Five strategies to promote positive reviews for your B&B
Running a bed and breakfast can be incredibly rewarding, getting to interact with a range of guests and create an experience that they will never forget.
Many elements contribute to the success of a B&B business but arguably one of the biggest contributing factors is the quality of reviews that it receives. Potential guests will likely look for reviews online before booking, so it is important to promote positive reviews to attract new faces.
Here are some of the ways in which you can do this:
Prioritise service
The easiest way to secure positive reviews is to deliver great service to your guests. This is something that you are likely already doing; however, it is important to consistently review your service offering and consider any improvements that you could make.
Making sure that all new staff go through a thorough induction process, allowing them to learn the importance of quality service, is a good place to start. You could also consider holding regular refresher training sessions for all team members, regardless of experience levels, to discuss good practices. These sessions can also act as constructive forums for sharing ideas for improvement and lessons learned.
Take complaints seriously
When there are complaints, all staff must respond seriously to fix the issue as fast as possible. This attitude should be applied to any complaint, regardless of its severity, to ensure that all customers feel cared for. You can still earn a glowing review even if a mistake occurs, as long as the situation is rectified in a timely and professional manner.
Make sure that all members of your team are aware of the protocol for any reoccurring issues and consider making permanent changes if these issues are being flagged by more than one customer. As part of your planning around the possibility of things going wrong, you can also review whether you have appropriate levels of B&B insurance.
Encourage customers to leave reviews
It can often feel intimidating to ask customers to leave a review but, if they have had an enjoyable experience, then chances are that they will be happy to oblige. According to BrightLocal, 76% of consumers will leave a review if you ask them to, so it is always worth taking the chance.
If you are going to do this, you need to make leaving a review as accessible as possible. For example, provide customers with a QR code that will take them directly to an online survey link or send them an automated email following their check-out which acts as a prompt to give you some feedback.
Provide incentives
Providing incentives is an effective method of increasing the number of reviews that you receive. This could include a discount for their next visit, a referral code to give to a friend or a free breakfast added to a future booking.
Before implementing any incentive, be sure to work out the cost implications of doing so.
Promote reviews on social media
Once the reviews start coming in, it is vital that you share them on social media for potential customers to see. By showcasing how much existing customers enjoyed their stay, you will encourage others to book with you.
When sharing anything, make sure that you have the reviewer’s permission and that you are complying with GDPR regulations.