Many general managers of small luxury hotels I have spoken with are still uncomfortable with Trip Advisor. Nobody likes to be criticized, especially so publicly, but it happens to even the very finest hotels.

With a solid understanding and comprehensive Trip Advisor strategy the service can provide a wealth of information for more effective marketing. Without giving away all our secrets, here’s one thing you can and should be doing – Competitive checks.

Potential guests are researching your competitors – you should be too. In guest reviews, how do you stack up against competitors? Is there a service another hotel is offering that gets consistently positive comments on Trip Advisor? Can you offer something better? Let your creative juices flow.

You need to offer a better product than competition and analysis of Trip Advisor reviews of other hotels can help. Don’t just look at hotels in your area, especially if local properties don’t have a history of being innovative. Branch out and see what similar properties in other markets are doing.

You’ll be amazed at how many good ideas are there waiting for you to discover them. You should know what guests think about you and your competition. Potential guests do.