If you are a hotel or restaurant owner, you are probably already aware of how important TripAdvisor is to your online presence. This enormous review website allows your guests to write about their experience at your hotel or restaurant, so that other guests know what to expect. More people than ever are checking online reviews before they make the decision to stay in a hotel or eat at a restaurant, so this customer feedback is incredibly important.
Unfortunately, many hotel and restaurant owners have misconceptions about how Tripadvisor works. Here are some of the myths about TripAdvisor that are just not true:
You Are Not Allowed to Ask Guests to Write a Review
Many people think that it is against the rules of Tripadvisor to ask their guests to write a review. However, this is not the case. You are not allowed to offer incentives, such as a free stay, in exchange for a review (as this will influence their opinion). However, you can simply ask your guests to write a review – and it’s a good idea to do so! In fact, TripAdvisor even has tools that you can use that allow you to remind guests via email to write reviews after they leave. It is a good idea to encourage your guests to review your hotel or restaurant, as the more reviews you have the more trustworthy you will appear to your customers.
Negative Reviews are All Bad
It’s not true that nothing good comes from negative reviews – they can actually be quite useful. If someone posts a negative review of your hotel or restaurant, it will feel like a very bad thing at first. However, this customer has actually done you a favour. They could have not written about the problem and you would still be unaware of it, which means that other guests will continue to suffer. A bad review is very important in helping you to identify any issues.
Also, a negative review gives you a chance to respond publically and rectify the issue – which makes you look very good. If you are able to respond in a friendly and constructive way and offer a solution that makes the customer happy, it will show other customers that you have excellent customer service skills and that you care about the satisfaction of your guests.
Last but not least, according to a study by Reevoo, 95% of people reading online reviews will become suspicious if only positive reviews are available about an establishment. Therefore, having the odd negative review will let guests know that your Tripadvisor profile is authentic.
You Have to Respond to Every Review
Some hotel and restaurant owners think that they will need to write a response to every online review, which seems like a major time commitment and a lot of hassle. However, this is not the case. You don’t always have to write back to every reviewer. If someone has made a complaint and you can respond to their concerns in a positive way that will resolve the issue and will show your customer service skills – then it is a good idea to respond. However, if the review is neutral and the reviewer doesn’t really say much you don’t have to necessarily write back to them.
Only Large Businesses Are Highly Ranked on TripAdvisor
Another myth is that small businesses and locally owned restaurants and hotels cannot get to the highest ranked spot on Tripadvisor. This is just not true, there are many great independent businesses that rank among the top ten for their categories in food and beverage and lodging. If you are a high quality local small hotel or restaurant, there is no reason why you cannot compete with the big chains and obtain high rankings on TripAdvisor. All you need is a steady stream of great reviews from your happy customers, so make sure that you are doing everything you can to ensure customer satisfaction.
These are just a few of the misconceptions that many hotel and restaurant owners have about how Tripadvisor works. Take a look into this online review website to understand how it operates, so that you can use it to its full potential and enjoy the many business benefits that it provides.