Reviews over discounts: 4 strategic moves to elevate your hotel revenue 

Online reputation can make or break your hotel bookings and revenue. But how?

A hotel, or hotel chain’s image is of huge influence over customer choices—and hotel revenues, as a result.

According to a Cornell University study, if a hotel scores 1 point higher in the average rating, on a scale of one to five, it can increase rates by as much as 11.2%, without reducing occupancy.  

And Bizrate Insights claims that 50% of people are more influenced to make a purchase by an online review than by a discount.   

In short, customer reviews speak louder than prices or discounts. And trust and reputation are instead the key elements moving purchasing decisions.  

However, managing online reputation is far from simple—and goes far beyond simply collecting reviews.   

We’ll use our brand reputation management software to achieve tangible results quickly, focusing on the key priorities: 

1. Cutting the time to respond to all reviews in half 
2. Identifying areas for improvement 
3. Monitoring competitors 
4. Prioritising what matters most to your customers 
    

1 – Cutting the time to respond to all reviews in half

Why should hotels respond to online reviews?  

Statistics cited by  Exploding Topics show that online reviews impacted purchasing decisions for 93% of users. Surprisingly, 75% of businesses still don’t take the time to respond to negative reviews.  

Replying to reviews isn’t just optional; it’s essential. Every piece of feedback creates a lasting digital footprint, and negative comments can definitely leave a poor impression on potential customers.

The key to addressing negative comments, apart from service improvements, is to engage with them through replies.

Similarly, positive reviews present a great opportunity to connect with guests.

However, for hotel groups that have a well-known brand and need to maintain their reputation, this process can be quite challenging and time-consuming.

Luckily, technology can save the day in these cases.

D / AI Coach, for example, enables you to manage responses to every review across all hotels in your group from a single platform.

The ‘Digital Trace Management’ system significantly reduces the time spent on review management.

It includes the AI Review Responder, which generates automatic, multilingual replies using advanced artificial intelligence.

You can customise the tone and style to match your brand’s image, receiving tailored responses in seconds.

These can be posted online immediately or adjusted to add a personal touch.

2 – Identifying areas for improvement

A hotel’s online reputation is in direct correlation to the quality of services it offers and the perceptions held by its customers.

However, perfection is a moving target. And hotels need to monitor and cater for the many aspects that need to be taken care of to make a traveller happy. This includes anything from the friendliness of the staff to the number of croissants for breakfast and the size of the bathroom in a room.

To pinpoint areas for improvement and identify necessary actions, it’s essential to pay close attention to your customers’ feedback.

Are there common themes in their comments?

Which aspects receive the most criticism, and what are the reasons behind it?

If you’re only dealing with around 20 reviews, you might manage the analysis by hand. However, a hotel chain that receives many feedback submissions daily needs advanced software to efficiently analyse vast amounts of data.

D/AI Coach includes the ‘Semantic Rating’ feature, which is a qualitative metric that assesses various topics related to the establishment on a scale of 0 to 100. This evaluation is based on two key factors: the sentiment expressed in online comments and the frequency with which these topics are mentioned by customers.

A lower semantic rating indicates a greater need for action.

For the hotel we analysed, customers pointed out that the staff and the Internet connection are strengths, but it’s interesting to note that these topics are mentioned only rarely.

The hotel should pay attention to its services, which are mentioned in 10% of reviews. Likewise, the rooms are referenced in 13% of the feedback, and not all of it is positive.

But what’s driving these opinions?

Coach takes a closer look at the semantic analysis and points out that the shuttle service to the city center is a common pain point. By going through the reviews that mention this issue, the hotel can better understand what needs to be improved and how to enhance the service.

3 – Monitoring competitors

Having a benchmark is crucial for managing your reputation and revenue. D / AI Coach enables you to compare every aspect of your brand and hotel not just with other properties in your chain but also with chosen competitors and nearby hotels.

This kind of analysis will help you gain valuable insights into:

• Whether your facility’s level of appreciation matches that of other propertiesì
• Which areas competitors excel in compared to yours, and the reasons behind it
• Whether competitors have weaknesses you can capitalise on to boost your booking share

In this case, for example, the first hotel has a significantly lower perception and sentiment regarding the level of service compared to the second hotel.

The data analysis reveals that the competitor offers free parking, which customers really appreciate, as well as a breakfast that’s considered one of the best in town.

If our establishment can’t provide free parking, we might consider partnering with a nearby garage and enhancing the quality of our breakfast.

4 – Prioritising what matters most to your customers

To best meet customer needs, team members should put themselves in the customers’ shoes.

Once they understand what needs to be addressed, information needs to be shared with the whole team to decide together how to intervene, align and prepare staff for a change in strategy.

Ideally, well-organised materials should be readily available for sharing with colleagues, superiors, partners, and even suppliers if necessary.

The ‘Report’ function of D / AI Coach was created precisely for this: to be able to download information in a few minutes in an organised way, to be printed for a meeting or sent by e-mail.

With this tool you can automatically create reports covering every aspect of the structure, in multiple languages, general or with a specific focus.

This activity will help you direct your efforts toward what truly matters to your customers, from the housekeeping staff to management. In the case of the hotel we discussed, improving service is crucial. There are many steps to consider based on customer feedback. For instance, think about hiring an additional staff member or investing in more shuttles for guests.

Adopting this customer-focused approach not only enhances your online reputation but also creates a positive feedback loop that can lead to more bookings and, ultimately, increased revenue.