In the Lead Beta 1.0, you could previously only receive leads from hoteliers who were guided to your product through the site and placed a direct inquiry (eg. price quote request, demo, reference, etc).

Now if you are a strong match for a hotelier based on reviews in the platform for their property type (eg. boutique, resort, etc) and region (eg. North America, Europe, etc) matches will show up in your dashboard for you to connect with (Tip: make sure to get reviews from customers in your target geographies and hotel types! Learn more).

If you're highly rated and one of the top matches for a buyer based on their characteristics and they are interested in your category, you'll get a notification email as new matches come in.  

Since matched leads have asked to be connected with top rated vendors based on their criteria but haven't stated that they want to connect with your company specifically--this is a great opportunity to reach buyers that otherwise didn't even have your company/product on their radar but you should also make sure to factor this into the way your team follows up with matched leads.

Related article: How should my team followup to matched leads

Google updates it's search algorithm an estimated 500-600 times per year.  Each of these updates is designed to create the best user experience possible and improve based upon new data and market developments.  In a similar fashion, Hotel Tech Report updates it's HT Score algorithm to improve recommendations and create a better user experience on the site for hoteliers seeking technology vendor information.

The next update will deploy onFriday February 22nd at 12:00 A.M. PST and will include 3 updates outlined in more detail below: 

• Update #1: Increase in category minimum review threshold
• Update #2: Shift from binary to gradual adjustments
• Update #3: Ceiling put on review recency requirement
• Update #4: Market leader badge

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For the next update, we will be crowd sourcing recommendations and getting the community's opinion on the best way to serve our global user base of hotel tech buyers.  If you would like to be a part of the decision making process for the next HT Score update--please sign-up here.

Want to calculate your score before the new update? 

​Try the HT Score Calculator​

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Update #1: Increase in category minimum review threshold

At Hotel Tech Report we believe that size is not an indicator of quality. There are many smaller companies with wonderful products that can often be superior to those created by larger companies.  In fact, that's why part of our mission has always been to level the playing field and in many cases we have already seen this come to life as startups with great products and client relationships upset major industry incumbents taking the top rated spot in their respective categories.  

The mechanism we first implemented to create this 'leveling of the playing field' was the "minimum review threshold" (aka avg. # of reviews in the category) which creates a fair environment for all companies who have proven viability and market traction (i.e. can be trusted by hoteliers).  Previously, we calculated this variable by taking the average # of reviews for any company with >1 review in a category to create that fairness.  (Not sure how to see where your products stand in terms of meeting the minimum review threshold? Learn more)

Example of Update #1: 

Let's consider a category with 30 vendors in it.  18 of those vendors have more than 1 review (and the average of them is 5 reviews).  The other 12 vendors have more than 10 reviews (and their avg. is 15 reviews).  And let's take the perspective of Brain Software, a fictional company in the category with 5 reviews.

• Before the update: Since Brain Software has 5 reviews, and the category minimum review threshold (aka average of products with more >1 review) is 5 reviews, they receive full credit on this metric.
• After the update: Since the new average is 15 reviews te average calculated when factoring in only companies with >10 reviews), Brain Software is now below the category average and will not receive full credit on this criteria.

Running extensive tests on our data set we have found that this variable would produce better recommendations by moving the requirement to >10 reviews which at a high level is because companies with fewer than 10 reviews don't have a large enough sample size to be relevant.  This update helps provide more trusted recommendations to hoteliers and ultimately benefits both sides of the marketplace.

Update #2: Shift from binary to gradual adjustments

The second area we've improved the 'minimum review threshold' is by removing the binary element of that calculation to eliminate scoring volatility.  Several vendors experienced wide swings in scoring as they hovered around the category average (aka minimum review threshold) and this will no longer be the case with this new update. 

• Before the update: ​Binary, you are either above or below the average and if you are below, your score is discounted a full 20%.
• After the update: Sliding scale that gradually adjusts based on variance from the mean.

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The Bottom Line:
Companies below the category average will be incremental dinged for the variance between their review count and the average review count of other products in their category.  To get full credit for this variable, make sure your company hits the category average.  If you are below it, you will see this notification both on your profile as well as in your dashboard showing how many reviews you need to reach the category minimum review threshold and earn full credit:

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(Note: This part of the update will be rolled out in mid-March) 

Update #3: Cap put on review recency requirement

In November 2018 we rolled out the addition of the Review Recency variable.  This variable served to take into account the fact that software (SaaS) products evolve rapidly and many companies deploy code on a bi-weekly basis.  Therefore, a software product today may barely resemble the software product 1, 2 or 3 years from now and consequently, and this variable helped:

1. Incentivize new/fresh content that increases relevancy and accuracy: Reviews are needed to paint an accurate picture of what it's like to work with a given company at the time when the prospect is considering said company so more recent reviews serves to paint a more real time and accurate picture. 
2. Signal product adoption rate to buyers: Install base expansion (aka. growth/adoption) is an indicator of product-market fit, this allows fast growing companies to stand out more by signaling their growth via customer reviews helping indicate to buyers which companies are growing.  For these reasons we implemented the Review Recency variable in our last HT Score update.

The Problem:We found that when companies first sign-up with Hotel Tech Report and get a surge of reviews, it makes the competition unfair for those who have have recent reviews but may not have a recent surge since relatively speaking they have a larger base to begin with.  Therefore have decided to cap the requirement to get full credit for theShare of Voice variable to 10 reviews for the trailing-90 days.  So as long as you have 10 reviews in the last 90-days, your company checks the box and will receive full credit for review recency.  We believe that this is a very fair and reasonable target to demonstrate client growth (grow up to 40 clients per year and often less) and a sound cross-section of current market sentiment. 

The Bottomline: As long as you hit the minimum requirement for fresh content (at least 10 reviews in the trailing 90-days), you are covered and will get full credit for recency.

Update #4: Market leader badge

Each year Hotel Tech Report hosts our annual People's Choice Award honoring the company with the most customer advocates across 60+ categories on Hotel Tech Report.  Now this will be built into the UX of the platform and each category will have their own version of the People's Choice Award- they will consequently receive a badge that indicates they are the "market leader"

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What is the Review Recency variable?

Review recency is a variable in the HT Score (albiet a small one) to ensure that products have at least some recent reviews for buyers to get an accurate picture of the vendor's current product and service offering.

How do I make sure that I earn full points for review recency?

Make sure you have at least 10 reviews in the trailing 6-months. While its a low bar, it at least provides some current feedback for buyers doing their research, its also an easy goal for vendors (~1-2 reviews per month on average).
  

Why is Review Recency important?

85% of consumers believe that reviews older than 3-months are not relevant anymore and don’t consider these in their decision making.  Recency is an important signal of quality, relevancy and trust.

(SaaS) products evolve rapidly and many companies deploy code on a bi-weekly basis.  Therefore, a software product today may barely resemble the company's product from 6-months or a year ago and consequently, and this variable helps:

1. Incentivize new/fresh content that increases relevancy and accuracy: Reviews are needed to paint an accurate picture of what it's like to work with a given company at the time when the prospect is considering said company so more recent reviews serves to paint a more real time and accurate picture. 
2. Signal product adoption rate to buyers: Install base expansion (aka. growth/adoption) is an indicator of product-market fit, this allows fast growing companies to stand out more by signaling their growth via customer reviews helping indicate to buyers which companies are growing.  

How do I know if my company has enough recent reviews to maximize our HT Score?

If you see the alert below on your profiles, it means your product doesn't have 10 reviews in the last 6-months. To get rid of the alert, run an automated review campaign or send a few 1-click review requests.

Can past reviewers update their review to make it current?

Yes.  Hoteliers can simply write another review and it will update and replace their old review (see: How Hoteliers Can Update a Review) or Premium Members can leverage the 1-click Review Refresh feature in the Automated Review Manager to keep profile content fresh and relevant.

Want to improve your HotelTechScore and Ranking?

Learn how

Still have questions?

Reach out anytime via the 24/7 on-site live chat to speak with an HTR representative.

We're excited to launch HTR's newest offering, Premium Membership!

Sign up for Premium to gain access to members only features, benefits and exclusive discounts to improve your reputation and visibility on Hotel Tech Report.

Premium features: 

1. Automated review manager: Send automated review campaigns with full tracking, collaboration, followup and sequences to save time and boost your rankings and visibility on HTR.
2. Upgraded premium profiles: Upgrade your profiles to transform them into your team's best piece of sales collateral by replacing ads, alternatives and competitors with brand building content like case studies, testimonials, featured brands and more.
3. Respond to reviews: Improve your reputation, followup with reviewers and show prospects that your high touch service by responding to reviews right from your profiles.
4. Press release posting: Ever wonder why it costs $200 to post a single press release on other sites when mainstream media doesn't pick up most of the news from press releases in our industry? Yep, we did too.  That's why we allow you to post unlimited press releases for free right on HTR with built in distribution. Save hundreds of dollars a quarter by getting to post press releases for free right from your HTR dashboard to get the word out about your company's latest news and announcements.

There are two easy ways to share your nomination and participation in the HotelTechAwards on social media:

#1: Use your unique voting link

Each profile has a unique voting link with meta-data for the HotelTechAwards associated with it.  Your link is just your profile plus '/vote'.  For example: https://hoteltechreport.com/write-a-review/triptease/.
When you share your /vote link on any social media, the content will be pre-populated content for you.

#2: Use the social share buttons on your profile

Once you're registered, you will see the awards module added to your profile.  This is good for Facebook and Twitter but for LinkedIn we recommend option #1 since LinkedIn uses different markup for meta-data.

Still have questions?

Reach out anytime via the live chat on HotelTechReport.

At HITEC many vendors displayed their Certificate of Excellence badges to showcase their customer oriented cultures and customer satisfaction levels.  With the site redesign the Certificate of Excellence badge is now dynamic and built into category pages, search results and your profile to promote companies who meet the following minimum standards of excellence:

1. Minimum of15 verified customer review son your profile
2. At least80% recommended by customers
3. HotelTechScore of 80or greater
4. At least 5 recent reviews in the last 90 days

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Update: Job board sunsetted December 2018

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Over the past year more than 80,000 hoteliers and 350+ vendors from the world's leading brands across more than 50 countries have joined together on Hotel Tech Report to collaborate, share insights and foster transparency to speed up the pace of global innovation in our industry (and work together to make sure those pesky home sharing platforms and OTAs don't out innovate us all).

Speaking with hundreds of hoteliers and vendors we kept hearing two sides of the same question:

• Vendors: I'm looking to grow our team, do you know anyone with hotel industry experience and a strong network that might be a good fit for X role?
• Hoteliers:I have a strong background and network in hospitality but want to leverage my skills into a career in tech.  Do you know which companies are hiring?

So...we're introducing Hotel Tech Report Jobs to help hoteliers and techies looking to leverage their industry experience into finding their next big opportunity in hotel tech.

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Save time constantly scanning the web for open opportunities and keep a pulse on what's out there by browsing hundreds of open positions at top travel tech firms around the globe, filter by role or city, find remote jobs and more.

Need some inspiration? Check out the 2018 10 Best Places to Work in Hotel Tech and find out what their employees love about them.

Let the match making begin!
​​Browse job openings​

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Work for a hotel tech company?

• Want to promote your job openings? Learn more
• Register to make the 2019 10 Best Places to Work in Hotel Tech List Register now

Collaborate more efficiently with your team, customers and partners to build trust with prospects and grow your install base.

• Team collaboration: Simplify your feedback workflow by collaborating with your team
• CSV importing: Save time with manual entry and get more reviews with CSV importing
• Feedback manager: Save time by automatically tracking your customer outreach and ensure that you never risk bombarding customers.
• Review request smart links: Get more reviews with personalized outreach and review request SmartLinks.
• Reviewer reveal: Find out who left you reviews privately in the vendor dashboard.

Partner chat (coming August 1)
Ditch the back-and-forth emails and collaborate seamlessly with the global hotel tech community to network, share referrals and form partnerships.

Partner referral tracker (coming August 1)
Invite your team to share leads and referrals to strengthen your network and monitor the health of your partner network.

Remember in the HotelTechAwards when companies across 6 categories made a mad dash for the finish line and ended up creating ties? The reason for this is that like Google's algorithm, the HT Score evolves over time.  The ways it evolves over time are either (a) old variables become bad or less relevant signals of quality or (b) new more relevant variables are introduced to make the rankings better (aka. make it easier for users to find what they are looking for).

In this case, the improvement to the HT Score is coming in the form of removing an old variable that is no longer relevant and is inflating scores (equally across the board for all vendors) and making the HT Score less helpful to users.  This variable is profile completeness, and profile completeness is what caused the multi-way ties across six categories.

In the early days of Hotel Tech Report when the site served as simple directory of categories and companies one of the most important variables to help hoteliers learn about products was providing helpful content on your profile.  As such, if a vendor completed 80% or more of their profile, they received a profile completeness incentive which increased their HT Score by 10.  The problem is that now that almost all vendors have over 80% profile completion, this 10 point boost is actually making the rankings less effective.  

Let's look at an example:

Company 1:
Raw HT Score = 91 pts
Profile completeness = 80%
Actual HT score with completeness boost = 91+10= 101
....but since max HT Score is 100,their score displayed is 100

Company 2:
Raw HT Score = 99 pts
Profile completeness = 80%
Actual HT score with completeness boost = 99+10= 109
...but since max HT Score is 100,their score displayed is 100

So while company 2 technically has a higher score (99) than company 1's (91), both show as 100 after factoring in the profile completeness incentive.

FAQs

Will my company's score change as a result  of this change?

All companies will be impacted equally with the removal of the 10 point profile completeness incentive as a variable.  Only company's with a perfect 100 point HT Score will maintain this.

What can I do to improve my score?

All other variables of the HT Score remain the same.  To read more about the other variables you can do sohere.  Hotel Tech Report users are looking for vendors who have verified customer feedback so its pretty simple, the HT Score is all about customer feedback.  More and better reviews is the key to attracting more hoteliers and improving your HT Score.

Its now easier than ever for hoteliers to compare products side-by-side on Hotel Tech Report to:

• See how their existing providers stack up
• Compare multiple products in their consideration set
• Easily glance attributes across profiles without bouncing around the site

Ready to check out comparisons? Launch compare

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*IMPT*: Vendor checklist for feature comparisons

The easiest way to see what info your products are missing in comparisons is to run a comparison yourself.  That said, here is a quick checklist to make sure your products look their best:

1. Select product features: make sure you have your features checked off in your profile editor
2. Correct your customer mix: Approximate your segmentation to help your ideal buyers find you
3. List your integrations: Add and verify all of your integrations so they show up in compare
4. Get endorsements from experts: Get industry experts and partner vendors to endorse your products
5. Reviews Widget: Add the reviews widget to your website to get your transparent vendor badge
6. Add pricing: Add your pricing model to build trust with hoteliers