Is there any better surprise than waking up to a glowing review on TripAdvisor from the guest who just checked out yesterday? There’s a sense of personal and professional satisfaction that comes from providing a guest with an excellent experience, and knowing that it was recognised.

At the same time, there’s nothing more frustrating than discovering negative responses on your Facebook page. You know you did your best to provide that guest with a solution, but sometimes you can’t prevent people from letting loose on social media.

Regardless of whether you get four-star reviews or negative comments, you need to take into consideration all of the guest feedback you receive at your B&B. This feedback can drive meaningful change at your property, and ultimately allow you to generate positive feedback more frequently.

What are the benefits of capturing feedback?

• Feedback allows you to better understand what you are doing right, and where you can improve
  When your guests tell you they love the homemade treats you offer in the afternoon, make sure that you promote this on your website. When your guests say your website takes too long to load, make a point to optimise it to improve the user experience.
• Feedback gives you an opportunity to do instant damage control and to show off your customer service skills
  It’s necessary to respond to all reviews, especially those pesky negative reviews. This allows you to immediately respond to a customer’s cry for help, while also proving to other prospective guests that you are committed to customer service.
• Feedback can help you better understand your target market segment
  The reviews you receive can showcase trends in customer preferences, and can be used to adjust your marketing strategies.

Tips for getting valuable feedback from your guests

• Encourage your front desk staff to talk to your guests, and to ask them how their stay is going
  In many cases, the front desk operator is the main point of contact for your guests during your stay. Routinely touch base with them and listen to the feedback that they hear from guests.
• Create an annual survey to send out to your database
  You can use the results of the survey to make necessary changes during the coming year, in hopes of improving the experience of every guest who stays with you.
• Request online reviews in an automatic email
  After checkout, schedule an automatic email that politely asks guests to review your B&B on TripAdvisor, Google or Facebook. This is a surprisingly effective way to generate more reviews.

Ultimately, when you have the right technology in place, you will be able to provide your guests with the experience they crave. From the online booking journey to the streamlined service during their stay, your guests will appreciate your commitment to efficiency.