Negative reviews are an unfortunate fact of running a business with a digital dimension. Learning how to manage them effectively is a vital part of making your business a success.

Digital Hotelier specialises in online reputation management services, helping to keep your company image as positive as possible for anyone seeking out your hotel online.

Read on to find out how to drive your negative reviews further down the search results, giving customers a better – and more accurate – picture of your hotel.

Managing your own profiles on review sites will give you a much greater ability to deal with negative reviews as and when they occur. Failing this, using a trusted ‘outsider’ who you are sure will respond proactively to any negative content is an alternative option. Particularly if you are unsure how some of review platforms work, bringing in expert online reputation management services could prove preferable as a way to save you lots of time and hassle.

If you find a review which you feel doesn’t accurately reflect your business, there is no harm at all in asking the site owners to remove it. Of course, there is no guarantee that they will do so – but if the review is obviously slanderous or overly personal, there is a good chance it will violate their own review policies, and that once brought to their attention, the review will be taken down. There are a few risks involved in this route, including the chance that the negative reviewer could discover their review has been removed and develop an even greater vendetta against your company – but depending on the visibility and content of your negative review, this could be a chance you are willing to take.

There are times when you may feel compelled to respond to your online critics in public forums, but it is important to pick your battles wisely. Responding to reasonable reviews which cite a problem with your hotel will paint you in a positive light, as long as you are equally as reasonable in your response. Engaging in online dialogue with somewhat more ‘passionate’ critics of your business will do the opposite for your reputation. Customers generally have a good grasp of who has a legitimate complaint and who is simply out for blood – have some faith in their ability to recognise the difference.

Building a substantial quantity of positive content is a great way to help bury the negative content which is in an inevitable offshoot of your business success. You can’t please everyone – but you can try and ensure your content – and the guest experience – are as positive as possible so as to alleviate some of the impact of your critics. Great content is search engine friendly, and can help to push your negative reviews further down the search results, meaning fewer potential customers will see them.