Online reputation 4:00 Min read
Analysing Tripadvisor: how to improve reputation and visibility in the ranking
One of the most critical challenges that hoteliers face nowadays is online reputation, since this sector is more sensitive to customers’ comments and reviews.
You only have to note the conclusions of some studies, such as the one performed by Tripadvisor in partnership with Ipsos MORI, revealing that 72% of tourists value the opinion of other users before travelling. The same study highlights that when it comes to accommodation, the figure is higher: four out of every five travellers read comments before booking and more than half of those taking part in the survey declare that they would never book a hotel with no opinions.
The purchasing cycle of travellers is complex: they constantly receive ideas and information from many sources that range from social media to comments by friends. It is during that search stage in the purchasing cycle when an accommodation has the best opportunity to draw the attention of travellers and to stand out from its competitors, making it to their list of preferences. Furthermore, it has to be considered that the search process may take travellers up to 89, browsing an average of 182 websites(*); hence it can be very difficult to have visibility during this critical period.
The same study also shows the undeniable influence that TripAdvisor has on the purchasing decision when it comes to trips, regardless of the channel through which the purchase is finally made. Thus, the study shows that 74% of bookings generated through the hotel’s website have been initiated on TripAdvisor. And the same thing happens to 67% of bookings made through OTAs.
Why is it important to improve visibility?
As we have seen, opinions by travellers are a key factor that impact the search stage and subsequent decision making because they provide a broader perspective and, a priori, more honest and real of the hotel. Travellers trust comments as much as personal recommendations.
However, in addition to adding credibility to a property and helping it to stand out versus its competitors, getting opinions and improving the presence on TripAdvisor’s search results pages also has a direct impact on the hotel’s revenue.
Some studies (**) conclude that if a hotel’s average score on Tripadvisor improves by 10%, the expected number of reservations can increase by 9% (Europe) and up to 15% (APAC), highlighting that properties in a higher position have a more significant potential to generate more revenue since by having a higher demand, they can afford to raise rates.
This means that a good reputation is closely related to indicators such as average occupation, ADR or RevPAR.
How to improve your Tripadvisor ranking
At this point, and now that we know that getting a good position in the results ranking is crucial because it has a direct effect on the hotel’s benefit, the question is obvious: what do we need to do to improve our ranking? First of all, we need to understand how their algorithm works and the parameters on which their index is based:
- Quality: related to whether it is a good opinion, if the hotel is positively valued. In other words, positive comments weight more than negative ones.
- Quantity: the number of comments is another indicator, key to gather useful information about the property and increase trust faster
- Recency: most recent opinions have greater influence than older ones. The reason is that they provide a more up-to-date idea of the service and condition of the hotel
- Consistency: the combination of the previous factors must be consequent and in line with the business volume.
Afterwards, considering these parameters, the secret is no other than working to improve reputation with two approaches:
During the stay
Customer opinions can make the difference for a hotel. However, reputation management tends to be handled from a consecutive approach, that is, we try to solve guest dissatisfaction once the comments and reviews have already been posted.
If preventive measures are implemented to be ahead of negative reviews, it is possible to diminish their impact on opinion portals. For this, satisfaction surveys while in-house make it possible to identify dissatisfied guests and to solve any potential incidences on time.
By doing so, we can stop unfair reviews and negative opinions, and we can even turn them into positive ones because when the undesired situation is solved quickly, a customer is two times satisfied. This will also affect the quality of the comments they may leave on opinion portals and, finally, the ranking position.
After the stay
A few days after their stay, it is good to send satisfied guests a satisfaction survey together with an email that includes a link redirecting them directly to the site that the hotel has on Tripadvisor for them to leave their review.
We must keep in mind that to improve the ranking, several factors must occur at the same time: having more opinions does not guarantee that a hotel occupies a higher position, but if it receives positive opinions continuously, it will have a higher position in the ranking versus other hotels with a similar amount of positive and negative opinions that have been posted in previous years.
Thanks to the automated mailing of emails like this, the hotel will receive an ongoing flow of positive opinions, it will manage to increase the number of reviews and to be in the top positions. This will also contribute to increasing reservations due to the visibility that being on the first page of the ranking implies, and the trust an accommodation with positive opinions generates. In the end, having a high level of reservations gives the hotel the capability of increasing its average daily rate and therefore, its benefits.
Which tools does Hotelinking offer to help a hotel improve their Tripadvisor ranking?
Hotelinking offers the tools needed to improve guest satisfaction at the right time and to help manage a hotel’s reputation. It offers surveys while in-house that make it possible to identify dissatisfied guests during their stay so that we can react promptly, solving any undesired situation.
From its dashboard, the hotelier can set a cut-off score from 0 to 10, so that all those satisfaction surveys completed by in-house guests that are below that score, will automatically trigger an email notification to the designated member of staff so that they can solve any incidence. By doing so, we can avoid unfair negative comments on Tripadvisor, even turning them into positive feedback.
This tool acts as a barrier before a bad review is posted and improves the perception the customer has of our brand.
But there is more: with Hotelinking you can also create automated post-stay emails in which guests can value their experience in the hotel on the most important reputation channels depending on their country of origin: Tripadvisor, Google Review, Holidaycheck, Yelp, Tophotel or Zoover.
The most exciting thing of this communication is that with just a click it redirects the customer to the online reputation channel, directly to the hotel’s site, therefore, making it easier for the guest to leave their review.
Thanks to automated emails, the hotel will receive an ongoing flow of opinions on the leading online reputation webs. Consequently, it is easier to improve the ranking, to improve brand visibility and get more direct reservations.
As you can see, the success of a hotel goes hand in hand with its reputation and therefore having excellent opinions is as essential as having the right distribution mix. Managing them is much more than answering comments that have already been posted. Is being ready to face a crisis, willing to listen to guests and paying attention to their evolution to act. Only with a customer service approach and the right tools, it is possible to be in the higher positions of reputation rankings.
(*) According this comScore study: https://tripadvisor.mediaroom.com/2018-04-12-Majority-of-Global-Online-Travel-Buyers-Visit-TripAdvisor-before-Booking-a-Hotel-or-Flight-According-to-New-Study