When my daughter’s friend Tatenda Dune sent me this picture of her and Alexandra’s recent white water rafting trip on the mighty Zambezi, I asked her whether it should be called ‘relief’ or ‘desperation’! Her one word answer? ‘Fear’!
I re-blogged a piece yesterday about hotel reviews, here’s the latest review of Chanters Lodge:
“I spent two short periods (two nights and three nights) at the beginning and end of a Biosphere expedition to Caprivi at Chanters Lodge having stayed in one of the bigger hotels last year. Chanters was delightful and the staff very friendly and helpful. Richard, the manager, made advance bookings for me of a number of activities by email and arranged free transport from and to Livingstone airport which maximised my time to see the sights and wildlife. The free wifi to check email was a bonus.
The restaurant has a tempting menu with a wide range of dishes including authentic Zambian food and does not disappoint. We had our end-of-expedition dinner there and they coped brilliantly with the unexpected extra numbers. Some people on our expedition switched to Chanters on our return leg as a result of our positive reports.”
How nice is that then!
I’m back on one of my favourite topics again. Hotel reviews. This piece from Dennis Schaal‘s blog caught my eye:
He writes:
“Any smart company should monitor the social-media airwaves and at least listen to its critics therefore you have to give TripAdvisor some credit at least for reaching out to its critics and making a few tweaks to its hotel-review policies, although the modifications so far haven’t been earth-shattering. Jay Karen, president and CEO of the Professional Association of Innkeepers International, has met periodically with TripAdvisor officialdom and presented the company with a list of pet peeves from his B&B constituency.
Karen won’t take credit for any policy changes, but he undoubtedly has had an influence. The changes have ranged from minor to significant. For example, TripAdvisor initially permitted hotel reviews up to five years after the guest supposedly stayed at the property. Karen pushed for one year instead. “They left it fairly liberal from the get-go, because at first they needed to populate their site with reviews,” Karen says. “[TripAdvisor President and CEO] Steve Kaufer said this in a meeting with me, but he said now that their site has plenty of reviews, that they certainly could look at that policy. So, they changed it to three years. A step in the right direction, but I think a few more steps would be good.”
Of course, the downside in this is that there is no verification of when — or if — someone actually stayed at the hotel or inn. Other changes have been a bit more important. Earlier this year, Karen suggested and TripAdvisor changed the way it displays Best Deals. Previously, beneath the display of a property like the Jersey Cape Motel in Cape May, N.J., TripAdvisor might have displayed Best Deals: Jersey Cape Motel, but provided links to intermediaries and other properties that were competitors of the Jersey Cape Motel. Today, at the suggestion of Karen (and perhaps others), TripAdvisor has changed the display to Best Deals: Cape May. Thus a bait and switch is eliminated and the properties’ brands are not being misused.
“Another change that looks to be forthcoming, which I have lobbied for, as well, is for B&Bs to have links on their [TripAdvisor] pages that go back to their own websites,” Karen says. Today, since most smaller properties still are absent from global distribution systems or large online travel companies like Expedia, you’d be hard-pressed to find an advertising link to the Jersey Cape Motel or similar properties on their TripAdvisor pages. Thus, if you want to book that property under review, you’d have to find another way to do it outside of TripAdvisor. “We’re hoping in early 2010 for there to be a reciprocal link program for B&Bs,” Karen said. “This would be a big change for our industry.”
Change at TripAdvisor has been a slow-go. That’s because TripAdvisor has been unbelievably successful with its current formula despite all the “noise” out there from people like Karen, me and countless others. Karen acknowledges that TripAdvisor officials have been good listeners, but he likens the pace of change over there to re-positioning an ocean-liner. Almost everyone in the hospitality industry now acknowledges the importance of TripAdvisor and consumer hotel reviews, and the lodging industry is grappling with best practices.
Perhaps TripAdvisor should convene a blogger/hotel industry summit to move the conversation forward. However, my best guess is that will not be happening any time soon. If it weren’t handled properly, with all the passion generated on the hotel review issue, the meeting could degenerate into something like one of those healthcare-reform town hall meetings. Business and democracy — whether we are talking about hotel reviews and the advertising/media business, or healthcare reform — can be a noisy thing.”
The picture? The man had a bad review on TripAdvisor!
It was really lousy experience for me the night my daughter Alexandra and her friend Tatenda appeared on The Chanters Lodge Experience with the DJMJ Ingredient, our Sunday night radio show on Zambezi Radio 107.7 fm almost three weeks’ ago now, I was really not well! And I’d been looking forward to the show so much. I did appear on the programme but only just, and I have very little memory of what took place. In retrospect it probably would have been better if I’d stayed in bed….
Alexandra and Tatenda are both students at Kingsmead College in Johannesburg. Bright, pretty and witty they were, I’m told, great Guests on the show! Were they having a good holiday in Livingstone? “Awesome!” What activities had they done while they’d been here? They’d been, or were going to go rafting, and on the sunset cruise. Alexandra had been on the Cheetah Encounter with Mukuni Big 5 Safaris while she was waiting for her friend Tatenda to arrive – the latter had passport problems in South Africa and was late coming up to Zambia.
We’d also had a great family day out together at the Falls.
How was it living in Johannesburg we wanted to know. They liked it. Were they ever scared given the security problems? “Not reeeeally”. What did they like most about Jo’burg? Shopping and parties! Did they have boyfriends? I seem to remember Alex saying “why’s my dad always asking me that?” or something similar. We played Miley Cyrus (“she’s everywhere at the moment” said Alex) and ‘Supernova’ by Mr Hudson ft Kanye West which will now forever remind me of Alexandra. We played Corinne Bailey Rae who the girls like as well. I also remember ‘Puzzle’ by Alexandra Burke.
“How come Richard invited you as Guests on the show?” DJMJ and George wanted to know. “I’m his daughter!” Yelled Alex and everyone laughed. Which football team did the girls support? I can only remember Alex saying “Arsenal” (yes, all my kids are somehow obliged!). “Are you into sport at school”? The guys wanted to know and the girls explained they were usually too busy with drama. “Are you drama queens?” I wanted to know. “You bet!” They replied laughing. Actually they’ve both been very involved with directing and acting in plays at school.
What did Alex think of her brother Mike’s rap music? “Liquid D? Fantastic!”
The picture, Alex and her brother Mike with Tatenda after their rafting trip. Alex is third from the left, Mike on the far right and Tatenda next to him!
Incidentally, after a two year run, our radio show has come to an end. We might be back on air in some shape or form in 2010, meanwhile thanks to everyone who’s been involved with or taken part in the programme over the two year period! Peace!
The hot season’s here! The Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow is in flower! Check the picture of this shrub at Chanters Lodge, Livingstone. Here’s all about it!
Brunfelsia pauciflora
Yesterday-today-and-tomorrow’s flowers are purple when they first bloom. Then over a period of several days they fade through a progression of blues and lavenders until they are pure white – then they turn brown and die (the day after tomorrow?)
The pansy-like flowers have white throats, are about 5 cm across and borne in profuse clusters (cymes, actually) of up to 10 blossoms, displayed all over the plant. Flowers of all three colors are present from spring through the end of summer. Yesterday-today-and-tomorrow gets 3-8 ft (0.9-2.4 m) tall with several stems, an open, airy habit, and a spread of 2-5 ft (0.6-1.5 m). The leaves are leathery and semi-evergreen, 3-6 in (8-16 cm) long, dark green above and pale beneath.
Several cultivars are available: ‘Eximia’ is the most typical form, commonly found in cultivation and usually referred to simply as yesterday-today-and-tomorrow. ‘Floribunda’ is smaller with more abundant flowers, and ‘Macrantha’ has larger flowers and is lacking the white throat.
Here’s a view of Chanters Lodge, Livingstone which most of you won’t have seen! The shot’s taken looking west from the new two roomed accommodation extension, along the sides of rooms 10 & 8 on the left. Check the wonderful cascade of bougainvillea – one of three places in the lodge garden where the bougainvillea is in glorious flower right now. Did you know the secret of getting great flowers on this plant is not to water it in the dry season?
The wall you can see in the right of the picture is currently being strengthened with pillars on the other side, to avoid another calamitous collapse (as per two in recent years!)
Have a nice weekend!
This from HotelMarketing.com – I’m interested in things to do with hotel reviews:
By Jonathan Barsky and Cindi Frame
Although the hospitality industry is still in the beginning stages of figuring out how to master the exciting potential of social media, it is clear that the role of user-generated reviews is exploding and that consumers are wielding more power. The pace of this change has certainly caught many hotels off guard. A recent survey conducted by Market Metrix and TripAdvisor found that 85% of hotels have no guidelines for monitoring, responding to or acting on guest reviews. Perhaps this lack of direction explains why, according to TripAdvisor, only 4% of negative reviews are responded to!
It’s critical for hotels to regain control and take the appropriate action. Consumers say when a company responds to a review, it puts the company in a favorable light (Compete Inc., 2007). Our own research shows that responding to customer issues can improve a guest’s likelihood to recommend and return by 20% or more. This leads to word-of-mouth referrals which can represent 40% or more of a hotel’s customer mix. If hotels don’t respond, the dynamic of negative feedback can build into a huge wave of consumer defection.
To assist hotels in developing their own approach to handling online reviews, Market Metrix has assembled the following guidelines based on industry “best practices”:
Monitor
Hotels need to establish a process for tracking new reviews. This begins with assigning one person at your property to monitor online review sites and have accountability to follow up on all reviews. This person should:
– Sign up for emails, alerts and RSS feeds to know when new reviews and scores have changed.
– Monitor the review sites frequently, depending on how often your hotel receives reviews.
– Make sure your hotel is listed on these sites and that your photos, videos and descriptions are up-to-date, accurate and complementary.
Respond
Management must clearly establish the hotel’s response policy. Ideally, hotels should respond to all reviews within 24 hours in a personal and professional manner. This demonstrates a hotel’s commitment to listening and acting on guest feedback. If a response is not possible within 24 hours, respond to all negative reviews first.
– If needed, forward negative comments to the appropriate person for assistance in responding and to let them know there is an issue in their department. Determine if and when the GM should be alerted.
– If a review is suspected to be fraudulent, immediately contact the review site to dispute it. If justified, the review will be removed.
In responding to guest reviews, always start by thanking the guest for writing a review. For positive reviews reinforce hotel strengths and invite the guest to return.
Forward positive comments to the appropriate person who can share the feedback with deserving employees. In responding to negative reviews, apologize for their experience, inform them what you will do to address the problem, invite the guest to contact hotel management for resolution and describe (or even post a picture) how the problem was resolved. Make sure to track which reviews have received a response.
Analyze / Improve
User reviews expose the truth of a hotel’s brand. Hotels are now challenged with maintaining high standards and meeting the expectations of customers who have done a significant amount of research before they travel. Guest reviews not only offer hotels a chance for service recovery, they also can uncover opportunities for improvement, driving satisfaction and loyalty, and even reduce operating costs.
Each review should be thoroughly evaluated. Ideally, results from all reviews should be stored in a database with a reporting package available for analysis. Analyze guest reviews to understand trends versus prior periods, identify performance gaps versus relevant competitors, uncover scoring differences among key customer groups, and provide an input for investment decisions. Review site feedback should be combined with your regular guest feedback program to get a full 360.
Based on this analysis, action plans, preferably done at the department level, should be created to address issues, gaps and unfavorable trends. We would also recommend that you:
– Share issues, gaps and trends with appropriate managers.
– Set goals that are measurable.
– Consider tying employee compensation to appropriate guest feedback measures, as long as they are fair and unbiased.
In addition, display positive reviews on your site to show off positive experiences of other guests and to prevent travelers from searching for reviews on other sites. Encourage guests to write reviews – fewer reviews imply a less popular hotel. Encourage guests verbally at check out, on receipts and in communications or emails sent to guests.
More people than ever before are reading hotel reviews prior to booking. Hotels that embrace online reviews and take actions can increase their business. Online reviews can help you connect with your customers, find out what they really want and promote your hotel. This will lead to higher levels of service and confidence in your brand.
Hoteliers please note!
The photo? Samoa – dream on Richard!
Clare Alderson, The Guest who was booked to appear on The Chanters Lodge Experience with the DJMJ Ingredient ft Soulchild last Sunday – the radio show which I co-host every Sunday on Zambezi Radio 107.7 fm, Livingstone’s best loved local radio station – unfortunately fell ill just before the show, so Eric Fischer, pictured above was kind enough to step in at the last moment! In fact Clare and Eric had travelled together from Namibia, where they’d been part of a two week Biosphere Expedition looking at the relationship between people and wildlife in a rural part of that huge country. Had Eric enjoyed it? Yes he had!
Eric’s a lawyer who hails from Philadelphia, USA where he has his own practice ‘Disability Law Clinic‘ a no-win no-fee set up for disabled people with problems getting claims payments from Government. We took the chance to ask him about the current health care debate in the US, and were shocked to hear that for himself and one of his employees he must pay annual health insurance premiums of some US$33,000. Had Eric voted for Obama? Milimo and George wanted to know. Yes he had! Eric told listeners that he wasn’t married and had no children, but when we asked if we could introduce him to some nice Zambian girls he started talking about a girl called Paris he’d met in Namibia! We laughed!
The music on the show was nice as usual. We played ‘Take My Heart’ a new track from Gen. Ozzy as well as ‘I Wonder’ by P.J, to give Eric a taste of Zambian music, which he enjoyed. He told listeners of his travels to some 27 African countries over the years and professed a liking for music from the Congo as well as Hugh Masekela, Johnny Clegg, and other African artists. We played ‘The Way You Love Me’ by David Guetta ft Kelly Rowland and ‘Never Leave You’ by Tinchy Stryder ft Estelle. We played two Miley Cyrus tracks – ‘Party In The USA’ and ‘Before The Storm’ which she sings with Nick Jonas. Eric was appalled, but we pressed on! ‘Down’ by Jay Sean is super and my current ringtone, and ‘I Look To You’ is the title track of Whitney Houston’s new album due for release on 31st August and widely tipped to be a great comeback album. We closed the show with ‘Candy’ by Paolo Nutini.
Milimo and George wanted to know what it had been like for me listening to the show the previous Sunday and not appearing on it and I told them I’d enjoyed it, but that they talked too much! We asked Eric about his two day one night canoeing trip on the Zambezi the previous night organised by Wild Side Safaris and Makora Quest. Would Milimo and George fancy camping at night on the banks of the Zambezi amongst hippo and crocodile? Mmmm, not really! What else had Eric lined up to do while he was in Livingstone? He was going white water rafting with Safpar and a river safari with Batoka the next day, then a micro-light flight on his last morning.
How many staff did Eric employ in the States? I wanted to know. “5” was the reply “and I have a ‘crackerjack’ team” he said. “Crackerjack?” I wondered and Eric told me it means great staff. “So do I” I replied and that gave me a good chance to say “hi” to the Chanters Girls and to thank them for their hard work and support while I’d been ill. I was also able to say thanks to Ireen and those at home, as well as everyone at 107.7 fm. So what did Eric think he might do next trip? Well, he told listeners that he wanted to come back to Zambia and find out more about the culture and traditions in Western Province. “Great stuff!” We said “and here’s the Loziman to help you” as we pointed to George Soulchild!
Recently we had Australian Customers at Chanters Lodge, Livingstone determined to go tiger fishing and adamant that they needed the best professional service. I consulted a fisherman friend of mine and after his various recommendations, had the idea to have the Clients contact Shackletons and ask the lodge for a two day one night visit including tiger fishing. Shackletons came up trumps and the Clients were delighted. Sometimes these ideas just click! Here’s all about Shackletons:
“Shackletons Upper Zambezi Lodge is situated in south-western Zambia on the upper Zambezi River near the village of Mwandi (meaning a place of ‘plenty fish’). Shackletons provides access to 130km of the upper Zambezi River, called ‘God’s Highway’ by David Livingstone. Shackletons is open all year round, even when the Zambezi floods its banks each year to form the Zambezi floodplains.
The Lodge accommodates 12 people in thatched, en-suite chalets with private teak decks overlooking the Zambezi. The swimming pool, sun-downer deck, lounge, open dining area, and fire pit provide guests with unparalleled vistas of the upper Zambezi River. Shackletons is a premier venue for spin, lure and fly anglers of all levels to fish for trophy Tigerfish, Bream, Tilapia and Catfish.
Shackletons is home to over 300 bird species that can be spotted at the Lodge or by boat along the river banks and in the tranquil river channels. At Shackletons you, your family and your friends will be totally spoilt by the exciting fishing, the pristine waters of the mighty upper Zambezi River, the abundant bird life, the peace and tranquillity of the Lodge, the Zambian culture, and the unsurpassed friendly hospitality of the Shackletons people.”
How about that then?
