TripAdvisor on Wednesday announced the results of a new study that reveals the key factors that drive engagement from travelers researching places to stay on the site’s property pages. The study analyzed data including the number of reviews, management responses, and photos and videos across a sample of hotel and B&B pages to reveal which factors have the greatest influence on travelers to look for more information about a property.
The study finds that hotels providing a management response to reviews are 21% more likely to receive a booking inquiry via TripAdvisor than those that don’t respond to any reviews. Properties that respond to more than 50% of their reviews increase their likelihood of receiving a booking inquiry by 24%, compared to properties that do not respond to reviews.
Factors That Drive the Most Traveler Engagement on Hotel or B&B Pages
Ranked by level of impact on traveler engagement1
- Number of photos
- Total number of reviews
- Management responses in the past year
- Number of reviews in the past year
Seeing is Believing – The More Photos, the Better
The study shows that photos are essential, driving not only higher levels of engagement from travelers, but also leading to more potential bookings. Hotel and B&B pages that have photos receive 138% more engagement from travelers, compared to those that don’t have any photos. Engagement levels and booking inquiries demonstrate linear growth the more photos there are.
How Photos Increase Traveler Engagement Levels
Compared to properties that have no photos:
- Properties with at least one photo: +138% engagement
- Properties with more than 100 photos: +151% engagement
- Properties with more than 1,000 photos: +203% engagement
How Photos Increase Likelihood of Booking Inquiries
Compared to properties that have no photos:
- Properties with at least one photo: +225% likelihood of booking inquiry
- Properties with more than 100 photos: +238% likelihood of booking inquiry
Both Sides of the Story – Responding to Reviews Reaps Rewards
The study shows that taking part in the conversation is also beneficial to properties; the more reviews the property’s management responds to, the higher the average review rating. The level of engagement from travelers also increases with the presence of management responses – hotels and B&Bs that have responded to at least one review see 17% more engagement from travelers, compared to those with no management responses. Properties that respond to reviews at least 13% of the time see a 21% boost in engagement, compared to those that never do. This increase in engagement trends upward the more management responds.
Similarly, responding to reviews has a significant impact on overall ratings for hotels and B&Bs on TripAdvisor:
Rate of Management Response for Recent Reviews vs. Average Review Rating
- 0% response rate = 3.81 average review rating
- 5% – 40% response rate = 4.04 average review rating
- 40% – 65% = 4.05 average review rating
- 65%+ response rate = 4.15 average review rating
For the purpose of this study, TripAdvisor analyzed data from a sample of accommodation properties from the 25 most reviewed cities* on the site from July 7 to August 7, 2014. The study reveals how review ratings change based on management response rates and the level of traveler engagement (defined as page views per session and booking inquiry clicks) relative to various content factors including the number of reviews, photos, videos and rate of review responses from management.