Proven Methods To Prevent Negative Hotel Reviews Through Powerful Guest Messaging

What’s in it for me?

Transparent and personalized communication throughout the guest journey, from pre-arrival to check-out, helps mitigate negative reviews. In this article, you will:

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• Explore the benefits of guest messaging at every step of the guest journey
• Read examples of negative reviews and their prevention
• Get ready-to-use templates for exceptional communication at every touchpoint
• Learn how to improve guest experiences with rapid service recovery, prevent negative reviews, and enhance your hotel’s reputation.

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95% of travelers read online reviews before making a reservation. Any feedback that contains complaints and points out shortcomings in service is noted and heavily scrutinized. So, learning how to prevent negative hotel reviews is a must.

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While you may be doing everything in your power to deliver a satisfying guest experience, you could be missing out on an important aspect that leads to bad reviews for hotels - poor or no communication. 

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This is where a hotel text messaging system comes into play and helps reduce the scope of issues created by the lack of communication.

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The Power of Transparent Communication

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You may schedule the assigned room to be cleaned, inform the concierge about the new visitors, and inquire about the customer’s preferred check-in time. However, this is not enough! You must also be proactive in welcoming your guests and making them feel comfortable. 

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That is why personalizing each guest's journey and ensuring transparent communication with them even before arrival or check-in allows you to strategically mitigate negative hotel reviews. 

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In addition, establishing good communication through tools like guest messaging helps retain your clients, prompts them to spread the good word about your service, and guides them to post feedback on their stay, thereby advancing your online reputation.

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While understanding how to handle negative customer reviews online is a whole other league, the priority must fall on avoiding such instances at all costs. 

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Hence it is imperative to prevent negative hotel reviews by upping your communication game and integrating the hotel text messaging model into your hospitality.

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Benefits Of Implementing An Effective Guest Messaging Solution At Various Stages Of The Guest Journey

Hotels have made it a habit to collect customer feedback and reviews via SMS. The continuation and updation of this technique tell us that guests have found this more comfortable than filling out a survey form at the check-out time or replying to an email in detail. 

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So, why not consider text messaging and hotel sms marketing to increase positive reviews?

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An in-depth look into a compilation of bad hotel reviews examples shows us the relevance of a timely messaging solution. 

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Let us probe into the benefits of using messages for different purposes at every touchpoint that can help keep the negative reviews at bay:

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• Pre-arrival messaging on the day of check-in:

• warmly welcomes the guest to their stay
• lets them know that their queries or requests will be addressed
• reminds them of the schedules and timings.
• invites them to the thread of communication

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• Post-arrival messaging soon after check-in:

• shares list of available facilities and external amenities
• includes essential info like spa schedule and breakfast timings
• informs them to reach out for additional resources/amenities
• wishes them a wonderful vacation with all services ready on deck.

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• Mid-stay messaging as a friendly reminder:

• enquires about the comfort of their vacation
• alerts them of any appointments 
• helps with instant service recovery

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• Check-out messaging to conclude the reservation:

• bids farewell
• expresses gratitude for being a guest
• requests feedback in the form of an online review or survey 
• conveys hope to serve them again.

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This medium of hotel texting is a classic example of aiding your clients to warm up to your hospitality and open up about their opinions without being awkward or too pushy.

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Understanding How To Prevent Negative Hotel Reviews With Everyday Examples

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Every hotelier wishes to turn negative reviews into positive reviews. While that is not always possible, you can avoid such reviews by delivering positive guest experiences at all times. 

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Instead of wondering how to fix bad reviews online, laying the focus on effective strategies to prevent customers from leaving negative reviews will work wonders for your hotel’s rating and ranking. 

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Let us wander through a couple of negative hotel reviews examples to identify how it could have been avoided through effective communication:

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1. “Utterly disappointing! Extremely bad communication from their side. No staff was available at the front desk. I had to wait 30 minutes with my family in the car before someone checked us in. There was a $200 charge on my card as a deposit amount! Why was I not told about this? Rooms were good, service was okay. I won’t be returning here for another stay, that’s for sure!”

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A convenient technique to prevent negative hotel reviews, like this one, is a pre-planned message. Both these issues could have easily been solved by a pre-arrival message that informs the guest of the hotel’s preferred check-in timing and the deposit or a question requesting the guest to share their estimated time of arrival. 

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This would have helped the guest prepare accordingly, thereby avoiding the cause of such bad reviews for hotel staff.

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2. “I am extremely disappointed with my recent stay at this hotel. Despite paying a premium price, I was only informed upon arrival that the swimming pool and spa facilities were closed for maintenance. This completely ruined my plans for a relaxing weekend getaway. I cannot believe that the hotel management did not inform me of this closure beforehand, instead, left me to find out upon check-in. This is completely unacceptable, and I feel cheated out of my hard-earned money. I would not recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a satisfying experience.”

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Here the lack of responsiveness from the hotel’s side becomes the cause of the downfall. Such a review brings down the hotel’s reputation and demotivates potential customers going through the reviews. 

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3. “During my recent stay, I was severely disappointed by the lack of housekeeping and maintenance service. The room was not cleaned once during my stay and the bathroom was not restocked with fresh towels. The carpet was stained and the walls had scuff marks that had not been touched up. Moreover, it was only after my inquiry that I was informed by the front desk that they only clean rooms in between accommodations. Such hotels are still using the excuse of the pandemic to push away their responsibilities.”

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Here, passing on this information at the right time through a simple text message would have encouraged the customer to manage their room accordingly or request a special cleaning service despite the rule in place. 

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This review also serves as a suitable example of how to respond to guest complaints in hotels, considering the poor maintenance and upkeep of the room. However, the mission should be to prevent negative hotel reviews, like these, through clear correspondence with clients.

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How To Ensure A Quick Service Recovery With Guest Messaging

Guests may often have different dislikes and complaints about facilities, amenities, timings, or even the staff’s approach toward them. Guest messaging is not just about sending scheduled texts but also about responding to criticism and tackling it strategically, sometimes even before it arises.

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This level of attentiveness is regarded as a mastery in hospitality. Understanding their concerns and rectifying the problematic situation assures your guests of the privilege they enjoy and the comfort they have paid for. 

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For instance,

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Guest: Hello, I just checked into Room 203, and the air conditioning doesn't seem to be working properly. It's quite warm here. Can someone assist me, please?

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Hotel Staff: Hi there! We apologize for the inconvenience. We'll send our maintenance team to Room 203 immediately to resolve the air conditioning issue. Thank you for bringing it to our attention.

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*Hotel staff sends a follow-up message to the guest*

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Hotel Staff: Good news! The air conditioning in Room 203 has been fixed. You should start feeling the room cooling down shortly. If you have any further concerns or need any additional assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out.

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Thus, if the word is said and the deed is done, it shifts the guest’s opinion from wanting to criticize the damaged facility to praising the staff for their quick intervention to sort out the issue and prevent negative hotel reviews.

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Ready-To-Use Guest Messaging Templates for Exceptional Communication

Guest messaging is the key to streamlining hotel operations at its finest. It allows hotels to communicate with guests in real-time, providing personalized and productive services.

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Personalization is crucial to guest messaging as it makes your guests feel valued and appreciated. Personalized messaging involves addressing guests by name, acknowledging their preferences, and tailoring the message to their needs. 

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For example, if a guest frequently orders from your on-site restaurant and voices their admiration for the food, you can send them a message offering a discount on their next order. Such acts of thought-out personalization in the hotel texts not only improve guest satisfaction but also hold the power to prevent bad reviews. 

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Consider these sample messages for different stages of the guest experience and various requests shared by guests:

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1. Pre-Arrival Message:

[designed as a welcome message with adequate information]

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“Dear Ms. Cooper, we look forward to welcoming you to the Hotel Hilltop today. Feel free to text or call us on this number if you have any queries or special requests related to your stay. We would like to remind you that our check-in time is at 1 PM. Please let us know in advance if there will be any delay from your end so that we can prepare accordingly.”

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2. Post Check-in Message:

[designed as an informative message]

“Welcome to Hotel Hilltop! To improve your stay, we have set up a digital page listing all the information regarding our facilities, services, and their timings {*the URL*}. You can order from our restaurant or reach out to our concierge with a few simple clicks. If you need any additional amenities, please reach out to our front desk via a simple text message. We wish you a wonderful stay.”

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3. Mid-Stay Message:

[framed as a follow-up message with the reassurance of your hospitality]

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“We hope that you are enjoying your stay with us. We wanted to take a moment to personally thank you for choosing our hotel as your home away from home. Our dedicated team is here to assist you with any requests you may have, from room service to local recommendations. If you have any concerns or feedback, please don't hesitate to reach out to our front desk.”

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4. Response Message To A Complaint Raised:

[created to tackle a guest’s dissatisfaction through acknowledgment, apology, and assurance with higher chances of helping to prevent negative hotel reviews in the future]

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“Dear Jennifer, we apologize for the inconvenience you experienced due to a lack of adequate towels and toiletries in your room. Please be assured that we will address this issue immediately. We have also instructed our housekeeping team to ensure that in-room amenities are updated and refilled on time. We appreciate your feedback as it provides us with an opportunity to continually improve our services. In the meantime, if there is anything else we can do to make your stay more comfortable, please do not hesitate to contact us.”

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5. Response Message To A Service Requested:

[created to inform the guest about the status of their request and gain more clarity on the same]

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“Dear Jennifer, thank you for sharing your interest in our hotel spa services. We are thrilled to hear that you would like to make an appointment. We have a wide range of relaxing treatments available, including massages, facials, and body scrubs, to help you unwind and rejuvenate during your stay with us. To schedule an appointment, please let us know your preferred time and date, and the specific treatment you would like to book. We will do our best to accommodate your request and ensure that you have a wonderful experience at our spa.”

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6. Check-Out Message:

[designed as a post-stay message to express gratitude and request feedback]

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“Hi Jennifer, we bid you farewell with the hope that you will return and rejoin us for another vacation. Hope you had a great stay and loved our services. Kindly help us know what you think about us by taking a quick survey on the link provided {*the URL}. This will help us improve your future experience. We hope to see you and serve you again at the Hotel Hilltop.”

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These templates and the value they convey to the guests are a hat tip to the newer heights of hospitality explored through the furtherance of technology. 

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That is why it is easier to prevent negative hotel reviews through a swift guest messaging structure than wondering how to convince a negative customer to change their opinion.

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Conclusion

A poorly designed guest experience leads to customer dissatisfaction, which, in turn, paves the way for negative reviews that do a lot of damage to your hotel’s reputation. 

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Therefore, this inevitable change must be reflected in your approach toward improving and upgrading the guest journey.

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A proven requisite to achieve this level of growth and triumph is revamping your communication model with customers.

‍Guest messaging is a priority and a necessity in this ever-growing industry. The scope of mobile messaging technology is not limited to a few scheduled messages and responses. From exclusive templates to extensive personalization, the expanse of this concept is yet to be fully explored to prevent negative hotel reviews and run things smoothly for your establishment.