Prague hotels achieve highest overall customer review rating in Europe and hotels in Moscow saw the highest increase in review pace. Nearly two thirds of all customer feedback on hotels across Europe was positive in 2015, according to a joint report by Revinate and Colliers International.
Furthermore, the higher the star classification of the hotel, the more positive the review is likely to be (the number of positive reviews on five star hotels was 80 percent, compared to 70 percent on four star properties). Revinate/Colliers research is based on the analysis of 4.7 million reviews on more than 4,600 hotels across Europe.
Overall highlights from the report:
1. The most popular destinations in Europe – UK and Germany for business travel and France and Spain for leisure – also received the most reviews: they make up 71 percent of all reviews.
2. Hotels in Greece received the most positive reviews: over 70 percent of their reviews were of a positive nature.
3. A city-by-city evaluation shows that Paris outperforms its national average by receiving 61 percent of positive reviews.
4. Prague saw a major increase in review pace in recent years. Hotels continue to perform well in the capital, as 75 percent of reviews is positive. Booking.com and TripAdvisor remain the most important channels for reviews and their share of reviews is increasing.
5. Hotels in Moscow saw the highest increase in review pace: between 2013 and 2015, the number of reviews per property increased by 155 percent. Moscow is a steady performer as 69 percent of reviews is considered positive, despite this increase in review pace.
6. Many cities performed well on their five star hotel reviews and were above the 80 percent average. For four star hotels, however, the scores fluctuated significantly and several cities need to improve their offering for four star hotels.
Dirk Bakker, Head of EMEA Hotels Colliers International said: “In today’s internet-led world the hotel industry has been forced more than ever to take guest feedback seriously. Where in the past hoteliers who offered a poor service might suffer from criticism passed on by word of mouth, now they are faced with an abundance of online reviews sites – like Tripadvisor and Booking.com – where customers can air their opinions giving those offering poor service nowhere to hide. Customers can express what they like or dislike about a hotel experience, and these customer reviews have become a major deciding factor for people when booking their next hotel stay.”
Maarten Plesman, VP EMEA for Revinate, said: “Colliers’ perspective is rooted in the observation that 93 per cent of travelers worldwide say online reviews have an impact on their booking decisions. Around the globe hotels trust Revinate with their online reputation and we have incredible data on hotel performance in terms of guest satisfaction. With this report we want to help hoteliers understand how they are benchmarking in their relative markets around Europe.”