ken schmidt VP-GM TripAdvisor

Automated Contacts meets TripAdvisor

ken schmidt VP-GM TripAdvisorWearing my VP/GM hat of the hotels, I took my reputation manager of Condo Hotels Playa del Carmen with me on a trip to Newton MA, the home office of TripAdvisor.  We made contact with the right people and arranged a meeting to discuss some of the details that we felt could be potential issues with TripAdvisor patrons coming to Playa del Carmen Mexico.

Upon arrival the location looked like a college academy with buildings scattered through out the property.  They were very kind and courteous.  We discussed issues like pictures displayed on the TripAdvisor website and what defines the area that identifies the boundaries of the town of Playa del Carmen.  They addressed our issues with the department heads for each of our questions, even met the #2 employee / director to make sure our questions were answered as correctly as possible.  We left with some answers and of course some not due to the secrecy of the rating formula.  In return they asked if we would be open to offer them a video testimonial and we gladly obliged.

The testimonial videos can be found on the TripAdvisor Insights section of their website.  Here are the links and the videos.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/TripAdvisorInsights/n2636/without-tripadvisor-we-couldnt-be-doing-well

https://www.tripadvisor.com/TripAdvisorInsights/n2637/business-listings-ill-be-ongoing-subscriber-forever

TripAdvisor for Business - Automated Contacts

TripConnect™ Instant Booking – TripAdvisor

Making It Easy for Travelers — and You

Travelers Want to Book Immediately
Give potential guests the easiest possible transition from research to booking with you
“Book on TripAdvisor”
Clicking one button instantly turns browsers into bookings
Hotels Own the Relationship
When travelers book instantly, hotels control the guest relationship from the beginning

Big Benefits for Independent Properties

Pay for Stays
Pay only when bookings turn into guest stays
Direct Booking Benefits
All guest and booking data comes directly to you, allowing you to track it easily alongside your other bookings
Set It and Forget It
The simple commission model is easy to set up and maintain

Contact Automated Contacts to help you get Book on TripAdvisor implemented right away!

Source: TripConnect™ Instant Booking – TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor for Business by Automated Contacts

TripAdvisor

Automated Contacts specializes in all the services provided by TripAdvisor.  Reputation management is not an option anymore it is a necessity. But there is more than reputation management. The reality is TripAdvisor is one of the largest and most reputable travel sites on the planet. It now represents the top referral site on most hotels or property websites. The traffic it generates is enormous.  The business it can create is equally as large but it takes a strategy and a plan.

TripAdvisor Review Express - Automated ContactsWe have developed the tasks in our software to follow a very strategic plan plan. The strategy is fairly straight forward and if followed it will insure that your property will list in the top spots in the ranking of TripAdvisor.  We have been involved with properties that held the number one spot for more than a year, we have seen the effects of a property not doing the right things.

Automated Contacts has been certified as a certified IBE (Internet booking engine) for TripAdvisor. TripConnect sends travelers who are ready to book straight from TripAdvisor to your website’s booking page hosted with Automated Contacts.  Click here to learn more about TripAdvisor TripConnect.

TripConnect - Automated Contacts

My comments about TripAdvisor TripConnect

TripConnect - Automated ContactsA conversation was started in a Linked In Group about TripConnect (https://lnkd.in/dAQaXpj).  I would like to share my comments in this conversation.

First off I say TripConnect is great! The TripConnect has shown to be greatly successful for the hotels that are on our software solution connected to TripConnect. But the hotel is still handicapped as they don’t get the daily reports an OTA gets from TripAdvisor to be a fair. So if there are a number of OTA’s on a hotel TA listing page along with the “Official Site”, the hotel has to login into the TA management center almost daily to verify the position bid and it takes a day for any changes to become effective. The video shows that the hotel as the only available option which is not realistic unless the hotel is limiting inventory to the OTA’s?!? My other issue is the “Official Site”, does the average consumer know who this is?

I own a software company that offers property management that interfaces with TripConnect, Automated Contacts, and I manage 4 boutique hotels in Mexico, Condo Hotels Playa del Carmen. I can answer questions about our experiences with TripConnect as it relates to my hotels. The top spot ROI is lower than being in the 2nd or 3rd position. The price difference between 1 as compared to 2nd/3rd is significant, managing this position is very difficult from the hotel owner perspective, its a daily task for my staff. Are smaller budgets at a disadvantage, absolutely as the hotel has no control of the timing or distribution options in the TripAdvisor management center. Use the budget per day option, your day starts and you burn the clicks early. Use the monthly cap option and this could cost more than expected. Have we benefited? Yes, it is a viable reservation stream for our hotels in an attempt to lower OTA reservations or Search Engine PPC budget.