There’s nothing more rewarding than receiving glowing reviews from your guests after they have enjoyed their stay at your hotel. Positive reviews not only make you feel good as an owner or manager, but they also help generate more business for your establishment. Negative reviews (which happen to even the best-run hotels from time to time) have the opposite effect. They leave you frustrated and stressed over the possibility of their impact on future business. It’s always a smart idea to follow up on your hotel’s TripAdvisor reviews, both the good and the bad.

According to a study performed by PhoCusWright® on behalf of TripAdvisor, “84% of [TripAdvisor] users agree that an appropriate management response to a bad review ‘improves my impression of the hotel.’” In other words, responsive hotels will attract more business.

But just how do you go about responding to the reviews that are difficult to swallow? Take a look at the following hotels that are shining examples of responding to negative reviews with grace and decorum. You'll also notice that each of the hotels listed in this post is at the top of their market. Coincidence? We think not...

1. Respond as quickly as you can

First thing is first: respond ASAP. Of course, you’ll want to take the time to write a meaningful message to the disgruntled guest, but make it your priority to respond as quickly as you can, avoiding compounding the problem by making your guest feel overlooked. This hotel responded just one day after receiving the bad review.

2. Apologize to your guest

This is the most important piece when responding to a negative review. Even if you already apologized while they were at your hotel, even if they are being unreasonable, always apologize in your TripAdvisor responses if your guests have been dissatisfied with their stay. An apology clears the air and will make your guests feel better. Follow the lead of this exemplary hotel that apologized to its guest right off the bat.

3. Keep it short and sweet

It’s usually better to avoid lengthy explanations if your guest brings up their grievances, as it only tends to frustrate them. Sometimes a simple apology and a thank you for the feedback are all that it takes, much like how this hotel responded to its discontented guest.

4. Offer the guest some form of reparation (and honor it)

If it was a fault on your end and you have the ability to do so, why not offer your guest a form of compensation, such as a reduced rate or free night the next time they are in town? This gracious hotel upheld its promise to either adjust the rate or give hotel points to the frustrated guest.

5. Thank your guest for reviewing

Depending on how you look at it, any review, good or bad, can always be helpful. A poor review, while definitely not enjoyable to read, is a great motivator to stay on top of things at your hotel and a reminder to always look for ways to improve your establishment. For this reason, you should thank your guest for their review. If possible, thank them by name. This stellar hotel thanked its guest for the feedback and made it known that the guest’s insight would help with improvement.

6. Validate your guest's feelings and frustration

As a guest, there is nothing worse than a business ignoring your frustrations or making you feel like you are overreacting. If your guest is upset, acknowledge it and let them know that they are right to feel that way. It may be a small gesture, but it will make your guest feel that you do care. Take a look at this hotel's response that was sensitive and understanding of its guest’s complaints.

7. Highlight any changes you have made or intend to make

As mentioned earlier, negative reviews are great for encouraging overall improvement at your establishment. So if there was some problem at your hotel such as poor wi-fi connection or a broken air conditioner, let your guest know that you have fixed it or are in the process of fixing it. This manager addressed the guests concerns by letting them know their exact complaints are being changed with different renovations to ensure their next stay will be exceptional.

8. Highlight the positive reviews your guest left

Reviews don’t always fall in the “all good” or “all bad” category. Sometimes your guest has mixed feelings about their stay; they were pleased with one aspect but displeased with another. If in a negative review, a guest mentioned something that they did like, call attention to that. Thank them and tell them you take pride in that specific area, while addressing the areas of opportunity for improvement. The guest at this hotel left a negative review of their stay, bud did mention they enjoyed the location and the views.

9. Invite your guest to return for a better experience

It’s a good practice to invite your guest back so that the next time they visit, they will have a much more enjoyable experience. Tell them you will personally see that their needs are met and they will be exceptionally tended to. This champ of a hotel asks its guests to come back for another, better stay and it also gets bonus points for offering a personal apology with no excuses.

10. If possible, follow up personally

There are times, unfortunately, that you will encounter a guest that is enraged over their experience. In this case, a mere apologetic response to their review just won’t do. Instead, try to follow up the guest personally. If you have your guest’s email or phone number, be sure to contact them and express your sincerest apologies. Guest messaging is a great tool to text guests not only during their stay, but after check-out to show you genuinely care. This hotel sent its angry guest a private message to get more details about the guest’s unpleasant experience. 

Responding to negative reviews with care and professionalism is essential for upholding your hotel’s reputation and building trust with future guests. By responding to both positive and negative reviews thoughtfully, you can transform potential setbacks into valuable opportunities to show your exceptional customer service. To see how effective hotel texting can contribute to positive TripAdvisor reviews and strengthen connections with guests, explore our latest blog on the topic.

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