We are excited to announce that GatherUp is now monitoring Google’s new review details within the hotel and restaurant categories.
Earlier this year, Google expanded the details gathered from restaurant and hotel customers upon leaving a review. Categories include reasons for hotel stay and dine-in, takeout or delivery.
This additional information can be highly valuable to hotel and restaurant management who take the time to understand what drives a positive or negative customer experience. It also has obvious benefits to consumers searching for restaurants or hotels and want to know what to expect in their dining or hotel experience.
It’s interesting to note where these expanded details are available. For instance, hotel details are only available at the moment to reviewers using a browser. Restaurant details are only available at this time on the Google Maps app. This is likely due to usage and how people book hotels versus how they find restaurants.
Consider this the next iteration of GatherUp’s Google Review Attribute monitoring. As Google continues to bring new insights into their review module, businesses seek ways to pull this information into a single reputation management solution, such as GatherUp.
What are Google Reviews Hotel & Restaurant Details?
Upon leaving a review for a restaurant or hotel, there are additional topics you can click on that describe the type of travel, whether you dined in or did take out, etc. Here are some examples and how it is used by the public.
Why are these Google Review Details Important?
We see a few reasons that this expansion is big news and thus why we wanted to create this monitoring solution.
Google Review Details Are Growing
One important signal is the expansion of details within Google reviews. It started with Google review attributes appearing in the Fall of 2019, then restaurant details during summer 2021. We are already starting to see this level of review details expanding to other industries.
Google > Mobile
— Saad AK (@SaadAlikhan1994) January 3, 2022
Local SEO: I saw "bike icon" & "bikes available" attribute in the Local Pack.
It might be new.
Sending to: @rustybrick SIR.
CC: @JoyanneHawkins & @krystal_taing MAM & @ColanNielsen
SIR. pic.twitter.com/u6ADE7OI56
Review attributes also were initially tested in just a few categories and then expanded to most categories outside of a few highly regulated industries like healthcare.
Google is Finding Ways to Provide Deeper Context
Google review attributes solved for a lack of content within Google reviews. These attributes gave businesses and users a deeper understanding of what caused a star-rating without the reviewer having to type anything.
Similarly, we see the additional hotel and restaurant details bringing more context and relevance to the review. Was the 1-star review based on a takeout experience? That isn’t a concern, or perhaps less of one, for a dine-in customer.
Do business travelers rate this hotel a 4.5, but families only a 3.8? A stay here is more enticing to a business crowd than for a family of 5.
Businesses will benefit from understanding their product and service offerings. A hotel who sees that same 3.8 rating from family travelers, can decide if creating a better experience for families fits their strategy. Or are they satisfied to be a business travel destination?
How will these details be displayed in GatherUp?
Similarly to how we monitor Google review attributes, hotels and restaurants will be able to monitor the additional Google review details within our Customer Activity screen. The initial release will provide filtering of these details. You will also be able to export a CSV file with only reviews who left these details.
Things to Keep in Mind
Being early with a new feature like this often has some details to be worked out. Below are helpful items to note that relate to Google’s delivery of hotel and restaurant details and our handling of them with this new monitoring service.
- Google’s review details are not required. It is under the consumer’s control and reviews may or may not have them based on the consumer’s entry
- Details are NOT currently available in the Google My Business API
- Details will not appear in our email notifications for now based on the items listed above
- Details will not appear in our Review Widgets
Monitoring provides deeper context and better understanding
These details are a helpful way for Google to not only provide deeper review context, but also a better understanding of the hotel or restaurant experience by purchase or service. Much the same as GatherUp’s tagging feature, this helps narrow reviews into specific business themes or categories that matter to consumers. Businesses will appreciate the deeper understanding of the customer experience and operations.
GatherUp continues to be at the forefront of helping businesses better understand their reputation. Monitoring hotel and restaurant details within Google reviews is the latest example of that focus.
