CASE STUDY: Reducing Hotel Response Times from Days to Minutes Using AI.

Challenge: With a high volume of reviews flooding in on both TripAdvisor and Google, db Seabank Hotel's busy front office team prioritised TripAdvisor, leading to delayed or unaddressed reviews on Google.

Solution: db Seabank Hotel partnered with BFN-AI, aiming to increase their response rate on both platforms from 10% to 60%.

They blew this goal out of the water by boosting their response rate to an impressive 90.4%.

About db Seabank Resort +Spa

Standing as a premier all-inclusive hotel on the picturesque island of Malta, db Seabank Resort + Spa is ideally situated across from Malta's largest sandy beach, Mellie?a Bay.

Part of the db Group—Malta’s leading name in hospitality and leisure—the hotel is complemented by a diverse portfolio of hotels, restaurants, and esteemed international franchises.

The Challenge: Handling Reviews on?multiple platforms

With an overwhelming number of reviews pouring in across multiple platforms, db Seabank Hotel + Spa's team, dedicated to providing personalised, thoughtful responses to each one, found it impossible to manage them all.

Their front-office team was forced to reprioritise their review channels in their response strategy because they simply couldn't handle the volume.

Key Objectives:

• Improve response rates on both Google and TripAdvisor.
• Enhance the quality of replies.
• Include important hotel information in AI-generated responses.
• Ensure AI replies maintain the hotel's usual style.
• Make AI responses sound authentically human.
• Naturally, integrate SEO keywords into their responses.
• Support their 'Book Direct" marketing campaign within replies.
• Respond in multiple languages.

What We Did

BFN-AI implemented a tailored solution for db Seabank Hotel, focusing on:

1. Custom Prompt Engineering: Optimised output quality and automation efficiency through custom prompt design.
2. Direct integrations with Google and TripAdvisor: Streamlined the response process connecting directly with both platforms.
3. Development of hotel-specific AI instructions: Created AI guidelines that mirror the hotel's staff onboarding practices.

This approach ensured the AI system was finely tuned to db Seabank's unique needs, values, and guest expectations, significantly reducing the time required for review management across multiple platforms.

The high-quality AI-generated responses were almost indistinguishable from those written by human staff, maintaining the hotel's personalised touch in every review response.

How we did it

Hotel Facilities & Location:?

• Training Goal: Ensured the AI consistently but uniquely included the hotel's all-inclusive offerings and its convenient location opposite Malta's largest sandy beach, Mellieha Bay, within responses.

Writing Style:

• Training Goal:?Directed the AI to generate replies that mimic conversational human writing characteristics, reducing the risk of responses sounding overly emotional or robotic.

Dynamic Personalisation:

• Training Goal:?Progammed the?AI to automatically use guests' first names or "Dear Guest" when only a username is available, mention the hotel’s name, reference staff appropriately in positive contexts, omit staff names in negative scenarios, and conclude with the signature of the Guest Relations Manager.

SEO Keywords:?

• Training Goal:?Instructed the AI to seamlessly incorporate crucial SEO phrases such as “All-inclusive Hotel in Malta,” “Family-Friendly resort in Malta,” and “Beachfront Hotel Malta” into responses.

Special Instructions (Direct Booking):

• Training Goal: Configured?the AI to occasionally suggest guests book directly next time for additional benefits.

Language Matching and Review Specifics:

• Training Goal:?Set up the AI to match the language of the review and respond in the native language. Provided in-dashboard review translations so the team could understand reviews in multiple languages.

No Context Reviews.

• Training Goal: Prompted the AI to respond to both negative and positive reviews that only included star ratings but no written comments.

Handling Negative Reviews:

• Training Goal:?Taught the AI to acknowledge negative experiences empathetically, ensuring responses are professional but carefully worded to avoid language that could be interpreted as admitting fault or liability.

This comprehensive approach ensured that every aspect of the AI’s operation was tailored to enhance the guest experience, maintaining the hotel’s brand standards and improving overall guest satisfaction.

The high-quality, AI generated responses were almost indistinguishable from human-authored ones, preserving the hotel's personalised touch in every interaction.?

The Results

Since going live in May 2024, BFN-AI has delivered mind-blowing improvements in response rates, consistently generating high-quality, SEO-optimised responses across multiple platforms.

Responses Rates: From 10% to 90.4%

Skyrocketing Response Rates: db Seabank Resort + Spa boosted their response rates from just 10% to an impressive 90.4%, exceeding their goals and setting new standards in guest engagement.

Included on Google's Pack of 3 for core keywords.

Secured Top Search Placement: db Seabank Resort + Spa earned a spot in Google's Pack of 3 for core keywords, boosting online visibility and attracting more direct bookings.

Improved the quality of responses

Enhanced Response Quality: Delivered high-quality, AI-generated replies that are almost indistinguishable from those crafted by their front office team, maintaining the hotel's authentic voice and elevating overall guest satisfaction.

n addition to improving response times, BFN-AI has helped db Seabank Resort + Spa unlock several key advantages:

1. Full Control: BFN-AI allows the db Seabank team to manually edit responses before publishing, combining AI's speed and efficiency with human oversight.
2. Personalised Responses at Scale: Crafted thoughtful, on-brand review responses by combining dynamic response building blocks with personalised messaging—minimal editing required and full response automation optional on Google.
3. More Time for Negative Reviews: Delivered high-quality AI-generated responses for negative reviews, reducing the need for extensive edits and empowering front-office teams to achieve better resolution outcomes.
4. Improved Local SEO: By consistently responding to guest reviews across major platforms, db Seabank Resort + Spa improved its Google ranking and discoverability.
5. Book Direct Strategy: db Seabank actively promotes a 'Book Direct' campaign within its marketing strategy. BFN-AI incorporates direct booking messages into AI responses to bolster this initiative, targeting both checked-out guests who previously booked via an OTA and are considering a return, as well as potential customers evaluating reviews before making their bookings.
6. AI-Powered Insights: BFN-AI scans all negative reviews and proactively generates AI-powered, easy-to-read monthly impact assessment reports for management. These reports highlight the most common issues raised in negative reviews, enabling swift analysis, prioritisation, and resolution of pressing concerns, ultimately reducing the volume of negative feedback.

We were initially nervous of using AI, but it has quickly proven its worth. The quality of responses are incredible.?

Christopher Bonello, General Manager, db Seabank Resort +Spa