Online hotel guest reviews significantly influence the booking decisions of future guests. Implementing the 7-step strategy suggested in this article can improve guest satisfaction and may increase future bookings.

Online hotel guest reviews are a transparent form of word-of-mouth. As such, they represent an invaluable opportunity for hotels to know what their customers think of them. Whether those opinions are positive or negative, hotels can use that information to engage with customers, increase guest satisfaction, identify operational problems, and improve employee morale, among other things. On the other hand, if left unchecked, online review sites can foster negative opinions about your hotel in plain sight of your competitors and prospective guests. The best way to ensure that online guest reviews become a positive force at your property is to have a clear plan for how to deal with them. The 7-step strategy suggested in this article provides an excellent starting point.