Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration offers learning opportunity

eCornell and Cornell University are offering a new, free online course in new media marketing for hospitality professionals – and a great opportunity for ongoing learning.

Marketing the Hospitality Brand through New Media: Social, Mobile & Search is the first online course entirely focused on this topic. “We like to think of the course as a ‘virtual toolkit’ for driving revenue through new media. Not only are hospitality professionals learning from top faculty at Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration, but they also have the opportunity to learn from some of the industry’s heaviest-hitters. The goal here is for students emerge from the course ready to play a key role in their company’s marketing strategy,” says Chris Proulx, CEO of eCornell. “We’re excited to make this content available to people for free online and it’s a great way to introduce Cornell’s thought leadership in this field to the greater hospitality industry.”

What sets these online courses apart from nearly every other is that they are “instructor-facilitated” and guide students through real-world exercises that encourage practical on-the-job application. The program is ideal for sales and marketing professionals, general managers, revenue managers and executives—essentially anyone involved in improving financial performance.

Students who complete the free course may then enroll in Cornell’s new media “master course” at a substantial discount. Participants who complete both courses receive a professional credential, a Certificate in Hospitality Marketing & New Media Strategies for Revenue Growth from Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration.

Over 3,100 students are currently taking the course. Check out the video preview of the program or enroll instantly here.

 

Edinburgh B&B finds its way to top of rankings

Sue Thompson opened the doors to Six Brunton Place in 2009 with no background in hospitality.  As an architect by training, setting up her guest house was the easy part.  Getting travelers in the door, however, proved challenging; she had neither experience nor an established professional network on which to rely. Fast forward three years, and Six Brunton Place is now thriving — and ranked #2 on TripAdvisor out of 437 Edinburgh B&Bs.  Click below to watch Sue tell the story of her success:

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How Hotel Commonwealth Climbed to the Top of TripAdvisor Boston Rankings

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Boston, Massachusetts is rich in history.  One of the oldest cities in the U.S., it also boasts many respected and long-standing hotels.  So how did Hotel Commonwealth, an independent property founded in 2003, come onto the Boston hotel scene and climb to the very top of the TripAdvisor rankings?
According to their staff, it’s all about focusing on the guest experience, asking for – and continually improving because of – guest feedback, and then letting that feedback, by way of TripAdvisor reviews, usher new guests in the door.  Watch our video spotlight for all the details!

Share your TripAdvisor reviews on Facebook

With almost a billion users from around the world, Facebook is a great place to showcase your TripAdvisor reviews and awards, and spread the word about your property far and wide. Adding a TripAdvisor widget to your Facebook business page makes it easy for prospective and loyal guests to read your property’s reviews. The same TripAdvisor widget that goes on your website can also be used on your businesses’ Facebook page.

Since Facebook launched Timeline for business pages, the process for adding a widget has changed a little. We have created a new step-by-step guide on how to share your TripAdvisor reviews with your Facebook fans that factors in timeline-related changes.

See “How to add TripAdvisor content to your Facebook page” to start sharing your reviews on Facebook today!

Best practices for e-mailing your guests

A recent Nielsen study* confirms it: consumers around the world rely on online reviews. Seventy percent of survey respondents indicated they trust online consumer feedback more than branded websites, advertisements, or just about any other kind of endorsement. For that reason, asking past guests to write reviews is critical to continuing to pull in new guests.

A great way to ask your recent guests is to send a follow-up e-mail. However, attracting their attention – or even making it past the spam filters – can be difficult. Here are a few best practices for e-mailing your guests:

• Catch their attention right at the start: You only have a split second to entice them to open your e-mail. Make it relevant, personal and to the point.

• Choose your e-mail account wisely: Create an account with the property’s name or a familiar staff member so your guests will recognize whom the e-mail is from.

• Be direct, but polite: Let your guests know how much you appreciate their feedback and provide a direct link to your TripAdvisor listing. Visit your Management Center for a link that you can include in your e-mail.

• Say thank you: Even if your guests do not write a review, an e-mail is a great way show your appreciation, build a lasting relationship and let them know you look forward to welcoming them back again soon.

• Avoid the dreaded spam filter: Keep exclamation points and all capital letters to a minimum. Spam filters will pick up on these formatting styles and your e-mail will go unnoticed.

Click here to discover how hoteliers have encouraged reviews and why you should ask your guests to write them.

* Source: Nielsen’s “Consumer Trust in Online, Social and Mobile Advertising Grows” 

How to improve your popularity ranking on TripAdvisor

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The TripAdvisor Popularity Index is based on traveler feedback and reflects how a property ranks compared to competitors within a geographic area. The closer you are to the top of the list, the more likely it is that travelers will see your listing when they search for properties in the area. In addition, research shows that travelers are drawn to places that are highly praised by other travelers.

Our popularity ranking algorithm is based on three key components: quantity, quality and recency of reviews written about the property.

• Quantity: Ask your guests to write reviews, and use our management center tools to remind them after they check out.  Offering incentives for reviews is against the rules, though – take a look at our policy to make sure you understand what is and isn’t okay.
• Quality: Guests who enjoyed first class hospitality and a memorable experience are more likely to write positive reviews. Monitor what previous reviewers have written to see what worked and did not work best for your property so you can maintain and improve your service.
• Recency: Recent reviews factor more strongly on your popularity rankings and older reviews have less impact on a hotel’s ranking over time. Once again, encourage guests to write reviews to keep fresh content rolling in.

All reviews must be authentic opinions of real travelers. We take content integrity very seriously and screen every review. If you are caught breaking our guidelines, it can take a big hit on your popularity ranking. Please review the guidelines to learn more.

The key to building a successful business and a higher popularity ranking is stellar hospitality and paying attention to your customers needs. Encourage customers to write reviews, learn from them and watch your hard work pay off.

Encourage reviews the right way, without incentives

If your business is listed on TripAdvisor, it is important for you to understand our incentives policy. While we encourage you to ask guests to write reviews, giving out incentives in exchange for reviews is against TripAdvisor’s policy.

Incentives are rewards or preferential treatment given in exchange for reviews. This can be in the form of drawings, raffles, discounts, special treatment (i.e. upgrades, coupons, free amenities, gifts), etc. We strictly prohibit incentives because they can impact the legitimacy of reviews; guests who receive incentives may be more likely to write reviews that don’t match their true experience.

TripAdvisor penalizes properties that offer incentives. All reviews in question are removed and further penalties, which range from a warning to a red badge on your property page, are given out on a case-by-case basis.

There are many acceptable ways to encourage reviews. To begin simply ask! Showing that you appreciate your guests’ feedback can go a long way.

For on and off-line tools to help remind guests, look no further than the Management Center. You can add widgets to your website or Facebook page, hand out reminder cards and much more!

Log in to your Management Center to access all of these helpful tools, and to contact TripAdvisor if you have any questions regarding incentives.

To read more about our incentives policy, see this guide.

Hoteliers share their top tips for promoting a TripAdvisor award

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Chosen based on the candid feedback of millions of TripAdvisor travelers, our 2012 Travelers’ Choice award winning-hotels were recognized in a number of categories, from most luxurious to best B&Bs and Inns. We recently chatted with some of the newly-awarded hotels to find out how they celebrate their win and attract guests in the process. In the video above, discover the top six ways to promote your Travelers’ Choice award – straight from the winning hoteliers themselves.  If you’ve won a Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor, or any other industry award, these tips will give you some great ideas to spotlight those accolades, as well!

Also see our Tip Sheet for more details on promoting your award.

Visit Us at ITB Berlin!

TripAdvisor will be at ITB Berlin, the world’s leading travel trade show, on Wednesday, March 7^th, to Sunday, March 11^th.

The annual event has more than 170,000 visitors from 180 countries and we are excited to meet everyone! We will be set up in Hall 25 at booth number 127.  Come by to see us and learn more about maximizing your presence on TripAdvisor, our new Review Collection Solutions, and more.

TripAdvisor executives will also be presenting at the event:

“How TripAdvisor is transforming travel via social media” with Adam Medros

• Location: Hall 7.1c, eTravel Stage
• Date & Time: Wednesday, March 7^th at 2:30 p.m.

“Mobile and Hospitality – Improving Guest Interaction” with Nathan Clapton

• Location: Hall 7.3 Auditorium Europa
• Date & Time: Wednesday, March 7^th at 2:55 p.m.

“Mobile Travel Trends, Forecasts and Prediction” with Nathan Clapton

• Location: Hall 7.1c, Auditorium eTravel Lab
• Date & Time: Thursday, March 8^th at  11:45 a.m.

If you are attending ITB Berlin, please come visit us at our stand!

Hoteliers Share the Secrets to their Success with TripAdvisor

The owners and managers of four Caribbean properties recently sat down to tell us how they use TripAdvisor as a tool for their business – from marketing their accommodations to staying current with the needs of guests. Representatives from each weighed in on making TripAdvisor reviews work for them, sharing customer feedback with staff, and the role of TripAdvisor Business Listings. All very popular with travelers, these establishments were also the recipients of 2012 Travelers’ Choice Awards. In the following video, hear from the management of these four properties – Hermitage Bay, Nisbet Plantation Beach Club, East Winds Inn, and The Cove Atlantis – and gain insight into their success.

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