How to Handle Negative Hotel Reviews - Guide with Examples

Reviews are extremely important for a hotel to attract new guests as well as retain the old ones. With more than 93% of people referring to reviews before booking a room, it becomes paramount for hotels to maintain their online reputation and add reviews.Online reputation management is vital for any contemporary business.   

I, for example, was looking for a hotel room a few days back and reviews were the first thing that I checked for every filtered property that I was inclined to. Review fewer properties right away because of a lack of assurance of amenities and services.    

And millions and millions like me follow the same ritual. So, it is essential to have reviews for your property and its growth. Reviews build trust and nudge guests to book.   

And more/less or equivalent to half of the reviews could be negative. However, that does not mean that they are not to be responded to. All reviews should be responded to, especially the negative ones.

Responding to negative reviews gives an idea that the hotel hears its guests, values their feedback, and acknowledges its shortcomings whilst also offering resolution or committing to improve.

It is the best course of action for a hotel. The reply it gives to its guests offers visitors insight into the ethos of the hotel and the treatment they could expect upon arrival and stay.

Negative hotel reviews and how to handle them?

Negative reviews in any business are not a surprise. There are good days and bad days for businesses too.

The hot topics/services/ reasons for guest complaints and negative reviews are:   

• Unpleasant lobby or room smell  
• Wi-Fi connectivity or speed  
• Delay in check-in/out services  
• Dirty rooms/ untidy beds/ housekeeping issues  
• Elevator accessibility  
• Excessive noise  
• Lack of or sub-standard property/room amenities  
• Hotel/website issues  
• Rude staff  
• Long queues at the front desk  
• Poor customer service

While some of these situations cannot be controlled, how you respond to a particular negative situation/review is what matters the most.   

Not responding to negative hotel reviews aggravates the situation where a guest feels belittled. Additionally, the visitors also feel that the hotel is unbothered by a guest’s experience. This creates a negative image.

The potential guests worry that the hotel will not pay any heed to them and their feedback as well if something goes down during their stay. Thus, it is very important to respond to negative reviews professionally. The copy-and-paste approach must be thrown out of the window here.

The replies should be fair and objective. The replier must address the guest’s concern and take responsibility for the unpleasant experience.

Below are some tips on how to handle negative hotel reviews: 

1. Fix a negative emotion right at the property

On-property guest feedback during the stay and at the time of checkout is extremely important for a hotel to avoid conflicts or disappointments expressed on online platforms later.   

The hotel must collect during-the-stay feedback to reverse any negative emotions by offering quick resolution and improvement. Moreover, the front desk should always ask a leaving guest about their stay experience, hear them out, and promise improvement on their next visit.   

This will allow the guest to let out all their negative emotions/feedback. Otherwise, the same emotions would be expressed through online platforms/mediums.   

Feedback management software such as HEDA could be really useful for hotels to collect real-time sentiments as well as guest feedback on the property and initiate quick actions.   

Even if the guest chooses to communicate the negative elements of their experience on social platforms, then they will also talk about how the hotel response was assuring and comforting when they conveyed the same on the property. This will create a positive image and cancel out the negativity.   

However, if the negative hotel review still has damaging capabilities, the hotel should respond as per the upcoming tips.

2. Respond right away

f the hotel fails to collect guest feedback on the property, or even after doing so, the negative review makes it to the social platforms, the hotel must respond promptly. It must strike while the iron is hot. This makes the guest feel heard and valued.   

This is the first and an important tip on how to handle negative hotel reviews. The response time is a big differentiator. The recommended response time is 24 hrs. However, since the hotel is a busy sight, responding at least within the first 2-3 days also works.   

This can be done by regularly checking review platforms for reviews. But with so much going around in a hotel, this can be an uphill task. Therefore, Channel Manager software such asChannelSyncro could help a hotel effectively manage its online reviews across all the OTAs with just a few clicks on a single dashboard.

3. The response should be free from any emotional biases

The replier needs to think and articulate without any subjectivity or personal biases. Emotions must not be brought into the picture, and the reply should be objective and warm. This is true even when you might feel that the guest is acting unreasonably.   

The replier must sit back for a bit, think objectively, and then start to frame the response. A public platform should be managed extremely mindfully. On the wrong word and there might be no going back!  

4. Greet and thank the reviewer

The first step is always to warmly greet and thank the reviewer for the time taken to offer feedback. You must personalize this by addressing the reviewer by his/her name. Also, highlight if there are some positive stay experience aspects in their review.   

For example, a hotel could write “Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback, XYZ. We are glad that you liked our spa services, and we hope to serve you again!’

5. Address the issue/s

Go through the feedback patiently, and if it seems fair, acknowledge it and apologize.   

For example, ‘Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We value our guests and their feedback. Thus, our team is looking into the issue described by you regarding our room services/cleanliness/spa services/food and beverages, etc.’  

In case, the review seems unfair or unreasonable, start by apologizing that the guest feels a particular way and then try summarizing any misjudgments or confusions that might have happened, in a gentle, tactful, and objective way.  

The hotel could write, ‘Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We value our guests and their feedback. While we understand that there were some issues that you faced and we apologize for the same, sometimes technology slows down or fails causing delays in the services. However, we are working to fix it and assure you that the next time you visit, you will have no complaints! Thank you for your stay and we hope to see you soon!’

6. Offer resolution or extend an invite for further discussion

Once you have addressed the issue, it is important to let the guest know that you are looking at and working towards fixing the problem. Highlight that you are thrilled to make the suggested changes and that you would like them to revisit and experience the enhancement.   

For example, ‘Thank you again for your feedback. Suggestions by valuable guests like yourself help us become better every day! We have investigated the situation, and we are working out a strategy to streamline our room request systems. By the time you visit us next, you will experience seamless room services. Hope to see you soon😊'  

If the matter requires detailed conversation or deeper analysis or just to avoid further public discussion, invite the guest to provide more details on a comparatively private platform or offline.   

If there are any financial miscalculations or any situation that demands making any changes, it is better to adopt a direct approach and get in touch with the guest via email or phone.   

For example, ‘We are sorry to hear about your unpleasant experience with us. And we would like to make it right for you! Please reach out to our customer service team at 85******** or xyz@ulfathotels.com. We would like to discuss a suitable compensation or an alternative solution with you.’  

The hotel must then ensure that the contact details are legitimate and verified. Additionally, no ambitious promises that cannot be delivered should be made just to weather the storm by the replier.   

Be mindful of what you communicate with the guest. Direct the complaint to the concerned department and higher authorities for a suitable response.  

Also, follow-ups in these cases are important.

7. Use the reviews for self-reflection and evaluation

These reviews and feedback must always leave a hotel with some learning. The hotel must evaluate:

• if some issues are reoccurring in nature,   
• if the issue has been resolved or the potential guests might also face it or how likely it is to be reported in the future,   
• if the problem is serious or deeply rooted,  
• lastly, is the solution direct and could be offered quickly, or does it require some fundamental changes?   

These questions will help hotels make some required changes and serve the guests better.

8. Tactfully handle fake reviews

In a market so dynamic and competitive, fake reviews are common. 42% of consumers are confident they’ve seen fake business reviews on Facebook in 2022.   

However, the hotel must handle this situation meticulously and with the same sensitivity to maintain a positive public image.   

In the case of fake reviews just call out its unauthenticity respectfully to appear positive and unbothered by its fake nature.

For example, write ‘Thank you for your review. However, we could not find XYZ in our records. We request you to share more personal details like name, email address, contact number, date of stay, etc., to offer you a quick resolution. Thank you again for your time.'

This is how you can counter fake reviews whilst sounding positive and polite.

A negative review response example  

Below is a simple template to respond to negative hotel reviews:   

Conclusion

These are some tips on how to handle negative hotel reviews. While negative reviews do affect a hotel, they should always be taken in stride and leveraged to make relevant changes in infrastructure, services, amenities, etc., for better business.