How to address the issue of guest reviews is one of the most important aspects with respect to the performance of RevPAR.
In this article we look at how to go about the issue of online profile management and provide some handy tips in doing so.
One of the most effective ways that hospitality establishments can analyse the levels of customer satisfaction is through the use of online reviews.
A hotel can use such reviews as a mean of enhancing their services and this will ultimately translate to positive reviews.
Positive reviews are very important since they will serve to improve the overall reputation of the hotel in question.
On the other hand, negative reviews will undermine the overall reputation of the establishment and as such, it is important to quickly address such reviews so ads to minimise the number of negative reviews in future.
How to go about addressing negative reviews
When responding to negative reviews, it is important to start the response by thanking the reviewer for their initiative.
Furthermore, you should also remember to use the name of the reviewer in any communication with them since this is an indicator that you are actually paying attention to what they are saying.
Acknowledge the issue that the reviewer might be complaining about.
In addition to simply acknowledging it is important to communicate to the reviewer any initiatives that the hotel is putting in place in order to ensure that such an issue does not arise in future.
Upon assuring the guest, it is also important to extend an invitation indicating that the hotel will indeed be glad to host them in future.
Here is a look at a practical example of a negative review from a guest named Jenny:
Bad experience…
I really had a bad experience while visiting your establishment. The first issue that I had was that the elevator was faulty and thus we had to use the stairs. Furthermore, your services were below par, there were inadequate towels in the rooms, the breakfast coffee was not warm and other such issues.
Appropriate response from the institution
Hi Jenny
We really appreciate you taking sometime and giving us a review. We apologize for the inconvenience that you experienced while at our hotel. During your stay, our elevator was closed for routine maintenance and the issue has indeed been fixed. Due to your feedback, we have been able generally improve various aspects of our services including the handling and quality of breakfast, supply of towels in the rooms and a myriad of other issues. Please visit our hotel again and I promise that this time round you will have a fulfilling experience.
Regards
Sam Jones, General Manager
In a nutshell, you should remember to always be calm, courteous and professional while responding to negative reviews.
Furthermore, remember to reaffirm to customer that the issue they are complaining about has indeed been addressed.
