NEWTON, Mass. — A recent TripAdvisor study analyzed data, including the number of reviews, management responses and photos and videos to reveal which factors influence travellers to seek out more information about a property.
The study finds that hotels providing a management response to reviews are 21 per cent more likely to receive a booking inquiry via TripAdvisor than those that don’t respond to any reviews. Properties that respond to more than 50 per cent of their reviews increase their likelihood of receiving a booking enquiry by 24 per cent, compared to properties that do not respond.
The study also shows that photos drive higher levels of engagement from travellers and lead to more potential bookings. Hotel and B&B pages with photos receive 138 per cent more engagement from travellers, compared to those that don’t have photos.
“Looking at the results of this study, a clear theme emerges: the more engaged the business owner, the more interested the traveller,” said Marc Charron, president, TripAdvisor for Business. “It’s no secret that travellers want to see pictures and read reviews of a property before making their booking decision. What’s really key is the upward trend in average review ratings, traveller engagement levels and booking enquiries on the site, the more frequently a hotel owner responds to reviews. Taking part in the conversation and demonstrating that the owner cares about feedback has a very real and measurable effect on converting a traveller from a casual browser into a potential guest.”
