18 September 2009

How Can You Generate New Clients From Online Guest Reviews

Word of the mouth publicity has always been a popular means of conducting business. Today this is even more relevant than before, because the Internet has revolutionized the way people communicate. This means that if a guest is satisfied with your hotel and if he goes online and talks about it, you are more likely to get many great responses in the shape of customer bookings. However, it is up to you whether you can let the client review affect you in a positive manner or in a negative manner.

The impact that customer reviews have on other potential customers is undeniable. Survey’s show that one out of three travelers in the U.S use reviews and travel blogs to decide upon their travel plans. PhoCusWright recently found that 87% of consumers shopping for hotels are influenced by these online reviews. Again, client ratings too play a huge part in swaying the public opinion. It has been found that hotels that have had ratings between 4-5 on a scale of 5 held conversion rates of more than double than those that had a rating of 3 or less than 3. Thus, to ensure that hoteliers can make the best of this form of marketing, here are a few handy tips.

Being transparent in your business dealing is important. You cannot afford to pay your customers to generate a positive review. Thus, you should make sure that your quality of service is indeed good and your clients are satisfied. Then, assign a person to look at all the online reviews about your property, and then reply to them accordingly. You will not always get positive feedback. However, if you can deal with the negative feedback diplomatically, with poise and care, you will be able to control the damage that the feedback might have caused.

In addition, you should be able to take every negative feedback in stride and then be able to improve upon the aspects that have been criticized. That way, you will be able to keep your customer satisfied the next time they are in your property. Customer reviews are indeed a great way to measure and rate the service that you are providing, as well as to create a great impact on your business from every client interaction.