HotelMarketing.com pushed out an article from ClickZ titled: "How to Use Customer Reviews to Increase Conversion". In it, ClickZ says:
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Consider dipping into the traditional marketing budget to invest in a customer review system. A review system allows you to let your customers market your products for you. Need more rationale? Consider these facts:
=======According to JupiterResearch, 77 percent of online shoppers use reviews and ratings when purchasing. Reviews drive 21 percent higher purchase satisfaction and 18 percent higher loyalty, according to Foresee Results. In a study of 2,000 shoppers, 92 percent deemed customer reviews as "extremely" or "very" helpful, finds eTailing Group. BizRate found 59 percent of users considered customer reviews to be more valuable than expert reviews.
So HotelMarketing is telling hotels to put customer reviews on our own sites? Are they mad?
Seriously, it is one thing to be an online retailer selling products made by someone else and letting customer whine about that product. It is a completely different thing to have a forum on your site to let customers (or competitors or any Tom, Dick and Harry) complain out loud for ALL THE WORLD to see. On your own site where you are trying to convert a sale? Most people know that a hotel's sites (or product maker's site) are marketing spiel. They expect it so if you don't show them the mess in the kitchen... it's ok. Airing your own dirty laundry isn't going to help.
