Hotel Reputation Management: Key Considerations

In this article, we’ll go over why hotel reputation management isn’t something to overlook.

For many brands and organizations, especially those in the hospitality industry, like hotels and restaurants, the thought of implementing a reputation management strategy (especially with a reputation management firm) can feel like an unnecessary added cost.

Hotel reputation management is an extremely important part of your success, though. Consider the cost a minimal investment to deter expensive, long-term, and monumental issues down the road.

Plus, with so many online reviews being posted to hotel review sites and through social media, there has never been a more crucial time to understand your hotel’s online presence.

In fact, one of the top priorities for hotel chains today is earning a positive online reputation. To do that, it’s integral to know guest satisfaction levels and read guest reviews on leading sites like Tripadvisor.

One of the major reasons why more hotels and brands are putting extra effort and money into their online reputation management and monitoring is that many are seeing excellent ROI numbers.

We work with hospitality clients to help them build their hotel’s online reputation and take control of their digital presence. Give us a call at

to learn more about hotel reputation management and improving the guest experience online.

5 Reasons Why Hotels Must Monitor Their Online Reputation and Brand Mentions

Whether you use free tools like Google Alerts or invest in more advanced hotel reputation management software, you have to monitor the internet for new guest reviews and other mentions of your brand name. Here are 5 compelling reasons to start prioritizing your ORM strategy immediately.

Surveys and Reviews Provide Invaluable Guest Feedback

Hospitality surveys and online reviews are key indicators of the guest experience, and paying close attention can help you improve guest satisfaction and positively influence potential guests to book a stay.

Customer surveys let you know what your business is doing right and where there are areas for improvement. When it comes to guest feedback via reviews, not only should they influence your business practices, but they also have an influence over the decisions of potential guests.

When a possible guest is searching for somewhere to stay during an upcoming trip, they’ll undoubtedly refer to online reviews. If your hotel has a lot of bad reviews or a low rating that stands below the competition, your business will be quickly overlooked and not given a second chance.

Today, your hotel’s reputation online is more important than ever before. Get started with a free analysis here or explore our services offered through our parent company, NetReputation.

Prevent or Limit Future Complaints

By monitoring what people are saying in reference to your hotel, including specific information about their stay and guest feedback about the overall experience, you’ll be able to prevent similar complaints in the future.

Instead of feeling insulted by a less-than-glowing review, make the most out of a negative comment. What do customers want to see improved? How can you make their stay better in the future?

For example, let’s say a few reviews mention that the breakfast buffet didn’t taste good. Maybe you need to find a different food supplier or hire a new chef for the kitchen.

Don’t just look at negative complaints as a problem; look at them as a way to improve your existing brand and business. Apply what you learn from unhappy guests to improve your hotel’s reputation moving forward.

Understand Your Competition Better

When it comes to monitoring reviews online, it’s not just about seeing what people are saying about only your hotel. It would be a huge mistake to just monitor your own reviews and not look at the reviews of your competition as well.

By routinely looking at reviews of competing hotels, you can see what they’re doing in a better way than you are, then adjust your business processes accordingly.

Also, you can figure out what those hotels are not doing well, which may point to a gap in the market. By filling in that gap, you’ll become a standout in your market, appeal to more customers and improve your hotel’s reputation.

It’s possible to make your hotel’s reputation robust and positive even if you’re starting from zero or rebounding from a PR crisis. Call us at

for more information.

Repair Your Relationships With Unhappy Guests

Most of the time, hotel guests are motivated to leave reviews when they’ve had a bad experience. Even if some guests intend to leave a review after a positive experience, they’ll often forget. It’s the negative feedback that people never forget to leave.

If you don’t address negative reviews, no matter how big or small the complaint is, the guest will remain unhappy, never return, and tell everyone they know about their awful experience.

Instead of letting that happen, you can monitor what people are saying online about your business and respond quickly when someone leaves negative feedback.

To turn a negative into a positive, apologize, make an offer to set things right (like a partial refund or discounted future stay), and ensure they’re satisfied with the outcome before ending the conversation. You can also suggest that they update their review so potential guests see that the situation was handled appropriately.

Continuous Monitoring of Your Brand Is a Must

The hotel and travel industry generates billions of dollars every year. However, it’s also an extremely competitive market at the same time.

Failing to monitor your online reviews and brand mentions can cause a big problem with your business, especially if you don’t spot trouble before it’s too late. Just a few negative reviews on a well-known travel site can influence millions of potential customers over the course of a year.

It’s extremely important for all hotel brands to continually monitor their name, reviews and comments online, whether by using reputation management software or hiring a team of professionals to handle it for you.

At OnlineReputation.com, we provide must-know information to hospitality business owners who want to create, grow or repair their digital reputation. Our advice, team of experts and advanced reputation management software can help.

Call us today at

to speak with an ORM expert.