HotelChatter

I think it's fine for a hotel to ask for reviews or give a card asking the guest to "rate them" ...but it's just downright dirty and unethical to "reward" guests to review the hotel positively...and even further down on the list to send a memo to ask employees to do it too! If you want good reviews, it's simple: Provide a good product with good service.

On a trip to San Diego in September, we were asked by the waitress who served breakfast everyday to my wife (I had business breakfasts) to give a positive review and to mention her name.  Apparently, employees receive some kind of reward for having good reviews done on Trip Advisor.  I saw her name mentioned a few times in reviews as well as the names of other employees.  At the other hotel, it was more of a suggestion.  I gave both honest reviews which were generally favorable -- one received four circles, one three.

I have been asked twice to post a review on Trip Advisor. I don't have a trip advisor account but I do always go the site and read reviews before I make reservations.
You can easily tell the reviews that are written by hotel staff, I always read the negative reviews. I could care less about a horrible experience someone had at the hotel restaurant, I want to know if the room is clean and that no personal items were stolen from the room.

As a young hotelier, public reviews has always caused the industry 'headache' to say the least. It is a matter of public opinion and people personally to make their own calls, the question of "whether the hotel is that bad?"

We don't offer incentive for guests that writes review on TripAdvisor or any public forum, we take the feedback in and try to fix it once and for all, in order to avoid the issue. As long as the team sticks together, the chance that the same case occurs are very much less. Typically the hardest part is when the issue came into engineering or relating to hardware "old hotel, leaking, pipes, etc" means a hotel will have to source or request for capital investment and in these economic condition things are not easy.

There is also the question of guests that also use "TripAdvisor" as a threat, a way into bullying hotel to heed to their will and basically gives everything for free.

Fair is fair, the hotel is providing a service and accommodation, hotel are in business to make revenue not only for owners but also hardworking employees.

Hospitality need to reflect the reality that reviews are there to improve us and if the hotel is a well working oil machine, great managers that inspire great teams, then their General Manager would have nothing to worry about.

Ever since TA came about many, many years ago, I noticed an alarming trend among reviewers. The reviews in most cases of the chain hotels were very positive. Even in forums, say, the Riu chain, people would get very aggressive, beligerant, and malicious if anyone posted any negative comments.

When it comes to reviewing comments, definitely put more weight on the negative comments than the positive. It's important to seriously examine them because it's the negative comments where you can get a feel of what is going on in the hotel.  The fact is, never dismiss the negative comments especially if they have a strong impact eg. air conditioning didn't work well in a tropical resort

I'm in the accommodation business and accept positive feedback. There is a trend to use T/A as blackmail recently. I really don't care. We provide a great venue and great apartments which are highly rated. But trying to get guests who rave about the place to go onto T/A is generally a waste of time. When we do get a shocker, it's generally from someone who is tired of living, has had a domestic, hates the world and wants to take it out on us. Well I do call a spade a spade and give it back in spades. BUT T/A don't like that. Whilst a negative reviewer can say what the hell they like, a hotelier is hamstrung in their response.
Recently in the UK T/A were taken to a tribunal who found that they could no longer use the word "Trust" in their advertising. "Reviews you can Trust." I don't think so.
A guideline only, certainly. Just use your own good commonsense.

That seems to be a perfectly appropriate post stay email and this type of request is actually encouraged by TripAdvisor. It does not offer any incentive; it is simply a request.

You took the words right out of my mouth.  However, although I might take a look at Trip Advisor to see if there were any bad reviews and what the problem might be, I prefer to book a hotel that I have had personally recommended to me, by what I know is a reliable source.

I know this is an old thread but as a Hotelier, from a my point of view constantly soliciting comments for Trip Advisor is a distraction from our core business but has become a regrettable necessity.  There seem to be a growing number of guests who check Trip Advisor and we are ranked against our competition which makes it a necessity.  I have asked TA about their logarithms and they can never give me a straight answer. It depends on the "words used", "number of reviews", "timing of review", and who knows what else.  Being retired military I refuse to post fake reviews for my hotel but I know some of my competition is doing it.  And yes, we have started asking for reviews from our guests in an attempt to stay competitive.  What is another solution?

Tripadvisor, Booking.com, Laterooms, Expedia.  As a small 9 bedroom guest house I wish I could do without them but unfortunately in a town like Torquay Devon there is so much competition that you have to have a listing on each.  And yes, I too, ask for a review in a follow up email, if possible but I dont use the word "positive" and I dont give rewards.  Coming from a training background I am used to being evaluated so its all run of the mill really in this business.  Sad but true.