Maintaining your guest relationship through reviews
Online reviews are a wonderful opportunity to leave your guest with lasting memories of some great customer service post departure. Acknowledging their feedback (whether it be positive or not so positive) with a quick personalised thank you can make all the difference. Letting guests know you really appreciate the fact they stayed with you and have taken the time to share their feedback, can get them thinking about their next visit or even encourage new guests reading your online reviews to make a booking.
Statistics tell us now more than ever, that potential guests are not as spontaneous as they once were. They are spending more time planning and researching places to visit and stay. And with guest feedback so easily found, a genuine response to reviews is a very cost-effective way of inadvertently advertising your property.
We believe that personalising a response and continuing the relationship after your guest has checked out can make all the difference. For example, if they have mentioned your wonderful receptionist, make sure to let them know that their comments will be shared with the team member that was acknowledged. It gives them the satisfaction that their review has been read and appreciated. When staying with a big chain hotel or the likes, we often get a very generic response from an automated template. This works to acknowledge guests, but when receiving a more personalised response, we’re far more inclined to feel valued. And a valued guest can then soon become a loyal repeat guest!
A property with mostly positive responses shows potential guests that previous holidaymakers enjoyed their holiday and that their stay is highly likely to be as enjoyable. When you get a negative review, it gives you the chance to reply with a well thought out response that is approached with an appropriate manner and tone. It is always a good idea to stop and take a moment to formulate your response to these reviews. Give yourself the time to search the guest in your database, check for any notes on their reservation, and talk to the staff who had interactions with them. Remember that it is okay to take responsibility for any issues that are cause for a guest to be unhappy, and address these with honesty and integrity. It is never worth getting into negative conversations on an online platform as it is not the place to so, and sometimes it is better to be the bigger person. Your response is not only for the guest who wrote the review, but also for potential guests who are reading the online reviews, so they can see the genuine intent to improve and make things better moving forward.
It can become a bit overwhelming when you realise how many online platforms are out there and the number of reviews that may need responding to, but it is important to acknowledge your valued guests. Your reviewers are the biggest promoters of your business and generally, it costs a lot more to attract new business than retain the ones you already have. There are many accommodation providers who have seen families grow throughout the years and are now welcoming them back as multi-generational guests who want to share the same happy holidays with their children. There is no better advertising than having online reviews out there from those happy, loyal, and ‘thought of as family’ types of guests.
Massey Online Management offer packages to our clients that include managing reviews as a part of our schedule of services. Please reach out if we can be of any help to you or your team. We can free up some of your valuable time behind a computer screen and give you more time to shine, creating that all-important relationship with your in-house guests, while we help continue that relationship after departure for you.