How should a hotel reply to reviews so new guests book sooner?
Short answer
Reply to every review personally, promptly and in the guest's language. Thank people for what they specifically mention, acknowledge complaints about noise, cleanliness or breakfast without excuses and say what you are changing. Write with the future guest in mind: they read your reply while deciding whether to book, and it shows them how your hotel treats its guests.
People looking for a hotel compare. Photos, price and location decide the shortlist, but reviews and your replies often tip the balance. A traveler torn between two hotels on the same street reads how the owner responds when something goes wrong.
For small and mid-sized hotels, that is an opportunity. You do not need a big marketing budget to show on your Google profile that there are real people behind the front desk who listen.
Does replying to reviews really help bookings?
Research points that way. Hotels that started replying to reviews went on to receive slightly higher ratings and more reviews. So your reply is not an afterthought of politeness, but part of what a new guest sees at the moment they decide.
Davide Proserpio and Georgios Zervas studied hotels that started responding. In their study in Marketing Science (2017) they found a 0.12-star increase in ratings and a 12% increase in review volume. Hotels that respond also received fewer but longer negative reviews. One caveat: hotels often started responding after a dip in their ratings. The authors also summarized their work in Harvard Business Review.
Recent reviews carry the most weight. In a BrightLocal survey of 1,002 US consumers (2026), 74% say they only care about reviews written in the last three months, and 68% will only use a business with 4 or more stars. A fresh reply to last week's review does more than a beautiful reply from two years ago.
Reply to guests in their own language
If a guest writes in French, German or Spanish, reply in that language. It is hospitable, the guest truly understands you, and future guests from the same country see right away that they are welcome. Short and correct beats long and full of mistakes.
- Have sensitive replies checked by a colleague who speaks the language well. The wrong nuance in an apology can come across harsher than you meant.
- Translate your standard sign-off properly once, so your closing sounds the same in every language.
- Do not switch languages halfway. A reply that starts in English and ends in Dutch looks careless.
This is where a tool really helps. ReplyHero can write replies in the language of the review, with a fixed sign-off. If you want to see every reply first, you can set a location so replies wait in the portal for your approval.
How to respond to complaints about noise, cleanliness and breakfast
Acknowledge the guest's experience, be honest about what you can and cannot change, and name one concrete step. You cannot always fix street noise, but you can fix a dusty room. Future guests value that honesty more than big promises.
| Complaint | How to respond | Better not |
|---|---|---|
| Noise from the street, neighbors or elevator | Acknowledge it and tell guests what they can do, such as asking for a room on the quiet side when booking. | Writing that nobody else complains about it. |
| Room cleanliness | Apologize without reservation and say what will be checked more closely. | Publicly blaming the housekeeping team. |
| Breakfast: choice, crowds, items running out | Thank them for the tip and name what you are changing, such as restocking more often. | Explaining that more is not possible at that price. |
| Check-in or staff | Apologize for the experience and offer a conversation by email or phone. | Internal details about schedules or being short-staffed. |
Only promise what you will actually do. A guest who returns and sees nothing has changed writes a second, harsher review.
How to answer a hotel review in 5 steps
A good hotel reply is short, personal and specific. Use the guest's name, refer to something from their stay, respond to the complaint or compliment and close with your own name. These five steps keep every reply clear and easy to read.
- Pick the main point. Room, breakfast, location or a staff member: respond to what matters most.
- Start with the guest's name, as Google recommends in its tips for better replies.
- Address the specific point. With praise, add something extra, such as where the bread comes from. With criticism, acknowledge it, with no "but".
- Name one improvement or one invitation. Not both, and certainly not five.
- Sign off personally with your name and role. "Sophie, guest relations" reads differently from "The Management".
Google first checks your reply against its policies. According to its help page on managing reviews, this usually happens within 10 minutes, but it can take up to 30 days.
Staying personal when you get a lot of reviews
Work with fixed agreements rather than fixed texts. Decide who replies, within what time frame and in what tone, and make every reply refer to something the guest actually wrote. That way each reply stays recognizably your hotel without reading like a template.
- Avoid the same thank-you under every review. Guests notice immediately when they scroll through your profile.
- Agree on a fixed time frame, for example criticism within two working days and praise within a week.
- Set the tone: how formal you are, who signs off and how you write the hotel's name.
- Use reviews internally too. If three guests mention breakfast in one month, that is information for your kitchen.
Run a smaller place with just a few rooms? Then also read why B&Bs should reply on Google as well as Booking.com and Airbnb.
Example replies
Use them as a starting point and make them personal: mention something from the review and sign with your own name.
Negative review about noise at night
Nice room and a great location, but we barely slept. Noise from the bar across the street until two in the morning, and the windows block absolutely nothing. For this price I expected more.
Reply
Dear James,
I am so sorry you slept so badly. A good night's rest is the least you should expect from a hotel, and we did not manage that for you. The rooms on the street side are indeed affected by the nightlife on weekends.
We are having a specialist look at what we can improve on the windows on that side. Until then, we offer guests a room on the garden side when booking, if one is available.
Kind regards,
Sophie, The Linden Hotel
Mixed review about breakfast
Friendly welcome and a clean, spacious room. Breakfast was disappointing: by half past nine the croissants and fruit were gone and nothing was restocked. A shame, because everything else was fine.
Reply
Dear Claire,
Thank you for your honest review, and I am glad the room and the welcome were to your liking. Having no croissants or fruit left at half past nine is not how we want to serve breakfast. Guests who like a slow start to the day deserve the same choice.
From now on we will restock the buffet until breakfast ends. I hope we get to welcome you again, and I would love to hear whether it was better.
Best regards,
Sophie, The Linden Hotel
Positive review about the location and staff
Lovely small hotel close to the old town. Mark at reception gave us great tips for dinner and even booked a table for us. The room was quiet and spotless. Would definitely stay here again.
Reply
Dear Emma,
Thank you so much for your kind words. I am glad you enjoyed being so close to the old town, and I have already shown your review to Mark. Finding the right restaurant for our guests is one of his favorite parts of the job.
It is lovely to hear the room was quiet and spotless, and our housekeeping team will be pleased. We would be delighted to welcome you back on your next visit.
Warm regards,
Sophie, The Linden Hotel
ReplyHero for hotels
ReplyHero reads the reviews on your Google Business Profile and writes a personal reply to every new review, in the tone you choose. For each location you decide how the reply reaches Google:
- Fully automatic: ReplyHero posts the reply right away.
- With a review window: the reply waits for you for 48 hours. If you do nothing, ReplyHero posts it.
- You approve: you read the reply in your portal and post it with one click, or edit it first.
Free forever for one location, or from $9 per location per month. Cancel any month. See pricing.
Start with ReplyHeroFrequently asked questions
Should a hotel reply on Google too, or only on booking sites?
On both if you can. Your Google profile often appears when someone searches for your hotel's name or looks at the map. Google itself says that positive reviews and helpful replies can help your business stand out. Start with Google and the platforms that bring you the most bookings.
What language should I use to reply to a hotel review?
The language the guest wrote in. A French guest gets a reply in French, a German guest a reply in German. Keep it short if you are less fluent and have sensitive replies checked. That way the guest understands you, and future guests from that country see they are welcome.
Does replying to reviews help my position on Google Maps?
Google does not say so. According to Google, more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking, and positive reviews and helpful replies can help your business stand out. Google says nothing about replies as a ranking factor. So reply mainly for your guests, because they read your replies before they book.
How quickly should a hotel respond to a review?
Ideally within a few days, and for complaints as soon as you can reply with care. In a BrightLocal survey of US consumers (2026), 81% expect a response within a week and 19% expect one the same day. A fixed time frame within your team helps you keep that up.
Can I get an unfair hotel review removed?
Only if the review breaks Google's rules, for example a fake review or one written by a current or former employee. You can report a review like that. A negative but genuine experience stays up. A calm, factual reply then shows future guests your side of the story.
Sources
- Proserpio and Zervas, Online reputation management (Marketing Science, 2017)
- Harvard Business Review, Study: Replying to Customer Reviews Results in Better Ratings (2018)
- BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026
- Google, Tips to write better review replies
- Google, Manage customer reviews
- Google, How to improve your local ranking
