The hospitality industry has had a lot of chatter in recent weeks about Online Optimizers. In the world of online reviews, an Optimizer sells a service of "Beating the System". This can occur by providing software solutions that remove bad reviews from websites or by populating your online profiles with fictitious flattering reviews.
Is Paying to Remove Bad Reviews and Generate Good Ones Really a Problem?
While it's important to appreciate the value of elevating your online reputation, doing so with an Optimizer is not the appropriate solution. In recent weeks, one travel review website published an open letter from the CEO advising hotel leaders that working with an Optimizer will not be tolerated. Let this serve as a lesson to all, that trying to "beat the system" is not the way to maximize your online reputation.
What's the Right Solution?
What is considered to be the appropriate means of systematically improving a hotel's online reputation is working as a leadership team, or with a Reputation Management Agency to develop and deploy strategies that follow Best Practices and ensure your hotel is utilizing all of the tools at your disposal. With bandwidth and expertise in this area a struggle within many hotels, employing a Reputation Management Agency is an acceptable solution to ensuring your hotel is maximizing its online presence.
At The Reputation Lab, we recognize that an elevated online reputation needs to be earned, not bought. We help hotels earn their reputation by moving away from wanting to remove bad reviews and towards implementing organic and safe management practices. If you are interested in learning how a reputation management strategy can benefit your business, we invite you to email us via our secure contact form to set up a no-pressure consultation or call us at 855-979-6800.