Hawaii hoteliers paying attention to online reviews
POSTED: Monday, October 06, 2008
Forget about the five-star ratings from Michelin, American Automobile Association or Mobil. Hawaii's hotel managers these days are monitoring their rank and reviews on Trip-Advisor.com.
TripAdvisor's top hotel rankings by island OAHU
» 2. ResortQuest Waikiki Beach Tower
» 3. Halekulani
» 4. Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk
» 5. Hilton Waikiki Prince Kuhio
MAUI
» 2. Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea
Lahaina
» 1. ResortQuest Mahana at Kaanapali
» 2. Noelani Condominium Resort
KAUAI
» 1. Outrigger at Lae Nani (Kapaa)
» 1. Marriott Kauai Resort & Beach Club (Lihue)
» 1. Hanalei Bay Resort (Princeville)
» 1. Hanalei Colony Resort (Hanalei)
BIG ISLAND
» 1. Four Seasons Resort Hualalai (Kailua-Kona)
» 1. Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel
» 1. Dolphin Bay (Hilo)
» 1. Manago Hotel (Captain Cook)
» 1. Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa
|
While the Mobils and Michelins of the world have been considered longtime gold standards for travelers, a growing online presence of hotel review sites such as TripAdvisor has captured the attention of Hawaii's hotel managers.
Robin Graf, general manager of the Wyland Waikiki, which currently ranks No. 9 on TripAdvisor and was named Orbitz's Best in Stay Business Hotel, monitors online reviews closely.
“;We use it to commend our staff as well as to see if there are areas where we fall short, and we try correct those,”; said Graf. “;As in anything, you can't please everyone.”;
Graf said his goal is to remain in TripAdvisor's Top 10. Wyland Waikiki has fluctuated anywhere from No. 7 down to No. 16.
In Graf's opinion, star ratings by Michelin, Mobil and AAA are antiquated, with criteria that are outdated and, in some cases, too stringent.
“;I feel that the consumer these days is more apt to look at a TripAdvisor site and base their opinions on a hotel there instead of a Mobil and Michelin,”; he said.
Hotel Renew rates high
A relatively new boutique hotel - Hotel Renew - has held the top No. 1 spot on TripAdvisor for the past year and a half with reviews that rave of an excellent staff, personal service and hip hotel.
Hotel Renew's general manager, Dan Howery, says he's honored to hold the spot, which he considers akin to 1 million people recommending his hotel through word of mouth.
Since the hotel is independent and does limited advertising, he pays attention to reviews and rankings on several Internet travel sites, including Orbitz, Travelocity and Expedia.
“;The best form of advertising is word of mouth,”; said Howery. “;From my perspective, TripAdvisor is one of the originals. TripAdvisor is the No. 1-read travel blog.”;
He estimates that at least three out of every five reservations booked at Hotel Renew come from guests that read its reviews on TripAdvisor, regardless of which method they used to book a room.
ResortQuest, which has a property ranked No. 1 on Maui (Mahana at Kaanapali) and No. 2 in Honolulu (Waikiki Beach Tower), hands out a Mahalo card to guests checking out, encouraging them to write a review on four major travel sites - TripAdvisor, Yahoo!Travel, Expedia and Travelocity.
“;The customer reviews are an extremely important part of marketing the properties,”; said Shari Chang, ResortQuest's senior vice president of sales, marketing and revenue management. “;If consumers say something positive, sometimes the message can get out even faster than many marketing methods we use.”;
If there's a negative rating, on the other hand, Chang said, “;We make sure it's remedied really fast.”;
ResortQuest used to pay more attention to AAA ratings, and still participates for some of its properties, but the impact isn't as great anymore, she said. Besides, newer types of properties like condotels are not included in Mobil, AAA and Michelin.
Also, to be reviewed by AAA, the hotel has to participate by submitting an application and then be selected for a review.
Graf at Wyland Waikiki says choosing not to participate was a business decision. For some properties, like a Four Seasons Hualalai, he said, it would make sense because of the demographic it serves.
But the typical traveler at the Wyland is more likely to read a review online and to book online.
Graf's own marketing strategies include a blog he launches this summer - wylandwaikikiblog.wordpress.com - in which he responds to some of the reviews. He's also on Twitter.
How it works
Contrary to what many believe, the rankings on TripAdvisor are not paid for by the hotels.
Nor do hotels have to partner with TripAdvisor to be included - although there is an affiliate program which gives the latter a commission for including a banner or link on their Web pages.
“;It's absolutely free,”; said Brooke Ferencsik, TripAdvisor's spokesman.
Hotels are ranked by customer reviews that help determine a popularity index based on a proprietary algorithm, which was developed by a team of engineers at TripAdvisor, he said.
Customers rate a hotel on a scale of 1 to 5 in several categories, including value, rooms, location, cleanliness, check-in/front desk, service and business service. But quality and quantity of reviews also are taken into account, said Ferencsik, with more emphasis on the most recent reviews.
It's not scientific but it's not random, either.
Mobil Travel Guide does not agree. On its own Web site, Mobil, which has rated hotels since 1958, says major travel Web sites offer ratings that are in reality intended to help sell hotel rooms, not provide a consumer with unbiased information. Besides, they fluctuate wildly and are confusing and misleading.
But the new trend seems to be catching on, both with travelers and hotel managers.
“;People want frank feedback,”; said Ferencsik. “;It's real advice from real travelers, showing the back of the hotel. That's really what TripAdvisor is all about. It's the power of the community and 25 million monthly visitors that really make TripAdvisor work.”;
What's in a review?
The TripAdvisor rankings will include the three most recently posted reviews, along with the average price, number of rooms, hotel class (1 to 5 stars), and links to photos and a map.
Reviewers use screen names, but include information such as where they are posting from, date of stay, who they traveled with, what the visit was for, and age group.
When submitting a review, a message pops up from TripAdvisor saying it has zero tolerance for fake reviews - which will be removed immediately. It also warns property owners and management who might be tempted to write their own reviews - not to do it. The property in question will get penalized, and travelers alerted about the fake review.
Managers, however, are allowed to write a response to a particular review or provide more information about their property.
Not every hotel has the same number of reviews.
For instance, the fairly new Hotel Renew is No. 1 based on 381 reviews and ResortQuest Waikiki Beach Tower, at No. 2, is based on 157 reviews.
The Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa, which has been around longer, has 1,097 reviews, and is No. 18.
If you narrow your search, the rankings will vary, particularly on the neighbor isles. For instance, there is another No. 1 hotel on Oahu - Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club, which holds the top spot in Kapolei.
Rankings also will fluctuate, based on real-time reviews as they're posted.
For Maui, ResortQuest Mahana at Kaanapali will pop up as No. 1 in Lahaina, but then Wailea Beach VIllas pops up as No. 1 in Wailea.
Kauai and the Big Island were separated into regions that resulted in five No. 1s on the Garden Isle (from Princeville to Poipu) and six No. 1s on the Big Island (from Kailua-Kona to Kamuela and Hilo).
Volcanoes National Park got its own category.
