TripAdvisor is the world’s largest travel platform. In 2019, the platform listed over 8.7 million businesses, boasted an average of 450 million monthly users received over 859 million reviews and opinions.
TripAdvisor is known for its dedication in supporting the tourism and hospitality industry, and in spirit of this, host their annual TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards. This coveted awards programme is made to honour travellers’ favourite hotels, restaurants, and airlines worldwide, highlighting over 4,000 businesses every year. Winners of TripAdvisor awards receive more visibility on the platform and help set a business apart from competitors.
Types of TripAdvisor Awards
When it comes to how to get TripAdvisor Awards, the key thing to note is that the platform has two different types of awards. Firstly, the TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best (formerly Travelers’ Choice) is the platform’s highest honour. This award is based on service, quality and customer satisfaction and recognises and ranks the top hotels, destinations, restaurants, experiences and more, in specific classifications and geographies.
Secondly, the TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Award (formerly Certificate of Excellence), which honours the platform’s hospitality businesses that consistently receive great TripAdvisor reviews.
How to Get a TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best Award
The TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best Award was established in 2002 and as the name suggests, winners of this award are determined by travellers themselves and their opinions, using TripAdvisor’s algorithm which takes into account a business’s reviews and popularity with travellers over the past year.
As a business owner, this may seem out of you control however, there are some things a business can do to increase their chances of winning a TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best Award…
1. Maintain Great Customer Service and Quality
People enjoy talking about their positive experiences and this extends to leaving reviews. A sure-fire way to receiving great TripAdvisor reviews is to wow your guests with an all-round quality experience and think of clever ways to give them something they can’t get anywhere else.
2. Talk to Your Customers
Talk to your guests during their time with you and ask them to write reviews. Once they have returned home, follow up with a reminder using a reminder tool such as Review Express.
3. Respond to Reviews
Studies have shown that businesses who respond to reviews, both positive and negative, are more likely to be booked by future TripAdvisor users. Ensure your responses are professional and reassuring to guests. If there is negative feedback do not get angry or defensive, but acknowledge the customers concerns and outline your plan for addressing their problem.
How to Get a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence Award
Similar to the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best Award, there is no application process for the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence Award. This award is achieved over time by businesses on the platform that collect great reviews and high ratings on the platform.
TripAdvisor will look at your business listing’s performance over time to determine if it meets the criteria for the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence Award, which includes
- Maintaining an overall bubble rating of 4 out of 5 stars.
- Having a minimum number of reviews. The exact amount is part of TripAdvisor’s algorithm.
- Your business must have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least 12 months between the 1st April and 31st
The TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence Award is activated automatically and, should you qualify, will appear on your establishment’s page. This badge can also be downloaded separately to display on other marketing material for your business.
The Certificate of Excellence is only valid for one year, so businesses will need to continue their high standard of service in order to get the award again for the following year. If you qualified last year, but not this year, the badge will be removed from your page.
Thank you for reading our blog ‘How to Get TripAdvisor Awards – A Helpful Guide’. For more information please visit www.tripadvisor.com