Accommodation provider Bedsearcher has launched a new review service for its booking site. (8/24/2007)
The review system allows guests to review their experiences and crucially gives the hotel owners the right of reply.
Co-founder of Bedsearcher, Jim Mann, said: “At a time when the traditional accreditation schemes from the tourist board, RAC and AA carry less credibility with either the hotelier or the consumer than ever before, reviews have become a more and more important benchmark by which buying decisions are made. Bedsearcher has taken this process and added credibility for the first time. Only customers who have actually stayed at the property can place a review and, uniquely, the property owner has a right of reply removing the skew that professional complainer can create.”
He said, “This process allows for complete transparency, driving up customer service and creating a community feel to the website which improves everybody’s experience of it.”
Using a five-star rating system, Bedsearcher asks reviewers to answer various questions including about the check-in process, quality of the room, menu variety and overall experience. These scores then produce a review score out of five. Customers can then sum up their experience with a comment on both good and bad points about the experience. The review is then posted on the website and sent direct to the hotelier who is given the option to reply.
“Travellers are extremely discerning these days and hoteliers welcome the feedback in order to keep providing the best service,” said Mann. “Bedsearcher’s review system allows the hotelier to reply to the review and, whether it is a favourable or non-favourable review, state what action they have taken to remedy the situation.
“We have found this system to be very popular already. The general consensus may be that people won’t bother to use it, or that it will become a war of words between the two, but that’s not proving to be the case,” he said. “This is not designed to be an attack and defend mechanism and it’s clear people – both hoteliers and travellers - want to honour the process by being honest, reasonable and fair and that can only be a good thing for the industry.”
