Independent hotel operator Hotel La Tour is publishing live, unedited customer reviews gathered by a third party on its website.
The company is amongst the first in the luxury hotel market to do so. It is using Feefo, the global feedback engine, to collect feedback from guests; the reviews are then posted on its homepage, enabling prospective customers to make an informed choice.
Opinions of verified customers
Feefo’s service requests the opinions of verified customers thereby ensuring genuine reviews. Hotel La Tour sees the move as an important tool to allow customers to make an informed choice and in its aim of delivering outstanding customer service.
MD Jane Schofield said: “We started to engage with our guests on Tripadvisor, Twitter and Facebook when our hotel opened in Birmingham in March 2012. Working with Feefo is an extension of our customer-focused approach to encouraging reviews and responding to genuine customer opinion.
“Prospective customers can go to our site and click on the Feefo button to see all of our verified reviews. It is a valuable tool in helping to improve our customer service and also for prospective customers when choosing where to stay.”
Each review receives a response
All comments received via Feefo are published and each review receives a unique response from the General Manager at the city centre property. The aim is to respond to every review within seven days and to any negative comment within 24 hours plus a follow up telephone call from a director of the hotel.
Since the system was implemented in March last year, some 1,300 reviews have been posted. An average of 95% of correspondents describe service at the hotel as “good” or “excellent” and a similar percentage also rate the hotel product as “good” or “excellent.”
Reviews result in business changes
A number of business changes have been made at Hotel La Tour as a result of the insights gained from this genuine customer feedback. These include placing bottled water in bedrooms, providing a choice of pillows, enhancing water pressure in showers, and altering the TV and radio channel selection so guests can receive BBC Radio 4 and BBC Midlands in the hotel bedrooms.
How it works
Feefo has been integrated into the hotel’s Micros booking system. Guests now automatically receive an email from the hotel thanking them for their stay and notifying them they will receive an invitation to provide feedback on their stay. Feefo then emails guests directly for their comments and ratings along a four point scale from “excellent” to “bad” in the areas of hotel and restaurant service, hotel accommodation, conference facilities and dining experience. All hotel guests receive a Feefo request and returning customers are invited to respond once every three months. All responses are posted directly on the hotel’s website, as well as Feefo’s. The system is completely independent and allows no editing or deletion except for the cases of personal details being disclosed or profanities being used.
About Hotel La Tour
Hotel La Tour is a luxury, four star hotel in Birmingham city centre. It is independently owned and operated by a small team, dedicated to providing excellent customer service. The hotel has 174 bedrooms and suites, a brasserie style restaurant, cocktail bar, gym, plus a conference and events floor.
For more information about Hotel La Tour click here
About Feefo
Feefo is a customer review system with over 1,200 brands. Members tell Feefo who their customers are, so only genuine ratings and reviews can be submitted. No moderation is allowed, except for profanities, meaning the members of Feefo stand by their commitment to customer service, by sharing good and bad experiences with the world. For more information on Feefo contact Matt Eames on 08456 800 320 or matt@feefo.com