Figuring out Hotel Reviews for High Bookings in 2024

There is nothing leisurely about booking hotels for leisure vacations. Which hotels people choose can make or break the entire trip. People have multiple concerns they want answers to before booking. These concerns range from amenities to finding safe locations. And when it comes to such serious issues, they can only trust one person. The customer. This makes hotel reviews important for both hotels and customers alike.

Customers need reliable reviews while picking hotels. At least 8 out of 10 people read hotel reviews before booking. So, it becomes a hotel’s top priority to provide honest hotel reviews to their customers.

So, we are going to dive deep into the world of reviews to find out how your hotel can have a continuous flow of customers.

Common customer concerns with online hotel bookings

To serve customers, we need to get them through the doors first. And for that, we need to know what stops them from becoming your guests.

Double bookings and other mix-ups

It is a nightmare when people have hassles with bookings. Their entire plan depends on bookings coming through. It derails their entire schedule if there are last-minute cancelations, double bookings, etc.

So naturally, people are hesitant while choosing a place. They want to select reputed and reliable places to avoid such problems.

Unsafe locations

Security concerns are no joke. The last thing people want is for their vacations to turn into the breaking news.

They need to know beforehand whether a hotel follows all the privacy and security standards, is in a safe location, and more. So, choosing a trustworthy hotel is the top priority.

Misinformation

What if they don’t have the Wifi they say they have? What if the rooms don’t look like the pictures? What if they don’t have proper air conditioning? The list ends here only because we need to move on.

Countless customers face inconvenience because they do not get the amenities hotels advertise. So, after listening to such stories and experiencing themselves, customers hesitate to book new hotels.

Hygiene concerns

No hotel will themselves say they do not follow hygiene practices. They are going to show the best possible version of theirs on the internet. But, the reality is many times different and unclean. People need assurance before booking that the hotel maintains cleanliness standards.

Hotels can answer all these concerns with just one solution. Authentic reviews. What the previous customer has to say matters more than anything the hotel can do.

How important are authentic hotel reviews?

Reviews are the only social proof that your customers can trust. So, it is important to show them honest opinions. Here’s why.

Gain trust

Guest feedback helps people know you better, which leads to trust. It humanizes your business to them. Do you know how many reviews it takes to make people trust you? 79% of people will read between 6 to 12 reviews before deciding.

Show the real picture

No matter how much we try to put our authentic selves, we will end up beautifying. After all, we have to put our best foot forward. But our customers don’t have to do it.

Their aim is not to sell your hotel. So, they put no filters and give a genuine account of their experience. Some sites also allow guests to upload photos with reviews. This makes the hotel reviews reliable. Moreover, customers can see the recent condition of the hotel instead of the ‘salesy’ version.

A glimpse of customer service

A perfect ambiance or other fancy accessories will not make up for a disappointing customer experience. Whereas, awesome customer service can make even a simple homestay a go-to destination.

You aren’t the only hotel in the surroundings anymore, there are many to choose from. So, what will help you stand out? Customer service. Happy customers give positive reviews. This shows your potential guests the kind of service they can expect.

Earn more

According to a study by Expedia Group , guests are willing to pay more for higher customer ratings. So, if you have a rating of 3.9 and above, you can earn more with each booking. This also verifies that people are ready to pay more if they can have a good experience.

If reviews are so important, let’s find out how to get them for

Top sources for reliable hotel reviews

Being on various hotel review platforms or booking platforms helps you with visibility and reach. But which sites to prioritize? Here are some of the best hotel review websites you should be on.

Google

Although it is not limited to being a hotel review website, this list is incomplete without Google. Get a Google My Business Account for your hotel. This will help you appear on Google Maps, and Google search for queries like ‘hotels near me’, etc.

In addition, people can view profile pictures of customers who leave a review. It adds another layer of trust and makes the reviews more believable.

TripAdvisor

With over 1 million hotel listings and about 730 million hotel reviews, TripAdvisor is a reliable website for both hotels and customers.

Hotels can modify the amenities they provide at any time. This way, they can always give the right information. They can also respond to reviews on this platform.

Booking.com

Booking.com is one of the best websites for hotel reviews, bookings, etc. Over 100 million bookings happen on this site each day.

Booking.com users can leave reviews after their stay and businesses can answer respond to their reviews here.

Expedia

The Expedia Group owns more than 200 travel sites including Expedia, Orbits, and Hotels.com. These platforms are active in more than 70 countries. Having your hotel on these websites can help you increase your reviews.

Having multiple review sources allows hotels to get more visibility and reviews. It also increases your credibility and helps customers trust you more.

Adapting to the world of social media and travel

Hotel review websites aren’t the only way to promote your hotels. You can create a buzz with social media and travel blogs too. The top travel influencers have thousands of followers on Instagram, YouTube, etc., and are already interested in exploring new places. Some popular travel blogs include The World Travel Guy, IndiTales, Jessie on a Journey, etc.

People trust the recommendations by influencers the same way they trust a recommendation from a friend. These influencers explore new places, create videos, and share their experience.

Collaborating with an influencer or getting featured in a travel blog can help you get recognition and expand your customer base.

Influencers are especially helpful if you are new and struggling to get traffic. Social media can give you the initial hype you need. A common trend is to have special discounts if customers book your hotel from through an influencer.

How to increase hotel reviews

People focus on the hotel ratings and the number of reviews they have. When browsing hotels on Google, what do you trust more? A 4.2-star rating from 20 reviews, or a 5-star rating from 2 customers? More number of reviews give confidence. So, let’s find out how to increase the number of reviews.

Be present on multiple sites

Be on the top sites and the sites your target customers prefer to use. Choosing the sites your target audience prefers increases your chances of conversions, and eventually more reviews.

Apart from above-mentioned platforms, you can list your hotel on websites like Agoda, Hotwire, Priceline, Skyscanner, etc.

Make leaving a review quick

People will leave a review if it takes just a few moments. The process to leave a review should not be lengthier than clicking on a link or scanning a QR code. For example, you can utilize the Google Review QR code.

Ditch the lengthy survey forms. Give your customers prompts on which they can leave a review so that they do not have to spend time thinking about what to write.

Decide when to ask for feedback

We should ask for feedback at strategic times and places. Avoid asking for feedback when they are in the middle of a task. For example, avoid asking questions when a customer is enjoying their food or about to start a new activity.

You can ask for feedback when a guest has completed their stay and is in the billing section. You can also leave QR codes near dining areas or on the coffee tables in the rooms so that customers can leave a review in their free time.

In addition, some platforms like TripAdvisor or Google have door hangers to collect reviews. You can place these door hangers with a QR code at the entrance of rooms. This can grab customers’ attention and encourage them to leave feedback.

Collect reviews on your website

You can add links to different review platforms on your website so that your guests have access to submitting a review anytime. Now, collecting reviews on different sites is alright. However, displaying these reviews on the website is also crucial.

If you collect reviews on multiple sites, will you use embed codes of each site to add different blocks of reviews? That would make your website messy. Instead, you can opt for tools that allow you to import reviews with a single click and help you add them all together in a Wall of Love.

DM for feedback

This is tricky advice. People don’t like being bombarded with messages from businesses. But, you still have to ask them for feedback. So, ensure that you don’t spam them with feedback requests.

Keep your request message short and personalized. And, you can share a link to your feedback form in the message. This way, you do not have to waste time gathering all feedback in one place to use for improvements and social proof.

How to maintain the authenticity of hotel reviews

Many hotels resort to fake positive reviews to build a reputation. However, these reviews do not benefit anyone in the long run.

Don’t delete negative reviews

Many businesses prefer to only keep the good reviews and discard the negative reviews. But that is counterproductive. If people do not see negative responses or low ratings, they are suspicious of the authenticity.

But, wouldn’t negative comments harm your image? They can, but only if you do not respond well to them. Everyone is aware that hotels will have hiccups along the way. No one expects a perfect record.

But, your response to these comments will decide whether they want to visit. For example, customers will run in the opposite direction if a hotel doesn’t respond or responds in anger. However, hotels that accept criticism with grace and fix their mistakes will retain and acquire more customers.

Get more proof

The easiest to fake are star ratings followed by text reviews. Customers do not trust only 5-star ratings. Moreover, text reviews have also become easy to fake in recent times. This makes the reader cautious.

However, reviews with images, or videos, make it more believable. But, getting videos takes more time, and not many will want to do it. However, we can reduce the hurdles if we make video recording easy with video feedback tools. Also, providing top-notch customer service goes a long way in making customers willing to record a video for you.

Don’t fall into the trap of writing reviews yourself

Many times hotels write reviews on behalf of customers. The problem with this is, that all reviews start looking the same. They lose the unique perspective every individual brings. They all start looking monotonous and lose their appeal.

It is easy for customers to spot the difference between reviews written by actual customers and the business. But, this doesn’t mean you cannot assist them with it.

You can give them pointers on which you would like to receive feedback. This will help them write a review that has specific experiences and instances. Such reviews are more helpful for readers as they help them understand the hotel better.

Flag fake reviews

Platforms like Google allow you to flag reviews you think are fake or inappropriate. You can flag spam or inaccurate comments. This allows you to keep your review section clean and honest. When you don’t have spam reviews, and you respond to all reviews, it also shows potential customers your attention to customer voice.

Final words

Reviews are crucial in every industry, but more so in hospitality. The entire focus of hotel businesses is to provide good customer service. This makes the opinion of the customer, the only opinion that counts. So, building an image with guest ratings is the only long-term growth plan.