Reviews lift you up. Or bury you. But if your services are what they promise to be, then testimonials written by your customers are a gold mine.
Before anything else, some numbers according to a survey conducted by TripAdvisor and Trust You.
- 88% of tourists give up on making a reservation when the average rating of the hotel is one below 3 out of 5.
- 32% of tourists give up making a reservation when the score is one below 4 four out of 5.
- 96% of tourists read reviews.
- 53% of tourists would not book from a site where they cannot find reviews
- 79% read between 6 and 12 reviews before booking.
- 80% believe that a hotel that responds to reviews respects its customers.
- 85% believe that a consistent, not purely formal response by the hotelier to a review posted by a customer can change the opinion about that hotel for the better.
Regardless of what you think of them, tourists seek them out and trust them. And a hotel that does not have a review section on its website is viewed with distrust from the start and will raise suspicions. Do not neglect an important chapter, it is essential for today's travelers who make decisions in the digital environment.
What to expect once you have implemented the reviews section on the hotel website?
Predictably, there are two categories of guests who will leave reviews: those who want to praise the hotel and those who want to criticize it. Both types of guests train to be approached in a similar way: calm, friendly, with due attention. You can't change their experience anymore, but it's good to let them understand that they were listened to, that their opinion matters and that it influences how you manage the hotel in the future.
Don't take criticism personally: an outside perspective is often beneficial.
There are also those who do not usually leave comments, and this group must be exploited. If you encourage them, you have the chance not only to increase your rating, but also to reach a larger online audience from which to convert your customers. A little incentive wouldn't hurt to make even the most comfortable write two lines.
Then, once you've acquired a consistent number of reviews, don't just keep them to yourself, share them on social media. It is also useful for consumers, they often check the information you provide (on your own website or in the descriptions on other channels) with the information in the reviews.
And you know the best part? They cost nothing and come from the most trusted source for others: customers.
Why are reviews a must-have for the guest?
In the multitude of accommodation offers, especially when a tourist evaluates a facility he has never been to and about which he has no references, the opinions posted by others are essential. No advertorial appearing in the most prestigious publications will carry as much weight as the opinions of other customers as they do.
There is no substitute for first-hand experience that others have had in the hotel they are considering. And the success of some profile sites, such as TripAdvisor, is the indisputable testimony of the importance that customers give to recommendations written by "amateurs" who directly test the product.
How do you activate reviews in Pynbooking - Booking Engine?
Nothing easier. From the customer account, enter Booking Engine in the "Unit Configuration" menu, where you check the display of reviews.
If you want to receive reviews for different services offered by your hotel, enter the PMS, in the "Reservations > Reviews > Review Settings" section and activate the services/categories of services in your offer.
Also, this module supports additions according to your needs. If, for example, you have a SPA in your hotel, customers who have benefited from its services can evaluate it accordingly.
Once the stay is over, the guest receives an email automatically and is invited to express their opinion on the hotel stay.
How do you respond from Pynbooking to reviews received on Booking.com?
From the PMS, go to the Reservations > Reviews > Booking.com Reviews section, and here you can respond to guests who have left a review about your location on Booking.com.