THE LEADING PUBLICATION FOR THE INDEPENDENT HOSPITALITY SECTOR
RETURN TO PROFIT Let us help you put your business back into profit We work “hands-on’ with you, in your business to:
1. 2. 3. 4.
Maximise your Profit Margins Minimise your Operating Costs Resolve any Operational and Staff Issues Increase the Profit from your Business
We will tailor a package that is realistic and practical for your business
Please call David Hunter of The Bowden Group for an informal chat about how we can HELP YOU
07831 407984 or
01628 487613
HOTELS, RESTAURANTS, PUBS & CATERING
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December 2017
Issue 207
Products and Services
Festive Recipes
Festive Ordering
Design and Refit
Property and Professional
Page 10
Pages 14 and 16
Bar and Cellar Equipment
Pages 18 - 20
Pages 21 - 23
Pages 24 - 29
Pages 30 - 31
85% of Hospitality Businesses Victim of Malicious and Fake Online Reviews
HOSPITALITY BUSINESSES are increasingly worried about malicious and fake online reviews and many say that the reviews have been used to blackmail them. These figures are from a new survey by the British Hospitality Association (BHA), which includes the Restaurant Association, finding that 85% of hospitality businesses have been victim to fake online reviews intended to harm – up from 65% in the last survey two years ago.
Online review sites are a powerful tool for hotels and restaurants with a majority of those surveyed by the BHA (71%) saying that these platforms were useful for their business, with one respondent even going so far as to say, “it’s the only advertising worth having”. But this number had declined from 2015, by 9%, which may be related to the issues hospitality businesses are facing from fake negative and malicious reviews. Other findings included that: • Online platforms were not perceived as helpful by businesses dealing with fake negative reviews, with more than 60% of respondents saying they were ‘not helpful’ or ‘not very helpful’. • Half of businesses said that the threat of a bad online review had been used to blackmail them into giving a refund to the customer. When asked if review sites were helpful in dealing with these blackmail attempts, more than 60% respondents said that each of the most popular platforms used by customers were not helpful • More than 65% of respondents to the survey said that transparency was a problem with website rankings based not on reviews but on complicated algorithms that the consumer is unaware of. Digital Comparison Tools (DCTs) such as review sites have been the subject of a recent study by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The CMA found that DCTs depend on consumer trust to provide a ‘relevant and accurate’ service. The CMA gives guidance on how to treat consumers fairly called CARE, which means DCTs should be ‘clear’, ‘accurate’, ‘responsible’ and ‘easy to use’. The CMA has previously said it will continue to ensure that consumer law can be readily understood and applied by those providing DCTs and that it will take enforcement action when necessary. Ufi Ibrahim, Chief Executive of the British Hospitality Association, said: “Online reviews sites are hugely important for the reputations of hospitality busi-
nesses and allow consumers to make informed decisions. However, the relentless and largely unregulated growth of the digital intermediaries means that hospitality businesses in the real world – who often pay large commissions to these sites on bookings – are at the mercy of these firms. More must be done to tackle fake and malicious reviews and provide greater transparency provided in the ratings systems.” In a further blow to the credibility of online reviews, a journalist earlier this month managed to fool TripAdvisor’s ranking system into placing his garden shed as the topranked restaurant in London. Oobah Butler used a combination of creative photography and digital ability to hoodwink the review site’s algorithm into thinking his conception was the real deal. However, crucially, Butler was also able to call on a network of friends to post fake reviews and drive up the credibility of his false eatery. His inspiration was drawn from the revelation that he had learned to “game” TripAdvisor from a previous job, writing fake reviews for the site for £10 a turn. A TripAdvisor spokesperson was quick to quell the veracity of Butler’s project, telling a daily broadsheet: "Generally, the only people who create fake restaurant listings are journalists in misguided attempts to test us. As there is no incentive for anyone in the real world to create a fake restaurant it is not a problem we experience with our regular community – therefore this ‘test’ is not a real-world example." The spokesperson also stated TripAdvisor was working hard to combat fraudulent reviews; however, the event raises concerns generally for online review sites. In 2015 hospitality industry operators suggested a way to reduce the number of fake posts on trip advisor and help maintain trust in the sites vast database of opinionated content. The idea is to make reviewers send the TripAdvisor team an image of a receipt to prove they visited the establishment, the suggestion is backed up by a Twitter hashtag #NoReceiptNoReview. A British food inspector who launched the campaign said at the time that he did so because “operators of good restaurants, pubs and other eateries – despite never having chosen to engage with TripAdvisor – see damage to their businesses by reviewers who have not visited them, or post exaggerated details of a visit.” The inspector, who declined to give his name because of the nature of his job, insisted that the review site “must decide on a way to repair and maintain trust, and the receipt idea, while not perfect, is a step in the right direction.” Responding to the idea of including receipts with reviews, TripAdvisor said it was problematic, saying, “If four friends go out to dinner there will be four different opinions, but only the one person with the receipt would be able to leave a review.”
RETURN TO PROFIT
Let us help you put your business back into profit...
PROFIT TURNAROUND
MAXIMISING PROFITABILITY
If you have a Restaurant / Hotel / Pub business that is not profitable, and you want it turned around, call David Hunter on 07831 407984 to discuss this. We have a very impressive 30-year track record of profit turnaround, and David is the very best person to help you to turn your business around.
If your business IS profitable, but you need it to be MORE Profitable, David Hunter can do this for you. David will ‘’benchmark’’ your business against the current market, and will tell you what SHOULD and CAN be achieved by that particular and individual business. David will work with you and your Team to deliver that essential improvement in Profitability.
We will tailor a package that is realistic… and practical, for you… Please call David Hunter of The Bowden Group about how we can HELP you…
07831 407984 or 01628 487613
HOTELS, RESTAURANTS, PUBS & CATERING
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