If you love to travel, then you have probably stayed in your fair share of hotels, hostels, and residential colleges over the years. While we hope that most of these experiences have been positive, that won’t always be the case. The fact is that by knowing when to leave an online hotel review, you can do your part to praise a hotel for their great service or help them to improve if your stay was less than satisfactory. If you are new to travel, then we have some information about the importance of hotel reviews, including when to leave them, and what you should and shouldn’t say.
The Importance Of Leaving Hotel Reviews
Before we get into the ins and outs of knowing when to leave online hotel reviews, you should understand why hotel reviews are encouraged and what they look like from the point of view of the establishment. In its most basic sense, a review tells the hotel what they did well and what could be improved. In either case, the information you provide can help the hotel either continue doing what they do right or make the proper adjustments, so they don’t make the same mistakes again.
Also, remember that you are not only talking to hotel management but also to fellow travel enthusiasts! Your experience will influence their decision to stay at that hotel or look elsewhere.
The fact is, if you had a bad experience then you should speak your mind. The better hotels will have employees who read these reviews, and they will often respond in an attempt to resolve the issue. You never know when you might be telling them something that they didn’t realize before. In some cases, they may even offer you a reward for leaving a review, such as a discount during your next stay.
For many people, it is more tempting to leave a bad review, and many don’t even consider leaving a good review unless they were really blown away. However, hotels count on positive reviews because they get many perks from this positive word of mouth, including customer referrals, respect from competitors, and they may even see increased visibility on search engines. This all means they get more business. That is why companies often ask for your feedback.
Sharing Good Reviews
So, now you know that hotels appreciate your good reviews, but with so many other travelers willing to leave positive feedback, when should you chime in? If you stayed at a hotel and the experience was fine, but nothing stood out, then you probably don’t have to spend time leaving a review. However, if your stay was amazing and the staff went above and beyond to ensure that you had everything you needed, then you may want to spread the word.
One reason why you should leave a good review is to help your community of fellow travelers. People have many options of places to stay when they go on vacation. If you can lend a hand and recommend a good option, then you can know that you are doing your part to make the lives of other travelers easier and more enjoyable.
Another reason to leave a positive review is if a particular employee at the hotel went above and beyond to help you or make your stay better in one way or another. Many employees are happy to do their job, but they don’t always know if their efforts make a difference. If you can publicly announce that someone was a standout during your stay, then that employee will not only feel appreciated by the travel community but also by their hotel management. It’s a nice thing to do, and it will leave you feeling great.
On that note, you should also be specific about what you enjoyed about your stay. Rather than just say that the hotel was nice and the staff was friendly, mention what specifically was positive about the visit. It could be the rooms, the breakfast buffet, the pool, or anything in between. Often, other travelers choose a hotel based on that specific criteria, and your feedback can be very helpful when they choose where to stay.
Leaving Bad Reviews
If your stay was simply okay or even slightly less than satisfactory, then you likely aren’t thinking much about going online and publicly stating your displeasure. However, if you had an especially bad time or there was an aspect of the hotel or your stay that you know needs to be rectified, such as a case of fraud or unsanitary living conditions, then it may be a good idea to leave a review.
When you do, it is important that you are tactful and stick to the facts. If you lace your review with vulgar language and name-calling, then you may come off as over-emotional or unstable, and other travelers may not take your words seriously. You also want to make sure that you stick to the facts and don’t make up false information or the hotel may have the right to sue you for sharing untrue or derogatory statements.
Instead, take a day or two to cool off. Then simply describe the issue in an honest manner while inserting specific facts and dates if it will help the hotel pinpoint the issue and make the proper corrections. If you can balance the negative critique with any positives, that may also help your case and show that you aren’t here just to complain. Remember that you also have the option to write to the company directly if you don’t want to share your story with the world.
As you can see, there are many reasons why you can and should write a review about your recent hotel stay. Take the time to compose your review with tact and honesty, and you will help the company and your fellow travelers now and in the future. I hope this helps you know when to leave an online hotel review!
