Nowadays, with all the demand for hospitality and tourism, business owners and industries have to find a way to promote what they offer in order to stay competitive in the market, and even make an impact on other industries, because even if you offer the most exceptional service, what’s the point if there’s no one to receive it?
I was thinking: What are the best ways of promoting what we offer?
The first thing that came to mind was this: People have every right to be skeptical and doubt the hotel they don’t know about, but they never doubt the guests (like themselves) who have stayed there and shared their experiences.
So yes, one of the best ways of convincing potential guests of the good service that we provide is to encourage them to read others’ experiences, and meanwhile, encourage our guests to share theirs.
So far everything’s clear and obvious. However, reading this paper made me think about the importance of the responses that these guests receive!
Let’s check the ways we, as business owners, can respond to comments (mostly negative):
- Customized Responses: When you really put the time and effort into addressing an issue and pay attention to their concerns.
- Rote Responses: Repetitive, standardized responses that lack customization and specific engagement with the original customer review.
- Leave the comments unanswered.
I think by the way I described each, you can guess the worst way: rote responses.
Looking for a way to make guests feel ignored? Leave the comments unanswered.
Or worse, looking for a way to make a guest feel unimportant and undervalued? Try rote responses!
I have numerous examples of different industries that have become famous only by answering a comment with care and respect, and numerous industries that have put their reputation in danger merely by a rote response.
Just watch:
Amazon – Positive Example
A customer reported that their package never arrived. Amazon’s customer service responded very quickly, politely, and without asking too many unnecessary questions — they immediately shipped a replacement.
A screenshot of the conversation went viral, showing Amazon’s customer-centric approach and strengthening its reputation for excellent service.
British Airways – Negative Example
A passenger tweeted angrily about losing their luggage. British Airways’ response was late and completely generic:
“We are sorry for the inconvenience. Please DM us your details.”
Instead of sounding empathetic, it felt copy-pasted and robotic. The passenger mocked them for not taking the complaint seriously, and the exchange went viral — damaging the airline’s reputation and showing the danger of rote responses.
See? While we can build positive brand perception through customer engagement, which is a marketing strategy, some of us are still stuck with tone-deaf, cold, and destructive rote responses. If anything, it is far better to leave the comments unanswered than to post rote responses, since rote replies both discourage guests from giving positive feedback and cause major problems when we receive negative feedback.
Making people feel seen, understood, and cared for is the most important job we have in the hospitality industry. Even if there’s an issue or complaint in a comment, that’s an opportunity! An opportunity to show that we care and to boost our reputation!