In all the previous articles of the Guest Feedback 360 series, we have dealt with collecting, analyzing, and acting on guest feedback during their stay.
But people today rely highly on online reviews and are greatly influenced by the social media comments and reputation of the hotel online.
In other terms, online reviews can either make or break a hotel today.
“81% of travelers find online reviews important for a hotel and 49% will not make a reservation for a hotel that has zero reviews”.
Source: Internet.
Any Negative Review on any social media or review platform spreads like wildfire and has an immediate impact on the revenue and reputation of the hotel.
For General managers, IT managers, and hoteliers it is important to know how to handle reviews online, especially the negative reviews.
This article will outline the ways to manage negative online reviews effectively.
Why Should Hotels Respond To Negative Reviews
Negative feedback is inevitable in the hospitality industry.
In the hospitality industry, negative reviews are common because not all guests will appreciate the service methods adopted by the hotel.
With the power of social media, today’s guests are empowered with the most powerful weapon – commenting online, which can determine the hotel’s future revenue.
Fortunately, despite the negative reviews online, the hotels can still improve their online reputation by properly responding to the negative reviews.
This demonstrates the hotel’s commitment to valuing customer feedback and improving its services, regardless of whether the feedback is positive or negative.
Responding to the negative reviews especially can help rebuild trust with the dissatisfied guests and demonstrate to potential customers that the hotel is proactive and caring.
A well-crafted response can mitigate the impact of the negative review by addressing the issue publicly, which will reassure prospective guests that their concerns will be taken seriously.
Ultimately, engaging with negative reviews can turn a potentially damaging situation into a chance to showcase excellent customer service and dedication to guest satisfaction.
Ways Of Responding To The Negative Feedback
Responding to guest feedback online is essential and cannot be overlooked.
However, the way the hotel responds to negative feedback online, which is available for everyone in the world to read, determines the impact on guests and potential customers.
The Hotels must be cautious when addressing negative feedback and should ensure the customer of ongoing improvements to meet their expectations.
As Teal Swan said, “If you are brave enough to build a different relationship with the negative feedback, you can use it as a tool to enhance your hotel and succeed in your business.”
So here are some general tips on handling and responding the negative feedback online.
1. Acknowledge And Address
It is very important for hotels to be active online and build engagement with potential customers.
The easiest way to build engagement and trust among the customers is to acknowledge and address any kind of feedback they provide you.
No matter where the feedback is from and what form of feedback it is, the hotel must acknowledge it to let the customer know that their voice matters.
As detailed in the previous article, the feedback is mostly categorized as positive, negative, and neutral.
Addressing the positive feedback by thanking the customer for their response and expressing that the hotel is pleased to have served them and is looking forward to accommodating them again leaves a positive impression on both the guest and the potential customers reading the feedback.
The neutral feedback can be addressed by thanking the customer for their feedback and assuring them of your constant approach to meeting their satisfaction and ensuring the hotel would try its best to meet their expectations on their next visit.
Dealing with negative feedback is crucial and must be approached strategically. The hotel should begin by expressing gratitude to the customer and offering a sincere apology for any inconvenience caused. The hotel needs to acknowledge the complaint and assure the customer that it will be addressed and resolved promptly.
Example:
Let’s take an example of the guest commenting about the unclean rooms upon arrival.
A guest leaves a review stating, “The room was not clean upon arrival, and the staff was unresponsive.”
The hotel can acknowledge the issue as:
“We thank you for sharing your inconvenience with us. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience you experienced during your stay. Cleanliness and prompt service are top priorities for us, and we are sorry that we fell short in this instance.”
“A study by Revinate found that hotels that actively respond to online reviews see a 12% increase in review volume and an improved overall rating.“
Source: Internet.
2. Investigate The Issue
Positive and neutral reviews generally help hotels attract potential customers but negative reviews provide hotels with insights into the areas of improvement.
After acknowledging and addressing the guest’s feedback the hotel has to immediately investigate the issue before any other guests face the same inconvenience.
There may be situations in which the hotel may have caused inconvenience to the guests due to some special circumstances such as the server being down while checking in the guest causing the delay in the checking process.
The issue can be investigated by speaking with the relevant staff of the relevant department or by, reviewing service logs, and checking surveillance footage if necessary.
Understanding the root cause of the problem is essential for providing an informed response and for future response.
3. Respond Appropriately
Responding appropriately to guests’ negative feedback via mobile or email demonstrates sincerity in apologizing for their inconvenience.
Once the issue is investigated and the hotel identifies the root cause of the problem, it must inform the guest and apologize for the inconvenience caused.
A personalized message to the guest with a sincere apology and an explanation about the problem, along with details about the preventive measures taken by the hotel to avoid it in the future, makes the guest feel valued.
This also demonstrates the hotel’s sincerity in ensuring guest satisfaction.
Example:
For our example, responding to the guest personally would go like this:
“Dear [Guest Name], we are deeply sorry for the inconvenience you faced with the room’s cleanliness and our staff’s responsiveness. We have addressed this issue with our housekeeping team and provided additional training to ensure it does not happen again. Your feedback is invaluable in helping us improve our services.”
4. Offer A Resolution
The fact that the guest suffered inconvenience due to the hotel’s negligence cannot be concealed.
The hotel must take responsibility for compensating the inconvenience caused to the guest by offering a resolution.
The resolution could be anything such as offering a discount, offering a free meal, or providing the guest with the premium suite at the same cost as the normal rooms, etc. based on the level of inconvenience caused to the guests.
This will eliminate any dissatisfaction replacing it with the extra satisfaction offered by the hotel.
Along with providing the opportunity for improvement it also encourages repeat business by impressing guests with the resolution and converting them into their loyal customers.
Example :
For our example, the resolution could be like:
“To make up for the inconvenience, we would like to offer you a complimentary night’s stay on your next visit. We hope you will give us another opportunity to provide you with the excellent service we are known for.”
5. Implement Changes
Above all, the hotel must make sure that the issue is resolved completely so that no other guests or maybe the same guests do not face the same circumstances again on the same visit or revisit.
Repeating the same issue will only deeper negative impressions leading to a decrease in the revenue and reputation of the hotel.
Instead, the hotel should use the feedback as the catalyst for improvement.
By leveraging on the feedback the hotels can easily pin the pain points of the guests and improve their service methods accordingly.
It can train staff to avoid frequent complaints, update the protocols, or make necessary changes to facilities or services if required.
Thus negative feedback can be a resource for hotels to identify the pain points and implement necessary changes to improve their business.
“According to a study by Cornell University, hotels that systematically analyze guest feedback and implement changes based on this feedback can improve guest satisfaction scores by up to 8%.”
Source: Internet
Conclusion
Handling negative feedback in hotels is more than just a necessary task- it’s an opportunity for growth and improvement.
As Bill Gates said,” Your most unhappy customers are the greatest source of learning”
Source: Internet
Hotels should strive to improve continuously based on negative feedback and elevate the guest experience to new heights.
The methods explained above not only enhance guest satisfaction but also strengthen the hotel’s reputation in the competitive market.
However, the journey of guest feedback analysis is not over yet.
In the next article, we will delve deeper into how leveraging guest feedback can drive service enhancements and elevate the overall guest experience.
Stay in touch for the next article in the series “How can guest feedback improve the hotel services and guest satisfaction”.