The study analysed data from over 12,000 properties in the top 25 traffic markets on the site and interviewed executives from four global hotel chains.
It found that properties which respond to at least 25 per cent of reviews create a 'virtuous cycle' where they are more likely to make improvements based on the responses, leading to greater number of positive reviews, improved visibility on the site and a rise in bookings.
These ‘highly engaged’ hotels have an average popularity ranking that is 63 per cent higher than their non-engaged counterparts, the study found.
“When well-planned and executed, the result of this ‘virtuous cycle’ is a hotel highly attuned to its guests’ insights and nimble in its ability to respond and act on feedback as required,” the report said.
It also found that hotels that publish 10 or more pictures generate 2.2 times more page views on their TripAdvisor listings compared to those with nine or fewer images.
Create incentives for feedback
At a roundtable discussion hosted by BigHospitality last month, restaurant, hotel and pub operators agreed that creating incentives for customers to leave feedback was key.
InMoment’s head of business development Steve Raher said incentives ‘don’t have to be huge’.
“It’s more about thanking customers for giving you two or three minutes of their time to tell you what they think,” he said.