How online reviews can help you connect with your customers, find out what they really want, and promote your hotel, restaurant, or attraction.

1. Uncovering
the Benefits of
Guest Reviews
How online reviews can help you connect with your
customers, find out what they really want, and promote
your hotel, restaurant, or attraction.
TripAdvisor-branded sites make up the largest travel community in
the world, with more than 30 million monthly visitors, 11 million+
registered members, and 25 million+ reviews and opinions of
properties and destinations.
Contact: widgets@tripadvisor.com

2. Uncovering the Benefits of Guest Reviews
Why are guest reviews important?
Now more than ever, travelers are carefully checking reviews before deciding to
book. And 87% of people looking for hotels are influenced by reviews1.
A recent survey shows that recommendations from consumers generate higher
levels of trust than advertising or branded websites2.
Recommendations from consumers
Brand websites
E-mail I signed up for
Consumer opinions posted online
Newspaper
Magazine
TV
Radio
Brand sponsorships
Search engine ads
Ads before movies
Product placements
Online banner ads
Text ads on mobile phones
Trust “somewhat”
Trust “completely”
1
comScoreInc/The Kelsey Group Nov 2007. Source: Forrester NACTAS Healthcare, Travel & Customer
Experience Online Survey
2
Forrester Q2 2008 Benchmark Survey
Find your Owner’s Center at: www.tripadvisor.com/owners 1

3. Uncovering the Benefits of Guest Reviews
Reviews increase conversion rates
When potential customers go to your website, you have a great opportunity to
convince them they should choose your hotel, restaurant, or attraction. Reviews
can help reassure guests and compel them to book.
According to a 2007 survey of 360 e-commerce websites, adding guest reviews
had the following impact3:
• 56% lifted conversion
• 77% increased traffic
• 42% increased the average shopping basket
Reviews make customers trust your brand
Trust in online reviews was found to be at its greatest when reviewers told both
sides of the story4. People are looking for balanced information, and having only
positive reviews could be viewed as inauthentic.
The good news is that, on balance, most reviews are positive – for example, on
TripAdvisor, the average rating is 3.74 out of 5.
3
e-consultancy/Bazaarvoice, 2007 Online
4
Jupiter Research/Bazaarvoice survey of 1,000 online shoppers, December 2007
Find your Owner’s Center at: www.tripadvisor.com/owners 2

4. Uncovering the Benefits of Guest Reviews
A snapshot of ratings on TripAdvisor
Distribution of ratings (scale of 1-5, 5 being highest) for 817,000 properties featured on
TripAdvisor.
Reviews can reveal what your customers want
Reviews give you the opportunity to find out what is important to your
customers, so you can quickly respond to them with a high level of service and
build confidence in your brand.
“Why do travelers pay attention to what their fellow travelers have to say? Trust. Fully 42%
of US leisure travelers trust what other travelers say and share more than a company’s
advertising or other marketing communications.”
- Forrester: Using Digital Channels To Calm The Angry Traveler, August 4, 2009
Find your Owner’s Center at: www.tripadvisor.com/owners 3

5. Uncovering the Benefits of Guest Reviews
How can you make the most of guest
reviews?
Travelers trust other travelers, so you can benefit by tracking what your guests are
saying and displaying their comments on your website.
Monitor what your customers are saying
On TripAdvisor, you can opt to receive e-mail alerts every time TripAdvisor
publishes a new review of your hotel, restaurant, or attraction (free registration
required).
“Hotel companies who do not today have a member of staff fully dedicated to monitoring
consumer review forums on the web are missing out on what has become the most
valuable guest feedback channel available.”
- Bill Walshe, former CMO of Jumeirah Hotels
TripAdvisor reviews are the trusted source for millions of travelers looking for
unbiased advice on hotels, restaurants, and attractions worldwide. Anyone can
write a review, from first-time customers to your most loyal patrons.
To find all the resources you need, visit your business resources page on
TripAdvisor at www.tripadvisor.com/owners
Not listed on TripAdvisor yet? Go to www.tripadvisor.com/pages/getlisted.html
Find your Owner’s Center at: www.tripadvisor.com/owners 4

6. Uncovering the Benefits of Guest Reviews
Engage customers with an enhanced listing
In order to give travelers the most up-to-date information about your property,
you should add as much to your listing as you can.
Photos – choose eye-catching images that will capture people’s attention
Videos – provide a visual guide that is just like the real experience
Description – include as many details about your property as you can
Please refer to the “Manage your listing” section in your Owner’s Center to add
this content to your listing. Also, be sure to verify that your property details are
accurate on TripAdvisor.
“Manage your listing“ section in the Owner’s Center
Find your Owner’s Center at: www.tripadvisor.com/owners 5

7. Uncovering the Benefits of Guest Reviews
Show your guests you value their feedback
If you wish to respond to a guest’s comment, you can easily do so,
demonstrating your commitment to customer care. Clearing up
misunderstandings, giving your side of a situation, or even just thanking the
guest for their review can speak volumes about the level of service they can
expect to receive at your establishment.
An example of dedicated customer service
from a hotel manager
“If you stumble, as all hotels do from time to time, a well-written response to a negative
comment is your strongest sales tool... The fact is that most comments are positive; negative
comments with a well-composed answer can be just as strong as a positive comment.”
- Neil Salerno, Hotel Marketing Coach
http://www.htrends.com/article40077.html (7/22/09)
Find your Owner’s Center at: www.tripadvisor.com/owners 6

8. Uncovering the Benefits of Guest Reviews
Promote your business with reviews and awards on your site
“I actually had someone come to look at my hotel yesterday (though they were staying
elsewhere!!!) just because of my widget and TripAdvisor. They are going to stay with me in
the future. I think it’s great!”
- Jane Matthews, 2 River’s Lodge
TripAdvisor review badges
• Broadcast what satisfied
guests are saying
• Keep travelers on your site
while they research
• Entice customers just as
they’re deciding to book
“Recommended on TripAdvisor”
& “Bravo“ award badges
• Show off the recognition
you’ve earned
• Associate yourself with one of
the biggest names in travel
• Make it easy for people to see
your reviews on TripAdvisor
Find your Owner’s Center at: www.tripadvisor.com/owners 7

9. Uncovering the Benefits of Guest Reviews
Solicit reviews from your guests*
Invite customers to write a review while their experience is fresh in their minds.
Pick up your customized Write-a-Review link from your business resources page
(free registration required), and include them on your website and e-mails.
Write a Review widget
Gathering more positive reviews is the best way to increase your visibility
on TripAdvisor. These products make it easy for you to collect more reviews
and show your customers that their opinions matter.
The Write a Review widget is available in
two sizes
* Please note that we do require that reviews are not solicited through incentives, discounts,
upgrades or any kind of special treatment on current or future stays in exchange for reviews. Any
property found to be offering incentives may be subject to penalty. It is also a severe violation of
TripAdvisor’s guidelines to attempt to submit reviews written by the ownership or management of
a property, posing as guests /patrons.
Find your Owner’s Center at: www.tripadvisor.com/owners 8

10. Uncovering the Benefits of Guest Reviews
Track your performance
You can now instantly access your performance, as determined by your guests,
including trend and competitive analysis, and a Customer Satisfaction Index.
These statistics aggregate data from TripAdvisor reviews about your customers’
satisfaction and are the most up-to-date information available for your property.
You can track customer satisfaction trends, decide which reviews need a response
and assess how you compare to your competition. To get to your dashboard,
just go to your Owner’s Center, sign in, and click on the “Track Performance” tab.
Each dashboard includes:
Customer Satisfaction Index – a new scoring system that rates each review
from 0-100 based on seven key TripAdvisor ratings, including: overall, value,
recommended by traveler, cleanliness, service, room, and location.
Recent reviews – the eight most recent reviews, categorized according to key
metrics and enabling quick identification of issues with cleanliness, service, and
more
Trends – compares a property’s rank against competitors, and against the
aggregate rank of nearby properties
Find your Owner’s Center at: www.tripadvisor.com/owners 9

11. Uncovering the Benefits of Guest Reviews
About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor is the world’s largest travel community with more than 30 million
unique monthly visitors, more than half of them coming from outside the United
States. TripAdvisor features more user-generated content than any other travel
site: 11 million+ members have contributed more than 25 million reviews and
opinions, and 2 million+ traveler photos, on more than 1.1 million hotels,
attractions, and restaurants in 70,000 cities.
TripAdvisor operates in the following countries:
• U.S. (www.tripadvisor.com)
• U.K. (www.tripadvisor.co.uk)
• Canada (www.tripadvisor.ca)
• Ireland (www.tripadvisor.ie)
• France (www.tripadvisor.fr)
• Germany (www.tripadvisor.de)
• Italy (www.tripadvisor.it)
• Spain (www.tripadvisor.es)
• China (www.daodao.com)
• India (www.tripadvisor.in)
• Japan (www.tripadvisor.jp)
• Sweden (www.tripadvisor.se)
• Netherlands (nl.tripadvisor.com)
• Brazil (www.tripadvisor.com.br)
“We have been delighted by the significant increase of business generated by TripAdvisor.
Previously word of mouth had been our best source of new business. However, TripAdvisor
provides word of mouth on the World Wide Web and the results have been phenomenal.
TripAdvisor users are discerning and experienced travelers who know what they are looking
for. Over half of all of our new bookings are generated through TripAdvisor.”
- Kath and Liam Berney,
The Cottage in the Wood Country House Hotel & Restaurant, Lake District, UK
Find your Owner’s Center at: www.tripadvisor.com/owners 10