Social Media and Reputation Management: Hitting Customer Reviews Head-on

Posted on July 28, 2014

Every social media manager’s worse nightmare revolves around reputation management. We spend so much time thinking about ways to create messages that our customers want to hear. We spend countless hours hoping to receive fantastic reviews and getting feedback from satisfied customers. We live for the moment when some random customer posts a positive post on one of our social media sites. We can’t wait to pass those posts along to management!

But what happens when the post is bad? Really, really bad? Thankfully in my professional experience, this hasn’t happened too frequently. But when it does, you have to be prepared. This means working with business stakeholders, PR, communications, and legal. While every negative post is different, we still have to have a cohesive plan in place so that we are able to do what needs to be done in a timely manner. In this week’s post, I will be reviewing both positive and a negative social media posts from the hospitality industry. It’s important to note that these posts are dated and used as examples for educational purposes only.

Post #1: Hyatt’s Positive Review…With a Twist!

Suggested Response:

Thank you for taking time to review your family’s most recent trip to Orlando’s Hyatt Regency! Reviewers like you give us the opportunity to ensure that our hotel is exceeding our guest’s expectations. We are very pleased to hear that you had such a wonderful stay. It is truly a complement that you chose to come back and stay with us for your family vacation. We are happy to hear that your children enjoyed one of our property’s newest additions, the pool. Although Florida weather can be unpredictable at times, we are glad that your family was still able to enjoy this new amenity despite the brief storm. It’s also great to hear that you were able to take advantage of our luxurious spa and restaurants. Next time you’re here, be sure to check out another great restaurant, Napa, where kids under 3 eat breakfast for free. 

Again, that you for choosing our hotel and providing valuable feedback that will allow our team to make adjustments to our property so that all of your future stays continue to exceed your expectations. If you’re still looking to schedule that last-minute summer trip, we have several summer specials that you may want to take advantage of! If you have any questions or would like to discuss our property further, please feel free to contact me directly at any time. It has been a pleasure reading your review and having your family as guests!

Sincerely, 

Whitney Amerson

Social Media Manager, Hyatt Regency Orland0

407-284-1234

 

Post #2: Hilton’s Negative Review

Suggested Response:

Thank you for taking the time to review our hotel and share your experience with us. I sincerely apologize for your most recent experience with our hotel, as the experience you have described does not meet our standards. I will make sure that your feedback is discussed with our management team promptly.  The appropriate actions will be taken to ensure that this does not happen again to you or another guest.  Because I know that our hotel has many great things to offer, I would love for you to give our hotel a second chance to exceed your expectations. At your convince, please call me so that we can work together on planning your next stay at our property. I have a few things in mind that I think you would want to take advantage of. I am looking forward to discussing how we can exceed your expectations and be the foundation for a great, memorable vacation!

Sincerely,

Whitney Amerson

Social Media Manager, Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina

954-463-4000

 

While I am no stranger to generating responses for social media posts, I found this assignment to be quite difficult. Although I do work in a very different industry with very different problems, that wasn’t where the “hang-up” occurred. I am so accustomed to having stakeholders, PR, communications, and our legal team to discuss our approach for these types of posts with. It was very difficult to generate posts on my own. Hats off to any social media manager who doesn’t have anyone to lean-on when it comes to reputation management. It’s a tough job to do alone!