Hoteliers take time to respond to online reviews
Hotels are spending longer esponding to online reviews, according the third annual "European Hotelier Pulse-check" by Choice Hotels Europe.
It found that 63% of the European hoteliers who responded to its survey estimated they spent between one and three hours every week reading and responding to online reviews about their hotels, up from 61% last year.
However, 6% now spend up to half a day responding to reviews, double the amount recorded last year, with 14% of British hoteliers claiming they spend an entire afternoon each week to respond.
For the first time, the vast majority of European hoteliers (87%) ranked price and value as the most important factor to securing repeat business, knocking the quality of the rooms off the top spot.
However, 86% of UK hoteliers ranked staff service as the most important feature to ensure guests returned to their hotels.
There was a divided response as to what room rates may do next year. 37% of European hoteliers said room rates will return to pre-financial crisis levels, but 40% disagreed. 51% of British hoteliers believed room rates would trend upwards as did 44% of French respondents.
When asked to predict the leading travel industry trend for 2014, 65% pointed to a growth in mobile bookings, while just under a quarter (24%) thought social networking channels would establish a foothold in travel bookings.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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