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LocAL Monday 9 october 2017
A17

Hotel Hustle

Column by: ShanellaPantophlet

Tourism in the age of the review

I’m a millennial, you’re probably wondering why that is relevant information.
To the everyday person that may not be, but to the hospitality sector that
information matters quite a great deal.

All of it has to do with how I and other young professionals go about booking
our vacations. Growing up, whenever my mother would take us on vaca-
tions most of the bookings were done through travel agents; they’d have
everything prepared and ready, all you had to do was pay. The problem is
though, these agents work with third party operators and get discounts or
commissions on these bookings, so they may not be selling you exactly what
you want. Nine times out of ten, the agents have never been to the country
or resort they are selling you.

It’s not really something I spent a lot of time thinking about until I started working in a hotel where we deal with guests coming through exchange
companies. I cannot tell you the amount of times we have had people come in who have been promised so many things by the representatives
on the phone while not being properly informed about the resort layout, the representatives tend to interpret the information provided to them
through the resort guides. The guests are disappointed and some get angry when the front desk has to inform them that although the resort ad-
dress is on the beach, the room may not be oceanfront, and that is not a great way to start your vacation.

Today, getting the information you want about a country or the resort you’re going to stay at is as simple as entering a search on Google and
checking the resort reviews. As someone who works in tourism, I am very meticulous in my research of other resorts. I want to know what people
are saying, good or bad. TripAdvisor, Facebook and other review websites allow me that insight. I will freely admit, if a hotel is outside of the top 10
or has less than three stars, I won’t even take a second glance at it. Many of my friends have made the same comment, because we know that
the people leaving reviews have been to these places and are speaking based on their own experiences. Of course reviews should still be taken
with a grain of salt as opinions are subjective, but if there are enough good reviews, it adds a level of comfort that you will be getting what you
paid for when you arrive.

TripAdvisor wasn’t a big deal in Aruba for a long time, but in recent years that’s started to change. I encourage anyone reading this to have a look
at the places you go and look for that green TripAdvisor sticker; I bet you it’ll be proudly displayed at eye level in a high traffic area.

The age of TripAdvisor and other review sites such as: Google Business, yelp! and even Facebook, have made many hoteliers aware of what the
consumer is thinking and what they are looking for in a hotel. These review sites can be a great asset used to generate new business or the sword
a company dies on.

Guest reviews are integral to the growth of our industry because customer service is such an intangible product. This makes the guest experience
hard to measure without constructive feedback. Hotels want customers to read reviews, do research, and reach out to us with questions because
it allows us a chance to show you why we are right for you.q