RM Session 3

MANAGING GUEST REVIEWS

Both companies strongly recommend answering ALL guest comments - in review sites + social media

• Do you agree, disagree - why?

I totally agree with the idea of answering all guest comments. It is a good way to show to your clients that you are really involved regarding your reputation management. Then, it proves them that you take care of their experiences and their feelings about your hotel.
Finally, by answering to all comments you show to your actual and future guests that you will take in consideration their reviews in order to improve your hotel and its facilities.

• How can this activity add value for the hotel's guests?

The fact to answer to all comments enable your guests to feel included and understood but the most important one : listened.

Indeed, when a guest is writing a comment even if it is positive or negative, the impact is to be listened but also to get a response. On the one hand, It could be a response to thanks the guest if it is a positive review and on the other hand it could be a response to apologize and bring solutions to a negative review.

• Who, in the hotel, should be responsible for this activity?

To my mind, it could be the marketing and communication department who should be in charge of this activity. As they are responsible of the communication of the hotel, they seems to be the best employees to show that they are compassionate and to find the best solutions to bad reviews.

• How could the hotel measure the impact of response actions?

The hotel could measure the impact of response actions by checking his next bookings. If a previous guest decide to come back after a good experience for instance.
Moreover, if a guest was disapointed by his experience at your hotel and has leaved a bad reviews, responding to his comments by giving him a discount or an upgrade could make him come back to your place.

What is Trust You Stars and how does it work?

Trust You Stars is a tool for Hotel which enables them to collect and use guest's reviews and feedback to improve their operations and increase their bookings.
First, the hotel has to create a survey. At the end of the survey, the guest could share his reviews on Google to increase its visibility. Then, all the reviews could be read by future travelers on Google and it is also a good way to increase potentials bookings.

Finally, the hotel can integrate the reviews on its own website to improve directly its reputation management.

Trust You Stars is working as a platform where reviews are all collected in order to enable the hotel to manage it direclty and improve their product.

• Can a hotel incorporate their OWN survey questions?

Yes, they can.

• How could this tool be used to collect feedback BEFORE the guest leaves?

The hotel can send this survey during the guest stay. Indeed, it enables the hotel to know the guest feelings regarding the different amenities and services of the establishment.

Then thanks to their answers, the hotel could manage the guest stay in a better way and bring solutions if they are disastified.

Lodging Interactive Commingle service offers hotels the possibility to outsource responses to guest comments and reviews;

• Should hotels keep this activity in-house or get outsourced help

To my mind, hotels should keep this activity in house as they have marketing and communication teams who are able to answer to guest comments.
The idea of outsourcing is showing guests a disinterest regarding their comments as the hotel don't have the time to take in consideration their experiences and feelings.

• Is there a combination of outsource + in-house that could work well?

In terms of management, it could be a bit tricky to combine both as you don't have a real follow up of every actions done in house and outsource.
However, if the hotel really don't have the time to manage guests reviews or if its team is not enough big and qualified to do this task, it could be a good way to get outsourced.