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Testimonials, the Great Guest Converter
June 29, 2011
Travelers booking hotel accommodation online worry about the authenticity of hotel's claims of quality and rating. These worries can become a barrier to your direct online conversion rate. You can reduce visitor worries and doubts by displaying true guest testimonials on your hotel website.
‘A testimonial is defined as a statement in support of a particular truth, fact, or claim; a written personal recommendation; or a verbal or written tribute given in appreciation of a person's service or achievement.’
The following ‘Truisms’ attest the importance of displaying testimonials on your hotel website:
Truism 1, ‘People believe that sellers, be it retail shop owners or hoteliers, hype up their product to make a sale’. This truism affects your business as it means that people visiting your hotel website are skeptical about the claims – quality of service, property rating etc. displayed on your website. These doubts cause visitors uncertainty, thus, reducing the ratio of looker to booker conversions. You can negate the effect of visitor skepticism on your conversion rate by displaying guest testimonials. Â
Truism 2, ‘Guests place a higher level of trust on other traveler views’. Displaying ‘Guest Testimonials’ on your hotel website can help convince visitors to become guests, as they (visitors) feel that guest testimonials as unbiased and trustworthy. Consider this, when you shop online, before your purchase a product, you read the product description, and then you browse through customer reviews before deciding to purchase. You read the customer reviews to reassure that you are making the right choice and the product you are purchasing is worth the money. Potential guests to your hotel are planning to spend a substantial amount of money to stay at your hotel, they to want to be reassured about their booking decision. Thus, by adding a testimonial section to your hotel website, be it in text, audio or video format, you are adding content that will endorse your hotel in a convincing fashion.
If you don’t already have a testimonial section, building a testimonial database is easier that you think. All you have to do is ask.
Getting a testimonial is simple. Ask the guest for one. Hundreds of guests walk through your doors every month. If you ask 10 guests for written testimonial of their experience at your hotel, at least one will definitely be willing to write you a glowing review. To build a substantial guest testimonial database, conduct this guest asking activity regularly. If you have guests that stay at your hotel regularly, make sure you ask them to jot down a few words.
Suggestions:
To summarize, by displaying guest testimonials go a long way in convincing visitors to become guests.
June 29, 2011
Travelers booking hotel accommodation online worry about the authenticity of hotel's claims of quality and rating. These worries can become a barrier to your direct online conversion rate. You can reduce visitor worries and doubts by displaying true guest testimonials on your hotel website.
‘A testimonial is defined as a statement in support of a particular truth, fact, or claim; a written personal recommendation; or a verbal or written tribute given in appreciation of a person's service or achievement.’
The following ‘Truisms’ attest the importance of displaying testimonials on your hotel website:
Truism 1, ‘People believe that sellers, be it retail shop owners or hoteliers, hype up their product to make a sale’. This truism affects your business as it means that people visiting your hotel website are skeptical about the claims – quality of service, property rating etc. displayed on your website. These doubts cause visitors uncertainty, thus, reducing the ratio of looker to booker conversions. You can negate the effect of visitor skepticism on your conversion rate by displaying guest testimonials. Â
Truism 2, ‘Guests place a higher level of trust on other traveler views’. Displaying ‘Guest Testimonials’ on your hotel website can help convince visitors to become guests, as they (visitors) feel that guest testimonials as unbiased and trustworthy. Consider this, when you shop online, before your purchase a product, you read the product description, and then you browse through customer reviews before deciding to purchase. You read the customer reviews to reassure that you are making the right choice and the product you are purchasing is worth the money. Potential guests to your hotel are planning to spend a substantial amount of money to stay at your hotel, they to want to be reassured about their booking decision. Thus, by adding a testimonial section to your hotel website, be it in text, audio or video format, you are adding content that will endorse your hotel in a convincing fashion.
If you don’t already have a testimonial section, building a testimonial database is easier that you think. All you have to do is ask.
Getting a testimonial is simple. Ask the guest for one. Hundreds of guests walk through your doors every month. If you ask 10 guests for written testimonial of their experience at your hotel, at least one will definitely be willing to write you a glowing review. To build a substantial guest testimonial database, conduct this guest asking activity regularly. If you have guests that stay at your hotel regularly, make sure you ask them to jot down a few words.
Suggestions:
- Don’t ask the guest for a testimonial as he or she is leaving. It is pretty much guaranteed that he or she will be in a hurry and will not have time to entertain your request. A day or so before he or she leaves is an ideal time to make such a request.
- Be upfront about why you want a testimonial. This can increase your chances of getting one because people love to see their names in print.
To summarize, by displaying guest testimonials go a long way in convincing visitors to become guests.
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