The Power of TripAdvisor
I will be the first to admit that TripAdvisor is far from being the perfect medium and model for quality control, but it is a living, breathing reality that is accessed by over 315 million unique monthly visitors with the means to read a possible 200 million reviews and opinions, making it by far the world’s largest travel site. So when a Government employed ‘tourism consultant’ who is at least partially funded by taxpayer’s monies, including the thousands actually employed in the sector describes (and I use the words verbatim) ‘TripAdvisor is seriously rubbish – you get 5 bloggers saying how wonderful your property is while writing crap about a hotel next door’, should we be concerned?
For someone who holds these views in such a potentially influential position, but perhaps more onerous, is willing and able to promulgate them into the public domain? I cannot imagine that those managers, owners and operators of hotels, attractions, villas and other tourism most highly rated on TripAdvisor share his opinions.
I vividly remember when our small hotel reached the coveted #1 spot out of over one hundred hotels on Barbados and every single comment, with the exception of one, that drove us to this heady position was placed by guests who had personally experienced a stay with us.
And I can tell you there is absolutely no room for complacency when you are in the top ten. You soon learn that if you get it wrong, any negative postings can rapidly and detrimentally result in a drop of rating and any negative implications that brings with it.
From the end of this month, with the dramatic realignment of lodging quality goalposts that will be created by the re-opening of the enhanced Sandals, many of our hotels will be attempting to play catch-up.
Financially starved after two of the worse performing years in tourism over more than the past decade and still without the promised concessions, it will be almost impossible to upgrade or refurbish any properties before the softer summer months. The hotels desperately need the revenue and hopefully profits from the peak winter season. So if our sector is going to survive intact, the level of customer satisfaction and how it is reported on social media sites is going to be absolutely critical.
It is totally futile and possibly dangerous to condemn what should be fully embraced as a largely free tool and extraordinary marketing opportunity. If the views of this individual are shared with our national tourism policymakers, then I can only think we are on a slippery road to self destruction and I believe that those at the highest level should publicly enunciate what is Government’s position on this subject.
In 2008 Barbados was voted the 8th in the world’s top 100 TripAdvisor Travellers Choice Destination Awards. Again, it was our visitors who placed us in this enviable position. Should we also consider this amazing accolade ‘seriously rubbish’ too?
Do we really have the choice of cherry picking the good comments and ignoring the bad ones?
Barbados Underground 
why can.t the hoteliers understand ( who are financially starved ) that in times of plenty they prepared for famine
really sick and tired of hearing that hoteliers are waiting for handouts, fuh god sake look at sandals yes! they have received govt/s hand outs but have been able to maximize and grow ,why? because unlike the few struggling hoteliers here in barbados they prepared for the time when the harvest might be depleted and famine arrives at their door steps
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You forget that this is the same administration that chose to ignore the impact of every downgrade by international agencies because it didn’t suit their game plan. Check out TripAdvisor comments on the hotel in St Philip which is now featuring prominently in the news and you’ll see what happens when you don’t listen to your guests.
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Tripadvisor is exactly like BU.
It represents the REALITY of public opinion and of public ignorance.
Most critically, it presents an EXCELLENT opportunity for ENLIGHTENED management to respond to incorrect perceptions, misunderstanding, malicious comments, nastiness, and plain ignorance…
Unfortunately, it takes INTELLIGENT, ENLIGHTENED, TRANSPARENT managers who have nothing to hide, to respond successfully.
For those brass bowl female rabbits with secret agendas and dirty linen..
..LOL
..their ass is grass…..
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Barbados is not serious. Look at the comments on TripAdvisor for Casa Grande Airport Hotel in Barbados, one person actually describes the experience of staying there as akin to attending “a children’s theme party crossed with a cheap indian wedding outside of Reno, Navanda.”
The place CASA GRANDE by the account of most TripAdvisor visitors, is a DUMP. A FILTY DUMP.
The GOB should demolish that structure at Oldbury, its an eye sort and National embarrassment to Barbados.
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……….but the GOB can’t demolish it cause Mr. Ram got money and the rest is…………………..lets say, the way ting work bout hey.
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The most important thing a business can do, especially one that is customer centric, is to listen and respond to any medium where customer feedback can be found. The fact that former chairman of the BTA rubbished TripAdvisor says volumes.
JAs
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Are the owners of this hotel not one and the same as the owner of a Bridgetown business establishment that was closed by the health and safety authorities for serious infractions? The same one who reopened before receiving official clearance and was shut a second time?
If in fact the above bears any truth, would it be unreasonable to expect the same or similar to be the case at the hotel? Just askin’.
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@ Bush Tea January 12, 2015 at 6:58 AM #
“Tripadvisor is exactly like BU. It represents the REALITY of public opinion and of public ignorance. Most critically, it presents an EXCELLENT opportunity for ENLIGHTENED management to respond to incorrect perceptions, misunderstanding, malicious comments, nastiness, and plain ignorance…”
Bushie, I agree with and endorse your comments 100%.
The owner of the Speightstown, St. Peter based Fisherman’s Pub, Clement Armstrong, may not be considered by some as a management guru. But in a recent interview by CBC evening news, Clement said not only marketing was important to his establishment being successful, he also mentioned he took the views of TripAdvisor seriously, and used the site as a basis to improve the quality of his service and food offering.
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I wonder how many in the present government will be enjoying their complimentary stay at Sandals for the time they left to govern! Maybe someone should mount an earth cam across the street.
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Improper Pork in China
purchased pigs that died of disease from farmers at cut-rate prices then illegally processed them into bacon, ham and oil
http://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/61990/diseased-pork-scandal-china#sthash.55Up7HWt.dpuf
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Hants January 12, 2015 at 12:14 PM #
Improper Pork in China
………………………………………………………………………….
Chicken and Pork. For God’s sake do not allow any joint venture between the Chinese and the owners of Casa Grande.
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the hotels and restaurants are packed , the tourist numbers are bulging out at the seams, ,trip advisor will be abuzz with comments pro and con separating the goat herd from the sheep herd in the barbados hotel industry hopefully some of these comments would have a long lasting effect in ways that would weed out those hoteliers who leans heavily on govt support and have nothing in the way of progress to show,
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While I fully agree with the author’s point re a tourism consultants dismissal of the value of Tripadvisor, in this case, but….why isn’t it the individual hotel’s job to use the power of Tripadvisor? I understand that tourism is the primary industry and the government should promote that industry but it is not up to the government to get a private company to do its job to sell its product. Perhaps, I am missing something?
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The answer is simple. Tourism is 15% direct GDP and 60% indirect. Government intervention is required given its importance to the national budget.
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David January 12, 2015 at 7:33 PM #
The answer is simple. Tourism is 15% direct GDP and 60% indirect. Government intervention is required given its importance to the national budget.
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Okay.
So….the government should create a campaign to incite hotel owners, managers, to use Tripadvisor and like review sites?
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David said ”The fact that former chairman of the BTA rubbished TripAdvisor says volumes. ”
Well, par for the course. We lil people are also told that S&P does not know what it is doing, that the hospital is in excellent shape, that it is our fault that garbage is all over the place. Ant that we got it good.
C’mon David et al, don’t be silly and believe your own eyes and ears, pockets and commonsense.
Instead, listen to those who are in authority and know the ‘facts’.
😉
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TripAdvisor is only ONE medium businesses in the hospitality sector can leverage to deliver at a high level.
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”So….the government should create a campaign to incite hotel owners, managers, to use Tripadvisor and like review sites?”’
I don’t think David is saying that. Maybe he is saying that regulation of those who offer hospitality commerce is necessary.
To ensure standards are maintained.
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Do a statistical test of the businesses which consistently score high on TripAdvisor for example and the success of those businesses. There is an easy correlation to make.
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David January 12, 2015 at 7:37 PM #
TripAdvisor is only ONE medium businesses in the hospitality sector can leverage to deliver at a high level.
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I agree that Tripadvisor is but one of tools to help improve your product. I get that. I agree with that. I am just trying to understand how the government would get private enterprise to do their job? If a private company does not want to use a tool. or tools, at its disposal to try to increase business then how is government going to get that done? One would think that a private enterprise, whose purpose it is to generate revenue for owners would, on its own, use every tool at its disposal to do so. Call me crazy.
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You are not crazy because in theory you are correct. However the government given its vested interest in the sector i.e. its significant contribution to the national economy it has a responsibility by suasion and other means to shepherd the sector. It is called leadership.
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i noticed that now the now the tourist numbers are kicking dog ,that adrein loveridge has gone mute , can’ t help but reminisce of them good ole days when loveridge spare no criticism about the gross ineptitude coming from the barbados govt which he claims was hurting Barbados tourism.
now in recent articles one would be hard press to find the usual jigsaw puzzle of floating tourism numbers that adrein took as a wedge and sword to divide st, lUCIA AND Barbados with vitriol as a past time to embarrass govt,,
it must be cold sitting there all alone and having no criticism that of equal to the ole barrage of playing the tourism numbers game .
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The Governor of the Central Bank is to deliver an update on the state of the economy tomorrow. There will be no press conference of course.
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@ ac January 12, 2015 at 7:14 PM #
“..the hotels and restaurants are packed , the tourist numbers are bulging out at the seams, ,trip advisor will be abuzz with comments pro and con separating the goat herd from the sheep herd in the barbados hotel industry
Hip, hip, Hooray! It’s raining tourists in Bim again. So too are the hotels and restaurants all over the Caribbean. You can imagine what’s it’s like in places like in JCA, Antigua and St. Kitts. At least the wider international terrorist threats have ‘induced’ many tourists to spend their winter holidays in safer jurisdictions in the Caribbean.
Now ac, would you please drop the “phrase international recession” from your lexicon of propaganda? It’s becoming rather stale as an alibi for the current administration bleeps, foul-ups and blunders.
You should advise Irene, the two ‘Denises’, Stinkliar, Fumble & co to do likewise and reprogrammed their propaganda lie machines.
The international recession has past its sell-by-date as a technique to fool the masses. Ask Dodridge Miller or even Prof. Avinash Persaud.
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hip hip hooray.. good adverstising for JCA antigua and st KItts, seems like the envelope was quickly pas on to u miller ,since adrein mouth is now closed shut and is keeping all the tourist numbers to himself,
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wasn;t trip advisor a part of an investigation having to do with false positive advertising by hotels which reimbursed guest for positive comments
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Submitted on 2015/01/09 at 5:20 PM by Adrian Loveridge
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so lets get back to the business of why barbados is doing well this year, well for sure the govt have made major steps by implementation while going after major cruise ships as well as airlines carriers to reinvest in the barbados economy via the tourism road, and it seems to be paying sufficient dividends, however for those in the tourist industry who relied on adrian down grade of the barbados govt intervention of the hotel industry u have no one else to blame but yourselves “if” at the end of the week the numbers are down both in cash and tourist accommodation. sometimes in life one can be a master of their own fate when like the dog and his shadow opens his mouth and drops his own bone,
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http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-27486870
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David January 12, 2015 at 7:50 PM #
You are not crazy because in theory you are correct. However the government given its vested interest in the sector i.e. its significant contribution to the national economy it has a responsibility by suasion and other means to shepherd the sector. It is called leadership.
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The ‘call me crazy’ bit was just a little fun…should have put lol.
I get what you are saying. I just don’t see this being something government should be responsible for. I mean…it’s a private business decision, in my humble opinion. The government should take care of the garbage, keep beaches clean, maintain buildings, things of a general nature related to tourism. If a business does not want to do all it needs to remain in business then it should fail.
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Why do you think for example the French government heavily subsidies farmers?
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David January 12, 2015 at 8:36 PM #
Why do you think for example the French government heavily subsidies farmers?
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Je comprends David. I get the subsidy and therefore vested interest. I get it.
I’d like to know how government is going the get the private industry to do their job? Tell me how.
If I, business owner, am not going to do my job, in this particular case, use a tool, to get business numbers to rise then how are u going to make me do it?
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Extreme weather alert!!!! Great for tourism marketing.
http://www.theweathernetwork.com/hourly-weather-forecast/canada/ontario/toronto
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If they can’t we die.
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ac January 12, 2015 at 8:13 PM #
wasn;t trip advisor a part of an investigation having to do with false positive advertising by hotels which reimbursed guest for positive comments
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Sure there are bogus reviews. And not just re Tripadvisor. Nevertheless, Tripadvisor is a very powerful tool and can be used to help with customer service and provide a means to improve the product. And….it’s free.
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Hants January 12, 2015 at 8:44 PM #
Extreme weather alert!!!! Great for tourism marketing.
http://www.theweathernetwork.com/hourly-weather-forecast/canada/ontario/toronto
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So true. It is blasted cold up here. Where are the Barbados advertisements? It’s about 2 years since I’ve heard any publicity for Barbados, in Montreal, that is. There used to be serious promotion for the island in past years. Contests publicized on radio and tv. Not anymore. Curacao is being pushed and other islands are being pushed.
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caribcanadian
Same thing in Toronto – no Barbados advertisements/promotions for about 2 years, except the Breakfast in Barbados contest promo on radio station station 104.5 CHUM FM. This contest, in which 70 lucky winners won a FREE one week trip to Barbados, ran of over 20 years, and I believe was jointly sponsored by BTA and Air Canada
The contest usually ran from early February, and the one week trip to Barbados was in early April.
Just checked the CHUM FM website http://www.chumfm.com/contests.aspx and could find no mention of Breakfast in Barbados 2015. I am guessing that BTMI has no budget for this promo in 2015, but maybe CHUM has not yet posted details.
In Toronto, we are currently being bombarded by two page newspaper ads and nightly TV ads for Sandals, which do not mention Barbados. Am curious if you are seeing the same ads in Montreal
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It is possible that the BTMI is using a marketing strategy that does not include TV and Newspaper advertising.
You can bet that a Sandals Barbados ad will be on TV in Toronto soon.
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@Hants
Budget must be an issue, they have indicated social media and digital will be first options.
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@Hants January 13, 2015 at 6:02 PM #
It is possible that the BTMI is using a marketing strategy that does not include TV and Newspaper advertising.
You can bet that a Sandals Barbados ad will be on TV in Toronto soon.
”
Agree with David that BTMI “marketing strategy” is dictated by budget, or lack thereof.
As to Sandals ads in Toronto.
DD is surprised that you have not seen Sandals’ “marketing might” in action through its TV ads we are being bombarded with here in Toronto. You can see a couple at the following links.
And of course the Airport Wallet ad at:
Unfortunately, the ads are generic Sandals “All Included, All Exclusive, All the Time” stuff; with no mention of Barbados.
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Due Diligence January 13, 2015 at 5:17 PM #
caribcanadian
Same thing in Toronto – no Barbados advertisements/promotions for about 2 years, except the Breakfast in Barbados contest promo on radio station station 104.5 CHUM FM. This contest, in which 70 lucky winners won a FREE one week trip to Barbados, ran of over 20 years, and I believe was jointly sponsored by BTA and Air Canada
The contest usually ran from early February, and the one week trip to Barbados was in early April.
Just checked the CHUM FM website http://www.chumfm.com/contests.aspx and could find no mention of Breakfast in Barbados 2015. I am guessing that BTMI has no budget for this promo in 2015, but maybe CHUM has not yet posted details.
In Toronto, we are currently being bombarded by two page newspaper ads and nightly TV ads for Sandals, which do not mention Barbados. Am curious if you are seeing the same ads in Montreal
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I have not seen any thing about Barbados in the English paper.
There has not been much, if any, promotion of Barbados in last few years. It is true that there was one radio ad to be heard on the #1 English radio station for a short period in the Fall – not a contest though. I’ve never heard of the french media promoting La Barbade. But does not mean it has never done so since I am not really involved in la francophonie. Years ago there was promotion, as you mentioned, and partnership with BTA and Air Canada with prize being a trip to my Bim…no more. However, I saw that Marville travel has a promotion to Barbados…Marville is a travel agency that features Barbados mostly while offering travel to other destinations as well…. about CDN $440 from TO January 15th to March 11/15 – with restrictions. Darn good. I would have to pay more from Montreal but still would probably be less than what I paid last summer.
Travel to Cuba is very strong from here, as we most know. Cost being a big factor. However, I have heard a radio host say that if they were to travel to Caribbean they would like to go to Barbados as it, in their opinion, was a more luxurious destination as compared to Cuba. That is how Barbados is seen. However, the island has changed and the perception will change along with it…unfortunately negatively because my island is so dirty. Addressing that alone would go a long way.
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Hants January 13, 2015 at 6:02 PM #
It is possible that the BTMI is using a marketing strategy that does not include TV and Newspaper advertising.
You can bet that a Sandals Barbados ad will be on TV in Toronto soon.
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To bring out TV ads or any promotion now, in Canada, is kind of late. They missed the boat in terms of winter. People make their plans for winter travel way before the season is upon us. Not saying can’t get last minute travelers but it won’t be that many in my humble opinion.
I know people who own rental properties and booking for winter 2015, basically Xmas, Jan, Feb and March, was done in spring 2014.
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I think Barbados should really try to cull information from Bajans abroad…I don’t even know if that is feasible. I say this because sometimes one may be too close to see an opportunity. Crop Over could be a gold mine, in my opinion. I know it is popular and Bajans, and some tourists, come home for it, I am guilty in that respect but I don’t think the tourism authority sees its potential to draw many more visitors…or just even to promote the Barbados brand. TO has Caribana but before that Montreal used to host one of the best and biggest, Jump ups, in Canada…unfortunately Quebec politics killed that. Barbados should link up with the organizers of these carnivals, all over the world, to promote Crop Over on the one hand and publicize the Barbados brand in general. It’s a perfect match. Caribbean is carnival along with many other treasures, cultural or otherwise.
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Stupse advertisements cost money, And we ent got none. Really.
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Stupse advertisements cost money, And we ent got none. Really.
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I hear you but….so…..the government offers subsidies, tax payers dollars, to these hoteliers and want to tell them to use tools such as Tripadvisor etc…but they did not budget money for advertising?????? Yet tourism is 15% direct gdp and 60% indirect gdp!!!!! Alrighty then….
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@caribcanadian January 12, 2015 at 8:42 PM “If I, business owner, am not going to do my job, in this particular case, use a tool, to get business numbers to rise then how are u going to make me do it?”
Cut off ya government subsidies etc.
Simple.
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Simple Simon January 13, 2015 at 10:03 PM #
@caribcanadian January 12, 2015 at 8:42 PM “If I, business owner, am not going to do my job, in this particular case, use a tool, to get business numbers to rise then how are u going to make me do it?”
Cut off ya government subsidies etc.
Simple.
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I agree that something has to be done.
This, as far as I understand, is an on going problem. How many years before one cuts off the subsidies?
Stuff like this happens everywhere, I realize. Unfortunately Barbados is basically a one industry town and mismanagement of said industry has a greater impact.
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There is a HUGE myth out there that hoteliers do NOT spend money on marketing. Quoting the EVP of the BHTA from an Advocate article published in November 2013 it was estimated their members alone spend $40 million a year, which is probably more than the former BTA ever spent in real terms after administration costs.
Business Monday: Tourism growth requires competitiveness
11/25/2013
AS debate continues on concessions which government has announced for Sandals Resort International, a leading Hotel Executive is insisting that there is no way the local tourism industry can pull the economy out of recession unless that sector is competitive.
Mrs. Sue Springer, Executive Director of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) echoed these sentiments as the industry awaits Government’s response to calls for similar concessions on food and beverages to local hotels.
Mrs. Springer had told a recent news conference that in all of his quarterly economic reviews, the Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados, Dr. Delisle Worrell has highlighted that improved tourism activity is vital for lifting economic growth in Barbados.
“If that is to happen we have to be competitive. There is no way we can pull anybody out of anything if we cannot be competitive,” according to the BHTA official.
“And then we will be castigated because we have not managed to help the country regarding the economy,” the BHTA official stated. “There has to be a win win situation, that is where we are. We are not pointing fingers, we are not telling the government that this is wrong or right, we are trying to work together and to make it clear that if we are put on a level playing field we will do what we can in every way possible,” she told the media.
The Barbados economy slipped back into recession this year following the third consecutive quarter of economic decline. For the nine months to September 2013, the economy dipped 0.7 per cent.
The BHTA official said that local hotels spend about $40 million a year on marketing, promotion, complementary rooms. “We are prepared to help that and there will be some regulations,” she noted pointing to standards the hotels would have to set, work on improving the environment, and upgrading the plan. However, she noted that money for these things will not be there unless there is a level playing field.
Her position was supported by a number of hoteliers who attended the event. Among them was Ralph Taylor, an experienced hotelier who said that there was merit in what they are asking for since they stand to improve the performance of hotels and the tourism industry and that shortfall in tax revenue as a consequence of the measures will be recovered with the recovery in the industry.
According to Mrs. Springer, “It is important to note that in giving the concessions they have the ability to increase marketing, having a better competitive price to increase the number of people coming here which then means they will be paying VAT so that government gets the taxes back in another way.”
“I do not want everybody to …say we are trying to pull every tax down , we fully understand the challenges the government faces regarding finance,” Mrs. Springer said.
“But there has to be a balancing act”, she said acknowledging that the concessions being sought by hoteliers will reduce taxes.
“But on the other hand because as Mr. Taylor had said we will be much more competitive. We have got an opportunity to bring more visitors here. She said that since the average occupancy levels at hotels in Barbados are about 65 per cent, there would be another good percentage of rooms to fill given also that additional rooms coming on stream….”
Gordon Seale, another leading hotelier said that the loss in duties on the items should be made up if not immediately fairly shortly in terms of the improved competitiveness for Barbados. Seale said that he has travelled the Caribbean at length and that based on that, potentially Barbados is the best tourism product in the Caribbean.
Jon Martineau who heads up Accra Beach Hotel and Resort that what they are seeking is a benefit for everyone. “The hotels will benefit, the country benefits, so give us these concessions so that we can drive the economy,” according to Mr. Martineau.
“This is not about hoteliers getting any special favours, this is about Barbados becoming more competitive,” he maintained. (JB)
http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/newsitem.asp?more=business&NewsID=33591
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