In the age of e-commerce, every industry is involved in online sales number and the accommodation industry is no exception. Three out of four bookings are done online, using different channels to contact a hotel directly or indirectly. After consumption, consumers give feedback online and this kind of online feedback and review have become increasingly important for every industry involved in online sales, especially the accommodation sector. These reviews are of the word-of-mouth of the digital age, up-to-date, everywhere available and fast, and customers perceive the feedback of other customers as authentic, helpful and trustworthy. A hotel’s reputation is very much affected by the online reviews. Studies show that an increase in rank, points or stars on review platforms translate directly into an increase in the number of bookings and revenue.

Over the years it became clear, that managing, monitoring and improving hotel online reputation is one of the top priorities of the hotel management. The reputation can be improved through a wide range of actions:

• Be aware that every customer is a potential contributor to an online reputation website such as Tripadvisor. Handle service failures and service recovery with care, urgency and honesty. Solve related issues as long as the guest is in-house to restore the satisfaction.
• Be aware of online feedback on a daily base and reply to feedback in a friendly, professional and timely manner. Negative feedback calls for urgent action and professional handling with involvement of the management. Copying and pasting answers is not recommended as well as anonymous feedback. Don’t argue with the customer online in public. Offer sincere apology and don’t reject customers complaint.
• Depending on the size and market of the hotel, the use of an online reputation management system, integrated into revenue management software and/or customer relationship management software can be an advantage.