AmericInn Finds Success in TripAdvisor Review Program
Chanhassen, MN - March 25, 2015 - AmericInn® Hotel and Suites, the largest midscale hotel brand in the upper Midwest, today announced that it has nearly tripled the number of hotel reviews it receives in just a year through its partnership with TripAdvisor. The brand recently integrated TripAdvisor's ratings and review system into its branded guest satisfaction survey and has judged the initiative a success.
In September 2013, AmericInn started a partnership with TripAdvisor around review collection and automatically sending AmericInn's online customers a link inviting them to review their hotel after they've completed a stay. Since launch, AmericInn's review count has soared over 226 percent with over 62 percent of jointly collected reviews receiving a TripAdvisor “5 bubble” rating. Even more impressive, the average rating of reviews collected in partnership versus reviews from other sources was 4.30 to 4.05 during the same period (on a 1 to 5 scale with 5 representing excellent).
“We are very pleased with our TripAdvisor partnership and the corresponding results,” said Paul Kirwin, president and CEO of AmericInn. “Consumers have an easier time making buying decisions when they have access to the opinions of others. So it was natural for us to quickly increase the volume of published opinions about our hotels through the TripAdvisor ratings and review system.” Kirwin added, “We suspected that increasing the number of reviews in conjunction with our refurbishment program, which started in 2011, would boost our overall ratings—and it's done just that.”
While AmericInn has experienced positive results from increasing the number of published reviews, the move did not come without risks. Like most hoteliers, AmericInn considered whether publishing poor reviews might actually discourage guests from choosing an AmericInn hotel. Says Kirwin, “We believe consumers place a premium on transparency—and that transparency helps build a level of trust between a brand and the consumer. In today's world, the more open and honest you can be as a brand, the better your brand will be perceived, and the more positive the experience will be between the brand and consumer. Integrating reviews into our website helps with that on all counts.”
AmericInn has also found an interesting side benefit to publishing more reviews: owners and general managers are more empowered to quickly process guest reviews and make operational improvements. As an example, the percentage of reviews with a Management Response has risen to over 50 percent since the program launched. “We can move faster than ever before to meet the ever changing needs of our guests,” notes Kirwin. Now more than ever, AmericInn owners and general managers are engaged with guests because of the awareness that guests will be providing near-instantaneous feedback on their experience.
Nationwide, AmericInn is in the midst of a three-year, $75 million renovation initiative, creating a fresh, updated look and feel throughout all of its locations. The initiative was launched in 2011 and is expected to complete at the end of 2015. In conjunction with this extensive refresh strategy, AmericInn expects that the increase volume of reviews and performance on TripAdvisor will continue to pave the way for superior brand image and success.
About AmericInn
AmericInn® is the largest midscale hotel brand in the upper Midwest with 200 locations currently open or under development in 24 states. The brand is dedicated to providing an exceptional lodging value for its guests by offering spacious, comfortable guestrooms, great rates and amenities such as free, hot, home-style AmericInn Perk breakfast, free hotel-wide wireless high-speed Internet, inviting swimming pools and Easy Rewards guest loyalty program. AmericInn is part of Northcott Hospitality, owner and developer of successful franchised hospitality brands for more than 50 years. For more information or reservations visit www.AmericInn.com or call 1-800-634-3444.
For Further Information Contact:
Chris Beltmann/952-294-5200/[email protected]
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