The website TripAdvisor.com is one of the big successes of web 2.0, where user generated content and peer to peer reviews can have a big influence on bookings for accommodation. And where TripAdvisor may have its origins in hotels in holiday hotspots around the globe, the site is now used by travellers to research all aspects of the holiday from destinations to attractions and restaurants.
Founded 11 years ago by a frustrated American traveller, TripAdvisor has just recorded its 50 millionth review, and, despite claims of abuse by hoteliers promoting their own establishment and posting negative reviews of the local competition, it is is now used by 40 million travellers every month.
TripAdvisor recently commissioned Forrester to undertake some research into the habits of 2100 travellers.
- 81% of travellers find reviews important when booking a holiday.
- 49% won’t book accommodation if there are no reviews.
So the experiences of other holidaymakers are very influential. But what does this mean for self-catering holiday home owners? Have you checked to see if your accommodation has been reviewed? And what opportunities are there to generate bookings?
A complete holiday guide
Alongside hotel reviews, TripAdvisor now includes user or visitor feedback on destinations, restaurants and things to do. As an example we took Weymouth in Dorset which is currently in the news as the venue for the 2012 Olympic sailing event.
Searching for the town shows 21 hotel reviews, 128 B&B’s, 68 vacation rentals, 75 restaurants and 11 things to do. The things to do is particularly interesting for deciding what to on a visit, where local attractions are rated by visitors.
Interestingly there are 68 vacation rentals; TripAdvisor’s Americanised term for holiday lets. These are made up of paid-for property listings from sister site Flipkey.com. Most are unrated, as no guests have left comments yet. So it’s a way of advertising which is covered elsewhere in our holiday portals article.
It does highlight how TripAdvisor has broadened its role to an independent visitor guide especially when you explore the forums which have now been added. There are 503 topic discussions for Weymouth alone, covering everything from travelling by train to where to enjoy a pub quiz, parking advice and even if there is a charge for using public toilets in the town.
Reviews of your property
Firstly searching for your property for any reviews from past guests. If there are any negative comments or bad experiences, this is an opportunity to post a reply addressing the concerns made by the guest. Taking the time to act on this shows high levels of customer service and concern for guests. According to Forrester’s research, 79% of travellers are reassured by an owner or manager response to a negative review.
Using TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor presents 2 marketing opportunities for owners.
Firstly encourage guests to post reviews on TripAdvisor. Be careful not to ‘bribe’ them with incentives to post positive reviews as this is against their terms of use – see this article.
Then use the area and attraction content on Tripadvisor to help generate bookings. With so much honest and unbiased area information, Tripadvisor’s content is a powerful tool for helping visitors to get the most from their stay. Links to carefully selected pages will help your potential and booked guests to make the most of their holiday.
In summary TripAdvisor is used widely by holidaymakers to book their trips. Owners should embrace the opportunity and not fear negative comments. The user generated content can be used to increase bookings and offer more enjoyable stays.
