7 Best Hotel Reputation Management Tips

If you are reading this, you probably know how important online reputation is for your hotel. They can make or break your business.

It is easy to lose focus on managing your online reputation during the peak season rush when you are also dealing with increased demands from high occupancy.

It's during these busy times when services are more likely to slip, and it becomes especially important to keep an eye on what customers are saying about your hotel online.

Don't wait until you get a bad review to learn what's not working at your hotel. Give your staff the tools they need to deal with negative experiences on the spot.

In this article, we will share hotel reputation management tips that will help you improve your ratings and start receiving 10/10 reviews right away. Let’s start!

Prioritize Review Platforms

Review platforms are the most important to focus on when managing your online reputation. Customers often read reviews and book rooms on the same platform.

The most important review sites are Google Reviews, TripAdvisor, Booking.com, Airbnb, and Expedia. Don’t forget about other platforms where customers leave reviews, such as your hotel’s website and social media pages.

Many customers make their decisions based on the information they find on review sites. They will also compare this information to what they find on social media, blog posts, and other websites.

As a hotel, you have more control over review sites than most other platforms. While you can’t delete negative reviews, you can start generating positive reviews from your guests.

Therefore, it’s important to know what people are saying about your hotel online and monitor review sites and social media for mentions of your hotel.

Get Excellent Reviews

Getting great reviews is a top priority for every hotelier, and it's not just about looking good. Having your guests post about their positive experiences is good for your business too.

But to get those great reviews, you have to earn them first. Here are a few tips for giving guests the top-notch stay they will want to rave about.

• Make sure the basics are nailed. Provide guests with a comfortable bed, high-quality linens, and well-maintained rooms with décor that matches the rest of the property. Keep outdoor spaces clean and tidy.
• Serve a delicious breakfast. If you use locally sourced ingredients, be sure to let your guests know!
• Go the extra mile. Once you have got the basics down, think about what else you can offer guests to really make them feel special. Here are a few ideas:
  • Offer contactless check-in for a hassle-free experience.
  • Provide a collection/drop-off service for guests traveling to and from the nearest station.
  • Offer to book restaurants for guests in advance.
  • Give guests maps or directions to nearby attractions.
  • Check-in on guests throughout their stay to see if they need anything.
• Make every interaction with your guests exceptional. From the first moment they step in the door to the last moment they leave, you want your guests to feel like they are being treated like royalty.

And lastly, don't forget to ask for reviews! You can do this at check-out and/or contact guests after their stay with a polite request.

Read more: 10+ Ways To Get More Reviews For Your Business

Respond To Both Positive & Negative Reviews

Having amazing reviews is great, but don't forget to respond to them!

Responding to online reviews shows your guests that you care about their experiences, especially if you are a big hotel that could be seen as impersonal.

Even negative reviews can be turned into an opportunity to show your attentiveness, graciousness, and commitment to improvement.

And don't forget to respond to positive reviews too - it shows your appreciation for your guests' compliments and may encourage others to leave reviews too.

Responding to reviews individually can be time-consuming, so here are a few tips to make your task easy:

• Create templates for common responses
• Assign a few staff members to handle responses and give them a tone of voice guide to ensure consistency.
• Close all responses with a positive note.
• Keep responses to a maximum of 100 words.

Responding to reviews from multiple review platforms becomes even easier when you use a reputation management tool like Statusbrew.

We collect your reviews from different sources like Google My Business, Yelp, and Trip Advisor and present them to you neatly in one dashboard. In fact, you can also assign different team members to take on specific customer reviews so that your customers receive responses from the correct team member.

How to respond to positive reviews?

• Thank the reviewer for leaving the review.
• Reiterate their positive feedback and use it to upsell. For example, if they mentioned how much they loved the hotel's pool, you could mention that you also have a great spa.
• Personalize your responses. Address the reviewer by name and mention something specific from their review. Tripadvisor found that 77% of travelers are more likely to book with a property owner who leaves personalized responses to reviews, so it's worth putting in the effort!
• Share the review on social media. This shows other potential guests that people are having positive experiences at your hotel.
• Responding to every review can be time-consuming, so consider gathering a store of review response templates. You can use these as a starting point for your replies, but be sure to personalize them each time.

Responding to reviews can be a bit of a chore, but it's worth it in the end. It's a great way to show your guests that you care and that you are committed to providing a positive experience.

Automate Your Hotel Guest Management

To manage your hotel's reputation well, you need to communicate with your guests promptly. This can be tough when you are busy running your hotel. But by automating certain tasks, you can stay on top of your online reputation management without spending a lot of time on it.

With the right guest management software, you can automate:

• Sending guests helpful information (like directions, menus, and things to do) before they arrive.
• Sending guests a post-stay email to ask for a review or just to thank them for staying.
• Automatically posting guest reviews to your website.
• Automating and customizing your OTA re-confirmation emails so that guests receive all the information they need about their booking in your own words.
• Setting up rules to send automated emails about payments, cancellations, and fees, which can streamline communication and key processes.

This way, automated communication helps you provide extra-special digital interactions while freeing up your team to provide exceptional face-to-face service.

Use Hotel Reputation Management Software

Specialized hotel reputation management tools like Statusbrew use automation and analytics to help you proactively manage your online reputation.

Although you have many options, there are a few key features to look for when choosing your reputation management software:

• Review aggregation: To get a complete picture of what people are saying about your hotel online, you need to track multiple review sites, such as TripAdvisor, Google, and your preferred OTAs. Make sure your software collects reviews from all of these sources in one place for you.

• Sentiment analysis: Analytics helps you improve your reputation management. Look for software that analyzes data from your guests to help you identify the root causes of dissatisfaction and take the right steps to improve.

• Social media monitoring: Choose software that monitors your social media platforms for mentions of your hotel so you can quickly respond to any negative comments or concerns.

• Competitor analysis: Choose a software that helps you compare your reputation to that of your competitors. This will help you benchmark your reputation against your competitors, identify areas where you need to improve, and track your progress over time.

Looking for a reputation software with all the above features? Book a free demo of Statusbrew to get a complete walkthrough of the platform.

Try Statusbrew

Engage Your Audience On Social Media

Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok are the perfect places to show off your hotel and connect with potential guests. This makes them ideal for building and managing your hotel's reputation.

To take advantage of the power of social media, post regularly and share visually appealing content. People want to see where they are staying, so high-quality photos and videos of your hotel are a must.

Social media is also an excellent way to develop your hotel's unique brand identity. Let your brand's voice and personality shine through in your posts and interactions to build trust and rapport with your audience.

For this reason, it's important to maintain a consistent brand identity across all social channels. Create a tone of voice guide to ensure that your communications reflect your brand personality.

Apart from posting regularly, you should also use social media to showcase your hotel's authority and unique selling points.

• Share insider knowledge about new developments at your hotel or in the local area.
• Post clips and photos from events at your hotel.
• Give your followers a behind-the-scenes look at your hotel by featuring your staff in your content.
• Run social media contests and giveaways to engage your audience and generate excitement about your hotel.

Social listening tools will help you manage your social media presence more easily. These tools can track your hotel's mentions on social media, even when people don't tag you. This gives you a chance to connect with your customers and interact with all of them on social media.

You can also use social listening tools to solve any problems that customers may raise on social media. Some people like to vent on social media, so it's important to address any negative or hurtful comments quickly.

Keep Your Site Optimized For Search Engines

One important way to manage your online reputation is to make sure your own website ranks at the top of search results when people search for your hotel. Your owned media includes all the channels you control, such as your social media pages, but your website is the most important one.

Source: Marc Forgione

Optimize your hotel website to make sure it outranks bad reviews and any other pages that could damage your reputation or goals. You don't want the first thing potential guests see when they search for your hotel to be something negative!

Here are a few ways to optimize your hotel website for search engines:

• Make your website responsive so it looks and works great on all devices, including smartphones.
• Display your positive reviews on your website.
• Use consistent brand colors and fonts throughout your website.
• Provide a great user experience by fixing any technical issues and optimizing your web pages to load quickly.
• Create high-quality content, such as blog posts and videos that is valuable to your target audience.
• Keep your website content updated and fresh.
• Submit your website to relevant search directories.

This way, you will make it easier for potential guests to find your website and learn more about your hotel.

Ready To Manage Your Hotel's Online Reputation?

Your hotel's online reputation is a golden asset. It helps you attract customers, improve your OTA rankings, and boost your online bookings.

Hotels in 2023 have access to all the tools and strategies that will help them avoid bad online reviews. The most important thing to remember here is to take action before a dissatisfied guest leaves your hotel.

Make sure your online reputation management strategies are current. It's better to be proactive than reactive.

Try out our reputation management software to get a clear picture of where you stand currently and where you need to work to improve your hotel’s online reputation.

Try Statusbrew

Statusbrew is an all-in-one social media management tool that supports Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and even Google My Business.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Here are some commonly asked questions about hotel reputation management:

Why is hotel reputation management important?

Hotel reputation management is important because it significantly impacts your hotel's success. A good reputation helps you attract more guests, increase occupancy rates, and charge higher room rates.

What is reputation in the hospitality industry?

Reputation in the hospitality industry is the perception that guests and potential guests have of your hotel. It is based on a variety of factors, such as the quality of your hotel's facilities and amenities, the level of customer service you provide, the overall value for money that you offer, and the reviews that guests leave online.

What are the key elements of a hotel's reputation?

The 3 key elements of a hotel's reputation are online reviews, social media, and customer feedback.