Guest reviews are crucial for bookings at a property. Booking.com found that users of the platform prioritize reviews from other travelers over those from journalists, travel bloggers, and even those from relatives and friends. Essentially, guest reviews, along with location and price, determine the existence or disappearance of an accommodation…
For this reason, Booking.com, in an article addressed to partner accommodations, recommends that hosts follow 6 steps on what to do about reviews. He writes:
“Don’t let negative reviews ruin your mood. Respond to negative reviews quickly, gracefully, and effectively with this clear six-step process.
Reviews are so important that having no reviews at all for a property can be a problem. “Guests actually prefer properties with lower ratings to those with no reviews at all,” notes Apoorv Singhal, Junior Product Manager at Booking.com. “The majority of bookings on our platform are for properties with at least one review.” Of course, not all reviews are positive.
Negative reviews can be unpleasant, but you can use responding to them as a valuable lesson. They can help you create a better overall guest experience. When deciding whether or not to respond to a negative review, a good practice is to respond to reviews that provide details that you can control.
Six clear steps to handle a negative review for your hotel
1. Commit to a quick response
If someone posted a negative review, it’s almost certain that they wanted to get your attention. By responding quickly, you’re letting them know that they really did get your attention. Once you’ve committed to responding, act quickly, following the logic of customer service. If it helps, set a timer on your phone and give yourself five or ten minutes to formulate a response.
2. Thank the hotel guest for leaving a review
Show that you take their opinion seriously by responding with empathy, and thank them for their comment that made you aware of the issue. Address them by their first name, if possible. Guests can choose to leave a comment anonymously, but if they use their first name, it may make sense to respond to them in a more personal tone.
3. Acknowledge that they may not have had a great guest experience
Focus on addressing the specific issues that bothered them. You don’t need to go into every detail of a complaint, but you should at least acknowledge that something went wrong. Show that you believe what they’re saying, even if you’re skeptical. It’s extremely tempting to publicly challenge the validity of a reviewer’s claims, but approaching this issue as if it were a legal matter can end up making you seem suspicious or even paranoid to outside observers. Take what they’re saying seriously, and make sure that your stance is evident in your response.
4. Apologize when you feel like it
Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States and known for his many wise words, once said, “Never ruin an apology with an excuse.” If he were living in the internet age, he might have had to expand that adage to account for the phenomenon of insincere apologies. In this light, writing, “We apologize *if* you were offended” would be a no-brainer. When you want to apologize, don’t do it in a way that draws attention to the visitor. Your goal is to show them that you understand, are sincere, and accept responsibility, not to avoid criticism.
A simple rule of thumb to follow: a sincere apology includes the phrase “I’m sorry” and then simply states what happened. Again, acknowledge their concerns and show that you respect what they said about their experience.
5. Show that you’re taking action to show that you care about your hotel’s reputation
Explain what you’re doing to mitigate the problem, if possible. If the problem doesn’t have a clear solution, at least let the guest know how you’re handling their complaint to ensure that other guests don’t have the same experience. But, and this is very important, your real goal here is to back up your words with actions.
“We know from user research that people are more likely to ignore negative reviews if they see that the host has responded in a way that shows they acknowledge the issue or are taking action,” Singhal notes.
Ideally, you should be able to respond positively to indicate that you have fixed the issue. If you have made any improvements to your property based on this or any other complaint, now is a good time to mention it. Show that you genuinely care about improving your property and making your guests happy.
6. Invite them personally to visit your property again
Make it clear that you want the guest to visit you again and that you are willing to speak to them in person unless you feel you really don’t want to. It’s up to you to decide exactly how you end your communication with an unhappy guest, but it’s important to realize that you have the final say. Do so with a positive spirit and dignity.
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