21 Jun 2015

Do hotels make changes based on hotel reviews?

Submitted by Wanderlust Andi

Would you avoid a hotel with bad hotel reviews on, for example, Priceline and Trip Advisor? Of course you would - especially if there was a hotel that had better reviews and a similar price. In fact, many would pay a higher price for a hotel based on good hotel reviews.

I have noticed more convenient electrical outlets in hotels over the last few years. And, according to the attached article, one hotel addressed lighting in the bathroom, also.

But yet, as you read the reviews, you will often find the same complaint over and over again – for years.  For example, reviews for the Microtel Inn have complained about the bright fluorescent lights over the bed since 2010.  However, when I was there a few months ago, the rooms still had the fluorescent lights above the bed (with no bed lights next to the bed) that would cast a garish glow throughout the room – certainly not the best to induce sleep.  And, a ton of people complain about how the Marriott nickels and dimes them by charging WiFi per device, but, as of today, that hasn't changed - even though you can get WiFi at the local McDonald's for the price of a cheap cup of coffee. And - need I talk about hangers?

But yet, you can't find much about how hotels have changed due to hotel review complaints. Internet search results include reputation management links that talk about how hotels can address negative reviews on the hotel review sites. But yet, the attached article is the only search result I found about hotels actually addressing complaints. It would be nice to think that there were some hotel executives out there who actually might change the hotel chain because of the complaints.

After all - it takes a lot of time and, therefore, money to address the negative reviews. Wouldn't it be cheaper to fix the issues brought up in the hotel reviews, and be able to charge more (or get a fuller hotel) because of these changes?

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