As we all know WOM is one of the most powerful marketing tools. Before, it was just our friends, family and the surrounding environment, but now with technology and social media we have eWOM which reaches to a really wide pool of people, and alternatively it can have a major impact on a business.

TripAdvisor is an American internet-based travel company, it operates as a free travel guide and all the content is user generated. It was founded in 2000, and it has grown to be the number one travel destination and accommodation website in the US. It has 460 million reviews covering close to seven million listings for restaurants, hotels, vacation rentals and attractions. Currently it distributes 59% of international bookings in travel agencies within the US and it has 1,060 hotel listings worldwide.

How should one go about in convincing your guests to actively participate on TripAdvisor and spread that love for you online. The key is guest relation; therefore, you should manage your relationship with the guests as soon as possible. The hotels who have a high repeat guest rate are 34% more likely to focus on the build on of guest relationship pre-stay. Building a relationship with your guest’s pre-stay is very important, so how should you do so?

• Contact your guest when they are the most excited, remind them what is waiting for them and create that bond right away.
• Think about how many people book in advance, 83% of travelers worldwide book at least 3 weeks before, you have so much time for upselling

All these things can be much better managed with the help of the appropriate software, a good example is Hotech’s HGR, all the contacting and upselling can be done automatically through this smart add on.

Making sure the feedback is part of the brand experience, you need to build a reputation with your customers, asking about their feedback across multiple channels. Furthermore, you need to be mindful on the length of the survey and its design, offer all the possibilities for your guest to tell them their opinion and do your best to visibly implement them.

How to direct your guests towards TripAdvisor, some tips:

1 – Ask your guests to leave you a review, 7 out of 10 customers say that they would have left a review if the business would have asked them

2 – Offer guests small, discrete incentives to persuade them to leave a review

3 – Promote your TripAdvisor page at every opportunity

4 – Be active and respond to both good and bad reviews

Overall a lot of dedications and small strategies come in play when you want to build and sustain a good reputation online. Using the appropriate tools and software will always make life easier and each step much more calculated and precise.