Responding the right way can turn a negative review into a positive for your business.
Understanding Different Types of Negative Reviews
1. Reviews from guests who are needy, rude, or expect more than was offered. 2. Reviews from legitimate issues with the property or host communication. Knowing which you're dealing with shapes your response.
Example #1: The Misplaced Grill Incident
A four-star review said everything was great but the grill didn't work. Turns out the previous guest moved an old grill from the garage to the patio; the working one was in the garage. Response (verbatim): "Hey, I'm so sorry for the mix-up. I can't stand it when I travel and something like a grill doesn't work. I appreciate you not giving us five stars because we didn't earn it. I went by the property and realized the guest before you had taken the old grill to the patio, which doesn't work. The new one was in the garage, not where it was supposed to be. I would have made the same assumption you did. If you can let me know how much money you wasted on food you couldn't grill, I'd like to refund you for that. I'd also like to make this up to you...if you give us another chance, I'll give you a free night or 20% discount on your next stay, whichever is better for you. Thank you so much for making us aware, and I hope to have you back." This guest booked again and left one of our best reviews.
Example #2: The Unreasonable Guest
First-ever three-star review: complained about things never advertised, claimed we were unresponsive (untrue), said the house was dirty. Response (verbatim): "I am so sorry the property didn't meet your expectations. We never want anyone to have a bad experience. I'm somewhat confused, though, because we didn't advertise having any of the items you said should have been there. If you saw that advertised somewhere, please let me know so we can get that corrected. As far as the house being clean is concerned, I looked back at my cleaner's pre and post-cleaning photos taken just a couple hours before your stay. Everything looked exactly as it should. Regardless, I'm sorry the condition didn't meet your expectations. If you can be more specific on what wasn't clean, I would so much appreciate it so we can improve. I did go back and look to make sure we didn't miss any messages from you, but I didn't find any message that didn't get a response within 30 minutes. When we asked you how everything was the first morning after you checked in, you responded, 'It's great.' I sincerely wish you the best and would love to hear from you regarding my questions above so that we can improve." Several future guests commented on how irrational that review was, which helped our reputation.
Key Takeaways (10 steps)
1. Take a breath and evaluate objectively 2. Acknowledge each issue 3. Apologize and own what you can 4. Provide an explanation, not an excuse 5. Offer a solution 6. Highlight positives if possible 7. Maintain a professional, respectful tone 8. Invite further communication 9. Improve and fix fixable issues 10. Ask if the issue could have been prevented.