There is nothing more damaging for a business than a negative review. This is especially worrisome in the hospitality industry due to the personnel interaction a guest has with hotel staff throughout their stay. What is even worse than a negative review is a hotel that simply ignores negative reviews or recommendations, hoping it will just simply fade away as more reviews and recommendations come in.
Never Ignore Bad Reviews
Hotel managers need to look at negative reviews as an opportunity more than anything else. In reality, there is really no other approach. If you ignore the comments, it will not only further upset the guest that left the review, but it will also leave a negative impression on guests researching properties. Rest assured, the longer a negative review goes unaddressed, the more likely guests are to look for another hotel.
Acknowledge the Complaint
First and foremost, you need to respond to the complaint in non-confrontational, non-scripted manner. Simply acknowledge the complaint using the guests name and tell him or her you are looking into the matter and get back to them within 48-72 hours with a response. This should give you plenty of time to research the incident and post a formal response to the problem. It also lets the guest know you are taking their concerns very seriously and might temper them from spreading bad word-of-mouth about the property while you investigate the matter.
Investigate and Respond
The clock is ticking the moment you respond to the complaint, so you will immediately need to research the guest’s specific complaints and the parties involved with the problem. Once the facts are gathered, it is time to formally respond to the complaint… and this is the tricky part.
Under no circumstances should you be using scripted responses. Think of how aggravated you personally get when dealing with customer service and the first five minutes is nothing but scripted answers and false empathy.
Instead, and once again, address the guest by their name, bullet point their concerns and a brief explanation of what you have found. You want to provide the guest as well as future potential guests with confidence this issue was actually addressed without actually writing a novel. Once that is accomplished, make an attempt to move the interaction offline so you can personally address the issue with the guest.
Under No Circumstances…
There will obviously be times when the guest’s perception is different from what the staff is telling you. When this happens, you cannot get into a battle with the guest online, even if you think the complaint is bogus. This serves no purpose other than to aggravate the reviewer and turn off future guests.
Example
Review:
My room was dirty when I arrived. There was hair in the bathroom, the furniture was stained, and the room just smelled musty. – Jenny Smith
First Response:
Ms. Smith, my name is Joe Rudolf and I am the Director of Rooms at the Hilton Philadelphia. First and foremost, I wanted to thank you for taking the time to leave a review. Good or bad, we always want to hear from our guests about their experience. I am personally looking into this matter for you and you can expect to hear back from us within the next 72 hours. If you have more information you would like to provide to further assist my investigation, you can reach me at 215-555-1212 or Joe@Hilton.com
Second Response:
Ms. Smith, I have discussed the cleanliness issues you experienced with our staff and we have taken several steps to ensure the bathrooms are checked properly, stained furniture is either cleaned or replaced between guest stays, and we are working on deodorizing our rooms in a more effective manner.
There simply is no excuse for a guest to check into a dirty room or even a room that gives the appearance of being dirty. As stated earlier, we appreciate the feedback, as even negative comments help us correct problems and provide future guests with a better experience.
I would love to personally discuss the measures we have taken with you as well as invite you back to our property so we can ensure you continue to consider us your preferred hotel when staying in the area. Please give me a call at 215-555-1212 or email me at Joe@Hilton.com so we can make arrangements for you to visit us again.
Anyone reading that interaction can see the hotel is doing its best to respond but also doing its best to quickly address the situation. More importantly, the hotel is offering to make things right with the guest without openly offering to give away the house in the process. Even though Ms. Smith had a bad experience, most travelers would feel pretty confident if they did have an issue, it would be addressed by property management.
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Photo via Google Reviews