Think Local Reviews · Hospitality
How Hospitality Businesses Can Increase Their Reviews (and Turn Them Into More Bookings)
If you run a hotel, B&B, guesthouse, restaurant, bar or café, your online reviews are your modern shop window. Before a guest ever walks through your doors, they’ve already checked your rating, scrolled recent comments and compared you to three or four other places nearby.
At Think Local Reviews (thinklocal.reviews), we help hospitality businesses turn real guest experiences into a steady stream of genuine reviews on Google, Tripadvisor, Booking.com and other key platforms. This guide breaks down exactly how to do that in a way that:
- Feels natural for your team and your guests.
- Fits around busy service and peak seasons.
- Actually leads to more bookings and higher revenue.
1. Why reviews matter so much for hospitality
Guests are spoilt for choice. Search results for “hotel near me” or “best brunch in [your town]” show a long list of options. Reviews are how guests quickly decide who makes the shortlist.
- Visibility: properties with more and better reviews tend to appear more prominently in local search and map packs.
- Trust: reviews act as social proof. Few recent reviews often feels riskier than a slightly lower score with lots of activity.
- Conversion: detailed reviews answer questions and tackle objections, turning browsers into bookers.
In real terms, your review profile influences:
- How many people click your listing instead of a competitor’s.
- How confident guests feel about booking direct vs via an OTA.
- Whether you can hold your rates during busy periods.
2. Choose the right review platforms to focus on
Hospitality reviews are scattered across many sites. Trying to push every guest to every platform is confusing. Pick your priorities.
Core platforms for most hospitality businesses
- Google Business Profile: essential for local search and maps.
- Tripadvisor: especially important for tourist destinations.
- Booking.com / Expedia / Airbnb: if they drive a lot of your bookings.
- Facebook: still influential in smaller towns and local communities.
Decide which 1–2 platforms matter most to you and send guests there first. You can still collect reviews elsewhere over time, but a focused strategy gets better results.
3. Map your guest journey and find natural “review moments”
The best time to ask for a review is when a guest is already happy and engaged. To find those moments, walk through your guest journey step by step.
For accommodation (hotels, B&Bs, guesthouses)
- Booking: guests compare you with alternatives, check photos and reviews.
- Pre-arrival: confirmation emails set expectations.
- Check-in: first impressions of staff and property.
- During the stay: housekeeping, maintenance, food & beverage.
- Check-out: final interaction and goodbye.
- Post-stay: memories, photos, conversations with friends.
Review moments you can use:
- When a guest compliments the room, breakfast or staff at reception.
- After your team successfully resolves an issue (e.g. room change, noise problem).
- At check-out if guests say, “We had a great stay” or “We’ll definitely be back.”
For restaurants, bars and cafés
- Reservation: online booking or phone call.
- Arrival: greeting, seating and first impressions.
- Meal: service quality, speed, food and drinks.
- Payment: bill, tipping, final interaction.
- Post-visit: guests sharing photos and talking about you.
Review moments you can use:
- When guests praise a dish, cocktail or the atmosphere.
- When a table is celebrating a birthday or special occasion.
- When regulars bring new people or say, “We recommend you to everyone.”
4. Give your team easy review scripts they’ll actually use
Staff often avoid asking for reviews because they feel awkward or worry they’re being pushy. Short, friendly scripts make it feel more like part of the service.
Accommodation scripts (front desk & guest relations)
At check-out after a good stay
“We’re really glad you enjoyed your stay, thank you for telling us. If you have a spare minute once you’re home, we’d really appreciate an honest review on Google or [platform] – it helps future guests know what to expect.”
After resolving a problem
“Thank you for giving us the chance to put things right. If you feel we’ve handled it well, we’d be grateful if you’d mention that in a review so people can see how we look after guests if something goes wrong.”
Restaurant / café scripts (servers & managers)
When guests compliment food or service
“That’s really kind of you, thank you. If you ever feel like leaving us a quick review on Google or [platform], it really helps small places like ours stand out.”
For regulars
“You’ve supported us for a long time and we really appreciate it. If you have 30 seconds for a quick Google review, it makes a huge difference for us.”
Give staff permission to adapt the wording to their own style. The aim is to sound like a friendly human, not a script.
5. Remove friction: QR codes, short links & printed prompts
Even delighted guests will usually forget to review you if the process is fiddly. Your job is to make it as easy as possible.
Smart in-property placements
- Rooms: small branded card near the welcome pack with a QR code.
- Reception: subtle sign on the counter: “Enjoyed your stay? Review us.”
- Bill folders: line inside the check presenter with QR code and link.
- Menus: a small footer note with a short URL to your review page.
- Wi-Fi page: thank-you message with an optional “Leave a review” link.
Copy ideas:
- “Enjoyed your stay? Tell future guests what it’s really like: [QR code].”
- “Loved your meal? A quick honest review helps more people discover us.”
Always test QR codes and links on multiple phones before printing. A broken or confusing link kills momentum quickly.
6. Automate post-stay and post-meal review requests
The most reliable way to grow hospitality reviews is to send automatic follow-ups after the experience, timed so the guest is home but still remembers their visit clearly.
For hotels, B&Bs and guesthouses
Use your PMS or booking engine, or connect it to a platform like Think Local Reviews, to send:
- An email 12–24 hours after check-out, not in the middle of the night.
- A short message with a single clear call-to-action button.
- Personalised content (name, dates, room type if possible).
“Hi [Name],
Thank you for staying with us at [Hotel Name]. We hope you had a great time in
[Destination]. If you have a moment, we’d really appreciate an honest review here:
[button/link]. Your feedback helps us improve and helps future guests choose with
confidence.”
For restaurants and cafés
If you use an online reservation platform, see if it includes post-visit feedback or review requests. If not, you can send your own via email or SMS:
“Hi [Name], thank you for dining with us at [Restaurant Name]. We’d love to hear how your experience was. If you have 30 seconds, please leave an honest review here: [link].”
Automation best practices:
- Only message guests who have consented to receive communication.
- Limit to one review request per stay or booking.
- Avoid intrusive times (e.g. no emails at 2.00am).
7. Track the right review KPIs (not just star rating)
It’s tempting to obsess over your average star rating, but other metrics tell a more useful story.
| Metric | What it tells you | What to aim for |
|---|---|---|
| Total review volume | How much social proof guests see at a glance. | Steady growth month-on-month. |
| Review recency | Whether you look active and up-to-date. | New reviews every week, ideally every few days. |
| Average rating | Overall satisfaction level. | 4.3–4.8 stars is healthy and believable. |
| Response rate & time | How engaged you are with guest feedback. | Reply to 100% of reviews within 48 hours. |
A platform like Think Local Reviews can track all of this for you so you can quickly see if your efforts are working.
8. Manage multi-platform reviews without losing your mind
Hospitality reviews rarely live in one place. You might have:
- Google reviews from people who searched locally.
- Tripadvisor reviews from tourists.
- OTA reviews from Booking.com, Expedia or Airbnb.
- Facebook recommendations from locals.
Logging into each platform daily is a recipe for burnout. Instead, centralise everything. With Think Local Reviews, you can:
- See new reviews in one dashboard.
- Filter by property, platform or rating.
- Use response templates and personalise them quickly.
- Spot themes (e.g. repeated praise for breakfast or repeated complaints about Wi-Fi).
9. Respond to every review – especially the negative ones
Guests don’t expect perfection, but they do expect fairness. Your replies show how you behave when things go well and when they don’t.
Positive review response tips
- Thank the guest by name.
- Mention specifics they raised (view, staff member, dish, location).
- Reinforce what you want to be known for (service, cleanliness, local knowledge).
- Invite them back if appropriate.
“Thank you so much, Alex! We’re thrilled you enjoyed your anniversary stay and that the team made you feel special. It’s great to hear you loved the rooftop bar and our recommendations for exploring the seafront. We hope we can welcome you back to [Hotel Name] again soon.”
Negative review response structure
- Acknowledge and thank them.
- Apologise briefly for their experience.
- Explain what you’re doing about it (without arguing).
- Move the conversation offline to resolve it.
“Hi James, thank you for taking the time to share this. We’re very sorry that your dinner experience didn’t match the standards we aim for, particularly around the waiting time. We’re reviewing staffing and our booking process on busy evenings to prevent this happening again. If you’re willing, please email us at [address] so we can understand more and see how we can make this right.”
You’re not trying to “win” the argument. You’re showing future guests that you handle problems fairly and professionally.
10. Turn reviews into visible social proof
Don’t let great reviews sit unseen on third-party sites. Reuse them in your own marketing:
- Add a rotating “Guest reviews” section to your website home page.
- Feature specific reviews on pages for weddings, events or conferences.
- Share review screenshots on social media with a short thank-you caption.
- Include a few reviews in printed brochures and in-room information.
When guests see consistent praise in multiple places, it reinforces trust and helps justify your pricing.
11. Quick hospitality review growth checklist
This week
- Claim and fully complete your Google Business Profile and key booking profiles.
- Generate direct review links and QR codes for your main platforms.
- Place subtle review prompts in rooms, at reception and on bills/menus.
- Train front-of-house staff with 2–3 simple review scripts.
This month
- Set up automated post-stay and post-meal review requests.
- Start replying to every review, especially negative ones.
- Add a “Guest Reviews” section to your website and brochures.
- Review feedback themes and fix one recurring issue guests mention.
12. Hospitality review FAQs
“What if my rating isn’t great right now?”
Focus on two things: improving the guest experience and increasing your volume of genuine reviews. As you gather more positive feedback, older negative reviews will carry less weight and your average will climb.
“Can I offer discounts for reviews?”
It’s safer to avoid offering rewards in direct exchange for reviews, as many platforms discourage or forbid this. Instead, focus on providing a brilliant experience and asking for honest feedback from happy guests.
“How many reviews should I aim for?”
There’s no magic number, but as a rule of thumb, aim for steady growth rather than a one-off spike. For many independent venues, 10–20 new reviews per month across platforms is a strong target to work towards.
If you’d like help turning all of this into a simple, automated system across one or multiple venues, visit Think Local Reviews.
