Reviews, how the customer is taking over in the hotel industry

No sector seems to be escaping the phenomenon of online customer reviews anymore. According to a recent study, more than 8 out of 10 consumers consult the reviews of other consumers before deciding to buy a product or service. The success of a hotel is therefore increasingly dependent on these ratings and reviews.

How online reviews overtook advertising

Today, 93% of hotel guests use the Internet to consult reviews and compare prices when choosing hotel rooms. How come? Because advertising no longer has the same persuasive power and recommendations are now king. Consumers rely on the opinions of their peers, which are much more reliable, a priori, than the promises of brands. This is reported in a very recent study by Expedia. This new habit is an integral part of the shopping experience, and hoteliers are aware that the power is now in the hands of their customers. Today, the success or failure of a hotel depends as much on these reviews as on the service itself.

Booking platforms: the trigger effect!

A very large majority of hotels are listed on Booking, an essential platform to optimize hotel bookings. The millions of addresses referenced there must therefore compete in terms of ingenuity to stand out from the crowd and offer an unforgettable experience based on all the criteria rated.

WiFi at the heart of hotel ratings

Among these criteria, WiFi is rated in its own right, along with cleanliness, comfort and breakfast. And for good reason, according to a survey carried out by the Hotels.com platform, free WiF is at the top of the list of essential criteria when choosing a hotel. Hoteliers know this, so it is essential to offer a quality WiFi connection!

New commitments on customer satisfaction

Wifirst as a WiFi ISP and partner of many hotels is at the forefront of these developments. We observe that ratings, in particular WiFi ratings, have become crucial, to such an extent that some hotel customers ask us to contractually commit to the progress of their WiFi rating! Until then, we used to commit ourselves to throughput or GRT (Guarantee of Recovery Time), rational and technical criteria... but finally, the hotelier, legitimately, said to himself: "What is the point of these commitments if the customer is not satisfied in the end?" We are therefore entering a whole new paradigm in line with the leitmotiv of the decade: "being customer-oriented". No matter what means are used, the result must be there, the customers must be satisfied and even very satisfied!

If you also want to increase your hotel's WiFi rating, the Wifirst solution has proven its effectiveness as a hotel equipped with Wifirst gains an average 0.5 points per year on its WiFi Booking rating!