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Managing Online Reputation: Tips for Hotels to Build Trust and Credibility

In today's digital age, the bulk of public perception has gone digital. With the rise of review platforms, social media, and online travel agencies, managing your hotel's online reputation has become crucial for success. It serves as an additional touchpoint for hotels to engage with guests, exceed their expectations, and ultimately build trust and credibility. In this blog post, we will explore effective strategies that hotels can implement to proactively manage their online reputation, ensuring a positive and lasting impression on guests.

In today's digital age, the bulk of public perception has gone digital.  With the rise of review platforms, social media, and online travel agencies, managing your hotel's online reputation has become crucial for success. It serves as an additional touchpoint for hotels to engage with guests, exceed their expectations, and ultimately build trust and credibility. In this blog post, we will explore effective strategies that hotels can implement to proactively manage their online reputation, ensuring a positive and lasting impression on guests.

Embrace the Power of Online Reviews:

Online reviews have become the modern-day word-of-mouth, greatly influencing travelers' decisions. Encourage satisfied guests to share their experiences on popular review platforms such as TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, or Yelp. Respond promptly and professionally to all reviews, addressing both positive feedback and concerns. Show appreciation for positive reviews and take the opportunity to showcase your commitment to guest satisfaction.

Monitor and Analyze Online Mentions:

Keep a pulse on what guests are saying about your hotel across various online channels. Utilize reputation management tools and social listening platforms to monitor mentions of your hotel's name, staff, and services. Analyze the sentiment of these mentions to identify areas of strength and improvement. Actively engaging in monitoring helps you promptly address any negative feedback and identify opportunities to surprise and delight your guests.

Provide Exceptional Guest Experiences:

The foundation of a strong online reputation lies in consistently delivering exceptional guest experiences, as operations will be the largest driver of reviews. Train your staff to provide personalized service and go the extra mile to exceed guest expectations. Surprise and delight your guests with thoughtful gestures, such as personalized welcome notes, complimentary room upgrades, or special amenities. These memorable experiences are more likely to generate positive reviews and drive repeat business amongst guests.

Engage and Respond on Social Media:

Social media platforms are powerful tools for engaging with your audience and shaping your online reputation. Maintain an active presence on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Regularly share engaging content, such as behind-the-scenes glimpses, staff spotlights, and guest stories. Promptly respond to guest inquiries, comments, and direct messages to showcase your commitment to guest satisfaction and build a sense of trust and accessibility.

Address Negative Feedback Proactively:

Negative feedback is inevitable, but how you handle it speaks volumes about your hotel's commitment to guest satisfaction. Respond promptly and professionally to negative reviews, addressing concerns and offering solutions. Take the conversation offline whenever possible to resolve issues privately. Demonstrating a genuine willingness to rectify problems can turn dissatisfied guests into loyal advocates. Try to respond within 48 hours and encourage future engagement. 

Implement a Proactive Online Reputation Management Strategy:

Develop a comprehensive online reputation management strategy that includes regular monitoring, engaging with guests, and soliciting feedback. Train your staff on the importance of online reputation and empower them to proactively contribute to its enhancement. Regularly review and refine your strategy to adapt to evolving guest expectations and online trends.

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Managing your hotel's online reputation is no longer optional—it is essential for success in the digital era. By embracing the power of online reviews, providing exceptional guest experiences, engaging on social media, and implementing a proactive reputation management strategy, hotel executives can build trust, credibility, and positive public perception. Remember, every digital touchpoint is an opportunity to surprise and delight guests, ultimately leading to increased bookings, loyalty, and revenue.

Check out our features for hotels and book a demo  with our knowledgeable team at GoTab to see firsthand how our POS system can revolutionize your operations.

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Situated “in the heart of it all, yet tranquil enough to make you feel away from it all too,” The Limelight Hotel Snowmass offers 99 hotel rooms and 11 residences, as well as footsteps-to-gondola access in winter and summer — right in the middle of Snowmass Base Village.

The Situation

Especially over the last few years, the Limelight Hotels IT team had witnessed a significant shift to contactless technology in the hospitality industry. After evaluating friction points in the guest journey, aligning with modern technology platforms in their restaurant was determined to be an effective way to offer elevated contactless dining experiences to their guests while also evolving their technology platforms to continue to support long-term company goals. Limelight Hotel partnered with GoTab to provide an enhanced on-demand dining experience on par with the brand’s reputation for exceptional guest service.

The Solution

Reducing Staff Touch Points Without Sacrificing Guest Experience

Guests are now able to begin a tab from their room or the property’s restaurant by scanning a QR code, texting a link to friends or family members on the ski slope to add in their orders, then meeting up together at the patio or lodge to enjoy their meal and après ski festivities without interruption. By streamlining tasks like inputting orders and processing payments, this eliminates friction for hotel staff and allows them to focus on delivering renowned guest service for a memorable experience. Since partnering with GoTab, Limelight Snowmass has consistently seen higher check averages and sales.

“We found the Point of Sale platforms we were looking at offered the guest and staff limited opportunities to further reduce touch points or improve the traditional restaurant experience. The GoTab platform enabled the guest to take an active role over the flow of their experience while simultaneously reducing touch points and further streamlining restaurant operations.”Nick Giglio, Manager of Hotel IT Operations, The Little Nell Hotel Group

According to the Limelight Hotels team, some of the other platforms that were evaluated were either missing some of the pieces they were looking for, had weak customer support models, or had little willingness to develop integrations to existing hotel platforms already in place. To that end, GoTab integrated with cloud-based platform, Infor. Together, GoTab and Infor are providing dynamic solutions to support central, efficient service across hotel amenities and deliver exceptional guest experiences.

“Previously, guests would call down to the restaurant to begin an order from their room or while they were out enjoying the ski slopes. Using GoTab, guests can now place orders from anywhere on the resort, giving them the on-demand service they want without interrupting their day. GoTab empowers us to give control to the guest, reducing touch points and streamlining overall restaurant operations, making Limelight Hotel the resort of choice for Snowmass.”Nick Giglio, Manager of Hotel IT Operations, The Little Nell Hotel Group

Since introducing GoTab, The Limelight Hotel has seen a consistent level of upsells and items sold per check resulting in additional revenue capture. They have been able to maintain service levels in their restaurants during periods when there was reduced staffing available without significantly diminishing the guest experience.

The Benefits

Eliminate Phone Orders – Take Orders from the Slopes. Guests can start a tab from their room or on the mountain without interrupting the flow of their day.

Future-Proofed Technologies – Delivering elevated contactless ordering via integration with the Infor hotel management platform.

Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.

  • Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
  • Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
  • Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
  • Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
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