In 2013, Travelers Smiled About Service, But Irate Over Internet, According To Latest Study Analyzing Over 14 Million Reviews Worldwide TrustYou, working in conjunction with Donna Quadri-Felitti, Ph. D. at New York University, Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management, has developed its first global report identifying key trends in travelers’ reviews and hotel satisfaction on hotel reviews from across 250-plus sources, the data and insights are segmented by country/region and major markets. Review scores are based on TrustScore, TrustYou’s aggregate score out of 100, pulling from all reviews written worldwide. Review scores and trends in key markets and regions Guest satisfaction drivers, based on advanced sentiment analysis

1. Europe
Agnes-Pockels-Bogen 1
80992 – Munich
+49 89 548 029 25
United States
6060 North Central Expressway
Suite 350, Dallas, Texas
+1 214 997 11 49
Asia
61B Duxton Road
089525 Singapore
+65 831 577 30
TrustYou’s
ANNUAL REPORT:
DESTINATION EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA (EMEA)
2013
Inside:
Review Analysis
2
Guest Satisfaction Drivers (Sentiment Analysis)
3
Reviews by Source
4
Key Takeaways and What To Watch For
5
Glossary / About the Authors
6
2013 Europe, Middle East and Africa Review Headlines:
TrustScores:
Management Responses:
Volume of Reviews:
Percentage of 5-Star Reviews:
/
Will hoteliers be able to reverse the declining satisfaction with hotel Internet/WiFi?
Get the full story inside >>
Written by:
Margaret Ady, Marketing Director at TrustYou
Donna Quadri-Felitti, Clinical Associate Professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management at New York University, Preston Robert Tisch Center for
Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management.
the standard for reputation

2. Review Analysis Highlights:
TrustYou’s TrustScores measure review scores on a global scale, across all review sites worldwide to provide a global overview and understanding of all that is said about hotels. The scores are based on a scale of 1-100, with scores above 87 considered "excellent."
In 2013, TrustScores across major markets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) rose 1.1%, a sign of increased traveler satisfaction during hotel visits in this region. In June 2013, TrustScores in major EMEA markets showed a slight uptick from prior months and continued to
rise throughout the rest of the year. Prague (93.8), Istanbul (92.8) and London (91.9) held the highest TrustScores in 2013, while Milan (+3.5%), Paris (+3.1%) and Amsterdam (+2.7%) boasted the largest year-over-year percentage increases among all EMEA major markets in this
report. Only four of the top 35 markets saw declining TrustScores from a year ago. On a country level, Austria (86.1) achieved the highest TrustScores among countries in the report, while Spain (+2.1%) saw the biggest percentage increase in score.
Likely contributing to higher TrustScores were the double-digit percentage increases in volume of reviews and management response rates across nearly all major markets. The volume of reviews increased by 49.1% and management response rates improved nearly 42% compared
to 2012. Cairo (47%) and Dubai (44%) respond to the highest percentage of reviews, far ahead of the industry average response rate of around 20%, according to TrustYou data.
Keep in mind that some review sites delay publicly showing management responses until up to 72 hours after a review was written. The data within this report only reflects management responses that were public at the year's end. When looking at changes in the data after 72 hours,
management response rates may improve, on average, 1%.
Despite higher TrustScores, the percentage of five-star reviews dropped from a year ago among two-thirds of major markets in EMEA. Increases in consumer trust in reviews may account for this decline, as consumers adjust expectations based on the reviews they read prior to
booking. Some destinations, however, have still managed to delight and impress guests in 2013. Zurich (+25.7%). Frankfurt (+21.9%), Vienna (+21.7%) and Munich (+17.7%) have all seen double-digit percentage increases in 5-star reviews in 2013. On a country level, destinations
(with the exception of Switzerland) were able to maintain or improve nearly the percentage of five-star reviews compared to a year ago, suggesting that destinations outside of major markets may be delivering more five-star experiences to travelers.
Major Markets EMEA
TrustScore Monthly Trending
86
85.8
85.6
TrustScore
85.4
85.2
2013
85
2012
84.8
84.6
84.4
84.2
84
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
2013 vs. 2012
TrustScore
Total Number
of Reviews
Percentage of
5-star reviews
Avg. Number of
Reviews Per Property
Management
Response Rate
Percent Change, 2013 vs. 2012
2013
Select Countries
Austria
Germany
France
Italy
Spain
Switzerland
UK
Major Markets: EMEA
Amsterdam
Athens
Barcelona
Berlin
Brussels
Budapest
Bukarest
Cairo
Cape Town
Copenhagen
Dubai
Dublin
Edinburgh
Frankfurt
Helsinki
Istanbul
Istria
Jerusalem
Lisbon
London
Madrid
Milan
Moscow
Munich
Oslo
Paris
Prague
Rome
Sofia
St. Petersburg
Stockholm
Tel Aviv
Vienna
Warsaw
Zurich
2012
2013
2012
2013
2012
2013
2012
2013
2012
TrustScore
Total Reviews
% 5-Star
Reviews
Management
Response Rate
86.1
79.7
77.3
81.5
78.7
81.5
82.1
86.1
79.6
76.5
80.3
77.1
81.0
80.5
621920
2548959
2310025
2465769
1835708
436815
2402677
453751
1801252
1615908
1788990
1494702
329102
1788837
63%
52%
39%
52%
48%
55%
47%
63%
52%
39%
51%
47%
57%
47%
68
115
128
103
161
125
151
53
84
91
76
131
101
113
37%
28%
29%
29%
36%
32%
41%
33%
27%
25%
28%
30%
28%
38%
0.0%
0.1%
1.0%
1.5%
2.1%
0.6%
2.0%
37.1%
41.5%
43.0%
37.8%
22.8%
32.7%
34.3%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2.0%
2.1%
-3.5%
0.0%
14.6%
2.8%
16.1%
0.7%
18.1%
14.6%
7.6%
76.8
85.9
89.1
90.0
85.4
90.4
86.4
81.4
90.5
79.6
89.6
86.7
87.5
84.2
81.0
92.8
86.7
79.0
88.9
91.9
88.6
77.4
84.8
78.5
81.6
91.5
93.8
76.8
84.3
87.9
84.7
85.4
81.3
84.8
81.1
74.8
84.6
89.3
89.9
84.5
90.2
85.8
79.7
90.7
77.7
89.8
85.6
86.8
83.5
80.1
92.3
86.1
78.1
88.5
92.3
87.2
74.7
83.5
78.1
80.2
88.8
93.4
75.4
83.6
87.9
84.4
83.7
80.2
83.7
80.3
202595
28998
44372
59781
45866
46121
13127
7901
10782
53877
53236
42150
31667
39058
49206
20722
15936
14274
39978
36034
39819
143964
22400
138596
36355
18855
25097
259397
10182
16533
43357
20203
165092
44266
67392
161274
17941
33973
47587
31415
37680
7517
6532
6607
39787
32312
33580
22421
28905
35491
12911
10613
7106
25693
22637
27670
110016
12704
102187
20180
12936
19803
204825
5869
7928
31063
11618
131609
26184
53574
13%
22%
30%
35%
16%
32%
18%
25%
42%
13%
35%
29%
30%
20%
11%
46%
17%
19%
23%
44%
22%
10%
16%
14%
9%
44%
42%
16%
14%
17%
18%
26%
15%
15%
14%
12%
25%
30%
33%
15%
29%
21%
27%
52%
16%
38%
29%
33%
17%
12%
58%
16%
23%
25%
46%
23%
10%
18%
12%
19%
45%
44%
16%
15%
24%
22%
26%
13%
17%
11%
804
580
887
1196
917
922
263
161
220
1078
1065
843
633
781
984
414
319
285
800
751
796
556
487
517
727
377
502
399
204
337
867
404
575
885
421
640
359
679
952
628
754
150
133
135
796
646
672
448
578
710
258
212
142
514
472
553
425
276
381
404
259
396
315
117
162
621
232
459
524
335
16%
24%
19%
18%
26%
34%
35%
47%
36%
8%
44%
38%
28%
26%
7%
21%
42%
25%
18%
35%
38%
14%
37%
16%
14%
34%
28%
17%
23%
27%
11%
28%
20%
20%
30%
9%
15%
15%
10%
16%
20%
27%
36%
23%
5%
41%
29%
19%
23%
5%
19%
31%
18%
18%
30%
23%
11%
19%
11%
9%
22%
21%
12%
17%
23%
8%
28%
15%
10%
23%
2.7%
1.5%
-0.3%
0.2%
1.1%
0.2%
0.7%
2.0%
-0.3%
2.4%
-0.2%
1.3%
0.8%
0.8%
1.1%
0.6%
0.7%
1.1%
0.4%
-0.4%
1.5%
3.5%
1.5%
0.5%
1.7%
3.1%
0.4%
1.9%
0.9%
0.0%
0.5%
1.9%
1.3%
1.4%
1.1%
25.6%
61.6%
30.6%
25.6%
46.0%
22.4%
74.6%
21.0%
63.2%
35.4%
64.8%
25.5%
41.2%
35.1%
38.6%
60.5%
50.2%
100.9%
55.6%
59.2%
43.9%
30.9%
76.3%
35.6%
80.2%
45.8%
26.7%
26.6%
73.5%
108.5%
39.6%
73.9%
25.4%
69.1%
25.8%
6.7%
-13.3%
1.1%
7.4%
7.4%
9.6%
-15.4%
-5.1%
-19.8%
-15.1%
-9.2%
1.9%
-9.6%
21.9%
-8.3%
-21.0%
7.7%
-17.0%
-7.6%
-5.1%
-6.0%
3.0%
-10.4%
17.7%
-50.0%
-2.1%
-3.2%
-3.7%
-10.3%
-26.7%
-18.1%
-1.8%
21.7%
-8.2%
25.7%
77.8%
60.0%
26.7%
80.0%
62.5%
70.0%
29.6%
30.6%
56.5%
60.0%
7.3%
31.0%
47.4%
13.0%
40.0%
10.5%
35.5%
38.9%
0.0%
16.7%
65.2%
27.3%
94.7%
45.5%
55.6%
54.5%
33.3%
41.7%
35.3%
17.4%
37.5%
0.0%
33.3%
100.0%
30.4%
2

3. Guest Satisfaction Drivers (Sentiment Analysis) Highlights:
Sentiment scores are generated using TrustYou’s proprietary semantic technology, which detects positive, negative and neutral sentiments for various categories within review text to understand what is driving guest satisfaction and overall review scores. The technology was developed
using 50+ combined years of research and development, together with the best university researchers, trained linguists and developers and works in 23 languages. Scores are based on a 1-100 scale.
Consumer satisfaction with hotel Service in EMEA has improved slightly from a year ago, while Internet, Price and Room Scores are generally on the decline. A closer look at some of the categories shows destinations’ unique challenges and successes:
Service: Service Scores improved in 25 of the 35 major EMEA markets in this report. The highest Service scores were in Istanbul (94.8), Prague (93.5) and Paris (93.3). These destinations also held the highest TrustScores for the year, indicating that Service Scores have a strong
influence on a review’s overall score. The biggest year-over-year percentage growth for Service Scores was in: Cairo (+4.2%), Istria (+2.8%) Jerusalem (+2.4%) and Brussels (+2.3%).
Internet: Internet, a topic of much debate among hoteliers, posted the largest year-over-year satisfaction declines in EMEA, dropping 3.4% in major markets. Despite the declines, some markets got it right: 10 of the 35 major EMEA markets saw improvements in this semantic category.
This disparity in scores may suggest overall confusion about Internet and pricing. Guest expectation for access and high functioning Internet connections is not waning but growing.
Food: Two of the 35 major markets achieved excellent Food Scores among reviewers in 2013, namely Helsinki (87.8) and Prague (88.7). 11 markets improved their Food Scores over 2012, with Dublin having earned the greatest positive percentage change (+2.1%). Bukarest led the
remaining markets with the largest drop in Food Scores (-3.3%) in 2012. Destinations have opportunities to better understand and focus on improving food expectations and satisfaction among travelers.
Price: Overall, travelers became less accepting of hotel price in EMEA, with Price Scores declining 2%. Markets with lower Price satisfaction Scores over 2012 were Istria (-6.5%), Frankfurt (-6.3%), and St. Petersburg (-5.6%). However, some destinations, like Brussels (+3.8%),
Jerusalem (+2.8%) and Edinburgh (+2.3%) saw improvements in the price sentiment category, suggesting an opportunity for pricing adjustments in those markets.
Guest Satisfaction Drivers vs. Year Ago
95
90
85
80
Austria
Germany
75
France
70
Italy
Spain
65
Switzerland
60
UK
55
50
45
Service
Room
Location
Internet
Food
Price
2013 vs. 2012
Service
2013
2012
Select Countries
Austria
Germany
France
Italy
Spain
Switzerland
UK
Major Markets: EMEA
Amsterdam
Athens
Barcelona
Berlin
Brussels
Budapest
Bukarest
Cairo
Cape Town
Copenhagen
Dubai
Dublin
Edinburgh
Frankfurt
Helsinki
Istanbul
Istria
Jerusalem
Lisbon
London
Madrid
Milan
Moscow
Munich
Oslo
Paris
Prague
Rome
Sofia
St. Petersburg
Stockholm
Tel Aviv
Vienna
Warsaw
Zurich
Room
2013
2012
Location
2013
2012
Internet
2013
2012
Food
2013
2012
Price
2013
2012
90.4
86.0
85.2
90.0
84.9
87.8
86.5
90.6
86.4
84.4
89.3
84.6
87.2
86.3
74.2
58.8
59.1
71.3
66.3
67.1
69.2
76.5
62.6
60.1
71.6
66.7
67.4
69.7
90.7
85.3
85.2
89.2
88.0
89.0
88.4
91.9
87.3
85.2
89.1
87.9
89.7
88.3
56.0
48.2
56.5
61.5
57.9
61.4
58.1
63.1
52.9
62.2
64.6
61.2
62.8
59.4
82.1
76.4
68.8
76.7
71.1
76.1
79.7
82.7
77.8
69.5
76.6
71.0
77.5
79.8
75.1
67.9
72.5
77.5
80.4
65.5
79.9
84.4
90.5
90.7
89.9
84.9
91.8
89.5
84.2
87.4
82.3
86.2
89.2
89.6
84.1
80.4
94.8
87.8
79.3
91.8
91.2
90.6
84.4
80.1
84.5
80.7
93.3
93.5
86.3
86.2
86.1
86.3
85.6
85.9
84.9
86.2
84.5
90.8
89.6
89.6
83.0
91.5
89.2
80.8
88.9
82.0
86.6
88.0
90.1
83.3
79.0
95.1
85.4
77.5
90.6
90.4
90.0
83.8
80.7
84.0
80.9
93.0
93.5
85.6
86.3
85.6
86.0
84.2
85.1
84.3
85.0
58.4
72.1
76.5
77.8
72.6
78.8
74.1
72.7
80.1
54.5
81.6
71.6
72.9
65.5
58.9
79.3
71.9
61.4
74.8
77.2
75.3
63.7
69.1
56.5
56.9
76.7
82.6
63.0
69.2
69.6
62.9
67.5
63.5
75.0
63.7
59.1
73.6
76.4
78.9
72.3
79.3
75.4
72.2
83.3
55.1
81.6
71.2
75.9
67.0
60.2
79.8
70.3
60.9
74.4
77.9
75.7
63.4
72.2
58.6
57.3
76.8
82.9
63.0
72.3
71.1
64.9
69.5
63.7
74.2
64.3
91.1
91.1
93.2
93.2
89.4
92.8
85.8
86.5
92.8
90.7
88.5
91.7
91.7
87.0
89.0
91.0
87.7
77.9
92.1
94.7
93.2
88.3
85.5
86.1
90.9
94.3
89.4
90.2
89.6
87.4
92.3
88.8
89.3
87.7
89.0
91.3
90.9
93.0
93.3
90.4
93.4
86.8
85.7
92.6
90.7
89.8
91.2
91.6
88.1
89.0
91.1
87.8
80.0
92.4
94.4
93.9
89.1
86.6
88.0
90.7
93.8
89.1
90.2
89.5
89.2
92.7
88.7
89.8
88.3
89.0
65.3
59.7
67.2
57.0
66.4
70.8
76.0
52.8
62.3
74.7
61.4
72.1
61.5
58.9
65.2
76.2
49.0
59.0
69.4
79.6
70.7
53.2
71.1
49.9
75.9
82.3
81.9
55.2
68.8
69.7
70.4
65.1
56.3
55.4
66.0
66.8
60.1
71.6
61.5
67.2
72.1
73.0
55.4
59.6
74.5
68.0
67.5
66.2
64.2
72.7
82.6
59.9
58.7
65.7
77.6
78.9
54.2
77.6
52.0
81.2
82.5
81.0
58.1
65.4
71.4
76.9
75.1
58.5
54.3
67.0
71.5
82.8
78.8
80.2
72.4
83.3
79.3
79.1
86.0
75.2
82.9
79.4
79.1
75.7
74.6
87.8
78.1
79.1
83.7
83.1
78.6
74.9
73.2
78.5
80.9
82.5
88.7
74.9
72.9
74.3
82.0
82.1
78.0
78.6
73.5
72.0
83.2
78.2
81.0
71.2
82.5
82.0
77.8
87.0
75.7
83.2
77.7
79.5
75.3
75.4
88.9
78.9
77.9
82.3
82.3
80.0
75.0
73.5
79.4
81.2
82.4
88.9
74.7
74.2
75.8
82.4
83.3
78.3
79.6
73.5
63.6
81.1
73.2
71.6
72.9
81.8
78.8
68.3
79.6
63.5
65.3
76.7
75.8
66.8
67.2
81.1
65.0
69.1
79.2
74.7
84.5
72.0
64.7
66.1
75.3
75.3
83.7
74.6
78.8
67.3
70.5
63.9
73.9
75.2
67.1
Percent Change 2013 vs. 2012
Location
Internet
Food
Service
Room
77.1
70.9
74.5
77.5
81.0
67.3
79.7
-0.2%
-0.5%
0.9%
0.8%
0.4%
0.7%
0.2%
-3.0%
-6.1%
-1.7%
-0.4%
-0.6%
-0.4%
-0.7%
-1.3%
-2.3%
0.0%
0.1%
0.1%
-0.8%
0.1%
-11.3%
-8.9%
-9.2%
-4.8%
-5.4%
-2.2%
-2.2%
-0.7%
-1.8%
-1.0%
0.1%
0.1%
-1.8%
-0.1%
Price
-2.6%
-4.2%
-2.7%
0.0%
-0.7%
-2.7%
0.3%
66.3
82.1
74.4
75.0
70.2
82.6
81.3
67.8
83.2
69.1
69.0
78.5
74.1
71.3
68.2
84.2
69.5
67.2
77.5
73.7
82.8
75.3
63.7
68.7
75.2
74.7
85.3
75.4
80.8
71.3
73.1
66.6
75.4
74.4
68.2
-0.1%
-0.4%
1.3%
0.3%
2.3%
0.4%
0.3%
4.2%
-1.7%
0.4%
-0.5%
1.4%
-0.5%
0.9%
1.8%
-0.4%
2.8%
2.4%
1.3%
0.8%
0.6%
0.8%
-0.7%
0.6%
-0.3%
0.3%
0.0%
0.9%
-0.1%
0.6%
0.3%
1.7%
0.9%
0.7%
1.4%
-1.2%
-2.0%
0.0%
-1.3%
0.5%
-0.7%
-1.7%
0.8%
-3.9%
-1.1%
0.0%
0.6%
-3.9%
-2.2%
-2.1%
-0.6%
2.2%
0.8%
0.6%
-0.9%
-0.5%
0.4%
-4.2%
-3.7%
-0.8%
-0.1%
-0.4%
0.0%
-4.3%
-2.1%
-3.0%
-2.8%
-0.3%
1.1%
-0.9%
-0.3%
0.2%
0.2%
-0.1%
-1.0%
-0.7%
-1.2%
0.9%
0.1%
-0.1%
-1.5%
0.5%
0.1%
-1.3%
0.0%
-0.1%
-0.1%
-2.7%
-0.3%
0.3%
-0.7%
-0.9%
-1.3%
-2.1%
0.2%
0.5%
0.4%
0.0%
0.1%
-2.0%
-0.5%
0.1%
-0.6%
-0.6%
-0.1%
-2.1%
-0.7%
-6.0%
-7.4%
-1.2%
-1.7%
4.2%
-4.6%
4.6%
0.3%
-9.8%
6.9%
-7.0%
-8.3%
-10.3%
-7.7%
-18.3%
0.5%
5.7%
2.5%
-10.4%
-1.9%
-8.4%
-4.1%
-6.5%
-0.2%
1.1%
-5.1%
5.3%
-2.3%
-8.5%
-13.3%
-3.8%
2.1%
-1.6%
-0.7%
-0.5%
0.8%
-1.0%
1.7%
0.9%
-3.3%
1.7%
-1.2%
-0.7%
-0.4%
2.1%
-0.5%
0.5%
-1.2%
-1.2%
-1.0%
1.6%
1.7%
1.1%
-1.9%
-0.1%
-0.5%
-1.1%
-0.4%
0.1%
-0.2%
0.3%
-1.7%
-2.0%
-0.5%
-1.5%
-0.3%
-1.2%
0.0%
-4.0%
-1.2%
-1.6%
-4.5%
3.8%
-1.0%
-3.1%
0.8%
-4.3%
-8.1%
-5.3%
-2.4%
2.3%
-6.3%
-1.5%
-3.7%
-6.5%
2.8%
2.2%
1.3%
2.0%
-4.4%
1.6%
-3.8%
0.1%
0.8%
-1.8%
-1.0%
-2.5%
-5.6%
-3.6%
-4.1%
-1.9%
1.0%
-1.7%
3

4. Reviews by Source Highlights:
Reviews for sources labeled “Other” come from 250+ sources that TrustYou tracks across the review ecosystem, including Priceline, Orbitz, HRS, Yelp/Qype and others.
Booking.com remained the largest player in EMEA in terms of volume of reviews, accounting for 58% of all reviews written about EMEA hotels in this report. Booking.com, TripAdvisor, Expedia and Priceline all grew by double-digit percentages in 2013.
In German speaking countries like Germany and Austria, TripAdvisor and Holidaycheck battled for the number two largest review source, behind Booking.com.
Despite its lower volume of reviews, Google+ posted double-digit percentage gains in 2013 across the majority of EMEA major markets.
Share of Market
Major Markets EMEA
Number of Reviews by Top Sources vs. Year Ago
1200000"
1000000"
Number of Reviews
TripAdvisor
Booking.com
800000"
Hotels.com
2013
Expedia
2012
600000"
Holidaycheck
Google+
400000"
Other
200000"
0"
TripAdvisor
Booking.com
Hotels.com
Expedia
Holidaycheck
Google+
2013 vs. 2012
TripAdvisor
2013
2012
Select Countries
Austria
Germany
France
Italy
Spain
Switzerland
UK
Major Markets: EMEA
Amsterdam
Athens
Barcelona
Berlin
Brussels
Budapest
Bukarest
Cairo
Cape Town
Copenhagen
Dubai
Dublin
Edinburgh
Frankfurt
Helsinki
Istanbul
Istria
Jerusalem
Lisbon
London
Madrid
Milan
Moscow
Munich
Oslo
Paris
Prague
Rome
Sofia
St. Petersburg
Stockholm
Tel Aviv
Vienna
Warsaw
Zurich
Booking.com
2013
2012
Hotels.com
2013
2012
Expedia
2013
2012
Holidaycheck
2013
2012
Google+
2013
2012
Percent Change, 2013 vs. 2012
TripAdvisor Booking.com Hotels.com
Expedia Holidaycheck
Google+
61835
184734
427817
656207
434775
56882
826678
48217
153838
328354
504219
347904
41214
656998
381991
1460072
1611830
1489737
1102754
283413
1189267
254568
1085166
1045490
998889
866402
206363
814608
14799
82653
92781
89645
62741
12806
124415
12843
68835
92280
87513
64657
10200
110142
16561
92612
122925
116885
82397
12192
159136
13111
71612
106471
97378
65575
9350
119768
90762
184336
5517
54434
81421
14726
5594
90019
165075
6881
53766
89055
13427
4375
4698
19367
9985
12057
15016
2413
10990
3580
14391
6714
8269
10824
2121
9486
28.2%
20.1%
30.3%
30.1%
25.0%
38.0%
25.8%
50.1%
34.5%
54.2%
49.1%
27.3%
37.3%
46.0%
15.2%
20.1%
0.5%
2.4%
-3.0%
25.5%
13.0%
26.3%
29.3%
15.5%
20.0%
25.7%
30.4%
32.9%
0.8%
11.7%
-19.8%
1.2%
-8.6%
9.7%
27.9%
31.2%
34.6%
48.7%
45.8%
38.7%
13.8%
15.9%
33928
7224
12672
11079
8636
12258
2581
2675
5329
8648
16950
13948
11413
5141
4557
9798
2779
4801
9506
16363
8446
22827
4733
14841
4893
8824
8272
62337
1606
3580
5624
6318
18402
5388
8951
26721
4390
10020
9233
6046
8962
1859
2517
3907
6068
11529
10766
7861
3952
3373
7805
1611
3149
5978
10976
5622
16701
3065
12615
3887
6378
6947
48076
1105
2367
4860
4046
14682
3489
6749
118499
16722
21655
26415
28924
23962
9004
4022
3854
30633
25966
17733
14300
21987
34637
8120
10770
8180
23949
13688
23352
100436
14772
84406
25456
6752
10460
144623
7180
11412
25181
10715
107292
31253
38861
98627
9471
16069
21997
19682
20892
4483
2834
1466
19838
13771
12880
9339
17946
23998
3151
7228
3007
14346
7621
14834
76617
7622
65075
9526
4119
7953
109618
3777
4364
15658
5665
88039
17650
29538
14946
1570
3622
5980
3105
2924
342
297
501
5367
2405
3584
2013
2196
4511
205
553
169
1701
1728
2547
7743
797
7039
1968
956
2005
18137
446
433
4231
1175
8226
2438
4021
12656
1982
3008
4922
2233
2909
426
389
486
6316
1836
3698
2031
1871
3423
345
330
216
2105
1234
2472
6325
685
5890
2059
803
1918
17939
377
442
4003
793
7422
1834
3277
16158
2755
4334
6540
3169
3989
657
330
650
7453
2577
4588
2725
2503
3848
1966
551
877
3411
2058
3330
8141
998
7046
3247
1217
2526
23200
465
774
6726
1251
8865
2595
3607
12879
1594
3035
4935
2228
3263
494
370
480
6480
1678
3821
2170
1782
3678
1240
291
561
2302
1302
2682
6687
651
5584
4263
841
1889
19826
358
509
5534
721
7235
1823
3103
1292
107
287
2794
340
551
151
44
92
379
1028
186
73
1259
318
155
816
63
349
120
164
830
234
3822
208
54
153
2056
122
91
305
90
4965
705
978
937
69
206
2318
179
377
56
40
65
331
989
182
54
784
261
116
806
53
297
75
101
681
162
3401
162
33
166
2193
60
75
239
62
5100
397
665
914
139
213
299
155
261
152
310
76
215
1041
220
143
229
244
106
96
141
167
377
470
616
196
898
170
216
145
1081
147
73
274
218
858
294
450
792
92
240
240
133
200
88
176
45
157
419
318
158
181
148
68
63
73
86
259
196
391
157
784
95
66
98
748
84
65
173
109
652
196
462
27.0%
64.6%
26.5%
20.0%
42.8%
36.8%
38.8%
6.3%
36.4%
42.5%
47.0%
29.6%
45.2%
30.1%
35.1%
25.5%
72.5%
52.5%
59.0%
49.1%
50.2%
36.7%
54.4%
17.6%
25.9%
38.4%
19.1%
29.7%
45.3%
51.2%
15.7%
56.2%
25.3%
54.4%
32.6%
20.1%
76.6%
34.8%
20.1%
47.0%
14.7%
100.8%
41.9%
162.9%
54.4%
88.6%
37.7%
53.1%
22.5%
44.3%
157.7%
49.0%
172.0%
66.9%
79.6%
57.4%
31.1%
93.8%
29.7%
167.2%
63.9%
31.5%
31.9%
90.1%
161.5%
60.8%
89.1%
21.9%
77.1%
31.6%
18.1%
-20.8%
20.4%
21.5%
39.1%
0.5%
-19.7%
-23.7%
3.1%
-15.0%
31.0%
-3.1%
-0.9%
17.4%
31.8%
-40.6%
67.6%
-21.8%
-19.2%
40.0%
3.0%
22.4%
16.4%
19.5%
-4.4%
19.1%
4.5%
1.1%
18.3%
-2.0%
5.7%
48.2%
10.8%
32.9%
22.7%
25.5%
72.8%
42.8%
32.5%
42.2%
22.2%
33.0%
-10.8%
35.4%
15.0%
53.6%
20.1%
25.6%
40.5%
4.6%
58.5%
89.3%
56.3%
48.2%
58.1%
24.2%
21.7%
53.3%
26.2%
-23.8%
44.7%
33.7%
17.0%
29.9%
52.1%
21.5%
73.5%
22.5%
42.3%
16.2%
37.9%
55.1%
39.3%
20.5%
89.9%
46.2%
169.6%
10.0%
41.5%
14.5%
3.9%
2.2%
35.2%
60.6%
21.8%
33.6%
1.2%
18.9%
17.5%
60.0%
62.4%
21.9%
44.4%
12.4%
28.4%
63.6%
-7.8%
-6.2%
103.3%
21.3%
27.6%
45.2%
-2.6%
77.6%
47.1%
15.4%
51.1%
-11.3%
24.6%
16.5%
30.5%
72.7%
76.1%
68.9%
36.9%
148.4%
-30.8%
-9.5%
26.5%
64.9%
55.9%
52.4%
93.2%
94.2%
45.6%
139.8%
57.5%
24.8%
14.5%
78.9%
227.3%
48.0%
44.5%
75.0%
12.3%
58.4%
100.0%
31.6%
50.0%
-2.6%
4
*Reviews from sources labelled "Other" come from one of the other 250+ sources that TrustYou tracks

5. Key Takeaways and What to Watch For
TrustScore Growth Suggests Higher Satisfaction Among Travelers Who Visited EMEA Hotels in 2013
With millions of reviews written throughout EMEA during 2013, hotel management was under pressure to constantly monitor and improve review scores of their hotel portfolios. TrustYou’s TrustScores provide a global
overview of review scores and sentiments across all review sites and social platforms worldwide.
Throughout EMEA, TrustScores were on the rise in 2013 compared to a year ago. The destinations with the top five TrustScores in EMEA were Prague (93.8), Istanbul (92.8), London (91.9), Paris (91.5), and Cape Town
(90.5). The markets with the most improved TrustScores, year-over-year, were Milan (+3.5%), Paris (+3.1%), and Amsterdam (+2.7%). STR’s Global Hotel Review showed that there was also increased demand and
revenue per available room (RevPAR) in Europe and the Middle East/Africa during January-November of 2013 compared to a year ago.
Hoteliers Succeeded in Encouraging More Guest Feedback and Engaging Travelers Online
Hoteliers across EMEA have took heed of the consumer’s voice, embracing reviews and engaging guests online. This focus on travelers’ opinions, coupled with growing popularity and consumer trust in reviews contributed
to a 49% increase in volume of reviews compared to a year ago. The average number of reviews per hotel in major markets increased from 441 reviews in 2012 to 633 reviews in 2013.
Along with an increase in volume of reviews, hoteliers in most destinations were much more active, significantly increasing management response rates compared to a year ago. 32 of the 35 major markets in this report
posted double-digit percentage gains in management response rates this year. Engaging guests directly helps build credibility and trust among travelers in the public review environment.
Despite Higher TrustScores, Hotels In Major Markets Saw a Decline in Five-Star Reviews
There was a trend towards a lower percentage of five-star rated reviews. This trend also held true in major markets across EMEA; nearly two-thirds of major markets in this report saw a decline in percentage of five-star
reviews. The decline in percentage of five-star reviews may be a symptom of increased consumer trust in reviews. As consumers read and trust the reviews of fellow travelers, they may likely adjust their expectations
based on the feedback they read prior to staying in a given hotel, creating greater demands on hotel management to exceed expectations, to delight and surprise guests, and to differentiate their product and service
delivery on what are increasingly high traveler expectations.
Despite this trend, countries in this report have been more resilient; Spain, Italy and the UK all registered a slight increase in percentage of of five-star reviews, suggesting that hotels outside of major markets successfully
gained more five-star reviews.
Sentiment Analysis Behind the TrustScores: Service Drove Hotel Satisfaction Growth, While Internet Continued Its Downward Spiral
When it comes to satisfaction drivers, hotel Service appears to be contributing positively to the increase in TrustScores for EMEA hotel guests, while Internet, Price and Room were generally on the decline.
Satisfaction scores for Internet took the biggest hit in 2013, with a 3.4% decline across major markets in this report compared to a year ago. The confusion about pricing for wireless access as well as the actual cost were
sore spots for many travelers perhaps more so for the leisure guest who may travel less frequently. A recent survey of 650 travel agents by TravelClick reported that free Internet (79%) is a top priority to driving agency
bookings.
Reviews by Source: Booking.com Held The Largest Market Share
Booking.com was the largest player in EMEA in terms of volume of reviews. Nearly all major review platforms, including Booking.com, TripAdvisor, Hotels.com, Expedia, Holidaycheck and Google+ posted gains in volume
of reviews compared to a year ago, signaling that hoteliers may have found the right formula for encouraging reviews. We will continue to track this trend.
Conclusion
All in all, the outlook seems positive for hotels in EMEA. Distinctive consumer trends have emerged, including an increase in volume of reviews, increased TrustScores and Service Scores, a decline in the percentage of
five-star reviews in major markets, a drop in Internet Scores and only a few markets posting improved Food Scores. With measurable success in driving more guest feedback, hoteliers in EMEA saw improved TrustScores,
management response rates and service scores during 2013. Improving hotel WiFi/Internet services, pricing and food and beverage offerings may be areas to focus on for improvement for many hoteliers. Stay tuned for
more insights in our next report summarizing the first quarter of 2014.
5

6. Glossary
Average Number of Reviews Per Property
Reviews
The average number of reviews received for each property for the year.
The number of reviews found across all global review and social media sites for that particular hotel
group during the year.
Major Markets: EMEA
Select Countries: EMEA
Reviews and semantic analysis from a randomly selected sample of 50 hotels in each major
market within Europe and the Middle East. These scores take into account all reviews written
about the sample of hotels within this group, across 250+ review and social media sites in 23
languages worldwide.
A sample of reviews and semantic analysis from throughout select countries. Scores and analysis take
into account major markets as well as smaller destinations for a country-level view of trends.
Management Response Rate
TrustScore
The percentage of reviews that have received management responses from websites that
allow hotels to post public responses. [Reviews with responses / total amount of reviews on
websites that allow public responses]
The TrustScore is a global picture of what is being said about a hotel, boiled down into one simple
score. It is based on all reviews written in 23 languages across 250+ review and social media sites
worldwide. The score takes three main factors into account:
Method for Semantic Analysis calculations (Service, Room, Internet, Food, Price):
1. All individual reviews: By taking every individual review into account, we can get to the most
objective score possible. A site with more reviews will naturally have more impact on the TrustScore
than sites with only very few. 2. Sentiment: TrustYou’s semantic analysis algorithm is able to detect
positive, negative and neutral sentiments written within each review. These sentiment scores are
weighted into the TrustScore 3. Date: Calculations go back two years, with older reviews carrying much
less weight than newer ones to ensure that the score always represents the best up-to-date reputation
of a hotel.
TrustYou’s proprietary semantic technology was developed using 50+ combined years of
research and development, together with the best university researchers, trained linguists and
developers. It is uniquely tailored for social media and the hospitality industry, detecting
positive, negative and neutral sentiments for various categories within review text. TrustYou’s
semantic technology works in 23 languages with an accuracy of around 90% for most
languages.
About the Authors
Donna Quadri-Felitti
Margaret Ady
Donna Quadri-Felitti is a Clinical Associate Professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management
at New York University, Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports
Management in New York City. Donna completed her Ph.D. at Iowa State University in
Hospitality Management where she received a USDA-funded Sustainable Community
Development grant for her research in wine tourism destination marketing and the experience
economy. She was named one of the Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Hospitality and Tourism
Sales and Marketing by Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International for the year
2012. Donna has earned certifications as a Hospitality Educator from American Hotel &
Lodging Association, a Hospitality Digital Marketer from Hospitality Sales and Marketing
Association International, and wine captain from the Sommelier Society of America.
Margaret Ady is based in Munich, Germany where she serves as Marketing Director at TrustYou, an
online reputation management company specializing in the hospitality industry. She graduated from the
University of Southern California with degrees in Economics and Psychology, and where she was
awarded the Annenberg Communications Pathway Grant in 2004 for her research in new technology
and its impact on health and healthcare decision-making. Margaret has extensive experience in
research, marketing and branding strategy, having served in leadership positions at The Walt Disney
Company (where she was appointed to the company’s Peer Advisory Board), and The Oprah Winfrey
Network. She has also provided research and strategic consulting services to 20th Television (Fox),
Nielsen and many other companies in FMCG/Entertainment/IT industries.
6