Keeping Consumers On Site: a Review of The Process

If you can’t beat them join them. Like many hotel groups Wyndham has recognised that there is no stopping the tide of reviews and how important they have become in the online room booking process.

Indeed savvy travellers understand the context of reviews better now and they realise that there is a difference between how a person they know rates a property, what an expert travel authority says about a hotel and what an aggregated voice of the community tells them.

So over the last year, a range of hotel companies (like Starwood and Wyndham but also small boutique chains like Hollman Beletage) – have chosen to feature reviews on their own websites. Some hotel companies have approached this in different ways, launching their own platforms to share user-generated content and tying up with review sites as well. One thing is clear hotel companies want consumers to stay on their own sites.

Delivering tangible results

So is the decision to display reviews paying off?

Wyndham Hotel Group says it is witnessing positive results. The group announced a new partnership with TripAdvisor in March this year with the two agreeing to display its ratings, reviews and opinions on the Wyndham Rewards loyalty programme site. There are also plans to expand TripAdvisor content to 11 of the group’s brands this year.

 “We have made key investments in our digital assets over this last year in order to maximise our own channels and drive more direct business to owners and operators,” says Gareth Gaston, senior vice president, global eCommerce, Wyndham Hotel Group, adding that “because of these efforts, we have seen the highest contributions yet and online direct growth is now outpacing intermediaries and OTAs.”

Not only has Wyndham refreshed all of its brand websites with new designs and TripAdvisor reviews, but the group also introduced WyndhamHotelGroup.com, a new website designed to let consumers engage with its complete family of brands while driving incremental bookings for hotel owners.

In addition, to tap into a surging market, the firm has launched new mobile sites for all brands and this year will introduce a series of mobile apps.