Online reviews are the life and death of any hotel. We have covered the statistics on this several times, so I won’t rehash them again here. The only point I will make on that point is the vast majority of consumers check reviews before ever making a purchase. They not only check the reviews, but they also check the responses that are made by the hotel. If you are using “standard” or “cut-and-paste” answers to every review, you might as well be ignoring them.
The Dangers of Copy-and-Paste
If you read this blog regularly, you know that I am very much against scripted answers in any form of customer service. And, let’s face facts, these days, your online presence is just as much an outlet for customer service as are your front desk agents, managers, and staff. When you give scripted answers live, there is a small chance the guest has already heard the answer before, but not like there is when you are giving the same answer over and over again on a public profile.
The very real second danger is the response comes off an insincere because it is not personalized. If I just took the time to leave a review, I want to be noticed. Guests resent a quick, “Thanks, we can’t wait to see you again” answer. This is not to say you need a long-winded answer, but it should be unique.
For example, here is a review that was left for the Dallas Omni two week ago by LaTosha Blackmon:
“We had a GREAT lunch @ The Owners Box! The taste of Texas sample & the sweet/spicy wings hit the spot. We also enjoyed our burgers & brisket sandwiches. The service was awesome, too!!! We will be back.”
Rather than a generic or scripted response, this review offers incredible potential. First and foremost, the hotel has not yet responded, which is a major mistake. Good or bad, reviews need to be addressed within 48 hours. Ideally, a response should be left within hours.
As far as the response goes, it should be tailored to that specific review. For instance, if I were running their online campaign, I would have responded…
LaTosha, we are very pleased we were able to meet your service expectations across the board. We would like to think our wings can compete with any restaurant in town and from your response, it sounds like you do too! I will pass along your compliments to our kitchen and service staff. We can’t wait for you to come back to try our new menu items and let us know what you think!
Notice the review hits on several of her points, so she will know you actually read the review. The final line is meant to make her feel like a VIP as well as letting her know her opinion matters to us.
Take on Negative Reviews
Some managers are afraid to take on negative comments, even when the guest is not in front of them. Just as you would try to rectify the situation if the guest were in front of you, you should treat the online review in the same manner.
Looking at the same hotel, here is a review from Candace Chapman that was left two months ago:
“The hotel is showing wear and tear and for the price we paid for the room, it should not show as much as it does. Everything in the hotel and surrounding restaurants were overpriced and not the best quality. We stayed here for an event at the Convention Center which made it convenient, but not worth the price. The water/sodas/teas were $4 each (so be prepared and bring your own), the bed was uncomfortable, and the feel of segregation was prominent. We are average folk from Texas and maybe below-average income, but we saved the money to spend the weekend here. The elevators are separated into two areas. Some go only to certain floors. This made us feel like we were the lower class and made me embarrassed to be seen going to “those elevators” instead of the “higher class” elevators. We felt out of place and maybe we were, but I think everyone is entitled to a little bit of pampering with nice things and places every now and then. From this experience, maybe not!”
There are clearly issues here that go beyond service, as the guest has the perception they were treated differently, possibly because of their income level and/or race. This is a very dangerous review if not dealt with properly.
In this case, I would have responded with…
Ms. Chapman, having read your review, I found your comments very upsetting, as this is far from the experience we want our guests to have when they stay at the Dallas Omni. I wholeheartedly agree that you should have experienced the Omni at its finest, and clearly that did not happen for you. I would love to invite you back for a tour of the property so we can address your areas of concern personally. If that is not possible, I would hope to discuss these issues with you personally. We have your contact information from our registry, and I will be in touch shortly to make arrangements.
In our response, we did not shy away from the problems but we also worked to get the communication offline as quickly as possible. We want to rectify the situation, but preferably not in front of the world just in case the conversation takes a turn for the worse. Typed words can be dangerous and you are leaving it up to that person to perceive them as meant, which does not always work out very well.
The key to dealing with negative reviews is to highlight any positives that you can, but unfortunately, this review did not have anything positive. While you want to acknowledge the negative, there is no need to harp on all of them. Be brief, make it clear you understand the problems, then invite them to take the interaction offline.
The last point I would make be it a good or bad review is to never act surprised. Responses like “Wow! We are so glad you loved everything” make it sound as though you are truly surprised to find out someone was actually happy with the service at your hotel. Also, when possible, incorporate industry terms into the review, such as service, customer service, amenities, etc.
Is your hotel receiving far more negative reviews than positive? Perhaps you need new leaders to change the culture of your hotel but the local talent is not providing you with the leadership you need. If that is the case, give JDI a call. As one of the top hotel recruiters in the country, we work with the top talent in the industry and work hard to ensure the ideal match between candidate and property. For more information about our hospitality recruiting services, please click here.