Tim_Toad_HLB
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I've noted this before and don't mean to sound like a broken record... but this brings up a great point. Think about how many of the people who stay at your property depend on reviews in their lives now or will soon as sites have been launching on all of them.
Doctors
Contractors
Chefs/Restaurants
Lawyers
Accountants
Every local business like spas/salons/barbers
Every small goods manufacturer - period - from cars to electronics to sporting goods to everything
The list goes on and on... And I forget the latest stat, but something like 3/4's of travelers rate them as their most important criteria along with a photo and the map to the property!
My point in all this is that people don't mind being asked nicely in some way (follow-up email, link, at check-out, etc.) to leave a review..
I wonder what the percentage would be if most people knew or were told in advance how badly these review venues are being manipulated and jaked by the very businesses and industry advocates benefitting the most from consumer driven reviews?JBanczak said:The list goes on and on... And I forget the latest stat, but something like 3/4's of travelers rate them as their most important criteria along with a photo and the map to the property!
My point in all this is that people don't mind being asked nicely in some way (follow-up email, link, at check-out, etc.) to leave a review.
Of course you think people don't mind, your business benefits from more people giving reviews. The question for me has always been, do any of us mind begging, prodding and coaching our guests who come to us for a respite from the cookie cutter, corporate business model which always favors more, more, more, bigger is better, consolidate similar businesses, expand markets, get bigger databases of potential customer information, etc., etc..?
Just a few years ago, TA barely had a "specialty lodging" tab, now its added vacation rentals, more business traveler data, etc.. I think Sweetie Pie's opinion that they will not stop until every category of and individual lodging establishment is listed and somehow "partnered"
I for one, do mind. My guests don't owe me zilch at the end of their stay except their tariff, and hopefully but not required, an affirmative that they thoroughly enjoyed themselves when asked.
Here we all are, beating our brains out trying to distinguish ourselves as a viable, affordable alternative to corporate-owned hotels while offering a unique and more personalized expereince, yet we are constantly told by industry advocates that in order to be successful and competitive, we must act just like the model we are in direct opposition to and in competition with.
When researching my own travel options, I'm far more interested in the veracity, originality, integrity and objectivity of the reviews I read than the sheer volume. My informal research with guests and friends shows me that many people feel the same way.
When confronted with a choice between a B&B like one in my area with 225+ reviews and more added nearly every day and a property that gets reviewed in what appears to be in a naturally occurring frequency with the qualities I just described but far fewer reviews, I myself and people I speak with trust the information about the latter more than the other.