By now most hotels have found a way to accommodate social media. Some are playing lip service and still praying it will go away, whereas others have embraced it fully and appointed a dedicated employee.

While in Europe recently I had the opportunity to take a closer look at three very different hotel companies that have chosen the route of full engagement: citizenM, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and The Cavendish.

In this three-part series I interview the individuals leading social media efforts with these companies to gain insight into how they’re taming the social media beast and at the same time staying true to brand. Whether you’re a B&B, boutique or big box, there are ideas and inspiration to be drawn from all three models.

Today we kick things off with Diego Sartori of citizenM, a company whose reputation preceded itself thanks to its active social presence. citizenM is a small group of boutique hotels in Glasgow and Amsterdam with reported plans to expand to London, New York and Paris. I stayed at the Glasgow property, and it was one of the freshest hotel concepts I’ve experienced since Ian Schrager and Philippe Starck launched Morgans Hotel Group in the late eighties.

Highlights include modern design, free WiFi and movies, small but stylish rooms and great public spaces for socializing or work.  There are check-in kiosks and a cafeteria-style restaurant, and yet I experienced better service here than at many full-service hotels. And really, after you’ve lugged your bags halfway across the world do you really need a bellman for that last stretch to your room?

With its quirky, irreverent branding citizenM is a natural fit for social media. Here’s my Q+A session with Sartori, edited and condensed.

Tell us about your hotel group.

Our mission was to invent a new breed of hotels, an entirely new category offering affordable luxury for mobile citizens. We are a hotel but also a personality. citizenM stands for citizen mobile; these mobile citizens are contemporary, up-to-date, urban, have a desire for discovering the new, and value luxury but are also cost conscious.

Describe your role and responsibilities.

I’m the social media strategist, which basically means I am responsible for spreading the citizenM personality online. From answering and maintaining citizenM’s Twitter, Facebook and other channels to tracking and managing our reputation online—everything that is being said about us. On top of that, I identify social and technology trends that can improve the communication with anyone that reaches out to us. 

How does your company manage the social media function?

I have a very full time job, 365 days a year, 24/7! The Internet never sleeps. I manage, monitor, report and keep up with available online tools. It is the responsibility of the entire team, from housekeeping to our CEO, to be above all guest centric, constantly devoted, honest, up-to-date, non conformists, and to allow everyone to contribute … we value our collective cultures, warmth and friendliness.

Which social media platforms do you find most effective?

Twitter is becoming more of a customer service platform while Facebook has some elements of that too, but [also features] posts related to lifestyle, new trends, etc. Via our digital magazine citizenMag we also talk about the things we like: art, culture, urban movements, the latest contemporary trends and how we like to have fun. Foursquare is used by a fraction of customers but is as effective as other platforms, for those who are active on it. Same goes for Instagram, Gowalla, review sites and so on.

What distinguishes your hotel group when it comes to social media?

We understand that social media is more about communication and relationships rather than another marketing/media channel … We never promote “Stay here, we are the best hotel”, we choose to showcase our personality, who we are and what we do.

Tell us about a social media campaign you are proud of.

For our hotel opening in Glasgow we prepared flyers to give away in the streets and posts via social media channels [announcing] that we would give away 400 rooms. We basically asked locals to test the hotel for free in exchange for their feedback. After three hours we had to cancel the flyers and street teams because all rooms were gone! After one single post on Facebook and Twitter.

The result? Number 1 on TripAdvisor (we haven’t asked for reviews) at the time of opening and Twitter trending topic in Glasgow for almost a day. Word-of-mouth starts from the source, from locals, right?

Do you use a reputation monitoring tool? Any other essential tools?

We use ReviewPro for gathering all reviews and comments online and for organizing specific mentions using semantic technology. Through notifications and continuous checks, we get to understand the level of satisfaction in any given time, brand perception and more importantly, [we can] react quickly. I like using Crowdbooster to schedule tweets in times with higher reach.

How do you measure results of social media activity?

We don’t measure our success by how many followers we got today, we look at the level of satisfaction and sentiment online, everything from our brand to guest satisfaction. The result of our actions and culture is reflected online, with great experiences but also frustrations. It is a transparent platform, which we use to continuously improve ourselves.

Which companies or individuals in the hotel or travel industry do you take inspiration from when it comes to social media?

KLM and its many fun campaigns, like Little Acts of Kindness and Tile & Inspire. I also appreciate that you can tweet KLM about anything, including complaints, and they will follow up, quickly. Josiah Mackenzie of Hotel Marketing Strategies is a must follow, a trend watcher, sharing what is new, cool and revolutionary in the hotel industry, including social media trends.

What advice would you give hotels that wish to achieve similar success with social media?

Well, everyone gets that social media is a place where you connect with your family and friends, see what they are up to even if in the other side of the planet. It is the same with companies: what are they up to? Show who you are and what you do, those who “like” it will literally do so. It is communicating, customer service; never replacement of TV ads or billboards.

Contact info:

Website: www.citizenM.com

Twitter: @citizenM, @diegosartori

Facebook: www.facebook.com/citizenMhotels

Google+: plus.google.com/104099681590545895358/posts

Stay tuned for Part II and Part III, featuring interviews with Charles Yap of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and Ciarán Fahy of The Cavendish.

See also interviews with the Pan Pacific Hotel in Vancouver, HKHotels in New York and The Peabody in Orlando.  

Hotel Restaurants: How to Make Your Online Reputation Work for You

Today, more than ever, getting guests to dine at your restaurant comes down to reputation. Concierge recommendations are often taking a back seat to online review sites as every hotel guest with a computer or smart phone has easy access to maps, directions, city guides and restaurant reviews.

So how can hotel restaurants ensure that their online reputation is strong enough to drive both hotel guests and locals through the doors? In this one-hour Webinar we examine what every restaurateur needs to know about online reputation. 

·        Essential online reputation practices for restaurants

·        The most influential review sites and steps you can take to increase rankings

·        Playing with location-based services

·        Recovering from damaging reviews and commentary

·        Managing content, from descriptions to imagery

The free webinar will be held on Friday, February 24 at 9:00 a.m. PST. To register click here.

Okay, so maybe it's a tad early for wine, but not for our European attendees—we’ll toast you. 

See previous webinars here. 

Over the past few years, TripAdvisor has been expanding its content offerings, evolving from a hotel review site to a comprehensive resource for planning trips. And while the majority of content is traveler-generated, if you’re a tourism bureau you have a variety of options to contribute content of your own, to enhance existing content and to promote travel to your destination.

“TripAdvisor offers a comprehensive suite of content products, both free and paid, that allow destination marketing organizations (DMOs) to enhance their websites with user-generated content and drive more traffic,” says Kevin Carter, TripAdvisor’s Manager of Business and Trade Media Relations. In the past two years, he says, TripAdvisor has worked with more than 600 global DMOs.

With 50 million unique monthly visitors worldwide, TripAdvisor might just be the most important site for marketing your destination aside from your official website. And unlike social networks like Facebook and Twitter, people go to TripAdvisor to shop, not to socialize.

In its 2010 Travel Trends Survey, TripAdvisor asked travelers at what stages in vacation planning they are most likely to visit the site. 54% of respondents indicated “at the beginning”, when either “looking to be inspired with a destination to visit” or “choosing between destinations.”

For DMOs that means lots of impressionable travel shoppers ripe for the picking. Here's how to harvest them. 

Put yourself in the traveler’s shoes
Start by exploring your destination’s positioning on TripAdvisor from a traveler’s perspective. Read reviews, peruse content and sign up for weekly TripWatch newsletters.

Check out Facebook applications like Instant Personalization and Cities I’ve Visited to see how travelers are sharing trip activities, reviews and wish lists with friends. And download TripAdvisor’s mobile app and the recently launched City Guide app to survey how (and if) your destination is represented.

Based on the information you find, would you visit your destination or just end up confused? Now it’s time to manage content. I’ll start with the free stuff.

Badges and Widgets
In the Tourism Organizations section you’ll find free badges and widgets that can be uploaded to your destination site. These include Travelers’ Choice® award badges, widgets of traveler photos and review feeds of top-rated attractions, hotels and restaurants. These feeds will help provide a stream of fresh traveler-generated content on your site. But bear in mind the content is not searchable and therefore offers no SEO benefits to the host site.

Some DMOs have opted to integrate TripAdvisor reviews and ratings within member listings on their official site. This might not please all of your stakeholders, especially those unpopular with travelers, but it will show confidence in your offerings overall and will help keep travelers on your site.

A survey conducted by VisitScotland in October 2009 found that travelers were highly in favor of seeing TripAdvisor reviews on its website and that 75% of businesses that had opted for this feature were satisfied with the results. VisitLondon and VisitMesa also feature reviews on their websites.

Articles, Local Info and Imagery
You’ll find a range of content in the Travel Guide section, accessible on the left sidebar of destination pages. Here you can upload photos, videos and articles to help orient travelers to your destination.

In keeping with the community spirit of TripAdvisor, keep it real. That means editorial not advertorial, no marketing babble or fairytales, and go easy on the superlatives. And only include material you have permission to publish.

“Destinations can also add relevant information to traveler articles on the site,” says Carter, “including links to their website and email, as well as details about their tourist offices’ opening hours.”

The wiki feature allows you to edit content uploaded by others. Check it for accuracy, revise as appropriate and add comments to explain your revisions. Use the “Report inappropriate content” button if warranted. To monitor content on an ongoing basis subscribe to the “Watch Articles” feature.

For more information visit TripAdvisor’s Content Policies section.

Forums
TripAdvisor forums can be a great medium for engaging travelers, sharing information and gaining insight into topics and issues related to your destination. “They essentially offer free market research,” says Carter.

You can also clear up any misconceptions and point travelers to available resources. Leave your sandwich board at the door, however. “No commercial messaging is allowed in these forums,” says Carter. “And we request DMOs to clearly indicate that they are the official Tourism Board in their profile name.”

TripAdvisor selectively invites valued contributors to become Destination Experts. These people can be highly influential advocates. Introduce yourself, thank them for their efforts (they do this on a volunteer basis) and offer yourself up as a resource.

And now for the paid stuff.

Advertising
Much like individual businesses can enhance their TripAdvisor listing with paid Business Listings, DMOs have a number of paid options to increase visibility and drive traffic. These include Tourism Sponsorships, custom branding campaigns, advertorials, interactive microsites and forums sponsorships.

Banner campaigns can be targeted to travelers who live within primary feeder markets or are actively considering trips to competitive or nearby destinations. For example, on the North Carolina page I encountered ads from the South Carolina tourism bureau. Cheeky, but effective.

Pricing is based on cost-per-thousand impressions. To cut down on clutter and ensure advertising is relevant, TripAdvisor limits the number of ads per page and doesn’t work with third-party advertising networks.

Advertisers have access to a wealth of data about their destination and competitors as well as analytics packages for monitoring campaign performance. “We are able to review a region’s traffic over time, looking at seasonality within the year as well as the development of inbound markets to the destination,” says Carter.

Tourism Sponsorship
Available exclusively to DMOs, Tourism Sponsorship offers the opportunity to “feature premium content such as photos, videos and an events calendar on high visibility pages on TripAdvisor, as well as a number of promotional text links and fixed branded advertising units,” says Carter.

Sold as an annual subscription and priced based on traffic to the page, Tourism Sponsorships have been purchased by more than 300 destinations since launching in 2010.

As examples, on the Whistler, BC and Tourisme Québec landing pages you’ll find official photos, direct links to the visitor bureau and an events calendar. Carter cites Aspen, Colorado and  Scotland, Arizona as other examples of well managed Tourism Sponsorship pages.

Selling the destination: a group effort
Your destination’s reputation is only as strong as the sum of its parts. In addition to educating local businesses on the importance of keeping TripAdvisor listings up to date, managing reviews and not being lame, you can encourage them to feature Travelers Choice award badges and “What’s Nearby” widgets on their website and to use the resources in TripAdvisor’s Management Center. Oh, and remember to offer training in online reputation management.

Carter points to South Africa as an example of a DMO that has effectively combined TripAdvisor tools with newsletters and presentations to educate industry stakeholders on opportunities.

Master Classes
Finally, TripAdvisor has been holding Master Classes in select cities around the globe to show local businesses how to make the most of the site. I’ve given presentations on online reputation management at nine of these events to date, and they're definitely worth attending for hoteliers, tourism operators and DMOs alike. See you in Toronto on March 8?

How are you using TripAdvisor to promote your destination? Share your comments here.  

See also How to Optimize Your TripAdvisor Listing. 

Travel suppliers are dependent on the reputation of local businesses and the destination as a whole—and vice versa.

Branded hotels are dependent on the reputation of other hotels in the group and the brand overall—and vice versa.

One black sheep can tarnish the reputation of the entire flock.

A critical new function in the travel industry that grew out of the explosive popularity of social networking, online reputation management is the process of tracking and responding to online reviews and commentary and using feedback to guide improvements. It’s about actively participating in social networking to build awareness and shape impressions. 

Given what’s at stake, has your destination marketing organization, hotel group or tourism association invested adequately in training and educating its membership in online reputation management?

There’s no more effective way than to get all the stakeholders in one room, learning how to strengthen and leverage reputation for individual businesses and the destination as a whole.

I first started writing about online reputation management in 2009, but it’s only recently that the travel industry has woken up to its importance. Just over a year ago I gave my first talk on the subject, and since then I’ve given over fifty presentations in Europe and across North America.

Last spring Tourism British Columbia, part of the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation, hired me to write a guide to online reputation management and to develop an accompanying three-hour workshop.

The response from regional destination marketing organizations and tourism businesses across the province has been extremely positive. The most recent workshop, in Vancouver, attracted 122 participants from all sectors of tourism, from accommodation and transportation to activities and attractions.

To my knowledge British Columbia was the first government entity to formally invest in this type of training. But it most certainly won’t be the last. Recently, I’ve also given government-sponsored talks in Scotland and Italy.

Reputation can—and should—be managed in-house. More than a marketing function, it is a company-wide function that touches every department and every employee.

Keeping up with changes in technology and traveler behavior can be overwhelming, however, when you have guests to take care of and revenue to generate.

In my presentations I draw from my experience as a hotel manager and marketing executive to show participants simple, practical ways to cut through the clutter and harness the powers of social media and online marketing as a competitive advantage.

For more information about training programs click here. To inquire about booking me for your next conference, meeting or child’s birthday party (always a hit), email me or call +1 604 726-2337. 

A comment on my recent post, Social Media and Reputation Management in Canada’s Tourism Strategy, caught my attention:

“It's such a great advantage to promote a brand that is already liked by many in the world. The opposite scenario could be devastating.” – Rahman Mehraby, Destination Iran

Curious, I contacted the author and asked him about the challenges of marketing Iran as a tourist destination.  

“The problem is two-fold,” he told me, “as you have to convince people first that it’s safe to travel to Iran and then introduce its attractions. The main challenge is to tell the world we are not anti-westerners and we like to see them traveling in Iran. Iranians are very hospitable people, but explaining this to people who only follow traditional media isn’t easy. Some big news corporations have political motives and give a somewhat dreadful image of Iran and Iranians.”

Our correspondence happened to coincide with a survey of 1,100 global travelers and opinion leaders presented last week by Marriott International at the World Economic Forum in Davos, in which respondents indicated that international travel is even more important for breaking down cultural barriers than the Internet, TV and movies and political diplomacy. 

Said Mark Penn of Penn Schoen Berland, which conducted the survey on behalf of Marriott, “International travelers advance people’s understanding of different cultures and reinforce all that we as humans have in common with each other.”

Mehraby promotes tourism to Iran through his website, Destination Iran, as well as blogging, search engine marketing, article marketing and press releases. He also administers a Facebook page, Twitter feed and LinkedIn profile. Official destination marketing is managed by the Iranian Tourist Board, the Iran Tourism Industry Association and the Cultural Heritage News Agency.

“Iranians must be one of the most active users of social media in the world,” he tells me. “Almost every friend I have is on Facebook. Twitter and YouTube are less popular, and LinkedIn is not so well-known.”

The Washington Post reports that Iran is one of the most densely Web-connected nations in the Middle East and has one of the largest Facebook communities.

Mehraby says most Iranians still use brick-and-mortar travel agencies for travel planning. “We’re under sanctions and do not have international credit cards to buy online.” Social networks are primarily used for socializing, though lately he’s noticed coffee shops, travel companies and restaurants that have started Facebook pages.

“Recently, I went to Daad Hotel in Yazd and saw a banner in the lobby on which it was proudly mentioned, ‘The best hotel of Iran according to TripAdvisor’”, he tells me. “TripAdvisor is a source of reference for a large number of foreign travelers”, so “having good reviews is becoming important for hotel managers and owners.”

Travel fairs and expos are popular means of promoting tourism to Iran, he says, but costs can be prohibitive. Word of mouth is more effective. “With the growing popularity of social media people have found ordinary citizens everywhere in the world who explain the real stories of their day-to-day lives and social developments without any biases,” says Mehraby.

I asked my friend Suzanne Walters, who is afraid to jay-walk but travels to exotic lands by herself, about her recent trip to Iran. “Iran is not an easy destination and you must be prepared to work within the restrictions and the cultural expectations,” she told me. “But it is full of warm and lovely people who seek you out to welcome you and share their country. There are astonishing heritage sites that are delightfully uncrowded and untouched, unlike so many other parts of the world that have been 'discovered'."

However, she says, “Every single Western news site I tried to access are blocked within Iran. So I was pretty much cut off from the world while I was there.”

Iran reportedly blocks, conducts surveillance on and censors some activities on the Internet, mobile networks and social platforms, according to a study of internet censorship in China and Iran conducted by the University of Toronto.

I asked Mehraby about this, but he was more interested in promoting his country. “Iran is among the top cultural destinations and top nature destinations in the world,” he says. “If you’re looking for the roots of Islamic architecture, explore Iran. If you’re looking for fabulous handicrafts and crafts, visit Iran and see the real Persian carpets in the land of its inventors. If you would like to visit a country that is not overflowing with tourists yet, it’s Iran.”

However, he says, “Keep in mind that hotels of 3 to 5 stars are acceptable accommodations, but don’t expect the same 5-star standards you see elsewhere in the world.”

For more information about traveling to Iran check out Mehraby’s Iran Travel Advice page.

Have you been to Iran or had challenges marketing another region as a tourism destination? Share your comments here. 

Photo credits: Rahman Mehraby, www.destinationiran.com.

The Internet and social media have placed a wealth of information at the fingertips of travelers. So we should be making better decisions, right?

I put the theory to the test on a recent trip to Europe, when I went decided to visit Lyon for the first time. My needs were simple: a decent, reasonably-priced hotel in a convenient location.

A mere 72 searches, 1103 websites and 67,321 reviews later, I had narrowed things down to the ideal hotel. Upon arrival, however, I discovered an overpriced, substandard hotel in an uninspiring location. It was under renovation, and the next morning I was jolted from sleep by power drilling. Then the power went out.

As I stumbled around in the darkness I got to wondering, if I, a travel marketing consultant who knows many of the tricks of the trade, can be steered so wrong, how are other travelers faring?

Not so well, judging by some of the bitter reviews I see on TripAdvisor.

The online playing field has become so crowded, the information so fragmented and contradictory, we now spend more time planning trips than enjoying them. And yet we still manage to make lousy decisions. If things don’t get simpler soon, we’ll all run screaming back to travel agents.

And it’s not only travelers who are confused. Hoteliers and travel marketers are struggling to keep up with changes in technology and traveler behavior, and it’s distracting them from taking care of guests.

To cut through the noise and determine where best to allocate scarce marketing resources, we need to think like travelers. Here are five must-haves for the modern travel shopper, along with some practical advice for fulfilling them. 

Travelers want helpful information
These days marketing is less about finding customers than being found by customers. The Internet is the new telephone, and travelers are calling with questions about your business and destination. You can let your competitors answer, or you can pick up and provide helpful, relevant information.

Fresh content and social activity are two powerful new ingredients in search rankings. Not only does good content increase your visibility in search and drive traffic to your website, it converts travelers and will be remembered and shared.

I don’t mean inane publicity ploys like hallway snore monitors, human bed warmers and fragrance butlers. Travelers don’t want fluff, they want practical information.

Good content comes in many forms—blog posts, news, articles, stories, reviews, FAQs, photos, videos. Mix content produced by you with content curated from guests and third parties (ask permission and give credit). Optimize with tags and titles and add icons to encourage sharing as well as feeds from your social networks.

Finally, organize everything onto a social media page on your website. For an example of this see Whistler Blackcomb's The Movement community page.

Travelers want to compare offerings
Online travel agencies have now surpassed bedbugs as the number one parasitical threat to the travel industry. They did this by engorging themselves on high commissions and spending millions on advertising to convince travelers they offer the best deals. Problem is, they often do. Hotels have been willful hosts, fattening them up with all-you-can eat inventory at juicy low rates.

Unlike bedbugs, however, travelers love OTAs. They do a brilliant job of organizing product offerings, pricing, features and packages for easy comparison and quick consumption. OTAs now command such a high market share few suppliers can live without them, and they’re expected to grow further in 2012.

So the solution is to forge more mutually beneficial relationships. Think long-term strategic rather than short-term desperate: limit access to inventory, negotiate more reasonable commissions, and reduce dependency by shifting resources into more profitable channels. Above all, never, ever allow your direct channels to be undersold.

Travelers want reassurance they’re making the right choices
Memo to marketing: travelers have stopped listening to the fairytales and fantasies on your website and promotional materials. Instead, they’re turning to social networks to consult the people they trust to give them the real story: other travelers.

Problem is, blindly following the advice of strangers also has its risks, especially when that stranger might be the hotel manager masquerading as a benevolent traveler. Friendsourcing trip advice has become all the rage, but just because they’re our friends doesn’t mean they have good taste. Locals are often clueless about tourism activities, and experts typically base reviews on one experience.

So where to turn for reliable advice? Fortunately, several travel sites allow us to tap into the collective wisdom of crowds, friends, locals and experts. We can filter out the types we typically avoid on vacation and find people like us, who can steer us toward not just the best hotel, restaurant and activity, but the best ones for us.

These sites include Trivago, which aggregates and scores reviews from a variety of websites, and Gogobot, which features detailed reviewer profiles and ratings of their travel expertise. TripAdvisor and Yelp offer critical mass while at the same time featuring a Facebook interface that puts our friends’ advice front and center.

What does this mean for travel marketers? Your listings on review sites, directories and social networks have never been more important. Search for them, claim them and keep them up to date and consistent with contact info, descriptions, amenities, special offers, photos and videos.

Travelers want to share experiences
Social networks have performed abysmally as a sales channel, and don’t hold your breath for that rush of Facebook bookings in 2012. People go to Facebook to socialize; they go to TripAdvisor and online travel agencies to shop.

Rather, Facebook and Twitter have emerged as customer service channels, where travelers go to make inquiries, share experiences and voice likes and dislikes before, during and after trips. Complaining to the manager is so last year; today it’s all about complaining to social networks.

It all comes down to expectations. Travelers don’t like surprises, unless upgrades and champagne are involved. That means less hype and more transparency in marketing: being upfront about pricing, fees, services, amenities, location and reviews. Travelers don’t expect perfection, but they do expect quality and value, and that can come at any service level. You don’t have to be the best, but strive to be the best in class.

Alerts on Google, TripAdvisor and Twitter will help you keep track of the chatter, whereas a reputation monitoring tool will help you manage it.

However, outsourcing social media updates and review responses to a tweet factory that has no clue what’s going on on-property defeats the purpose of social networking: getting closer to your guests. Cultivate the talent in-house.

Oh, and they want all this on mobile devices
The use of mobile devices is proliferating at a staggering rate, and travelers are leading the charge. You don’t need an app, you need a mobile compatible site that provides basic content travelers can navigate on a small screen: pricing, descriptions, location info, photos, deals and booking capabilities. And don’t forget a click-to-call option—some people actually use them as telephones too.
 

What do you want as a traveler? How is your business fulfilling traveler wants in unique and forward-thinking ways? Share your comments here.

Even hotels with rave reviews and top ratings are hesitant. Hotels are highly controlled environments, where everything is “my pleasure” and beds are made for you. Websites work hard to evoke this utopian image. Why expose them to the anarchy of social networks, where people can be irrational, mean-spirited, or a competitor in disguise?

And yet despite the risks, in October Starwood joined a small minority of major international hotel groups and took the bold step of posting raw, unedited guest feedback to its official website. Visit the W London page on Starwood.com and you’ll find a range of opinions, from “Groovy, bling ambience” to “It sucks! Avoid at all cost”.

To willfully allow negative commentary—doesn’t that contravene everything we know about marketing? Or is it a shrewd, forward-thinking move that shows confidence in the product and will ultimately convert more travelers? 

Reviews are everywhere these days. Independent properties from B&Bs to boutiques post TripAdvisor widgets and feeds. Online travel agencies have been amassing reviews for years, and recently Expedia announced big plans to go even more social. Even destination marketing organizations like VisitScotland.com and Quebec City Tourism have gotten into the action. On VisitLondon.com and WhistlerBlackcomb.com you can view TripAdvisor ratings, rankings and recent reviews without leaving the site.

But you won’t find reviews on Hilton.com, Wyndham.com, Fairmont.com, Hyatt.com or BestWestern.com, nor on InterContinental, Mandarin Oriental or Taj websites. Many now post Facebook and Twitter links, but feeds of raw commentary are rare.

It’s a particularly complicated dilemma for hotel groups, which must answer not only to guests but to owners, members and franchisees. One black sheep in the family can tarnish the reputation of other properties and the brand as a whole.

And yet an increasing number of travelers won’t book a room before consulting the opinions of other travelers. Reputation has emerged as a major factor in influencing decisions, rivaling price, location and brand. If travelers can’t find reviews on the hotel’s website, they’ll look elsewhere, and they might never come back.

So slowly but surely hotel groups are devising ways to integrate reviews and commentary into their websites. The solutions so far, however, involve compromise.

Choosing to bypass TripAdvisor, Starwood allows guests to post reviews of its brands, which include Westin, Sheraton and W, directly to its website. Reviews are checked for profanity but are otherwise posted warts n’ all. A verification process alleviates concerns about fake reviews.

Will travelers trust reviews vetted by the company that’s trying to sell them rooms or will they continue to seek out independent review sites?

Starwood’s system seems heavily weighted toward members of its loyalty program. Of the 63 reviews of the Westin New York all but one are from Starwood Preferred Guest members. As presumed fans of the brand won’t they be more generous in commentary? My suspicions were quickly confirmed when I encountered one five-star review after another. Then I realized reviews are listed by star rating, with the best first. You can change the default setting, but isn’t this a bit sneaky when we’re used to chronological order on review sites?

Overall Starwood’s system is well organized and detailed, with information about reviewers, rating categories, and the ability to comment on reviews. Management has responded to select reviews of the Westin, but the responses are virtually identical, as though scripted, even in reply to complaints.

On the heels of Starwood’s announcement, Marriott announced it too was going full frontal with guest reviews. But reviews are nowhere to be found on Marriott.com. You’ll find them on the Marriott Rewards Insiders site, and you need to join to post a review. My theory that loyalty club members would be more generous was quickly disproved here, where some commentary is downright nasty. New York’s Marriott Marquis is rated two stars—far below its four-star rating on TripAdvisor.

Unlike Starwood, Marriott doesn’t list the best reviews first, but, bizarrely, lists the oldest reviews first. There are no filters, categories or reviewer details. I couldn’t find any management responses—though I too might be speechless in face of some of these comments. As a whole the system reminds me of reviews on Google Places: sparse, a bit messy and mostly unhelpful.

Of major international hotel groups, France’s Accor was the trailblazer, having integrated TripAdvisor reviews and ratings on Accor.com back in 2010. The move was all the more impressive given that its portfolio includes a range of brands, from economy to midscale to luxury. As Executive Vice President Jean-Luc Chrétien explained to me in an interview in late 2010, “We want to be very transparent and to provide our web visitors with all the information they need to make their decision.”

The most recent hotel company to join the party is Four Seasons, which this week introduced a “Reviews at a Glance” widget on property pages as part of its new (and vastly improved) website. It looks similar to a TripAdvisor widget, with three partial reviews displayed and a TripAdvisor logo and link, along with tabs, links and sample posts for Facebook and Twitter.

If any hotel group can risk total transparency it’s Four Seasons, which goes to great lengths and expense to please its guests. And yet it’s a brave move nonetheless for a company that so carefully cultivates its image. “It really does require that incredible sense of confidence that says we deliver our promise," Executive VP of Marketing Susan Helstab told USA Today’s Barb De Lollis.

Upon closer inspection, however, the reviews, tweets and posts displayed on the site aren’t pulled from a live feed; they’re cherry-picked and glowing with praise. To see all commentary you must click the TripAdvisor, Facebook and Twitter links.

No big deal, right? Well, yes and no. The widget can easily be mistaken for a live TripAdvisor feed, which in my mind diminishes the value and impact of the raw, unedited feeds on other hotel websites. Will travelers notice the difference?

So kudos to these hotel groups for making these leaps toward transparency. But to really earn traveler trust in social media we need to resist meddling in order to ensure our best foot is forward. Social media changes the rules of marketing. Travelers don’t expect perfection, but they do expect transparency and authenticity. The days of glossy brochures with fairytale descriptions and ecstatic supermodels are behind us.

So until a hotel group comes up with a better system, I think I’ll continue to consult third-party review sites before making my purchase decisions.  

What do you think? Do you know of other hotels and hotel groups posting reviews or being transparent in other ways? Share your comments here.

By Daniel Edward Craig 

The Reputation Roadshow continues! Last week I had the opportunity to meet with Ciaran Fahy, managing director of social-media-savvy The Cavendish hotel in London, and Charles Yap, Director of Global Brand Communications and social media rock star of InterContinentals Hotels Group. I got some insight into how two very different hotel companies – an independent boutique and an international conglomerate – handle social media and do it with flair. More on this in future posts. 

To day I'm at the Innovative Marketing Conference in London, where I'll be sitting on a panel entitled “Online review sites: exploiting the opportunities and mitigating the downsides” with Christine Petersen, President of TripAdvisor for Business, and Hannah Clipston of Thomas Eggar.

The conference sponsor, Caterer and Hotelkeeper magazine, asked me to write an article on managing TripAdvisor reviews, which is featured as a pull-out section in the latest issue. I'm sharing it with you today.
 

How to Manage TripAdvisor Reviews

Whether you love or it or loathe it, you cannot ignore TripAdvisor – the online review site now has over 50 million monthly visitors worldwide. Daniel Craig explains how to respond to a review of your business – good and bad. 

Why should I respond to reviews?

Responding to reviews shows that you’re listening and you care. It’s also an opportunity to set expectations for future guests. You may be responding to an individual reviewer, but your audience is the greater community of travel shoppers. In a Forrester survey commissioned by TripAdvisor, 79% of 2,100 travellers indicated that a management response to a negative review reassures them. You have the final word. Use it, but don’t abuse it. 

Which reviews should I respond to?

Respond to any commentary that is damaging to your reputation or that calls for an apology or clarification. There’s no need to respond to all positive reviews; that can get repetitive and even off-putting. Respond occasionally to thank the reviewer and to highlight the positive. Or send a private note to express gratitude to your advocates.

What should I say?

Thank the reviewer, apologize if something went wrong, and say how you’re following up. Travellers are seeking reassurance the same thing won’t happen to them, so be transparent. If you can’t fix the problem, briefly explain why. This is not the place for marketing babble, stilted hotel-speak or defensiveness. Be sincere, conversational and professional. And bear in mind that review content is searchable, so choose your words carefully and proofread before posting.

When is it okay to ignore a negative review?

If a review is offensive or irrational, you may choose to disregard it. Travellers can read between the lines, and a response will draw unnecessary attention to the review. Consider adopting Intel’s social media policy of responding to “the Good, the Bad, but not the Ugly”.

How can I cope with bad reviews?

Social media gives voice to all types, from the easily impressed to the impossible to please. At some point every business receives negative criticism, sometimes unjustly so. It’s hoteliers, not travellers, who obsess over bad reviews. Criticism adds authenticity and sets expectations. Show leadership: listen, learn, support your team and soldier on. 

What if a review contains false information?

Post a response to diplomatically set the record straight. Inaccurate information is often the result of a misunderstanding rather than mean-spiritedness; never accuse a reviewer of dishonesty. TripAdvisor won’t get involved in arbitrating disputes, but if commentary is sufficiently damaging, such as a false report of bedbugs or illegal activity, use the “Dispute a Review” tool in the Management Center.

What if I suspect a review is fake?

TripAdvisor has a zero tolerance policy for fraud and has sophisticated tools for detecting it, but also depends on its community to help keep content accurate. Says Kevin Carter, TripAdvisor’s Business and Trade Public Relations Manager, “We welcome business owners to contact us if they feel a review is illegitimate or does not comply with our content policies/submission guidelines. We investigate every inquiry.” Use the “Report as Inappropriate” tool in the Management Center.

When should I consider seeking legal advice over a false review? 

According to TripAdvisor, fraudulent reviews are illegal in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France and the United States, among other countries. However, pursuing legal action can be costly and stressful. Use it as a last resort. Post a response first, send a private message to the reviewer requesting the review be taken down, and dispute the review with TripAdvisor.

What should I do if TripAdvisor accuses me of posting fake reviews?

Penalties for gaming the system may include a drop in your popularity index ranking and a red badge warning travellers that your reviews are suspicious. “Offending properties are encouraged to respond to the letter they are sent notifying them about the penalty,” says Carter, “providing any information or evidence that they have to refute or confirm the allegation.”

What if I can’t reach TripAdvisor?

In the past TripAdvisor has been notoriously difficult to reach, but is making efforts to be more open and responsive. This year the company launched a Customer Care Center and recently announced a dedicated customer support number and Customer Care Manager for the EMEA region. You’ll find contact information and email forms in the revamped Management Center, which also features tips and resources and FAQs for managing reviews. Carter says most inquiries are reviewed within 48 hours. A dispute resolution can take up to nine days, though often less.

How can I improve my rating and ranking on TripAdvisor?

TripAdvisor doesn’t reveal its popularity index algorithm, but does confirm that the quality and volume of reviews have a significant impact on rankings, and that recent reviews have greater weight than old reviews. The only sure-fire way to increase ratings is to exceed guest expectations time and again. Set objectives, use feedback to guide improvements, and recognize staff for achievements. Keep your listing up to date and complete, and don’t be shy about asking for reviews.

See also How to Optimize Your TripAdvisor Listing and How to Cope with Bad Reviews. For examples of review responses good and bad, download The Hoteliers’ Guide to Online Reputation Management. 

They sportily obliged. Here’s the photo.

Two minutes later, something happened that every speaker secretly dreads. Everyone stood up and fled the room. Here's them leaving:

Was it something I said?

Actually, the fire alarms had gone off and everyone had to evacuate the building.

As the event host Kaye Adams, a BBC radio and television personality in Scotland and all-around cool person, and I were ushered out the back door, I stopped abruptly upon passing a room with my name on the door. Either the venue was expecting the “other” Daniel Craig or I had my very own dressing room. I didn’t actually get to see inside, but I’m quite certain it was stuffed with floral arrangements, champagne, a divan and palm-frond waving groupies.

Memo to future event organizers: the standard has been set. 

Within a half-hour the coast was clear and we all filed back in. If nothing else, it was a great little ice-breaker for what turned out to be a fantastic conference, with an enthusiastic audience of tourism operators and enlightening presentations from Karen Plumb of TripAdvisor and Robbie Parish of VisitScotland, among others.

I’m particularly impressed with Scotland’s investment in business development and the tourism industry and its keen understanding that the reputation of a country and its appeal as a tourist destination is the sum of its parts. Many thanks to the folks at Scottish Enterprise for inviting me, and to the lovely Lesley Wood of Targeting Innovation for making all the arrangements.

It was my first taste of Scotland and I'll definitely be back. And I tried haggis for the first time. I thought it was delicious … until somebody told me what it’s made of—while I was on stage giving my second presentation. Fortunately, I managed to keep it down.

Oh, and while in Glasgow I got to experience CitizenM after hearing a lot about it in recent months. It’s one of the most innovative hotel concepts I’ve experienced, and I think they really nailed it. I’ll write more about it in a future post.

Tomorrow I’m off to Lyon and then to Paris for some R&R and unofficial business. After that the Reputation Roadshow continues, with the Innovative Marketing in Hospitality conference in London on November 28 and Buy Tourism Online in Florence on December 1 and 2. Stay tuned for more updates.

Bags are packed! Well, almost. This week marks the beginning of my five-week odyssey to spread the gospel of online reputation management to the tourism industry.

I’ll be giving training and presentations in cities large and small, from Washington, London and Florence to Salmon Arm, BC and Perth, Scotland.

As an independent consultant I'll be providing an objective viewpoint on challenges and opportunities in social media and online reputation management and sharing tips, tools and best practices for harnessing its powers as a competitive edge.  

If I’m coming to your region, be sure to say hello. I love connecting with industry people and am particularly interested in hearing about success stories, trends and innovation in social media and online marketing in the hotel and travel industries. And I always like to check out the latest and greatest in hotels. 

Here’s where you’ll find me in the coming weeks: 

BC Hospitality Industry Conference
November 7, 2011: Vancouver, BC
Social Media Roundtable 

TripAdvisor Master Class 
November 9, 2011: Washington, D.C. 
Presentation: Maintaining a Positive Online Reputation & Responding to Reviews

Digital Marketing for Scottish Tourism: Learning How to Shine Online
November 16, 2011: Perth, Scotland 
Presentation: Social Media, Technology and Tourism 

Innovative Marketing in Hospitality
November 28, 2011: London, England
Panel: Online Review Sites: Exploring Opportunities and Mitigating Downsides

Buy Tourism Online 2011
December 2, 2011: Florence, Italy 
Presentation & Panel: Reputation and Relevancy 

Vantage Hospitality Group Annual Conference: The Power Within
December 6, 2011: Las Vegas, Nevada
Educational Keynote: Reputation, the ROI of Social Networking

Tourism BC: Ministry of Jobs, Tourism & Innovation
December 7, 2011: West Kelowna/Peachland, BC 
December 8, 2011: Shuswap, BC
Workshops: Online Reputation Management for Tourism Operators

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