With the first wave of COVID-19 behind us, it is important to focus on the future and turn this situation into an advantage. During this process, when everyone is home and in front of their computer, there will be a lot of online research going on before travelers choose a destination and a place to stay.
According to StatusLabs and BrightLocal, research shows that:
85% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations
83% of buyers no longer trust advertising
87% of buyers comparison-shop every time
95% of travelers read reviews prior to booking
Since there is still time before the market revives again, the first step you can take is to read existing online reviews and take them into consideration. If you can see a common pattern of negative comments, work on bettering the issue, ensuring that the guest has a better experience. And for your positive reviews, use them as a base to know where your strengths lie, and market your property accordingly.
Positive reviews and property score, also have a great impact on number of guests, and revenue. By increasing the amount of positive reviews, you will also have an increase in rankings leading to more bookings and boost in revenues. It has been reported by eHotelier Insights, that for every point increase in a property’s online reputation score, bookings increase over 14%.
As travel and tourism recovers from COVID-19, simply competing with other properties on price alone would be a wrong strategy. It is important to keep your guests’ ratings and reviews in the limelight.
The key is to highlight your positive guest experience while taking action on the negative feedback, maximizing revenue opportunities. With HotelRunner’s Guest Relationship Management feature you can keep in touch with your guests 24/7 and offer immediate solutions to their problems. Thus, you can minimize your negative reviews. Also, thanks to this feature you can ask your guests to review your property after their stay.
Click here to start using Guest Relationship Management now, and increase your positive reviews with HotelRunner!
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