Drafting replies to guest reviews

A review reply is mostly read by the next guest, not the one who wrote the review. That changes how to write it: short, calm and truthful, with nothing that needs defending later.

What you need

• The review text.
• Your own notes on the stay: what happened, what you know and what you don't.
• Your platform's rules for public replies.
• A rule for yourself: wait before replying to a bad review.

Why prospective guests read these

One reference says "Customer reviews are widely used by consumers to make informed purchasing decisions".¹ So your reply is part of what a future guest weighs up.

The same source also says "it is often difficult to know if a customer is real".¹ Even so, don't accuse anyone of faking a review in public. If you think a review is false, use your platform's reporting tools and keep the reply neutral.

Steps

1. Read the review twice. Mark the facts it states and the feelings it expresses.
2. Write down, in your own words, what you actually know. If you don't know, say so in your notes.
3. Give the tool the review text and your notes. Ask for a short reply that thanks the guest, addresses one or two specific points, and adds no detail you haven't given.
4. Tell it to avoid defensive wording, sarcasm, and any claim about what the guest did.
5. Delete every invented detail. Check names, dates and any "we've fixed it" claim.
6. Post one reply. Don't argue back and forth.

Privacy in replies

Leave out the guest's full name, booking details and anything about their group. Australia's privacy regulator advises against entering personal information into public chatbots.² Paste the review with identifying details taken out.

Good reviews

Short wins here. Thank them, mention one real detail they raised, and invite them back if you'd genuinely like to host them again. Don't let the tool praise features they didn't mention.

Bad reviews

• Thank them for the feedback.
• Acknowledge the specific problem in plain words.
• Say what you did or will do only if it's true.
• Keep it public-friendly, not a private dispute.
• Offer to talk through the platform's message system.

Invented details

Chatbots may embed plausible-sounding random falsehoods in what they write.³ In a reply that could be a made-up detail such as "we replaced the mattress last week". Those are statements about your business, and a future guest will take them at face value if they're untrue. Cut them.

A prompt to adapt

Here is a guest review, names removed: (paste it). Here are my notes on what happened: (paste them). Write a short, calm public reply. Thank them, respond to the specific points, and don't add any facts that are not in my notes. No sarcasm.

Reviews can also touch on legal or safety matters, such as injury or discrimination. Don't reply with a draft. Contact your platform and the official body in your country.

Problems that start before the stay often begin with an enquiry. The enquiry page covers that side: enquiry replies.