“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

Guest sentiment is especially important to keep in mind with regard to your guests during the holiday season that is quickly approaching. The holidays can be a very stressful time for hoteliers and day-to-day tasks, such as responding to reviews, can be easy to throw on the back burner when more pressing matters arise. Yet, it is in these times that it is most important to stop and appreciate the guests who take the time to rave about your property.

Show Your Gratitude by Responding to Reviews

Responding to reviews is one of the easiest things you can do to improve your online reputation. You may feel that it isn’t as important to respond to the good reviews since bad reviews get the most attention, but ignoring positive reviews could be hurting your occupancy! Travelers are 62% more likely to book a hotel that responds to reviews. Potential guests want to feel that the hotel they chose will take care of them and appreciate them, even after they check out. Nothing will reassure someone more than seeing how the hoteliers interact with guests online, especially the ones who loved staying with them. Here are a few tips that will help you give thanks to your happy guests and keep them coming back every year.

Respond as soon as possible!

The sooner you are able to respond to a review, especially a good one, the faster you will see a positive impact from it. A quick reply will not only show the guest that you were attentive to their feelings, but it will also show that you were just as excited to let them know that you appreciate them. 78% of guests say managers who respond to reviews care more about guests. These are your brand advocates, take care of them and they will be more likely to leave positive reviews in the future and refer people to your property.

Don’t be repetitive or robotic.

Creating a unique and personalized response is extremely important in expressing gratitude. Copying and pasting the same response to a review may be easy at the moment, however, it could reflect negatively in the long run to potential guests who are reading reviews. Using the same response can come off as insincere and could actually offend a guest that took the time to leave a heartfelt review. By coming up with a genuine response for each review, you can build value for your property and show travelers that you truly care about what your guests have to say. Acknowledge that they took the time to leave their review and tell them what it means to you. This alone can build brand loyalty and solid guest relationships. Sincerity is key!

Give handwritten cards to special guests.

A review response can go a long way, however, nothing expresses thanks better than receiving a card or note that someone took the time to handwrite. If a guest mentions one of your team members in a positive review, a great way to show thanks would be to have that employee personally write them a thank you letter. This again, will build brand loyalty and show the guest how much their words meant to you. Having handwritten cards ready at the property to hand out to your return guests is also a great way to express your appreciation. These guests are the heart of your business and leaving a note in their room could make a lasting impression.

Shout them out on social media!

If a guest tags your hotel in a post or photo expressing what an awesome experience they had at your property, use that to your advantage! Thank them for their feedback by sharing their post (with permission) and publicly inviting them to stay with you again. This is not only a great way to make your guests feel special, but it’s also a free way to market good reviews to your followers on social media!

Offer a discount or an incentive to book with you again.

Nothing says ‘thank you’ like a gift! To make your guests feel more valued, give them something of value. Offer them a discounted booking rate or another incentive for the next time they stay with you! This will build excitement for their next stay and almost guarantee you will be the first property they think of when they are ready to travel.

It may be difficult to make time to personally thank guests during the holiday season. If you’d like help providing sincere, unique responses to your guest reviews, Respond & Resolve™ may be a great fit for your hotel.