there is anything we can help you with
73 % of TripAdvisor use other travelers’ pictures to make their decision.
Download for free: The guide: “How to double online booking revenue without depending on OTAs”
Answers to negative feedback:
We thank you for having taken the time to give us an evaluation of your stay. I’m very sorry to hear that your stay did not meet your expectations. Please send us a mail with a telephone number or an email address so that our hotel manager can personally help solve your problems.
I’m very disappointed to see that our service was below your expectations. We would like to know more. Please send us an e mail with a telephone number or an email address so that our hotel manager can personally help solve your problems
Thanks for your honest opinion. I’m sorry to hear that you were not satisfied with the competence of our team. Please send us a mail with a telephone number or an email address so that our hotel manager can personally help solve your problems
Thanks for having taken the time to write such a detailed review. All your comments help us improve our service. We reassure you that your complaints will be shared with the entire staff. Moreover, I will personally make sure that this happens.
Thank you for your honest opinion. We have sent your comments to the staff concerned. I apologize for this bad experience. It is very disappointing to hear what happened, but we hope you’ll give us another chance to show you that we have improved. Please let me know if you want to address this issue personally.
Keep in mind that the best way to respond to online comments is to write real, personalized feedback based on what customers have posted. However, when you don’t have time, please use the above templates and tweak them a little to make it more personal.
