Blogs

We hope so.

When New Media Travel spoke to the owners of 40 Putney Road, a Brattelboro, Vermont,  B&B,  we were curious about  how this new brand of innkeepers was using social media to build a loyal client base.
Inn owner Tim Brady said something very interesting.

In a discussion about TripAdvisor and its huge influence on hotels, inns and B& B’s, Brady said that he’d rather have his guests tell him, directly, what they liked or didn’t like about staying at his place.

He made a lot of sense. As the owner and host, Brady could do something about a client’s concerns right then and there and develop a solid guest-management relationship. What good does it do, he said, to complain to TripAdvisor. They can’t fix anything.

Even though, as Naked Hospitality points out, TripAdvisor-branded properties make up the largest travel community in the world (50 million unique monthly visitors, 60 million reviews), they can’t directly help customers have a better experience.

So Brady’s point about going straight to management with complaints and comments is an idea whose time has clearly come.

According to Hotelmarketing.com,  the new review site GuestComment, allows guests’ comments to be sent directly to hotel management, while the guest is still on the property.

Now management which can take action, acknowledge a complaint, praise or suggestion, and make corrections necessary...before the guest checks out, and is days and miles away.

Think about how much this can do to shape a customer’s opinion of the property and, if well used, develop a loyal following of satisfied guests.

TripAdvisor, Google, Yelp or any other review site don’t foster this kind of responsive relationship that properties and guests are hungry for.

How does it work? Simply, says, Marketing Pilgrim, a marketing and media blog.

GuestComment’s patent-pending system uses interactive kiosks placed inside the hotel.
Feedback is instantly sent to management who, if they know their business, will acknowledge and act on the guest’s comment, immediately, while the guest is still there; while it can do the most good.

The turn-key operation provides the kiosk, software, application.

Management has to provide an open mind and willingness to listen and respond, a small price to pay for fewer fraudulent reviews, more honest feedback and more customer satisfaction, and increased loyalty.

The system will be in 150,00 hotels, and to see how it work, check out the infographic at Marketing Pilgrim.