Managing a hostel comes with a whole set of responsibilities, and one of the pertinent ones is being confident enough to uphold the brand name. Taking care of your hostel reputation is a sensitive task that is to an extent, entirely in your hands. You should be able to predict what’s going to work and have the foresight to see something that could go wrong for your brand. Learn how to stay on top of maintaining your hostel reputation with these hostel reputation management tips.
Reviews Matter
It’s extremely common for guests to read reviews before booking their accommodation – a whopping 88% of customers trust online reviews. Whether a hostel or restaurant, the internet is usually the first place customers run to in search of reviews from a fellow human being. If your guest has a doubt about the quality of food or services like the speed of Wi-Fi, they are bound to find that answer in a review. The reviews and ratings left against your hostel create a perception of the stay for potential customers. Considering this, make sure your team is looking at all reviews as constructive criticism and regularly checking on the type of reviews coming in.
Apart from this, potential customers also watch for responses left on a review by the hostel. This makes it necessary for your hostel to actively make efforts to respond to what your guest is saying, be it a positive or negative review. We also suggest you avoid copy-pasting the same response to every guest as it could come off as a lack of human touch and individual attention to the messages.
Every review is your hostel’s chance to get the candid, raw opinion of your guests. Your team needs to take time to read them all and draft a personalized response to each. That being said, ensure you use the reviews as insights and look at what can be improved about your hostel.
Track What’s Happening On Social Media
Make sure your hostel account is active on social media platforms that your target audience is on. With the help of social media, you can stay in touch with all your loyal customers on a daily basis. Every time you put a write-up or a post for your guest to engage with, have a glance at what they’re saying to you. Consider it as a trail of breadcrumbs being left for you to pick up, and gauge what they think of you from it. There are several tools available online that indicate the type of content your target audience is interested in and interacts with too.
You can also use social media to show that there’s a human behind the brand. Showcase your brand personality on social media and find a community of travelers that sync with your brand. Consider boosting bookings by putting up honest reviews of influencers and guests that enjoyed staying at your hostel.
We also suggest putting up high-quality videos of the spaces in your hostel for people to picture themselves at your hostel. Re-look at many other ways you’re doing justice to your brand because social media sure is a powerful way to build and manage a hostel’s reputation.
Collaborate Often To Draw Attention To Your Hostel
From time to time, it’s good practice to collaborate with influencers or a business in the travel industry that aligns with the personality of your brand. For instance, for your hostel that’s situated in the mountains, you can collaborate with agencies that organize fun outdoor adventures like camping, kayaking, or mountain biking. This way, your guest gets tied up with a well reputable organization and has a hearty holiday. All thanks go to your hostel for taking an extra step to help them out with things besides the stay.
At goSTOPS, we consciously plan out fun game nights, cycling tours, treks and heritage walks for our guests in order to make them have a good time at our hostel. Another approach to garner the limelight is to collaborate with influencers that travel often and have a target audience similar to yours. This way, they can promote their experience to their followers, automatically allowing your hostel to gain the attention it deserves.
Pay Attention To Your Website And Customer Service Team
It’s necessary to visually keep your website up-to-date. Remember that it’s the first impression guests get of your brand, and can help loads with hostel reputation management. If your website loads slowly and the user interface isn’t up to the mark, it might cause your guest to turn to another option. Exercise checking how your website looks and getting expert opinions on how to improve it. Follow responsive design, which is a practice of checking that your website opens efficiently on every type of device.
Your contact details should also be easily visible to your guests that come to your website. An immediate response from your customer-friendly team can portray your hostel name in a positive light too. Training your customer service team to provide quick, personalized responses to your guests is key to building a quality image of your brand. 83% of customers would be happy to refer a company to another person due to good customer service. Honestly speaking, that’s a great way to build your reputation on a large scale.
Adapt To Industry Trends To Stay Relevant
With the pandemic, there have been several emerging trends in the hospitality industry. One thing’s certain is that traveling is no longer the same. Those traveling post the pandemic due to the ease in restrictions are not looking for the same things they did in the past. A large percentage of travelers prefer sustainable stays and these trends are cues for hostels to pick up and integrate into their services.
Another new aspect that concerns almost every traveler post the pandemic is health and safety precautions. To accommodate this pertinent need, we’ve launched goSTOPS 2.0, a new version of our hostel that takes into account precautions to safeguard the health of our guests. Additionally, the workation trend is also on the rise and at goSTOPS we’re more than ready to take on the needs of those looking to work + vacation. Its making moves like these that can help you with hostel reputation management, since you’ll be known as a hostel that keeps up with the times and caters to its audiences.
Conclusion
Hostel reputation management tips are of no use unless you also actively work towards improving your guests’ experience. This involves some deep self-assessment, and honestly on where you need to improve. It is only by actually responding to, and not just by acknowledging, your guests’ responses, that you can truly improve your reputation.
