How to ask guests for reviews, within Google's rules
Most guests who had a good stay never write a review, because nobody asked. The way to get more is to ask every guest, at the moment they leave, with a link that takes one tap. The one thing not to do is ask only the happy ones: Google does not allow a business to pick which guests it asks.
A OneHorizyn guide. Updated .
The rule: ask everyone, or no one
Google's rules for reviews forbid asking only for good reviews, and forbid steering unhappy guests away from leaving one. Offering a reward for a review is not allowed either. A hotel that asks every guest in the same way is within the rules.
It also works better than it sounds. Unhappy guests review anyway. Asking everyone mostly adds the quiet, satisfied ones.
When and where to ask
- At checkout, while the stay is fresh: a QR code on the desk, pointed to by the person checking the guest out.
- In the room: on the card by the bed or on the back of the door.
- In the message you already send after checkout, on WhatsApp or by email, with the link in it.
One ask is enough. A second reminder a few days later is the most a guest will welcome.
Ask a short question first
A short survey before the review does two things: it tells you what went wrong while you can still put it right, and it gets the guest thinking about the stay. Three questions are enough: “How was your stay?”, “What did you like most?” and “What should we put right?”
Then invite every guest to say the same on Google, whatever score they gave. Sending only the high scores on to Google is exactly what the rule forbids.
Then answer what comes in
More reviews means more to reply to. Answer the low ratings first, and thank the good ones. Guests who see replies are more willing to write, because they can see somebody reads them.
