How little BIG hotels Increased Their Review Response Rate from 20% to 99% Across Multiple Properties

Jennifer Seeckt, the Revenue & Guest Relation Manager of little BIG hotels, faced a daunting task. As the brand expanded its portfolio, managing guest review responses across multiple properties became an uphill battle. The manual method of responding to guest review was unscalable and ineffective, leading to response rates of 20% in busy months. But with MARA's AI-powered solution, little BIG hotels not only streamlined their response management but also ramped up their response rate to 99%. Alongside, they also gained enhanced analytical insights and improved work efficiency. This is their remarkable success story.

Feel free to watch the recording of the live webinar (German) featuring Jennifer Seeckt, as an alternative to reading:

Key Achievements of little BIG hotels with MARA:

A substantial increase in review response rate from 20% to 99%;
Efficient management across multiple hotels;
Enhanced analytical insights into guest satisfaction and feedback;
Significant improvement in work efficiency thanks to MARA AI's automation and smart features.

The Company

In May 2024, the former LINDEMANN HOTELS have taken a big step forward, rebranding itself as little BIG hotels. This fresh and animated renaming underlines their vision of hospitality that is rich in personality and individuality. The new name, little BIG hotels, perfectly embodies their blend of local character and grand hospitality, reflecting the spirit and uniqueness of each location. Despite the lively rebranding, their commitment to quality, comfort, and the well-being of their guests remains unaltered, as they continue to offer the inviting and unique experiences their guests have come to love and appreciate.

Currently, little BIG hotels has a strong presence in Berlin, with hotels strategically located to cater to diverse travel motives. From Anna 1908, situated on Berlin's largest shopping mile for shopaholics, to fjord hotel, ideally nestled between galleries, Potsdamer Platz and the Brandenburg Gate for those on a tight schedule. Further, the CALMA Berlin Mitte offers a peaceful retreat amidst the city's hustle and bustle, and LINDEMANN'S provides an urban and central location allowing guests to live like real Berliners.

In exciting news, little BIG hotels is set to expand beyond Berlin, bringing their unmistakable style to new cities. As they grow, little BIG hotels continue to carry their distinctive blend of 'little and BIG' - the local character and grand hospitality - everywhere they go.

Behind the transformation and success of little BIG hotels is a dedicated team, each contributing their unique skills and personalities to the brand. They have been a part of the journey since it all began in 1993 and continue to play an instrumental role in the brand's growth and expansion plans.

Jennifer Seeckt, as the Revenue & Guest Relation Manager, shoulders the responsibility of ensuring a consistent revenue stream while managing guest relations effectively across all their properties.

The Problem

As little BIG hotels expanded its portfolio, they faced a growing challenge. Handling guest reviews across multiple platforms and for several properties was becoming increasingly complex and time-consuming. The manual process was not scalable and couldn't keep pace with the growing number of hotels.

Jennifer Seeckt found that the task of manually crafting responses led to inconsistencies and delays in communication, negatively impacting guest relations and the brand's reputation.

Supporting multiple languages added another layer of complexity to an already challenging task. Responding manually in different languages increased the risk of errors and the time spent on each review. This added pressure on the already stretched resources.

In addition, keeping track of all the reviews and responses was proving to be a daunting task. With the increase in the volume of reviews, maintaining an organized overview was becoming nearly impossible. This lack of systematic tracking led to some reviews being missed out.

In essence, the manual and unscalable processes were causing more harm than good for little BIG hotels. They needed a solution that could efficiently manage their increasing guest review responses, offer multi-language support, and provide a comprehensive overview of all reviews.

The Solution

Faced with these challenges, little BIG hotels turned to MARA. MARA's AI-powered Online Reputation Management system offered an unparalleled solution for managing guest reviews across multiple properties. Here are the key features that little BIG hotels leveraged to transform their review management process:

1. Automation of Responses:

One of the major challenges little BIG hotels faced was manually crafting responses. MARA automated this process by generating review response drafts for new reviews, significantly reducing the time spent on managing reviews. This allowed Jennifer and her team to focus on other critical areas of their operations.

2. Smart Snippets and Brand Voice:

Even with automation, little BIG hotels could maintain a personal touch in their responses. MARA allowed them to use pre-set phrases tailored to frequently addressed topics, enabling consistent and personalized communication. This feature also ensured that the brand voice remained intact, despite increased efficiency.

3. Integration with Major Platforms:

Responding to reviews across multiple platforms was another headache that little BIG hotels wanted to eliminate. MARA's direct integrations with major platforms like Google and Booking.com simplified the response process, making it efficient and hassle-free.

4. Advanced Analytics:

MARA provided comprehensive insights into customer feedback, enabling better strategic decisions. The detailed feedback analysis tailored to each hotel identified guest satisfaction trends and areas of improvement effectively, helping little BIG hotels cater to their guests' needs more precisely.

5. Multi-Language Capability:

Responding to reviews in multiple languages was no longer a challenge with MARA. The tool ensured accurate responses without the need for manual translation, thereby reducing the risk of errors.

6. Continuous Learning and Improvement:

Finally, the AI's ability to learn from past interactions and improve response suggestions over time made MARA an invaluable tool for little BIG hotels. This meant that the quality of responses only got better with time, further enhancing their reputation.

Therefore, MARA’s Online Reputation Management solution enabled little BIG hotels to overcome their challenges and greatly improve their review response rate.

The Experience

With the implementation of MARA, little BIG hotels experienced a significant transformation in their review management process. Here's how it impacted their operations:

1. Enhanced Operational Efficiency:

The reduction in manual work due to MARA's automation features allowed Jennifer to redirect her focus towards other critical managerial tasks. This greatly improved operational efficiency and ensured smooth management across multiple properties.

2. Improved Guest Engagement:

The ability to respond quickly and consistently to reviews dramatically enhanced guest relations. It fostered better communication and significantly improved the online reputation of little BIG hotels. Guests appreciated the prompt responses.

3. Personalization in Communication:

Despite the automation, MARA's Smart Snippets and Brand Voice AI settings allowed little BIG hotels to maintain a personal touch in their responses. This ensured that guests felt valued and heard, adding to their overall satisfaction.

4. Ease of Use:

The straightforward, user-friendly interface of MARA facilitated quick adaptation and became a valuable tool in little BIG hotels' daily operations. The ease of using the platform meant that the team could focus on the quality of responses rather than the technicalities of the tool.

5. Active Participation in Platform Improvement:

MARA's continuous learning and improvement of features meant that little BIG hotels could actively participate in the improvement of the tool. Providing feedback to the MARA team and seeing the tool's functionality improve over time added to the satisfaction of using the platform.

In brief, the implementation of MARA led to substantial improvements in little BIG hotels' review response rate and management process. The tool not only allowed them to efficiently handle their expanding portfolio but also drove enhanced guest engagement and improved online reputation.

Using MARA, little BIG hotels could now better leverage their online reviews to attract more guests and provide an unparalleled hospitality experience.

Experience MARA today.

Just like little BIG hotels, you too can revolutionize your review management process and drastically improve your review response rate. Don't let manual processes hold you back. With MARA, you can not only streamline your operations but also boost your online reputation effectively.

To see how MARA can transform your business, register for a free trial or schedule a demo call with us. Take the first step towards efficient review management today.