How to Respond to Positive and Negative Hotel Reviews?

As a hotel manager or owner, you are aware that guests may be unpredictable. Some might post positive reviews while others might have a long list of grievances. In either case, it's important to know how to react to these evaluations in a way that will be advantageous for your business.

We have you covered whether you're dealing with a glowing or harsh review. In order to manage your internet reputation, take a cup of coffee (or a stiff drink) and let's get to work!

Online Hotel reviews: How important are they?

Try managing a hotel without any reviews. Guests come and go, but no feedback is ever recorded! And you have no idea how the visit for your guests went. Did you like it? Bad? Would they return in the future? Would they advocate for your home among their friends and relations? Everything is still unanswered. This sounds like a half-baked fortune cookie, don't you think? It goes without saying that how guests choose to book their stay is greatly influenced by your guests' feedback. Figures are comprehensive: A remarkable 93% of visitors research hotels online before making a reservation & 33% of visitors don't want to reserve a hotel that has no reviews.

TYPES OF HOTEL REVIEWS

Although we are confident that you and your staff make every effort to uphold a positive reputation, there are good days and poor days.

Despite your best efforts, there are instances when guests have concerns about the service, the cuisine, the rooms, or other aspects of the facility.

On the other side, guests could commend your efforts and write evaluations out of joy and good will. See what kinds of reviews you might receive:

1. Positive hotel reviews: Positive or happy hotel reviews are not unusual to find. If your guests are satisfied, had a nice time at your property, and received exceptional service that made their stay special, they will happily offer you the glistening 5-star rating.

2. Neutral hotel reviews: When guests are pleased with one of your facilities but dissatisfied with another, neutral reviews result. These guests don't want to be overly critical, but they do want to let everyone know about their experience.

3. Negative hotel reviews: Reviews will be used by your guests to express their negative experiences at your resort. Do keep in mind that customers who post critical hotel review are more active than those who post positive reviews.

After all, you fell short of what they were hoping for . Negative hotel reviews are typically accurate. People might not be truthful about them, though, at other times. What do you do in these circumstances? Responding to a negative hotel review may provide a completely different difficulty because negative reviews are so sensitive. A phone, untrue bad review shouldn't have any impact on your reputation.

WHY DO HOTELS GET NEGATIVE REVIEWS?

Hotels can receive negative reviews for a variety of reasons. Some common reasons include:

• Poor Service: Guest may feel that the service they received was inadequate or unfriendly. This can include issues with check-in, housekeeping, dirty or poorly maintained rooms, or other interactions with hotel staff.

• Amenities: Guests may be disappointed with the amenities offered by the hotel, such as limited or outdated fitness facilities, or insufficient breakfast options.

• Location: Guests may be disappointed with the location of the hotel, such as being too far from popular attractions or in an unsafe area.

• Misrepresentation of hotel online: Guest may feel deceived by the hotel's online representation, such as the pictures of the hotel, the facilities or the services advertised which differ from the actual experience.

It's important to remember that not all negative reviews are accurate, and some guests may have unrealistic expectations or be more sensitive to certain issues than others. However, negative reviews can be valuable for hotels as they can help identify areas that need improvement.

WHY SHOULD HOTELS RESPOND TO REVIEWS?

Reviews are actually free and public for everyone to see and act on after they are published. According to a study: "A 9% difference in revenue might result from a rating differential of just one star." As a result, your comments to hotel reviews will not only demonstrate your authenticity but also your appreciation of the criticism you get.

Hotels should respond to reviews because it is an opportunity to engage with guests, address any concerns they may have, and improve their overall experience. Responding to reviews can also demonstrate a hotel's commitment to customer service and show potential guests that the hotel values their feedback.

• Address concerns and resolve issues: By responding to negative reviews, hotels can address specific concerns that guests may have had and potentially resolve any issues they experienced during their stay.

• Show appreciation: Responding to positive reviews allows hotels to show appreciation for the guest's feedback and their loyalty.

• Improve reputation: By responding to reviews in a timely and professional manner, hotels can improve their reputation and demonstrate their commitment to customer service.

It's important to keep in mind that reviews are a form of public communication, and how the hotel responds to them can have a big impact on their reputation, so it's important to respond professionally, empathetically and constructively.

HOW TO DRAFT HOTEL REVIEW RESPONSES?

By this point, it should be very clear why writing a response is important. Each portal has rules, manners, and good conduct expectations that should be followed when writing a response. Positivity-focused hotel review comments could be simpler to write. But as I've already indicated, replying to unfavorable hotel reviews is a harder nut to crack.

In addition, this one question is asked by the majority of hotels rather frequently:

How should you react to unfavorable hotel reviews? OR What should I do about bad TripAdvisor reviews? Why not, too. Negative hotel reviews not only paint a poor picture of your business but also persuade potential customers not to book with you. Negative hotel review answers ought to be required on your list for this reason.

So, let’s focus on that first!

HOW SHOULD YOU REACT TO UNFAVOURABLE HOTEL REVIEWS?

You must abide by a few rules when replying to internet hotel reviews, whether they are positive or negative.

You can't just reply to every critique in the same way, after all. due to the fact that each guest will discuss something unique. One may highlight your property's ideal location, while the other may draw attention to your staff's negligence.

We've created an ideal hotel review response formula that takes all of those aspects into account and is primarily intended to be utilized in reaction to unfavorable reviews.

Formula for writing unfavorable hotel reviews

In addition, I have the following helpful advice for writing quality hotel review responses:

Tip 1: When you provide a fix for the issue, move those discussions into a private setting. If you can, get in touch with them personally or ask them to email you.

Tip 2: Use a courteous tone throughout your entire response. It shouldn't come off as impolite to the guests.

Tip 3. Ask the general manager or guest relations manager of your hotel to comment on your reviews. The guest and viewers will be more affected by this.

Let's go back to the favorable and unfavorable hotel reviews now.

HOW TO RESPOND TO NEUTRAL AND POSITIVE HOTEL REVIEWS?

Contrary to negative evaluations, responding to positive hotel reviews is typically easy and uncomplicated. As a result, you should express your gratitude to the customer for his favorable report while also extending a warm welcome to him back at your hotel.

For neutral hotel reviews, a mix of both positive and negative comments are included. At this point, you're unsure whether to express gratitude for his positive remarks or regret for his unpleasant experience.

HOW SHOULD AN IDEAL HOTEL REVIEW RESPONSE BE?

An ideal hotel review response should be prompt, professional, and personalized. It should acknowledge the guest's concerns and address any issues that were brought up in the review. The response should also demonstrate an understanding of the guest's experience and express empathy for any negative aspects of their stay. Additionally, the response should include a call to action, such as inviting the guest to contact the hotel directly to discuss their experience further or to offer a solution to any issues that were raised. Overall, it should be clear that the hotel values the guest's feedback and is committed to providing a positive experience for all guests.