Riga hotels make the global top ten

Below are key findings about Riga hotels from PwC’s study Online reputations – why hotel reviews matter and how hotels respond:

• Riga ranks number four in CEE and number nine in the world with GRI 82.61%.
• Riga ranks number one in the world for four star hotels with GRI 86.51%.
• Eastern European hotels have considerably higher online ratings than those in other regions because they frequently meet or exceed visitor expectations.
• Riga hotels are rated highly for location, cleanliness and value, with the quality of rooms and suites rated the lowest.
• Riga hotels respond to online feedback with a frequency of 5% – well below the CEE average of 9%.
• Five star hotels respond to online feedback far more frequently than three or four star hotels. Riga’s response rate is ten times the global average.

Attacking negative reviews at the root of the problem

Some hoteliers see reviews, especially negative ones, as a nuisance and are still unsure as to how to use them to improve their business. Some still tend to dispute their validity as a source of reliable information about their hotel and go on the defensive about them.

“Today, hotel online reviews have become one of the primary information sources for guests during the buying process. But even if some may challenge their validity, this is what is written about a hotel in the public space,” explains PwC’s Nicolas Mayer, Swiss Hospitality & Leisure Industry leader.

“Thus, hotels should pro-actively manage their online ratings, and embrace online reviews as an opportunity for constructive exchange with their guests. Hotels that not only monitor and respond to them, professionally, rapidly and honestly, and use them to improve their product where it is perceived negatively in reviews, will come out winners in the long run.”

Beyond the individual properties, destination management organisations will also find them useful in understanding the success factors in destinations that visitors rate highly, and where there may be room for improvement in their own realm. Owners, investors and asset managers in turn will find online reviews an interesting addition in the overall assessment of their asset management companies’ performance in the market.