Hotelier David Dodwell says it’s critical for hotels to have a “well-thought out TripAdvisor strategy”, crediting the world’s largest travel website for helping The Reefs and Nisbet Plantation on Nevis stand out from the competition.In an interview with a blog posted on Hospitalitynet, Mr Dodwell also said he continues to work on redevelopment plans for a third resort he’s involved in, 9 Beaches, which closed in 2010.Mr Dodwell told the industry publication the multimillion-dollar plans include building condos and new over-the-water cabanas.“Right now I’m involved with a group that’s working on redeveloping the 9 Beaches Resort here in Bermuda,” Mr Dodwell said in the interview posted last Thursday.“The property sits on 18 beautiful beachfront acres which previously served as the Canadian Naval Base. We have obtained a Special Development Order on a new Master Plan that will include hotel rooms, condominiums and the iconic over-the-water cabanas from the resort.“The land is owned by the Bermuda Government and we now have a 240-year lease on favourable terms. We now have some of the capital in place. Hopefully, in the not too distant future, we will have everything in order so we will be set to go. It’s an exciting project and I’m looking forward to introducing a new product to Bermuda’s tourism inventory.”Both The Reefs and Nisbet resorts have been highly acclaimed in travel media over the year, including Mr Dodwell being named Caribbean Hotelier of the Year last year; his 36-room Nisbet Plantation being singled out as the #1 resort in the Caribbean, Bahamas & Bermuda by both Travel+Leisure and Conde Nast Traveler; and the August 2012 Travel+Leisure Magazine naming The Reefs the #1 resort in the Caribbean, Bahamas & Bermuda with Nisbet filling the #2 spot.Mr Dodwell told the blog he believed exceptional service at the two resorts contributed most to their recent success.“If you look closely at the awards and how they are calculated there are a number of factors considered when developing the rankings including such things as location, activities, food and service,” he said. “Neither resort ranks high on every factor, but both really excel in service delivery which helps push their overall scores to the top.”He added: “In our business plans we never set winning awards as an objective. Our number one goal is to deliver the highest level of customer satisfaction and value for money by providing an excellent vacation experience at a fair price. It amazes me and the guests how our staff remembers everyone’s name.“The management and staff of both resorts are devoted to our customers and that pays higher dividends to us than any of these awards. It all pays off in building a very loyal base of guests which leads to higher repeat visits and more word of mouth advertising. Awards come and go, but a loyal guest should be with you forever.“As every hotelier will tell you, delivering consistently high levels of customer service is tough. An otherwise perfect vacation can fall short for a guest with just one poor encounter at the front desk or while dining.“Having great personnel is critical to delivering exceptional service and that begins by making sure the right people are hired in every position — no compromises here. It’s much easier to provide the hospitality skills a pleasant person needs than to try and change someone’s personality.“I’m also a big believer in training and it is ongoing at both resorts. There is always something new to learn and having a little refresher now and again can make a big difference to guests.”On the resorts’ presence on TripAdvisor, he said, “Sharing success stories is also important and builds a sense of accomplishment and pride with staff. Department heads share customer satisfaction surveys so everyone knows how well they are performing. We also share TripAdvisor reviews.“Staff gets a kick out of having their names mentioned on the internet by guests. I would like to add something about TripAdvisor. Nisbet Plantation is a small resort and was usually overlooked in magazine awards. That changed several years ago when TripAdvisor rated Nisbet as the #1 resort in all the Caribbean and Latin America in it’s Travelers’ Choice Awards. Having a well thought out TripAdvisor strategy is important.”He said his resorts also had a great deal of respect for travel agents and offered them commissions for life.