PAYING more attention to customer feedback could boost business for the UK hospitality industry by £3.2bn over the next decade, according to a new report.

The Barclays Feedback Economy report, published today, argues that businesses that act on reviews can attract more customers and encourage those customers to spend more.

The Keswick-based holiday lettings agency, Sally’s Cottages, believes it has benefited since it began carrying customer reviews on its web site last year.

It has no control over what is posted and can only respond to, or act on, comments.

Owner and founder Sally Fielding said: “It was a big step to take reviews through a third party but it has certainly increased bookings.

“People like the openness of it.

“And, of course, we respond to comments so that if a shower wasn’t working properly we can put it right straight away and people can see we’ve reacted and that it was a one off problem.

“Business is growing all the time so it’s difficult to say precisely how great an effect the reviews have had but the company that takes the reviews for us, Reevoo, said they could increase bookings by a third.

“At one point we had 100 per cent of people saying they would book through us again. Now it’s dropped back to 99 percent.”