Yelp is a US-based website and app that connects people with local businesses. Mostly, when people want to book a hotel or eat at a restaurant, check its Yelp ratings first. This is why a hotel needs to have a Yelp Business Page that is complete and optimized.
In this blog, we will explain how you can create a Yelp business page for hotels and how you can make optimum use of its paid tools and optimize.
When it comes to making a reservation in a hotel, especially in the USA, people immediately jump to Yelp! According to a study, an average of 178M people visit Yelp monthly, making it one of the most influential review websites across the USA.
According to the Local Consumer Review Survey 2024 by Brightlocal, 53% of people use Yelp to read reviews for a particular business, even more than the popular OTA TripAdvisor, which was 43%. The study also says that people are less suspicious of fake reviews than other popular review platforms like Google or Amazon.
The best advantage of Yelp is you can create a free Yelp Business page for your hotel. This blog explains why it is important for your hotel to have a Yelp business page and how you can set up one for yourself.
Let’s dive in!
Yelp business page is a business profile that lets you claim your business on Yelp. You can add your hotel’s photos, create your work portfolio, respond to guest reviews, promote your business, and share all the necessary information about your hotel business.
Having a Yelp business page for your hotel means more exposure to the audience. It is a popular platform for local businesses. So it becomes easier to connect to the hyper-local customer base with Yelp.
Yelp reviews are highly influential in peoples’ booking decisions. Having a good number of positive reviews on Yelp can significantly improve your hotel’s online reputation.
On Yelp, you can connect with your customers, take reservations, and transact too. Addressing guest concerns helps build a strong relationship with your guests.
Last but not least, Yelp analytics! This helps you understand where you excel and where you lack. You can track performance and customer behavior, too. This will eventually help you enhance the guest experience by targeting areas for improvement.
Creating a Yelp business page is not rocket science. By following very simple steps, you can claim or create a Yelp business page.
Yes, you can also claim your business on Yelp, just like how we do for Google Business Profiles.
With an example, we will explain how you can create a professional Yelp Business Page for hotels.
Step 1: Add your business name. If it is already there on Yelp, type the name of your hotel so that you can search for it and claim it.
Step 2: Add the contact number of your hotel.
This is for your customers to reach to you. If you wish to use the Yelp for Business app, check the box below. Yelp will send you the link to download the app.
Step 3: Claim your hotel business on Yelp.
If the number you have provided is found on Yelp listed with a business, it will appear at this stage. If the business is yours, you can click on the red button and claim the business.
If it is not your hotel, then simply click - (No, Not my business)
Step 4: Add the hotel website URL. Businesses with websites earn more credibility amongst customers. So, if you have it, your chances of driving business are comparatively higher.
Step 5: Add the business category.
Depending on the type of business you are dealing with, you can choose up to 3 categories that best describe your hotel, such as hotels and travel, travel and tourism, etc.
So if a guest searches for hotels in a particular area on Yelp, there are chances of you being shown on the page.
If your hotel has an on-site restaurant, you can add the restaurant category here, too. According to that, Yelp will ask you a question related to the category. This helps guests know you even better.
As you can see in the above image, there is a question about the waiter service in the restaurant. Simply answer the question and click- “continue.”
Step 6: Add your hotel address.
If your hotel is operating in more locations, you can list them here. Once you update the address, you can select from the two options-
If you have only a single location, then select the first option and click- continue.
You can add more locations anytime!
Step 7: Claim your hotel business.
Complete the verification using the contact number you provided by call or text.
Once this is done, you will receive a claimed badge for your hotel listing. This is similar to the verified tick on YouTube or Instagram.
This free and simple process shows your customers that your hotel is legit and builds trust.
If you wish to reach more customers, the first thing you will need to do is add all the details and keep your Yelp Business Page updated.
Add all the necessary details like categories, opening hours, etc, and constantly update them. The latest information creates trust. If a guest has to browse through different sites just to get the latest information about your hotel, they may just move to another business.
Once you have created your Yelp business page for your hotel, you will see a meter at the top of your business page. As you add details about your hotel, it will turn green.
Here is how you can complete the Yelp business page of a hotel-
First and foremost- your business hours!
Tell your customers when you are operating. Hotels can check the Open 24 hours box.
Once you add your business hours, you can proceed with the special hours. Yelp will provide a list of special days, such as Thanksgiving or Halloween, that you can choose from or add a new entry for.
Write the description of your hotel by adding keywords such as the best boutique hotel in San Francisco, family-friendly hotel in California, pet-friendly hotel in LA, etc. But do not overdo it!
The language of your description should be easy to understand. That does not mean adding CAPS and punctuation marks extensively. Keep it simple, concise, and clear.
DO NOT ADD CONTACT DETAILS LIKE CONTACT NUMBER, EMAIL IDs, etc, HERE.
This is against Yelp content guidelines. You can add contact details in the designated sections specifically reserved for the contact information.
If you add it to the description, Yelp will reject it.
It is no surprise how impactful media is. Your guests can get a look at your property and get an idea about what they are going to experience.
Hotels without images or low-quality images hinder guest trust, and the chances of losing bookings are highest in this scenario.
Hotels must mark their properties as closed on Yelp, especially when they are accepting reservations through Yelp.
Let us tell you how the extended closures work on Yelp-
If your hotel is under renovation or you are currently not accepting reservations due to some event taking place in your hotel, you can mark your hotel as “Temporarily Closed” on Yelp.
While you are temporarily closed, your customers can still view your business, leave a review, or contact you using the contact information you have provided.
The payments will be paused during this period and will be resumed once you reopen your hotel. If you are using any of Yelp's paid products, you will not be charged during this period.
Your hotel will rank lower in the search results as it is currently not operational. You may regain your ranking position once you reopen.
You cannot access your business page if you have marked your hotel as permanently closed. That means you cannot reply to reviews or change the business information.
Your other locations will not be affected if you have multiple locations. You will need to close other locations individually.
This section lets you speak more about your hotel, including the amenities you provide, special conditions, what kind of assistance you provide, the services you provide, and much more.
The more you show to the customers, the more you will get guest engagements.
You must have understood how deeply a guest will learn about your hotel just by checking out its amenities section. Unlike other OTAs, Yelp lets you give a comprehensive overview of the amenities you provide.
As we said before, more is less! Yelp allows you to showcase more about your hotel, such as owner information, your history, and other special features that you offer.
If you are experienced in your industry for a commendable period, this is where you flex it.
Here, you can mention the year your hotel was established, talk about how you started, the idea behind the business, who and what has been the pillar for your business, and so on!
Guests tend towards hotels that have been operating and thriving for long. Let your customers trust you by your experience.
A well-written owner bio on Yelp can significantly enhance your business's online reputation and customer engagement.
Yelp offers many paid tools and services that can enhance your guest experience. Here are some of the paid tools offered by Yelp-
To run Yelp Ad Campaigns, you only need a good review/ good content and images.
For the content, Yelp tests reviews for your hotel continuously and chooses the best one that can drive more clicks and business.
If you dont want this option, then you can select a review manually or write your own content.
Set the radius from 5 to 15 miles from the hotel location. Set your daily budget, and voila, you are done!
This is like a social media platform within Yelp. This is a paid tool that lets you connect with your local audience.
Now, you might ask, why should you leverage this when you have other free social media platforms?
Well, the answer is simple. On Yelp Connect, you will get an audience who is interested in your hotel business, not a random audience that you might find on Instagram or other social media platforms.
Here, you can post updates and static posts about your hotel- a new feature, new offer, amenities, upcoming event, and so on!
Your Yelp Connect posts will appear to all Yelpers on your business page.
According to Yelp, 92% of Yelpers want to return to businesses they want to trust. Customers come back to businesses they trust and know thoroughly.
The logo helps with that. The logo is a professional representation of your hotel business. When you have a reputable online presence, it's easier for customers to trust you.
The logo by Yelp is not expensive. For as low as $1/day, you can get a logo to show on your Yelp business page for the hotel.
Standing out from competitors is essential for hotels in this vast hospitality industry.
With Yelp highlights, you can buy any of the two highlights for just $2/day out of the 30 highlights.
Image credit: Yelp
This tool is best for hotels with event spaces, meeting rooms, etc. You can create a portfolio of the events that have taken place in your hotel.
It is easier to generate more leads on Yelp when you can actually show them what you do. With the help of Portfolio by YELP, you can show different events arranged at your hotel, before & after images, rooms, services, etc.
This helps your customers to understand what you have to offer at your hotel.
We all know how vital CTA is and how impactful it becomes when it comes to converting viewers into customers.
Yelp lets you customize your CTA according to your needs. You can write your own message for your customers. You can select where you want it to be directed, such as your website, phone number, etc.
Plus, you can change your CTA at any time.
Image credit: Yelp
You can also bundle all these paid features and save. You just have to do a Yelp Business page upgrade, and you will get all the above-paid tools bundled.
Search for your hotel on Yelp and click "Claim This Business."
Include basic information, photos, a description, specialties, and business categories.
Provide excellent service, train staff, offer incentives, and send email reminders.
Respond promptly, professionally, and thoughtfully to all reviews.
In the sidebar of the Yelp business page, you can check reviews and monitor, respond to messages, and track performance.
Author
Raj Patel
CEO & Founder
Raj Patel, the driving force at INNsight, is changing the game for hotels with his real-world expertise in software and digital marketing. Drawing on his Silicon Valley experience at eBay, Raj keeps things practical. Think of practical tools that work, making hotels shine online and turning digital success for every hotel. Jump on board the INNsight journey, where Raj's hands-on approach brings a touch of reality to revolutionizing the hospitality scene.
Follow him on LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/rajbpatel
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