How to create a TripAdvisor listing for your business

What is a TripAdvisor listing?

A TripAdvisor listing is a business page or place on the TripAdvisor platform. It primarily contains details about the business such as its location, traveller ratings, popularity ranking, and reviews. The listing may also include content provided by the business itself, such as management responses to traveller reviews and photos of the property. Having a listing on TripAdvisor allows your hotel to gain visibility and engagement from millions of TripAdvisor users worldwide and grow your footprint and potential guests.

Before TripAdvisor, it was difficult for smaller accommodation providers to build credibility against the larger hotel chains. Travellers from around the globe have now found TripAdvisor to be one of the most valuable resources at their disposal. This social site is dedicated entirely to sharing information and reviews about travel businesses, including B&Bs and other small accommodations providers.

Now, with nearly 260 million unique monthly visitors and over 170 million reviews, TripAdvisor allows small hotels to reach markets that were previously unattainable. By listing your B&B on TripAdvisor you will increase your reach among your target audience and provide prospective travellers with the information that they crave about your property.

How to get listed on TripAdvisor

Navigating the world of online platforms can seem like a daunting task for many businesses, especially when it comes to choosing the right ones to showcase their offerings. TripAdvisor offers an exceptional opportunity for even small, local hotels to reach a global audience. 

Here’s a step-by-step guide to not only getting your business listed on TripAdvisor, but also optimising your presence for maximum visibility and engagement.

1. Provide basic business information

Setting up your listing on TripAdvisor is relatively simple. You need to go to this form on TripAdvisor, and fill in all of the relevant information about your business. Generally, you are going to need to provide your B&B name, address and website address. Contact information is also helpful for those who may want to email or call you directly to get more information.

After you have filled in that information, you officially have a listing on TripAdvisor. But there are a few more steps you should take to make sure that you get maximum exposure on this powerful platform.

2. Add high-resolution photos to your profile

Most TripAdvisor users are going to browse through the photos posted on your TripAdvisor page. While this platform allows users to post their own photos from their stay on your TripAdvisor page, you also are able to upload stunning photos and videos of your rooms and facilities. Make the most of this opportunity by including the best high-resolution images that you have of your property.

This is your chance to showcase what you have to offer and what guests can expect when they book a stay at your B&B.

3. Add TripAdvisor widgets to your website

Some widgets display your latest reviews and awards, which can help lend your business authority.

Other widgets can be used to encourage customers to give you a review on TripAdvisor. There are different kinds of widgets available, so you can match them to relevant pages on your site.

Remember to also add them to your Facebook Business Page and any other social media accounts that your business has. Use these widgets to ask for reviews, link to reviews, and link to your photos.

4. Get genuine reviews regularly

Finally, once your profile is set up, you will need to start earning reviews to increase your TripAdvisor ranking. The algorithm favours accommodation that has a higher number of reviews, so it’s important you make your guests aware of the fact that you are listed on TripAdvisor. 

You can encourage them to leave reviews by making a request at check-out, and also by sending them an automatic email a few days after their stay. Many travellers find this to be the ideal moment to reflect on their stay and offer insight to other travellers. When customer service is a high priority, you’ll often receive far more positive feedback.

For small hotels, building positive reviews is totally necessary in order to succeed.

Consider these facts:

• 49% of travellers won’t book a hotel without reviews
• 81% of travellers find user reviews important
• 70% of global consumers say online consumer reviews are the second most trusted form of advertising
• 93% of global travellers say their booking decisions are impacted by online reviews
• 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations

Once you have your TripAdvisor listing up and running, it’s important that you continue to manage it effectively. Your business profile and listing information should be updated frequently, at least three or four times per year. You should routinely monitor the reviews that you receive – acknowledging positive comments is always a good idea, but it’s even more important to respond to negative feedback. This is when you get to showcase your customer service skills, so always maintain a polite and professional tone.

TripAdvisor is the go-to website for travellers who are hunting for accommodation reviews. As long as you show your guests a good time, and ask for feedback after their stay, over time, your profile will be filled with genuine reviews, and will bring you more customers.

5. Respond to reviews

Monitor and respond to all reviews, both negative and positive. Show that you’re actively listening and adapting to please your guests.

Show appreciation for positive feedback, and for complaints, apologise for the inconvenience it has caused them and explain why it occurred.

Show the person that you understand their situation by summarising and repeating it back to them. Explain the steps you will take or have taken to rectify the situation.

You may also want to offer them something in return for the inconvenience it has caused them. If you’re starting to notice a pattern in complaints, you need to adapt quickly and communicate this so that future guests know it’s no longer something they need to worry about.

6. Bidding on TripConnect

TripConnect allows you to compete for more direct bookings, using a pay-per-click advertising model. (Update: TripAdvisor has now added an Instant Booking format where they charge a commission percentage for successful reservations – click here to learn more).

Use TripConnect to link your booking engine to TripAdvisor. This means that people can check availability and cost straight from your TripAdvisor page, and then click through to book with you. Your booking engine must support integration with TripAdvisor to do this (Little Hotelier does).

The higher your bid, the higher your property’s listing will appear in TripAdvisor’s Hotel Price Comparison Search box, thereby increasing the likelihood that TripAdvisor users will click the link to visit your property’s booking page. So it’s possible to outbid major OTAs and have your listing appear first in the results.

7. Ongoing management

TripAdvisor is not something you can set and forget. It’s important to actively monitor your profile to make sure it works to sell out your rooms.

How to join TripAdvisor as a business

Joining TripAdvisor as a hotel owner or manager empowers you with a swathe of benefits and features, both free and paid. Here’s how you can get access and what to expect once you’ve created an account.

To create a TripAdvisor Business Account and gain access to TripAdvisor’s Management Center, you must register and verify their identities and business. This can be done by following these steps:

How to register your business on TripAdvisor

1. Visit the TripAdvisor website.
2. Search for your business.
3. Click on ‘Claim your free listing’ and follow the instructions.

You can then return to the TripAdvisor business login (AKA TripAdvisor host login) at any time to access and adjust your information.

Once verified, you will be able to:

• Choose a paid subscription level
• Create additional listings on TripAdvisor
• Update your property’s key details and amenities
• Upload and edit photos and videos
• Respond to reviews
• Get more reviews​

Tripadvisor Business Advantage

TripAdvisor’s Business Advantage offers several premium benefits for business which may be attractive for small hotel owners:

• Tell a Better Story: TripAdvisor allows businesses to stand out from the competition by showcasing their unique features and offerings. They can hand-select their favourite reviews and photos to be featured on TripAdvisor, and even add videos and a promotional storyboard to highlight what makes their property special.
• Convert Traveller Demand: TripAdvisor provides businesses with the ability to unlock competitor insights, helping them understand the market better and make strategic decisions. Though remember that Little Hotelier offers similar insights, so don’t pay twice for something you already have!
• Make the Connection: As travellers start to travel again, they have many questions and concerns. TripAdvisor makes it easier for them to connect with businesses, facilitating communication in the way travellers prefer. It’s worth noting that 74% of travellers visit TripAdvisor before making a booking.
• Build Credibility with Travellers: Businesses can increase their reviews, manage their reputation, and impact their ranking on TripAdvisor, thereby building credibility with travellers.
• Promote and Drive More Direct Bookings: TripAdvisor offers Sponsored Placements, allowing businesses to promote themselves and drive more direct bookings.

Some of the tools you gain access with Business Advantage include:

• Contact details
• Search links
• Mobile click-to-call buttons
• Special offers and announcements
• Enhanced analytics suite
• Ability to download data

Business listing price

TripAdvisor offers two types of listings: free and annual.

If you have a free listing:

All bookings are taken online through the TripAdvisor website, and a processing fee of 3% per booking is charged. This fee is calculated based on your total rent, which includes any required and optional fees you specify for your property, such as cleaning fees.

Payments can be transferred to either your bank or PayPal account, and you will not be required to pay any additional PayPal fees.

If you have an annual listing:

For an annual listing, you pay an annual fee per property. You have the choice of how to receive payments from guests – either directly or online through the TripAdvisor website.

For payments taken through the website, you pay a processing fee of 3%. Similar to the free listing, this commission is calculated based on your total rent, including any required and optional fees you specify for your property, for things like cleaning.

Payments can again be transferred to either your bank or PayPal account, and there are no additional PayPal fees.

What about Business Advantage?

There are both Standard Access and Preferred Access plans for TripAdvisor Business Advantage. The cost starts at $499 a year.

What about Instant Booking?

Instant Booking allows travellers to reserve rooms directly on the TripAdvisor site. You only pay commission on completed stays. The commission itself is split into two pricing tiers:

• 15% commission, which allows you to capture half of all “Book on TripAdvisor” traveller views.
• 12% commission, which allows you to capture a quarter of all “Book on TripAdvisor” traveller views.

In other words, the more you’re willing to pay in commission, the more eyeballs you’ll get on any Instant Booking listings you have.

What about Sponsored Placements?

Sponsored Placements are like Google Ads. You pay a certain amount to make sure you get the top spot on certain searches. There are no keywords or objectives, as TripAdvisor handles this automatically for you.

There are several preset payment options, starting at $2.69 per day at the time of writing. The more you pay, the more times your ads will appear. You only pay for clicks you get and you can cancel at any time. Simple as that.