Hawthorn Takes Chance With Guest Comments

Upon learning last week that Hawthorn Suites is now posting guest comments and star ratings on its official Web site, my reaction was similar to HotelChatter’s: it’s an, er, gutsy move.

That’s assuming, of course, that the brand doesn’t merely cherry-pick the best reviews and conveniently omit reponses that aren’t so gleaming. Barbara Wiener-Fischhof, vice president of corporate communications for Hawthorn parent company US Franchise Systems Inc., tells me the intent is to be as straight-forward as possible with the review process.

This review page, for the Hawthorn in Galveston, Texas, is the closest I could find to having real negative postings … but considering the two reviews average 4.5 stars, and the worst thing said is that the housekeepers need to try a little harder, I’m not exactly sold yet that the Hawthorn Web site will become a clearinghouse for truly candid property reviews. But time will tell.

Only confirmed guests are allowed to submit reviews and ratings, via virtual comment cards e-mailed to guests after their stays.

Obviously, a hotel brand has to be pretty confident in its product to invite customers to critique it. Just as a positive review on a neutral site like TripAdvisor carries more weight with potential guests than a similar review on the brand site, so too would a negative review carry a stronger air of legitimacy if it appeared on the hotel’s own homepage.

While the risks to a hotel are evident, the rewards for posting honest reviews are potentially great. 

Besides the street cred, for lack of a better term, that the brand gets for being truthful and frank about its relative shortcomings, there is also a Web traffic benefit. That is, if consumers believe they can trust the reviews posted on the brand’s own site, they will be less likely to visit a separate review site. Keeping them on the brand site, of course, translates to a greater conversion rate.

I hope more hotel brands follow Hawthorn’s lead—but if it’s done, it’s got to be all the way. Only posting the good reviews actually undermines your product more, making the consumer ask, "What are they hiding, and why?" 

Are there any other hotels or brands out there that are doing this? I know there’s a few brands embedding TripAdvisor feeds on their sites, but what about do-it-yourself posting like Hawthorn is doing?