If you manage a hotel today, it’s impossible not to follow online client reviews closely.

Firstly, because travelers now take into account the collective verdict more than ever: recent research shows that the average hotel guest reads 6–12 reviews before booking their stay. Secondly, because reviews are one of the most useful tools for improving a hotel’s guest experience and, consequently, its reservations and revenue.

In practice, though, all of us working in hospitality often witness a form of misuse of evaluation tools by both clients and businesses. Petty reactions and opportunistic tactics undermine the potential benefits of customer reviews, while many businesses eventually learn to operate under the fear of bad ratings.

Where we are today

It is not uncommon for customers to threaten to “punish” a hotel with an unfairly low rating unless they are compensated. At the same time, many businesses try to offer clients incentives to secure positive reviews or—even worse—to bury negative feedback under a mass of fake reviews.

Unfortunately, these are not marginal cases, and the reasons are obvious.

A hotel’s reputation directly impacts both its reservation performance and its profit margin. Studies have shown that 80–90% of travelers consult online reviews before booking.

As a result, highly rated hotels may achieve up to 30% higher occupancy rates while also securing greater pricing power—they can charge premium prices without negatively affecting demand.

The “hunt” for good ratings feels even more strenuous when we consider that travelers are more likely to leave a review when they are displeased. Almost 48% of reviews describe negative experiences, while only 40% refer to positive ones.

How we can turn the page to everyone’s benefit

The first step for every hotel owner or manager is to accept reality: there will always be dissatisfied customers. But criticism made in good faith is not a threat; it is a valuable ally.

In most cases, a guest is not as bothered by the actual problem as by the feeling that their issue was not heard promptly—when it could still be addressed or even resolved.

That is why it is crucial to train hotel personnel appropriately. Hospitality teams must listen to customers with attention and empathy and always be willing to provide a solution. When a guest feels respected, they will rarely post a review aimed at “punishing” the business.

Team members must also learn to ask for customer feedback discreetly and promptly, so that every issue can be resolved before it becomes public and potentially harms the hotel’s reputation.

Reviews as a lever for improvement

If, eventually, a negative review goes public, it is essential to use it to our benefit.

A polite, targeted response that shows a willingness to make amends has been proven to positively influence a hotel’s image among future guests.

Even more important is to take recurring comments seriously, make the necessary improvements immediately, and communicate these corrective actions clearly.

For example, if guests frequently complain about the lack of vegan options in our hotel’s breakfast, we must update the menu and inform our audience of the improvement across all touchpoints: website, social media, OTA descriptions, etc.

At the same time, positive reviews should be utilized in every aspect of the hotel’s communication and promotion: website, social media, and brand storytelling.

Very often, recurring positive reviews highlight specific strengths—points of excellence that can evolve into clear competitive advantages.

In the end, the customer has the final word. But the hotel owner has the power to decide how to make the most of that word to benefit their business.

Acknowledging the existence of this “dialogue” is not a weakness, but the foundation of a healthy relationship with the audience—one that leads to the continuous improvement of the hospitality experience for everyone.