We've talked a fair amount about the ability for competitors to negatively update your reality on line...as well as owners/managers to fluff up their genuinely bad reviews.
I suppose it was only a matter of time before third-party vendors started to offer a solution to frazzled hoteliers. The offer I received last week:
"Most properties receive negative reviews from demanding guests or sometimes by your competitors posing as guests. Your negative reviews on Google, Yahoo and other travel portals has a negative impact on the new guests (sic).
When your potential new guests start searching for booking hotel in your area, she (sic) will first come across the negative reviews given by other guests or may be (sic) your competitors.
We assist you in honest and responsible Internet Marketing. We will neutralize the negative reviews from unknown people about your property."
Honest and Responsible? Hardly...which is why I won't dignify the company by naming it.
Hmmm...how exactly is the company going to go about "neutralizing" negative feedback??
Posted by: Chris | October 06, 2007 at 18:28
My guess? By posing as happy customers saying wonderful things about the property in numbers that will overwhelm the negative posts.
The perfect solution for those with a tenuous hold on a concept called social ethics...
Posted by: Bill Geist | October 07, 2007 at 01:31