Comments on: “A Hidden Gem” or “LAME!!!”? Online Travel Reviewers to Watch out for http://www.opushotel.com/blog/%e2%80%9ca-hidden-gem%e2%80%9d-or-%e2%80%9clame%e2%80%9d-online-travel-reviewers-to-watch-out-for/ UNIQUELY STYLISH AND ALWAYS FRESH / UNIQUE, CHIC ET NOVATEUR Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:51:26 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: admin http://www.opushotel.com/blog/%e2%80%9ca-hidden-gem%e2%80%9d-or-%e2%80%9clame%e2%80%9d-online-travel-reviewers-to-watch-out-for/comment-page-1/#comment-1239 admin Tue, 02 Feb 2010 03:11:07 +0000 http://www.opushotel.com/blog/?p=289#comment-1239 Hi Daryl, Thanks for the reply, so sorry for the delay in responding - your message got lost in the shuffle. Funny, I wondered if the "Bond Badmouther" might be an ex-employee. But I prefer to think they all love me. Ignorance is bliss. -Daniel Hi Daryl, Thanks for the reply, so sorry for the delay in responding – your message got lost in the shuffle. Funny, I wondered if the “Bond Badmouther” might be an ex-employee. But I prefer to think they all love me. Ignorance is bliss. -Daniel

]]> By: cruzein http://www.opushotel.com/blog/%e2%80%9ca-hidden-gem%e2%80%9d-or-%e2%80%9clame%e2%80%9d-online-travel-reviewers-to-watch-out-for/comment-page-1/#comment-1222 cruzein Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:24:57 +0000 http://www.opushotel.com/blog/?p=289#comment-1222 I see this happen alot people have a bad trip and find someone to blame it on I see this happen alot people have a bad trip and find someone to blame it on

]]> By: Daryl http://www.opushotel.com/blog/%e2%80%9ca-hidden-gem%e2%80%9d-or-%e2%80%9clame%e2%80%9d-online-travel-reviewers-to-watch-out-for/comment-page-1/#comment-1199 Daryl Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:51:20 +0000 http://www.opushotel.com/blog/?p=289#comment-1199 Dear Daniel Great piece on online reviewers. It most certainly struck a chord however I feel that there is one more online reviewer profile that you didn't mention. He fits in somewhere between the Corporate Saboteur and The Extortionist. He's the "Disgruntled Colleague". A world renowned resort that I was recently working with in Dubai has fierce rivalry between the three hotels within the resort. Although governance of all three properties is shared by a common executive committee, somehow the need to be at the top of the TripAdvisor charts has been injected into the sub culture of each individual hotel. We actually even found that this worked as a great motivational tool for the colleagues, each trying their utmost to provide exceptional service with the hope of getting a personalised mention on TripAdvisor as well as pushing their hotel's rating up on the web site. All was going well until we started to receive numerous anonymous reviews that highlighted issues that not many guests would have experienced. These reviews also highlighted some of the poorer decisions taken by certain members of the management team and offered insight into issues that only very few guests would have been privy to and that had already been satisfactorily resolved with the guests in question. This of course led me to believe that a digruntled colleague had taken it upon himself to express his personal feelings towards management in a very public domain. My suspicions were confirmed when the colleague in question actually went so far as to brag to another, more loyal, colleague about his actions, who in turn alerted management of the Guerilla Reviewer and his antics. In the end the Disgruntled Colleague admitted his guilt and it boiled down to a case of him being dissatified with management's decision to pass him over for promotions that he felt he deserved despite his lack of experience and need for further development. Have you considered the possibility that perhaps your Bond Badmouther is in fact just a disgruntled employee attacking in a forum that they feel may be most detrimental to the property's online reputation and your feelings? Dear Daniel

Great piece on online reviewers. It most certainly struck a chord however I feel that there is one more online reviewer profile that you didn’t mention. He fits in somewhere between the Corporate Saboteur and The Extortionist. He’s the “Disgruntled Colleague”.

A world renowned resort that I was recently working with in Dubai has fierce rivalry between the three hotels within the resort. Although governance of all three properties is shared by a common executive committee, somehow the need to be at the top of the TripAdvisor charts has been injected into the sub culture of each individual hotel. We actually even found that this worked as a great motivational tool for the colleagues, each trying their utmost to provide exceptional service with the hope of getting a personalised mention on TripAdvisor as well as pushing their hotel’s rating up on the web site.

All was going well until we started to receive numerous anonymous reviews that highlighted issues that not many guests would have experienced. These reviews also highlighted some of the poorer decisions taken by certain members of the management team and offered insight into issues that only very few guests would have been privy to and that had already been satisfactorily resolved with the guests in question.

This of course led me to believe that a digruntled colleague had taken it upon himself to express his personal feelings towards management in a very public domain. My suspicions were confirmed when the colleague in question actually went so far as to brag to another, more loyal, colleague about his actions, who in turn alerted management of the Guerilla Reviewer and his antics.

In the end the Disgruntled Colleague admitted his guilt and it boiled down to a case of him being dissatified with management’s decision to pass him over for promotions that he felt he deserved despite his lack of experience and need for further development.

Have you considered the possibility that perhaps your Bond Badmouther is in fact just a disgruntled employee attacking in a forum that they feel may be most detrimental to the property’s online reputation and your feelings?

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