TripAdvisor Connect: Review website launches ‘ground-breaking’ online platform for independents

17-Jul-2013 - Last updated on 18-Jul-2013 at 08:11 GMT

TripAdvisor Connect gives accommodation owners the ability to manage their online promotion themselves

Review website TripAdvisor is launching an online platform which will allow all independent hotels and B&Bs to access services only previously available to major online travel agencies, booking engines and hotel chains.

Product details:

‘TripAdvisor Connect’ gives accommodation owners the ability to manage their online promotion themselves. Registered businesses will have access to simple online tools which help them analyse advertising results and encourage more user reviews through automated post-stay review collection emails.

USP:

Jean-Charles Lacoste, TripAdvisor’s vice president of Direct Connect Solutions, said: “Major online travel agencies and hotel chains have been able to bid for traffic on TripAdvisor for many years and we have provided channels for review collection.

“Now, TripAdvisor Connect will provide automated and self-managed versions of these services to hundreds of thousands of independent hotels and B&Bs.”

Availability:

TripAdvisor Connect is scheduled for launch in late 2013. To be eligible to participate, accommodation owners must be TripAdvisor Business Listings subscribers and must provide real-time availability and the ability to book online via a certified Internet booking engine.

Cost:

TripAdvisor will provide tiered certifications for Internet Booking Engines free of charge, depending on the services they offer. For more information, accommodation owners can email pbaarpg@gevcnqivfbe.pbz or visit the Management Centre - www.tripadvisor.com/owners.

Why you should get it:

Julio Bruno, TripAdvisor’s global vice president of sales and TripAdvisor for Business, said: “Business Listings subscribers have asked us to provide the same real time pricing and availability check that previously only larger businesses have used.

“Through TripAdvisor Connect, subscribers will now be able to use the full suite of promotional services and track their advertising spend. This means that the even the smallest guesthouse will have the same visibility as a large hotel chain, and they can manage their promotions themselves from their Management Centre.”

“Hoteliers frequently ask us how they can improve their ranking on TripAdvisor. The answer is simply to remind guests to write a review. Reviews are an essential part of building a great online reputation. With TripAdvisor Connect, we’ve automated the process of sending a reminder to write a review after a guest checks out.”