TripAdvisor Reveals Secrets to Driving Higher Traveler Engagement with North American Hotels

Study Shows Reviews, Photos and Responses to Traveler Feedback Directly Linked to Increased Visibility on the World's Largest Travel Site

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TripAdvisor

Dec 04, 2012, 09:00 ET

NEWTON, Mass., Dec. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor®, the world's largest travel site*, today announced the results of a study of the factors most likely to increase traveler engagement with North American accommodations on the site as measured by an increase in page views. The study reveals a strong correlation between hotels with a greater number of reviews, photos and videos and a notable increase in travelers' interaction with their property pages.

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The study also found that in North America, hotels that post management responses to traveler reviews not only see a higher rate of engagement with travelers, but they also tend to see higher ratings.

Small Increase in Reviews Has Big Impact
The TripAdvisor study found that a greater number of reviews attract more attention from travelers, as North American accommodations with as few as 11+ traveler reviews see 26 percent more engagement than properties with fewer reviews. Accommodations with 50 or more reviews on the site see 27 percent more engagement with travelers than those with 10 or fewer.

According to the study, even a small increase in the number of reviews a property receives helps drive more interaction from travelers.

Management Reponses: Higher Engagement, Ratings
TripAdvisor offers a free online marketing platform – called the TripAdvisor Management Center – that gives businesses access to free resources and tools to help them drive more business, manage their online reputation and monitor their progress on the site. The Management Center includes a management response tool that empowers business owners and representatives to respond to traveler reviews.

TripAdvisor studied the impact these management responses have on traveler engagement and found that North American properties with more than five management responses see 10 percent more engagement from travelers than hotels with less than or equal to five management responses.

More Content, More Traveler Engagement
Hoteliers may submit photos and videos of their properties through the TripAdvisor Management Center. This content supplements those photos and videos submitted by travelers.

TripAdvisor examined the degree to which the presence of photos and videos on hotel pages impacts traveler engagement with North American accommodations.

The study revealed that North American properties with 30 or more photos have 41 percent more engagement than hotels with 10 or fewer photos.

As for video content, North American properties with at least one video have about 34 percent more engagement than properties without a video.

"I strive to offer a great experience for my guests, and I actively use the TripAdvisor Management Center to engage with travelers and monitor what guests are saying about my property," said Larry Watts, owner of 1896 O'Malley House. "I make it a priority to thank them for their feedback. If they're going to take time to write a review, I should give a few minutes of my day to respond."

"TripAdvisor's findings offer a compelling case for North American properties to encourage more candid traveler reviews, as well as post management responses and submit photo and video content through the free TripAdvisor Management Center," said Christine Petersen, president, TripAdvisor for Business. "Taking these small yet important measures can give property owners an edge over their competition."

About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor^® is the world's largest travel site,* enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 60 million unique monthly visitors*, and over 75 million reviews and opinions. The sites operate in 30 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to millions of monthly TripAdvisor visitors.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) manages and operates websites under 19 other travel media brands, and together the sites attract more than 74 million unique monthly visitors.** TripAdvisor, Inc.'s travel media brands include www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.onetime.com, www.seatguru.com, www.sniqueaway.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travel-library.com, www.travelpod.com, www.virtualtourist.com, www.whereivebeen.com, and www.kuxun.cn.