UK Looks Online for Hotel Reviews

Nearly half of UK consumers who use the Internet to research travel decide not to book a hotel because of a negative online review, according to American Express' "Hospitality Monitor 2007" report, conducted by Loudhouse Research. The study was conducted in April 2007, and was based on telephone interviews of senior operations staff at hotels and restaurants in Europe.

Over eight in 10 UK consumers researched online before booking a hotel, and 62% did so before booking a restaurant.

Taking the good reviews with the bad, 77% of UK hotels and 80% of restaurants said the growth in consumer-generated content is a business opportunity.

Kathryn Pretzel Shiels of American Express said, "The industry is clearly taking steps to better understand this channel. In fact, 67% of UK hotels and 77% of UK restaurants say they actively monitor content posted on independent review sites."

The study also asked hotel and restaurant operators about their online marketing efforts, and found that 57% of hotels and half of restaurants used affiliate marketing. Over four in 10 hotels and restaurants used search marketing. While seven in 10 hotels used direct e-mail, only 17% of restaurants did.

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