Hoteliers don’t have any control over the information that is shared abut their hotels on the internet. Many marketers are concerned with potentially negative results in social media channels. Negative reviews can cost hotels thousands of euro in lost bookings and decrease their position in “star” rating on travel review sites like TripAdvisor.com.

If you’re a small business-or one that operates only in a particular geographic region-you might be forgiven for seeing ‘online reputation management’ and think it doesn’t apply to you. You’re not a big brand, you don’t have to worry about the Wall Street Journal or Newsweek writing about your business, so why worry?

The ResortQuest Wakiki Beach Hotel might not be the most famous or luxurious hotel in Honolulu, but that doesn’t stop its ‘Guest Service Manager’ from engaging every single guest that takes the time to leave a comment on TripAdvisor.com.
Some tips for handling positive and negative reviews include:

If someone takes the time to leave a positive review – how much time does it really take for you to say thank you? Make it a daily/weekly part of your routine – it will take you less than an hour a week.

Did you get an email praising your staff or complimenting you on your premises? Reply, thank them, and provide them a link to a place where they can share their comments online. A simple “Thank you for your kind comments, if you find yourself with a few spare minutes, we’d love it if you could share your feedback here” will do wonders for increasing the positive reviews of your business.

Get the full story at HotelNewsResource.com