What's the secret to achieving top ranking on TripAdvisor?

Many hotels aspire to achieve top ranking in TripAdvisor’s popularity index, but HKHotels in New York dominates the charts, with all four of its properties in the top five rankings. Did they pay someone off at TripAdvisor? Write bogus reviews or complex algorithms?

Turns out the secret is good old-fashioned hospitality. I thought hoteliers could learn a thing or two from the company, which owns and operates Hotel Giraffe, Casablanca Hotel, Hotel Elysée and the Library Hotel, so I contacted Adele Gutman, VP of Sales & Marketing. Here’s a condensed version of my interview.

Tell us how HKHotels achieved top five placement for all four of your hotels.
Several years ago, one of our hotels was in the top ten on TripAdvisor and another at #56, and it made us wonder, why the disparity? We started to pay a lot of attention to reviews comments. It became clear that reviews were our greatest opportunity for word of mouth advertising. We set a goal to have all of our hotels in the top 10%.

It was clear that satisfying our guests’ expectations wasn’t enough. To inspire the enthusiasm to post a review, we needed everyone to be thrilled. We had hired the nicest, happiest people we could find, so it was up to us to lead, train and empower them. Each hotel discusses reviews at morning meetings and posts comments on the board. Every employee, from housekeeper to doorman to general manager, takes pride in positive comments, so it created a self-perpetuating culture of going above the norm. We reached our initial goal of top 10% in 2004 and then made top ten in 2006.

How are your hotels different from other New York offerings?
If you ask our guests, they will probably point first to the friendly staff who will do anything to please them. Then to our clubroom concept, with complimentary refreshments, a European-style breakfast buffet and an evening wine and cheese reception. They might also mention free Wi-Fi, bottled water, cappuccino machine, and the comfortable, pleasing environment.

Behind this is the owner’s commitment to spending resources on enhancing the guest experience instead of on high administrative and marketing costs. We trust that if we do all we can to delight our guests, they will support our marketing and sales efforts by spreading the word and returning. With the help of social media, they tell the world exactly what to expect. That’s great, because each of our hotels has its own personality and flavor. And that leads to better and more frequent reviews.

Which social media platforms do you use?
Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, TripAdvisor and any other review sites that allow us to enhance our listing or communicate with potential customers. We tried a blog for a while but it was too time-consuming. I would rather get stronger with Facebook, Twitter and travel review sites. We have small hotels and a lean team. We do not have the resources for a dedicated social media person; we each try to take a few minutes out of our day to see what people are saying and how we can participate in the conversation.

What steps do you follow when you get a negative review?
It’s hard to hear bad comments, but we learn from our guests and grow better each day. Every negative comment is reviewed by senior management. We find out as much as we can about what happened and we determine the actions needed to improve, in all four hotels if necessary. Sometimes we contact the traveler privately. We reply publicly if comments are so strong it would look strange and uncaring if we didn’t. Or it may be a topic we want to address with the TripAdvisor community to ensure it won’t be a problem for them. Some comments are so “interesting” it’s best to say nothing at all; we trust savvy travelers will take them with a grain of salt.

What do you do to encourage guests to write reviews?
The secret is to make guests feel they have found something so special they want to share it with the world. There is no shortcut or marketing ploy. It’s about hard work and genuine hospitality. After our guests check out, we send an email to thank them and invite them to write about us on TripAdvisor, along with a link. That’s it.

What advice would you pass along to hotels who aspire to similar accomplishments?
Give up the notion that there is a shortcut. Just be the best hotel you can be every single day. Treat every guest as though they were the most important travel writer in the world, because indeed they may very well be.

Note: TripAdvisor rankings can vary from week to week. Visit HKHotels at http://www.hkhotels.com/.

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Behind the scenes before the Winter Olympics

With the 2010 Winter Olympic Games due to start in Vancouver this Friday, I decided to pay a surprise visit to Opus Hotel to check in on frantic last-minute preparations. I didn’t exactly find what I expected!

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What to do when things go wrong in a hotel

People often corner me at social functions to tell me about a problem they’ve had in a hotel. It doesn’t matter if I’ve never worked for the hotel or the incident occurred seventeen years ago; apparently, it’s my duty to listen. Sometimes I get the impression they think I’m somehow to blame.

I don’t mind, though. Bad service stories are fascinating. But often, as I hear the teller describe how the entire hotel staff conspired to ruin her stay, I see a different side. I see employees trying to help, and I see guests getting in the way. And I can’t help but think that if travelers had a bit more insight into how hotels worked, they’d have more time to enjoy their trips. And I’d have more fun at cocktail parties.

To that end, I thought I’d share a few insider tips on what to do when things go wrong in a hotel.

Should you complain? Probably. Hotels need to know if you’re dissatisfied; it gives us a chance to turn things around for you and to fix things for future guests. But if you set expectations the hotel can’t meet, such as a harbor view in a prairie hotel, resist the temptation to shift the blame. The best way to avoid unpleasant surprises is to check out online reviews before you book. They’ll give you the real story, warts and all.

Talk to someone who can fix the problem. Yes, it feels good to unload on friends, colleagues and random strangers, but repetition heightens feelings of victimization, and chances are they’re not listening anyway. If the issue is minor, speak to the front desk. If it’s significant, ask for the duty manager. If tears and family heirlooms are involved, contact the general manager. If there’s blood, call 911.

No more drama. Hotels will go to great lengths to appease guests, but it’s kind of hard if you’re throwing furniture or lunging at our throat. Ladies are discouraged from standing sullenly aside while their husband complains, uttering little huffs to convey feelings about their husband (wimp) and the manager (moron). Gentlemen, no need to inform us of your net worth, shoe size or number of Twitter followers. By virtue of being dissatisfied, you’re important enough.

The maid didn’t steal your tiara. Hotel managers receive frequent calls from frantic guests who have misplaced a valuable item and immediately blame the nearest employee. Invariably, the item turns up. When a guest accused one of my staff members of stealing her iPod, I ran a key report and viewed security camera footage, then called her back to ask if she had checked with the stream of visitors to her room late that night. I didn’t hear back. Store your valuables in the safe.

An eye for an eye. In today’s economy, hotels aren’t particularly enthusiastic about doling out freebies if we’re not at fault. If we messed up, however, the matter should be resolved to your satisfaction. If you feel you deserve compensation, be candid—otherwise you might get a fruit basket. But be reasonable. If you want a large cash payout, you’d better be missing a limb. If you invent or exaggerate a story to get free stuff, you might get it, but you’ll probably end up in hell.

Complain up. If the issue arises after checkout, send an email to the manager, who can copy it to other departments and, theoretically at least, resolve the matter quickly. If you’re not satisfied, forward the message to hotel ownership or the management company; these individuals loathe complaints and will get to the bottom of things fast. You can also dispute erroneous charges with your credit card company.

Bad things happen, even at the best hotels. The true test lies in how staff members respond. If an issue is expertly handled, a little praise goes a long way. At times it may seem otherwise, but we’re in this business because we love to please. Enjoy your stay.

Click here for the perspective of a really cranky traveler. I hope this guy never corners me at a cocktail party.

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