The Sheraton Gateway Hotel Toronto Airport ensures it replies to customer reviews on TripAdvisor, but how does this benefit the company?
In the hospitality industry, especially in mid-tier and upper tier establishments, it could be argued that service and presentation are every bit as important as the product itself. In fact, many would argue that these intangibles are more important than the product. When it comes to hotels, often times service and presentation are the primary factors which help a customer decide between one establishment and the next.
In the Digital Age, service and presentation are taking on a whole new meaning. No longer is it enough to simply treat the customer well in person.
Now companies must also reach out to their customers over the Internet and perform online reputation management in order to ensure that they do not lose their competitive edge. These practices are well implemented by the Sheraton Gateway Hotel at the Toronto Airport.
When researching the Sheraton Gateway Hotel Toronto Airport on TripAdvisor.com, you’ll quickly notice that almost all of the hotel’s reviews on the website have received a personalized response from a representative of the hotel. There are several important aspects of these responses, and all of which are extremely instructive. Here we will take a look at some of the most important of those aspects:
First Person Responses Give A Personal Touch
When looking at the way the Sheraton Gateway Hotel Toronto Airport personnel replies to reviews of the hotel, it quickly becomes clear that nearly all of the replies are in the first person.
This personalized attention doubtlessly gives the reviewer, who is a former or current customer of the company, the sense that someone important in the company is personally attending to their feedback and taking it into account.
This personal touch can be difficult to convey over the Internet, to but the Sheraton Gateway Hotel Toronto Airport is doing a great job doing just that.
Take Personal Responsibility
Building on the previous point – that giving a personal touch is of the utmost importance, equally important is that the responder be able to take personal responsibility for correcting any issues a reviewer may bring up.
For example, one reviewer felt a little insulted after a waitress informed the reviewer is that red wines are generally not served chilled, and then asked where the reviewer was from. The reviewer felt that this question implied that the waitress was being judgmental.
In responding to this obviously negative incident, the hotel’s staff member who replied to the reviewer took personal responsibility for the incident, saying “I apologize for your dining experience. I will share your feedback with my team for follow up.”
Respond To All Reviews
One of the most important aspects of responding to reviews of your establishment on the Internet is to avoid cherry picking the good reviews, or the bad reviews.
Instead, it is wise treat all reviews equally and respond to them in a careful, well thought out manner. The Sheraton Gateway Hotel Toronto Airport responds to the overwhelming majority of its reviews on TripAdvisor.com. While the company may not respond to 100 percent of the reviews appearing on the site, the odd review which goes without a response is the exception rather than the rule.
Walk The Line With Negative Reviews
By far the most difficult reviews to handle will be those which are negative, or extremely negative.
The reason for this is that the intention of the reviewer’s negative comments are never fully known, and can range from honest feedback – which is likely to be the case with the vast majority of negative reviews, to those looking to cause trouble for a company – perhaps due to the fact that they are inconsolably agitated or working for a competitor.
Considering that all negative reviews must be addressed, the most important fact to remember is that addressing a customer’s personal issues online should be avoided when possible.
Instead, it is far better to acknowledge the customer’s concern, apologize, and promise to instruct the relevant hotel staff of on how to do a better job next time. In cases in which the review includes serious violations of hotel policies, additional follow up should take place during personal contact, not online from all to see.