The historical Stazione Leopolda train station in Florence, currently turned into a meeting center, was the setting for the 2009 edition of the Buy Tourism Online Tradeshow (16th and 17th November). The B.T.O. is an Italian web 2.0 and online tourism fair which central topic is TOURISM 2.0, the trend that is radically changing the dynamics of supply and demand in tourist accommodation.

Many speakers introduced a choice of points of Web 2.0 and social networking that ned to be taken in consideration in the hotel industry. One of the most worthy of note was the speech delivered by TripAdvisor(c)’s Roberto Frua. Frua’s main point was how social media, and mainly TripAdvisor(c), can assist hoteliers in their marketing strategies.

Web 2.0, or consumer-based internet content, is a reality and it is very vigorous in tourism. TripAdvisor(c), with more than 30 million traveler reviews, is a necessary tool to monitor what it is being said about your property and do something about it. Monitoring and replying to your hotel’s reviews are crucial in modern hotel business. More than ever if the reviews are unenthusiastic, the hotelier should first of know about the post and then come up with a satisfactory response. In order to assist in this task, Tripadvisor(c) has developed the Owner Center, built to help management teams of hotels, restaurants and attractions administer and optimize their properties’ presence on the portal.

By accessing to the Owner Center, hoteliers are able to provide and update information about their hotels and most of all keep track of their reviews and respond in an opportune manner. It actually helps to save time on a very time-consuming job. Managers can see their performance on the customer satisfaction index and also keep an eye on how their direct competitors are performing.

Nowadays TripAdvisor(c) is a vital means for hoteliers to engage with their former and possible guests. The revolution of the Web 2.0 is that customers have their say and what they think about your property is visible to the whole online community. It is a miscalculation to ignore this reality that may hurt the hotel credibility and image in the World Wide Web. Be it through the practical Owner Center or not, it is really advisable to observe what is being said about your property in TripAdvisor(c) and react: The first move to being part of any online community is to listen to the conversation, and then to join in.

Stefano Maranzana is Director of Communication for EPOQUE HOTELS, and AVANTGARDE HOTELS