When travelers scroll through multiple listings for potential vacation home rentals, not only do they look at price, but they also look at the reviews. Travelers are more confident in booking a vacation rental, when they have read positive reviews about the property. A high-star rating also suggests high quality, which essentially sways the customer to “Book Now”.
What kind of review to post
You’re monitoring your inbox and it is full of great reviews about your vacation home. The question is: Which reviews should I post?
Post:
-Reviews that have a strong star rating. 5 star ratings get bookings!
-Reviews that have positive, unique comments that make your vacation home stand out
-Reviews that show that the home is exceptionally maintained and provides a lot of amenities
-Reviews that are current
How to deal with the bad review
A bad review is bound to make its way onto your website or social media pages. How you handle that review is key, in helping to address the disgruntled customer’s review while trying to save and defend your company image. We are in the service industry and when guests stay in your vacation home, you want them to be happy and ultimately satisfied. The unhappy guest is already irritated at this point, and they are more than ready to write out everything wrong that they found during their stay.
Bad Wi-Fi connection. Uncomfortable, squeaky beds. Bad location from Disney World. Poor customer service. All of these “problems” should be addressed in a professional manner, so feel free to comment on their bad review. Let them know that you appreciate the time they took to shed light on all the problems they found during their stay. Lastly, thank them for their business and welcome them back any time. Always leave a good impression on behalf of your company with past and prospective guests.
The Bad Review Learning Tool
When guests stay in your vacation home, sometimes they may experience minor or major problems that may have gone unnoticed by you or your vacation home management company. Take the time to read the bad reviews and sift through the pertinent feedback. If serious problematic issues with the home are written in these guest reviews, take care of these problems immediately. Measuring feedback from the guest reviews can also help quantify that data and help you make smarter choices for your business.
Example: Your guest reviews keep giving zero to three star ratings for home cleanliness.
Call to Action: Monitor your cleaning vendor(s) to make sure they’re doing a thorough job with the home cleaning. Be specific with them regarding your expectations and the cleaning duties in the home that need to be taken care of. If the home continues to get poor ratings, consider trying out a new cleaning vendor that meets your expectations.
Example: Your guest reviews keep receiving a poor overall rating when it comes to customer service
Call to Action: Take the time to note the bad reviews regarding poor customer service with your staff. Hold a staff meeting and communicate to your employees the importance of excellent customer service with the guests on an interpersonal level is vital. Building relationships and rapport through good ole’ customer service effects the business tremendously.
Example: Your guest reviews suggest that your vacation home is completely outdated, with everything from the TVs to the home interior fixtures.
Call to Action: Take an in-depth look at the home, interior and exterior. See where you can make updates to the home that are cost effective and will still add value to your home. Add a large flat-screen TV in the living room for the guests to watch movies on. Replace old wood laminate countertops with marble countertops. Change light fixtures in the bathrooms, to help make the lighting more inviting and appealing. Keep up on the landscaping on the exterior of the home. All these changes add value to your vacation home and in return will generate bookings.
