Hotels collect guest reviews from Facebook

With the development of web 2.0, many user-generated content websites have emerged. A famous one concerning the tourism and more precisely the hotel industry is Trip Advisor, created in 2000. This website enables consumers to generate content by posting positive or negative comments about an experience in a hotel, or to search for some feedbacks before purchasing. However, those websites can become a nightmare for hoteliers. Indeed, as those platforms are multiplying, it has become challenging to control what is said about your hotel, the veracity of the content and the legitimacy of the source. Moreover, it is very difficult to make proper answers to the unsatisfied customers in a reasonable delay.

Thanks to a Social Media Marketing Agency, Lodging Interactive, hoteliers might have found a solution to this problem through one of the most active social networks in the world: Facebook. Indeed, in November 2011, the agency announced the integration of its Guest Review System with the social network. This website reaches more than 800 million users across the world, which makes it a powerful communication tool. That is why hotels are now trying to use their Facebook page to collect their customers’ reviews and also to reply to them. By centralizing the comments on their Facebook page, the access is easier for the customers and the hoteliers. It allows better control and a better communication as the hotels can reply directly to the reviews. Furthermore it limits the degree of risk coming from third-party review website.

People are paying more and more attention to online reviews that are now key elements in the customer decision-making process. That is what makes this tool relevant for customers and professionals as the content is more reliable and accessible. Moreover, as the hoteliers can react almost instantaneously, they can use this tool to work on their image, by selecting information they want their customers to receive and by improving their service.

If well used, this Guest Review System can help to improve communication via web 2.0 for the hotel industry, and even make it an essential aspect of hotels’ strategies. However there is a thin line between using the reviews as positive communication and turning around information for the own advantage. Hotel management needs to put in place strict guideline in terms of authenticity in review modification and publication, in order to guarantee truthful reviews. Negative reviews can be seen as an opportunity to publicly justify and apologize for flaws in service and facilities. It needs to be considered that it is a full time job to control and reply to customers reviews, in order to avoid this new platform turning against hotels as a proof of their lack of attention to their customers.

Keywords: Guest Review system, web 2.0, Trip Advisor, Lodging Interactive, internet reviews, hotels

Source: Hotel Marketing. (2011). Hotels collect guest reviews from Facebook. Retrieved January, 27, 2012 from 

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