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WTM – LONDON- REPORT: Reading all the online reviews of just one hotel would typically take 25 days, according to an internet consultancy speaking at World Travel Market.
Jakob Riegger, managing director of Munich-based consultancy TrustYou, said the average single property now had 10,000 reviews on 50 websites. Riegger was speaking at a social media seminar at WTM, the leading global event for the travel industry. He estimated that a small hotel chain would attract enough reviews to provide 300 days’ reading.
He said hoteliers should use online reviews to their advantage and actually ask guests for them. “It is actually very valuable. The response rate is very high, unlike if you leave cards in the room. International hotels get 10-15 times more reviews directly from their own guests than on online travel agencies and review sites.”
These reviews could then be collated and the good and bad points acted upon, he said.
Riegger said tourism authorities were increasingly using reviews to determine star ratings, with Switzerland and Germany already taking them into account.
Debbie Hindle, managing director of public relations company Four BGB said social media was “the best possible customer research tool you will ever have in the world”. She said it prompted “huge retention and advocacy”, was valuable in natural searches and was an excellent reward and sales channel.
Hindle said VisitBritain’s use of Facebook was an excellent example of how to attract interest. “It’s bit like a party, it engages and rewards fans.”
Hindle said she disagreed with the idea that people did not want to buy in a social media environment, but added: “Social needs to be social, you have to listen to what they are saying, respond and then give extra value in order to convert. I’m not saying everyone should try to make social media commercial, I’m saying don’t discount it.”
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales. She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
