The importance of reviews in the nightlife and hostelry industry
Persona muestra una bola de discoteca tras una cortina plateada
Foto perfil autor artículo: Álvaro Martínez González
Evania García
July 21, 2022

The importance of reviews in the nightlife and hostelry industry

The appearance of the Internet in our lives has meant a drastic change in the way we behave. As a result of the appearance of this information tool, we are really conditioned by the opinion of third parties regarding practically everything we do and see.

This has also been transferred to leisure, conditioning the plans we make or the places we go to. The appearance of reviews has undoubtedly completely altered the way we behave, serving as a guide when it comes to choosing an experience or consuming a product.

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The Internet is a sea of options when looking for a product or service and has become our favorite shopping guide. Whenever we need something, without hesitation, we consult search engines, either to find the location or read reviews to make a decision.

Reviews are today’s word-of-mouth advertising and fundamental pillar for the online reputation and positioning of a business.

In the hostelry, nightlife and recreation sector they become even more relevant, because it is those under 44 years old who consult online reviews the most and because being a physical service, it is more difficult for a satisfied customer to leave a review, since the service and the opinion are not in the same place and it becomes a long process for them or they simply overlook it.

For example, according to BrightLocal data, 91% of millenials trust online recommendations as much as that of their friends and family. And overall, 88% of people trust reviews.

What are reviews?

Reviews are the positive, negative or neutral criticisms or evaluations that a customer makes online about a product or service. REviews consist of a star rating and can include comments about the customer’s experience, which can also include multimedia content such as videos, images or audios.

These are three reference platforms where consumers post their opinions and where they most often search for information about the quality of a product or service. There are Google, Tripadvisor and Facebook.

Tripadvisor, a reference for tourists

Tripadvisor is par excellence the most influential recommendation platform in the hostelry industry. It is a benchmark for travelers in their search for hotels, bars, restaurants and other leisure activities, as it enjoys a high popularity in this specific market, above more generalist platforms such as Google and Facebook.

Millions of people around the world use it to search for services, especially tourists, who arrive in a country or city without knowing what is on offer and want to make the right choice, as it is their first experience in those places and could be their last, so they seek the opinion of other travelers or local people. A study by Phocuswright shows that 53% of people do not make a hotel reservation until they check reviews and 64% read reviews to find a restaurant.

This platform has 200 million visits per month worldwide, which speaks of its success among consumers and its importance for businesses in the tourism sector.

How does Tripadvisor work?

Unlike Google My Business and Facebook, Tripadvisor does not use starts for its ratings, users give bubbles from 1 to 5 to rate an establishment.

The algorithm of this platform values both the number of bubbles and the number of reviews and their age, that is to say, more recent reviews are given higher priority. Taking into account all these variables, the position of hotels, bars and/or restaurants is determined, placing among the first recommendations those that best meet these criteria.


Why are reviews important for my entertainment venue?

Reviews are important for entertainment venues because they translate into the good or bad online reputation of your nightclub, restaurant, bar or any venue you manage and are key to brand image, customer relations and Google ranking.

Other people’s opinions have value for consumers and have benefits for service providers. Let’s see what they are.

Build trust

Trust  is a very important aspect for customers, not only in restaurants, hotels or bars, but in any leisure or business establishment.

Therefore, having a site where people can give their opinion about your product or service and have good ratings, generates a great confidence in new customers. A data reflects the confidence that people have in the Internet reviews, is a study by Brightlocal, which indicates that 87% of consumers consult them to evaluate a purchase.

They help positioning and improve brand recognition

Having positive reviews will help your business to be better positioned, because it gives you visibility, especially for search engines, since Google values good scores and text comments as relevant, placing the page among the best results. In addition, if you have a good number of reviews, the search engine will interpret that the site is attractive to people.

Attract more customers

Good reviews attract more people. By having more reviews, you will have a better positioning, which means that users will find you more easily when they search for the service you offer and when they see the reviews they will trust those comments and will want to try the services.

They increase conversion

Reviews are a good stimulant for more customers to dare to try the service, according to HubSpot, 72% of users do not make a decision until they read online reviews. That data tells us that positive reviews push them to take that final step to visit the business and experience for themselves what other users describe.

Strategies for getting reviews for nightlife venues

Getting reviews in a physical business is more complicated than doing it for an online one, this is the case of bars, pubs, nightclubs, restaurants and terraces. It is therefore important to encourage customers to leave a review, first providing good customer service, second by making things easy for them and third by giving them an incentive to do so.

If you still do not have reviews in your business or your find it difficult to get them, these are some strategies that you could implement to encourage customers to leave positive reviews in your business.

Have a presence on Google My Business , TripAdvisor and Facebook

The first thing you have to sdo to get reviews for yout nightlife venue, hotel or restaurant, is to be present on the right digital channels so that customers can easily find you such as Google My Business, Tripadvisor and Facebook, which are the most used media to leave and consult reviews.

Give away shots

If you are cocjtail bar or nightclub, giving away shots is a good option in exchange for customers leaving you a review, as young people will be very attracted to the offer, especially if it is at the beginning of the night, when they are just starting the party.

It is not a big expense, but it is a great benefit for the future sales of the venue. But you should know that asking for a positive review is illegal, so just ask for the review and let the customer decide whether it is negative, positive or neutral, be sure that the vast majority will be in favor of your business.

Offer a discount

Another option is to offer a discount, either applied to that same service or give a coupon for another visit. This way, you will also be ensuring that those customers will return and you could even get their loyalty, what means that they become regular customers of your business.

Priority to enter

Back to the example of the nightclub. If you are lucky enough that your nightlife business is especially busy and there are long lines to get in, you could take advantage of it positively, suggesting some customers to leave a review and give them priority to get in.

Invite to a VIP event

VIP events are highly valued among customers, because it makes them feel important. Therefore, offering an invitation to an exclusive event is a good strategy to get positive feedback, in addition to encouraging loyalty.

Encourage satisfied customers

Satisfied customers are a good target for positive reviews. Encourage them to leave their opinion on the platforms on which your business is located, making the feedback a starting point to improve the service and highlighting the importance of their valuation.