Travelers depend on reviews. Hotels depend on reviews. The problem is… most guests don’t leave them.
The value of hotel guest reviews is unmistakable. Over 80% of people frequently or always read reviews before booking a hotel,1 and half of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations from friends and family.2
It’s not surprising, then, that over 90% of hospitality business owners think online reviews are among the three most important factors affecting the future of their industry.3 Unfortunately, most guests don’t leave reviews after their stay.
It’s hard to nail down the percentage of travelers who leave hotel reviews, but anecdotal evidence tells us that as few as 20% leave guest feedback. Knowing the prominent role reviews play in bookings, hotel general managers and owners are exploring how to increase the flow of this social currency.
The gap from hotel guest to review.
Hotels needs reviews — not just star ratings, but evaluations that influence travelers and highlight strengths and differentiators. So, how do you generate guest feedback when trends indicate fewer people are leaving reviews?
The first step is understanding the primary frictions that discourage guests from posting reviews. Many are interconnected, but all highlight a pain point you must overcome to grow your review base.
Why aren't hotel guests leaving reviews?
1. Laziness / review fatigue.
People are busy, and many simply don’t find it rewarding to leave reviews. Compounding this is that consumers are overwhelmed with requests to write reviews, take surveys, and rate experiences, causing many people to just avoid them.
2. No incentive,
Related to laziness and review fatigue, if guests feel there’s no reward for giving their time to leave a review, they simply won’t do it. Many people maintain a “what’s in it for me” attitude and will require an incentive before devoting their attention to something.
3. Complex review process.
Understanding how consumers value their time and what they’re willing to give you, a review process that is involved, lengthy, or cumbersome, causes some guests to abandon the process even if they start it. Because of all the factors discussed thus far, user experience plays a critical role in convincing guests to leave reviews.
4. Lack of notable guest experience.
Research has shown that guests are more likely to leave reviews if they had a memorable experience, be that positive or negative. Guests with average experiences may not feel they have much to contribute, whereas guests who come into a hotel with certain expectations are more likely to leave a review if their experience was either exceptionally good or bad.
Related Article: Modern Strategies for Personalized Guest Experiences
5. Lack of interaction with staff.
Connected with notable experiences, interactions with hotel staff have proven to play a role in guests leaving reviews. The fewer interactions they have, the less likely they are to have a notable experience. The key takeaway here is that interactions with staff influence reviews, so encourage your staff to make those interactions exceptional.
6. Guests underestimate the value to you.
Dated research revealed that guests were more likely to leave a review if you asked for it. But as review fatigue increases and the novelty of having a voice to broadcast your opinions has dissipated, simply asking isn’t the motivation it once was.
Guests may perceive their contribution as “just another review,” and fail to realize the importance their evaluations play in your marketing efforts. This point is especially important to understand in the context of your happy clients, who underestimate the impact their positive words can have.
7. They simply forget.
As basic as it may be, many guests intend to leave a review, but just don’t get around to it before it’s out of mind. This highlights the importance of providing a simple, timely process for guests to leave reviews while their sentiments are fresh.
Overcome the challenges of getting hotel guest feedback.
By recognizing and understanding the obstructions to getting reviews from your customers, you can take measures to remedy them. These remedies may be multifaceted – from adjustments to how your staff interacts with guests, to new procedures for requesting and facilitating reviews.
It’s important that all your measures consider your guests’ perspective. Demonstrating that you understand their frictions will help you earn their trust and time.
Leveraging AI for hotel review management.
One way to ignite your pipeline of reviews is to use tools that use artificial intelligence (AI) to help alleviate some frictions that deter guests. Review Wizard uses the power of AI to make it fast and easy for guests to leave reviews that highlight the most important features of your property. Best of all, Review Wizard is a low lift for your organization and can be easily integrated into your existing marketing activities.
Want to see how Review Wizard works? Schedule a demo to learn how to leverage AI to overcome challenges of getting high quality reviews.
Sources
- https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/online-reviews-remain-a-trusted-source-of-information-when-booking-trips-reveals-new-research-300885097.html
- https://trustpulse.com/online-review-statistics/
- https://blog.guestrevu.com/back-to-basics-what-is-online-reputation-management-and-why-does-it-matter-to-hotels