Third Party Site Reputation Management Corporate Content Marketing
The New Review Landscape Travelers increasingly rely on online conversations, placing far more trust in consistent feedback of fellow travelers than in paid advertising messages. 93% of global travelers say their booking decisions are influenced by online reviews. As a result, your property s online reputation critically influences consumer purchasing choices and traveler perception of your destination. Managing your reputation requires time and commitment and the guidelines that follow will help maximize your efforts. 2
Maintaining A Positive Reputation Property Listing: Roles & Responsibilities Corporate Team Digital Marketing Manager (DMM) ensures content is up-to-date Relevant imagery, descriptions, contact information, etc. Property Consistent and prompt responses to customer reviews 3
Maintaining A Positive Reputation Cont. Corporate Property 4
Travel Site Champion Each property should assign a staff member to serve as your Travel Site Champion Main duties of the champion should include: Responding to reviews- both positive and negative Managing your presence and engagement on various travel sites, such as TripAdvisor and Yelp. Flagging fraudulent negative reviews Involving other hotel team members when necessary 5
Proper Response Etiquette A major focus for the travel site champion will include responding to reviews posted by travelers. Remember that, while you may be responding to one reviewer, thousands of others are able to read your comments and form opinions about your property and the Omni brand. The following etiquette is imperative when crafting review responses both public and private: Respond to both positive and negative reviews Respond quickly Keep the tone professional Don t be defensive Be original & show gratitude Maintain the customer s privacy 6
Positive & Negative Reviews It is best to respond to both positive and negative reviews you can connect with. Authenticity is key in connecting with reviewers and readers. It is more important to remain genuine and authentic than responding to every single review. Even though the customer feedback may be unpleasant, be sure to maintain a polite and calm tone in every negative review response. Celebrate positive reviews with staff. When specific staff members are cited in positive feedback from guests, show appreciation and recognize their efforts. When appropriate, fill out an Omni Service Champion card for that staff member. Use your customer reviews as free market research to enhance your hotel's internal operations; flag issues with relevant operations staff; and work to resolve those issues, or at least take steps to diminish future negative responses. 7
Response Time A timely response is expected and appreciated (within 3-5 business days). It shows you are attentive and receptive to feedback and it leaves a lasting impression. Responding quickly to recent reviews will also ensure travelers won t have to dig too far into your review history to find feedback from your property. 8
Professional Tone Whether the review is critical or glowing, your reply should always be polite and professional, just as you would handle any other customer service reply. Avoid online shorthand, such as ALLCAPS, HTML tags and abbreviations, as well as industry jargon such as REVPAR, BEO, F&B. While it can be tempting to respond defensively to criticism, never argue with the customer. The vast majority of customers recognize that not all travelers raise reasonable concerns. They will give you credit for courteous and thoughtful responses. 9
Be Original; Show Gratitude Customers appreciate an individually tailored response with direct and unique comments from your property. Prepare a menu of varied responses in advance that can be personalized to the specific situation at hand. Make sure your response personally addresses the reviewer and not the entire forum. Referring to the reviewer as his/her lowers a property s perception among travelers. Gratitude builds goodwill. Management responses are great opportunities to tell guests you are thankful for their positive comments, as well as their constructive feedback. Don t hesitate to let people know you appreciate them. It goes a long way. 10
Maintain Customer Privacy It is especially important to avoid posting correspondences from another guest. Never post the personal information of any person, including: Names Addresses Phone numbers Other information that may be used to identify an individual Should you see posts containing this information, flag it on the travel site. 11
Recap Appoint a travel site champion Use proper response etiquette Respond to both positive and negative reviews, remaining authentic and genuine Respond quickly to customer reviews Always keep the tone professional Be original and show gratitude Maintain the customer s privacy 12
APPENDIX
Introduction to TripAdvisor Deemed the world s largest travel site, TripAdvisor offers more than 170 million reviews and opinions from real-life travelers. Due to TripAdvisor s sheer reach and influence, your Travel Site Champion should place heavy emphasis on managing this online profile. Responding to reviews in a prompt manner and maintaining your personal business listing are crucial for success on this forum. Make sure your champion signs up for TripAdvisor Review Report alerts to receive instant notifications when new reviews appear on your listing. 14
TripAdvisor Property Rankings Ranking highly in your category versus your competitors can positively impact not only sales, but also brand awareness and perception. The higher your TripAdvisor ranking, the sooner your property will appear in a traveler s search for accommodations in your geographical location. Your TripAdvisor ranking is a reflection of the perceived value of the experience you offer. Guests will pay a premium to stay at a property with higher ranking because it ensures them you will deliver the experience they desire. 15
How Rankings are Determined TripAdvisor rankings are determined by their Popularity Index. Three key factors drive ranking results: 1. Quality of Reviews higher scores lead to higher ranking 2. Quantity of Reviews 3. Age of Reviews recent reviews carry more weight in your ranking than past reviews *Rankings are re-indexed on a weekly basis. 16
How to Increase Your Ranking Claim your Business Listing and keep your property s page content updated. Thoroughly inform property representatives about TripAdvisor s significance. Empower staff to invite guests to share their great experiences via TripAdvisor, but be careful not to solicit any perks to a guest based on good reviews. It s against TripAdvisor s terms of service. Monitor your customer reviews and respond to BOTH negative and positive posts using proper etiquette. 17
Logging into Business Listing Go to https://www.tripadvisor.com/register Enter your login credentials Select Your Business in the top navigational panel Your Management Center will appear Manage your TripAdvisor page: click here to edit property descriptions and images Manage your reviews: click here to analyze and respond to your reviews TripAdvisor insights: click here for tutorials and best practices To learn more about TripAdvisor business listings, click Get help with your questions 18
TripAdvisor Private Messaging TripAdvisor s private messaging allows you to continue a one-on-one conversation with guests that have posted on your listing. With private messaging you can offer compensation or research a past stay without alerting other travelers on the forum. To send a private message, simply hover over the reviewer s icon and click Send Message. Remember to follow all guidelines for responses when crafting the message. 19
When to Report a User/Review It is important to use these functions sparingly and only when it is a serious threat to the reputation of your property. When to report a user s review: When a guest exaggerates or is simply fabricating information When an associate s first and last name are mentioned (TripAdvisor will not remove if it is one or the other) If the guest has already reviewed the property (same guest under multiple user names) If the review is irrelevant to the page (restaurant review on your hotel page) You believe it is a disgruntled employee or competitor 20
How to Report a User/Review Once logged in to your TripAdvisor Business Listing Go to the review in question Click the flag to the bottom right of the review Select the reason this review warrants a flag If the reason is not shown, click Review posted to wrong location then tell TripAdvisor (in 500 characters) why you feel this review should be removed from your listing 21
Potential for Blackmail We occasionally run into guests who threaten to write a negative review unless a demand for a refund, upgrade or other request is met. Sometimes negative reviews are warranted and the onus is on us, but occasionally negative aspects are out of our control and the guest is simply trying to blackmail the listing. TripAdvisor recently rolled out a feature in the Management Center where you can report fraud and blackmail before the guest has a chance to post their review on your listing. With this feature, you report the guest to TripAdvisor to be screened for a false review. After submitting all information, you will receive an email with a case number that you can reference if the review ever appears on your listing. 22
Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) TripAdvisor s Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) rates each review from 0-100 based on 7 key factors: 1. Overall Rating 2. Cleanliness 3. Location 4. Rooms 5. Service 6. Value 7. Likeliness to Recommend Each TripAdvisor review of your property will have a CSI rating. Higher CSI ratings mean more satisfied customers and ultimately increased customer loyalty. 23
How to Analyze Your CSI The CSI score makes it easy to determine which reviews require immediate action as well as compare results over specific time periods. You can freely access your property s CSI scores by using the Review Dashboard in the Management Center. CSI scores are extremely helpful in prioritizing management review responses. Reviews with CSI scores lower than your average CSI score require immediate attention from your TripAdvisor champion. The dashboard also allows your property to compare its CSI scores with competitors on the most detailed level. 24
Certificate of Excellence To be eligible for TripAdvisor s Certificate of Excellence, your property must maintain an overall rating of four or higher (out of five), as reviewed by travelers on TripAdvisor. When selecting Certificate of Excellence winners, TripAdvisor uses a proprietary algorithm which takes into account review ratings, business tenure, popularity ranking, and volume and age of reviews. Certificate of Excellence winners should promote and celebrate this achievement: Add the award emblem to your property page on the website Display your award in a high-traffic area on-property Issue a press release and conduct outreach to your local media Post your award on Facebook and other social media channels 25
Introduction to Yelp With over 61 million local reviews and 100 million monthly visitors, Yelp is the perfect forum to connect with your customers and influence traveler opinions of your property. Similar to TripAdvisor, Yelp allows you to claim your Business on their site. This way you can update your descriptions and images, while still responding to reviews publicly or through private messaging. 26
Yelp Business Ratings On Yelp users can write reviews for local businesses and rate them on a scale of one to five stars with 5 stars being the highest. These reviews are averaged to provide an overall star rating for your business. Unlike TripAdvisor, not all reviews count towards your star rating. Only those recommended by Yelp s automated software impact your rating. 27
How Reviews are Determined Each review posted on Yelp is automatically evaluated by Yelp s recommendation software based on: Quality of the review Reliability of the review User Activity: the more active the user, the more useful the review If the software finds the review to be useful and reliable, then it will recommend the review. Nearly 75% of all reviews end up being recommended, while rants and reviews from unknown users usually remain un-recommended. Only recommended reviews are highlighted on your business listing, while reviews not recommended are visible via a link on the bottom of your profile page. Yelp s software is constantly running, meaning that recommended reviews on your site can change daily based on user activity and reliability. 28
How to Increase Search Ranking Because your property s star rating is determined by recommended reviews, you have no ability to alter it. You do, however, have the ability to improve your search ranking which will ensure your property is easily seen when users search for accommodations in your local area. To improve search ranking results follow these simple steps: 1. Fill out your profile completely the more information you offer, the more Yelp will value your profile. 2. Kindly request reviews from satisfied guests, but do not solicit as it s against Yelp policy. 3. Respond to reviews using the Public Comment or Private Messaging features the more active your profile, the higher value Yelp will place in your search ranking. 4. Work with corporate to start running Yelp deals. 29
Login to Yelp Business Listing Go to https://biz.yelp.com/login Enter your credentials and click Log In Reference Omni Hotel Directory Yelp Directory Sheet if you have a question regarding your login credentials You can now edit information and respond to reviews. 30
Yelp Private Messaging Yelp s private messaging allows you to continue a one-on-one conversation with guests that have reviewed your property. With private messaging you can offer compensation or research a past stay without alerting other travelers on the forum. To send a private message, go to your Business s Reviews section and click Send Private Message. Remember to follow all guidelines for responses when crafting the message. 31
Flagging Reviews If you feel a review is inappropriate in any way please flag it for review. Yelp moderators will then review the material and remove if warranted. (Process takes a couple of days) Examples of inappropriate content may include: Personal or private information Inappropriate language Solicited reviews False statements about the property 32