Are you a business owner in the hospitality industry looking to drive more leads, increase customer loyalty and raise your online reputation? If so, understanding how to handle negative online reviews should be a top priority. The internet has revolutionized the way travelers book vacations and businesses promote their establishments – it’s now easier than ever for customers to publish opinions about everything from price comparisons to restaurant experience, making positive reviews and ratings absolutely invaluable for today’s hospitality marketer. Therefore, knowing how to address unhappy customers quickly and effectively is essential for success. Together with Thrive Digital Marketing Agency, we’ll post we’ll explore six ways on how to handle negative hotel reviews – from responding professionally with empathy, monitoring all channels of feedback from past guests, as well as recovering relationships with disappointed clients who may have posted unfavorable reviews.
1. Respond Professionally & Empathetically
When it comes to hotel reputation management, the key is to respond professionally and empathetically. Whether they’re writing a negative review or giving feedback through a survey response, take time to listen to their concerns and acknowledge them. This will show that you value their opinion and are open to addressing any issues they may have encountered during their stay. By responding in a timely fashion you can also demonstrate that your establishment takes customer satisfaction seriously – which is one of the most important factors for success in this industry.
2. Monitor All Channels of Feedback from Past Guests
In addition to responding empathically and professionally, it’s essential for hospitality marketers to monitor all channels of feedback from past guests – from social media, to survey responses and even review sites. That way, you’ll be able to identify any potential issues that may have caused a negative experience for certain customers – whether it’s a faulty air conditioning unit or unpleasant staff member – and address them swiftly. This can also help you get ahead of any future issues before they become widespread problems.
3. Take Preventative Measures
In order to prevent negative reviews from appearing on your establishment’s page, hospitality marketers should take preventative measures such as encouraging customers to leave feedback and reviews online by offering incentives such as discounts or other rewards. Utilizing the right technology (such as customer feedback surveys) can also help ensure that businesses are getting honest feedback in real-time – which can be used to identify potential problem areas before they become widespread customer service issues.
4. Recover Relationships with Unhappy Guests
When negative reviews appear online, hospitality marketers should try to recover relationships with guests who’ve had a bad experience by reaching out personally and offering discounts or other compensation for their troubles. This not only shows that you take customer satisfaction seriously, but it’s also an opportunity to turn a negative review into a positive one – as customers are more likely to share their good experiences than their bad ones.
5. Be Open & Transparent About Changes
In order to ensure that changes made following negative reviews are being implemented successfully and effectively, it’s important for businesses in the hospitality industry to be open and transparent about the steps they are taking. This can include posting updates on their website or social media pages, as well as communicating with guests in follow-up emails or letters – letting them know that their feedback has been taken into consideration and changes have been made accordingly.
6. Use Positive Reviews to Promote Your Establishment
Finally, don’t forget to use positive reviews to promote your establishment – after all, customer reviews are one of the primary ways that travelers choose which hotel or resort to stay at. When it comes to reputation management for hotels, posting favorable reviews on your website, social media channels and other review sites will not only help drive up bookings but also instill a sense of trust in potential customers by showing them what others have to say about your establishment.
Summing Up
Overall, understanding how to handle negative online reviews is an essential part of doing business in the hospitality industry. By responding professionally and empathically, monitoring all channels of feedback, taking preventative measures, recovering relationships with unhappy guests, being open and transparent about changes and using positive reviews to promote your establishment – you can ensure that any issues or concerns are addressed quickly and effectively before they become widespread problems. Taking these steps will also help create a positive customer experience that’s sure to lead to repeat bookings and increased profits.
