TripAdvisor has announced the expansion of its suite of review collection services with Review Express, a powerful, free solution available exclusively on the site.

The new service makes encouraging fresh reviews easier than ever by giving registered businesses the option to send customisable, bulk emails to their guests asking them to write a review about their customer experience. 

Review Express has been developed with property owners in mind and has been enhanced based on user feedback following extensive Beta testing.

According to the TripBarometer by TripAdvisor, 87 per cent of travellers globally say they use travel review sites to help them plan a trip and 95 per cent say that other people’s reviews on travel review sites influenced their plans.

Review Express was built to help accommodations, restaurants and attractions build their reputation online and enhance their TripAdvisor presence whilst giving prospective guests the traveller feedback they need to plan the perfect trip.

Review Express enables owners to send free messages to past guests and customers on behalf of their property, which automatically include a link to the property’s “Write a Review” page on TripAdvisor. 

Reviews collected through the service will be published on TripAdvisor, and are subject to the site’s policies.

Additionally, reviews posted as a consequence of Review Express emails will be attributed as such on TripAdvisor – the review will include a short message to say that it was ‘collected in partnership’ with the hotel, restaurant or attraction. TripAdvisor will not store email addresses submitted through the service.

“With Review Express, TripAdvisor aims to extend the relationship between businesses and their guests to encourage them to write reviews.

“This is a time-saver for owners, providing them with a powerful system to manage multiple emails and requests at no cost to the business,” said Severine Philardeau, vice president of global partnerships, TripAdvisor.

“Review Express has been developed and enhanced based on extensive user testing and is an invaluable service for hospitality business owners looking to build their online reputation.

“When used in conjunction with our free display offerings for owners, Review Express provides a great online marketing package for small and independent hospitality business owners to capture the value of user reviews for their property.”