Hotel Managers Monitor Online Critiques to Improve Service

Hill, who lives in Tucson and Mexico, says she was denied help because only one clerk was working in the lobby. Upset, she hit the keyboard and wrote a lengthy critique of the hotel on review site TripAdvisor.

"After stacking luggage and grandson on a luggage cart," she wrote, "(I) was helped into the front door and elevator by other guests." Rating the hotel at one out of a possible five, she also complained about the lack of pool towels and housekeeping service.

Ben Bethel, who owns the hotel that has an average rating of four from more than 240 reviews, wrote a lengthy response two days later. He promised changes would be made. He added a person to the front desk, and reassigned his assistant general manager to the evening and weekend shift. Employees were instructed to tell guests to leave their luggage in the lobby if no bellhops were available, and bags would be taken up later. "We just didn't have enough people," Bethel says.

Add managing your business' online reputation to the long list of to-do items for hotel managers.

Armed with a log-in account and numerous travel websites willing to give them a forum, customers are increasingly vocalizing their experiences online for other travelers to read. That's prompting more managers such as Bethel to respond quickly or fear losing business. Less than 4% of negative reviews on TripAdvisor get a response, according to TripAdvisor, which has more than 30 million reviews. But the review site says it saw a 203% explosion in responses from hotels last year.

Hotel managers may ignore customers' reviews at their peril, some analysts say. Others say they're just another way for hotels to find ways of improving operations. And those who are paying attention and responding to customers can earn some goodwill points at a time every room night counts.

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Source - USATODAY