Review and Pricing Management matter in Turkey Market in the Hospitality.
Booking Com and Agoda; lots to learn from TripAdvisor in Turkey.
There are many factors that influence guests’ impressions, but certainly, not all of them have the same level of importance for guests. To be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the businesses, establishments should identify which improvements in the hotel operations can bring additional value to their guests.
The hospitality businesses have become connected to the use of the OTI s via the Internet. An increase in the usage of the Internet triggered extreme changes in the information channels that hotel guests use in order to make booking decisions.
TripAdvisor is travel information and a sales website that provides its users with information about other peoples’ experiences with hotel and other tourism products. Additionally, it provides travellers with the possibility to post their own reviews. Additionally, other channels such as Booking Com and Agoda provide a similar service to customers.
TripAdvisor was considered to provide a very good insight into customer experiences with hotel stays that are written honestly, without being biased by hotels. On the other hand, Booking Com and Agoda like others are only focused on the customer side and never listen hoteliers as we have experienced the last 15 months in Turkey Market.
A significant increase in the popularity of TripAdvisor and travel reviews in general, their trustworthiness and reliability were questioned. As experienced in the location I worked, TripAdvisor is a reliable source of information about guests’ satisfaction with a hotel. In addition, as a Hotel, you are able to cancel bad reviews if you can prove it to the TripAdvisor. On the other hand, my personal experience in Istanbul, Booking Com never has tried to understand their mistake even you have proof.
Booking Com guests from the Middle East have used Booking Com to treat hotels to give a very low rating review. These issues reported in advance and on the time but the response from Booking Com was absolutely unexpectable and not understandable. Booking Com guest; Broke Local Rules, Tried unregistered, Try to bring Prostitution, Damage House, Requested free breakfast due to 4 rooms purchasing. We applied local and International rules as Corporate Management Company, but Booking Com refused to cancel unfair reviews. Booking Com team said that reviews will be cancelled automatically in 2 years!?
Agoda Turkey; it is another partner who has not changed our requested pricing after 9 months! As we reported wrong pricing (Very Cheap) which did not belong to our Chanel Management, many reports are sent and a meeting is done with Management but as a result, nothing was changed. Agoda has tried to sell our hotel via B2B Channels with cheap price and our Hotel did not except the guests, unfortunately. At the end of 2019, another management came to visit, and we start again but, How Hotel can trust again? How unfair behaviour from Agoda does deserve respect and trust after 9 months break?
Booking Com guest treating hotels with low rating and Booking Com has done nothing about it. Booking Com has to have a new way to protect and fair rating in the future. Agoda has to listen to Hoteliers and keep the promise in the future.
This is a partnership cannot move on alone! I hope they take action seriously for both side benefits.