In today’s heavily customer-controlled market, hospitality industries are held to an incredible standard. With social media, online reviews, and hospitality recommendations all over the internet, unsatisfied customers have almost innumerable methods of sharing an unhappy experience. And customer reviews make a real difference. Studies have shown that over 85% of customers trust online reviews about a service or product and use it to evaluate their future buying decision. As consumers, we trust reviews and feel that they portray a more authentic experience. A negative hotel review, whether accurate or not, can be disappointing and damaging, but with a little extra encouragement, even a negative review can become an overall positive experience.
Strengthen Internal Communication
Most negative hospitality reviews are a result of mismanaged expectations. Guests expected a specific kind of service and then ultimately feel that those needs were unsatisfied. While mismanaged expectations can come from misleading advertising, or a customer misunderstanding the type or extent of your services, they most often stem from miscommunication.
Working in a hospitality environment is a difficult experience and balancing every customer with every different department takes serious coordination. A negative hotel review is a perfect opportunity to assess internal communication and see where any mistakes could occur.
Regularly Teach and Train Employees
Mistakes or unhappy experiences sometimes occur because employees don’t understand procedures or haven’t been updated on new policies or practices. Training and instruction in hospitality can feel a little overwhelming. New promotions, different management, and even the day of the week or season of the year can drastically change operations. Add on to everything that employees are operating around the clock on various shifts and schedules, and keeping everyone updated and informed is a real challenge. Internal communication centers, like those available from MangoApps, help manage the confusion of an always operating, on-the-go workforce. With a mobile-friendly source of internal communication, employees can take additional training, review policies and procedures, read updates and notices, or ask important questions from anywhere and at any time.
Ensure Your Services Are Up To Date
Customer expectations are significantly based on past hospitality experiences and what occurs generally throughout the hospitality industry. If an unhappy customer feels that standard requirements were not met, it may be time to evaluate current practices and trends within the industry. Hotels and other hospitality establishments need to stay updated with current cultural practices and expectations. To make sure your establishment is up-to-date with the latest services, explore competitor offerings, ask guests for feedback, and try to consider what you would expect and enjoy from a hospitality establishment
Uplift and Encourage Every Employee
Even the best establishments experience temporary setbacks or the occasional unhappy individual. The best way to bounce back from a bad review is to inspire and encourage your employees. Demeaning or demoralizing your workforce is never a successful solution. Instead, help workers understand what they are doing well and how they can continue to contribute to long term success. With a little support, employees will be ready to take on new challenges and ensure future experiences stay positive.
Negative hotel reviews are discouraging, but they don’t have to be an overall bad experience. By staying supportive and being willing to honestly learn from mistakes, negative reviews will only become increased opportunities for growth. At MangoApps, we understand the power of collaboration and successful internal communication. With digitally updated intranets, easy to use chat abilities, set aside project areas, mobile-friendly workspaces, and much, much more, we help companies stay successful and continue to improve every day.
To learn more about how MangoApps can help your organization, contact us or schedule a personalized demo today.
