Join us Thursday for the “Management Center Deep Dive” webinar

Wondering how you can manage your TripAdvisor listing, engage more travelers and increase your exposure for free on the world’s largest travel site? Join us Thursday at 2 p.m. EDT to learn more about TripAdvisor and how to unlock all of the marketing tools in your Management Center.

This webinar will include how to:

• Register with TripAdvisor’s Management Center
• Highlight valuable information about your property
• Optimize photos and videos
• Encourage guests to write reviews
• Monitor and respond to reviews
• Evaluate your performance against your competitors
• How to get “heads in beds” with TripAdvisor Business Listings

Be ready to ask questions, too! There will be a 15-minute Q&A after the presentation.

Click here to register for the “Management Center Deep Dive” webinar.

TripAdvisor’s 2012 Certificate of Excellence Awards honor top businesses around the world

We are excited to announce the 2012 Certificate of Excellence Awards, given to highly rated hotels, restaurants and attractions around the world.

“From exceptional accommodations in Beijing to remarkable restaurants in Boston, we want to applaud these businesses for offering TripAdvisor travelers a great customer experience,” says Christine Petersen, president of TripAdvisor for Business.

How are the winners determined?

The winners are determined by those who matter the most – your guests. The key to winning the award is consistently excellent service: properties had to maintain an overall ranking on TripAdvisor of four out of five. The volume of reviews in the past 12 months was also a determining factor.

Is this award different than the Travelers’ Choice Awards?

Yes. The Certificate of Excellence Award is an extension of Travelers’ Choice. While Travelers’ Choice recognizes the top 25 properties or destinations in different categories and geographical locations, the Certificate of Excellence award focuses on hotels, restaurants and attractions that provide exceptional customer service and consistently receive positive reviews from their guests.

How can I find out if I won a Certificate of Excellence?

In addition to receiving the certificate in the mail, winners will receive an e-mail notifying them that they have won the award. A 2012 Certificate of Excellence widget will also appear in the Management Center under the “Online Marketing tools” section.

Congrats to all of the winners! Check back here tomorrow for tips on how to promote your Certificate of Excellence Award! 

How to sign up — and get verified — with the Management Center

If you’re registered with TripAdvisor’s Management Center, you can access our new management dashboard, track how you’re doing against competitors, upload photos and videos to your property page, submit management responses, and more. The best part? All of this is free! If you registered prior to December 2011,though, and haven’t yet completed the verification process, you no longer have access to these great tools.  We introduced verification to help us connect you to your property and control access to your account. It’s an important step.  Fortunately, it’s also an easy one for you to complete.  For a quick overview on how to register and get verified, watch our new animated video then head to your Management Center.  There’s no time like the present!

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More information on new owner verification procedures

Recently, we introduced increased security measures on TripAdvisor, to further protect the integrity of our site. Since then, we have received a few questions about the process and wanted to follow-up with some more information.

What’s the story? Tell 50 million+ travelers why your property is unique

A breathtaking view, recently-renovated bathrooms, or a particularly memorable turndown service: guests want to hear about your property’s unique qualities. The interesting details or little extras that define an establishment are often what draw guests to choose one over another of comparable price and quality.

A great way to make sure you highlight your property’s best and most memorable features is to enter some descriptive information into the “Hotel amenities” section of your business’ page.

Management Center now always within reach – literally

You may have noticed a couple of subtle changes this week to the links that connect you with your owner’s tools. In our latest improvement for registered business owners, we’ve made accessing your Management Center even easier by giving you two simple ways to get there from any TripAdvisor page.

New slideshow feature brings photos to life

On TripAdvisor, rave reviews, thoughtful management responses, and a lovely business description will get you far. But a stunning photo is worth a thousand words.

Site research has shown that travelers are 150% more engaged with listings that have 20+ photos than with those that have only a few. This means that the more visual proof of your inviting amenities you give to travelers, the more interested in your business they become. And quality matters!

TripAdvisor to enhance security with business representative verification

We are excited to introduce an enhancement to our security measures on TripAdvisor, aimed at helping us prevent fraud and further protecting the site’s integrity for travelers and businesses alike. Beginning in the next few weeks, all business representatives on TripAdvisor will need to complete a new identity and business affiliation verification process.  It’s straightforward, and we’re available to help if you have questions!

Special Offers front and center in TripAdvisor search results

Already widely visible on TripAdvisor, we’ve now added even more exposure for the offers Business Listing subscribers create for potential customers. Special Offers now have a prominent new spot on our search results page.

Special Offers are highly effective in attracting customers. If you haven’t yet given them a try, take a look at how to set one up. We provide you with templates for a number of popular types of deals, from room upgrades to free breakfast. Or if you prefer, we’ll guide you through creating your own unique offer.

Introducing the new TripAdvisor Management Center

We’re excited to announce the launch of TripAdvisor’s Management Center, which replaces the Owners’ Center and offers improved navigation, familiar free management resources, and a new educational platform to help hospitality businesses make the most of their presence on TripAdvisor.