How to improve your holiday home reviews and draft replies

Guests consistently rate reviews as a make-or-break factor when booking a holiday cottage. A good review could be the difference between a guest booking your holiday home and choosing a competitor.

Getting great guest reviews means more visibility for your holiday home on listing sites, more bookings, and greater customer trust.

In this article, we share tips on how to improve holiday home reviews and reply to guests who give you a negative review.

Why reviews matter

When a guest has no prior experience staying with you, what other guests say about their genuine experience at your holiday cottage carries more weight than what you have to say in your marketing.

Authentic reviews from past guests give an impartial insight into what a stay at your holiday let is really like. They also reassure guests and build trust and credibility.

In addition, OTAs like Airbnb and Booking.com prioritise listings with many positive reviews because guests are more likely to book them. Some users also apply filters to refine their search results by rating, so if your property has a low review star rating, it might not be seen.

For holiday let hosts, each review, whether good or bad, contains useful insights and information you can utilise to improve your business and make guests’ future stays even better.

This could be information such as:

• What guests liked about their stay

• Any disappointments

• Which amenities they found essential/most important/enjoyed using

• Whether they felt your photos were an accurate representation of your property

• Whether they slept well

• How clean and comfortable they found your holiday let

• If any factors negatively impacted their stay

Negative feedback often stems from perfectly preventable situations, so if you keep an open mind to what your guests tell you, you can use what you learn to fix problems and avoid further negative reviews.

9 ways to improve your holiday home reviews

There are several steps you can take to ensure that you give yourself and your property the best chance of receiving a positive review. These can include:

1. Clean your property thoroughly and regularly

One of the biggest reasons guests leave a bad review is a lack of cleanliness. Any dirt, dust, stains, or even a few hairs (especially in beds, showers, or kitchens) will lead to complaints.

Whether you clean your home yourself or employ a cleaner, a clean, sanitised, and tidy holiday home is expected. Don’t ever give a guest cause to complain about cleanliness.

2. Practice clear communication and be on hand to answer questions

Communicating with your guests from the moment they book until their departure is essential to ensure guest satisfaction. The better you respond to guests’ questions, the more likely they are to give a positive review.

Provide your guests with all the information they need before arrival, including directions, check-in/check-out instructions, parking information, the Wi-Fi password, and an emergency contact number for any issues that arise. Knowing you’re at the end of the phone in case anything goes wrong will be a huge reassurance to guests.

Check in on your guests after their first night to make sure they are happy with everything and/or have any queries.

Unfortunately, unexpected things happen during rentals, such as an appliance breaking down. Letting guests know about the unexpected problem before their stay and your efforts to resolve it can avoid complaints. Most guests are understanding and know that things can happen that are out of your control.

Make it clear that if guests have any issues during their stay, they can contact you 24/7, no matter how small the issue, so you can swiftly respond and resolve it. Also, leave a maintenance form in the cottage for those guests who would prefer to write down any problems rather than call you.

This allows guests to ‘get things off their chest’ rather than saying nothing and writing a bad review once they return home. Plus, if the guest is satisfied with how you handled the situation, a glowing review could follow.

Proactive communication not only fosters guest satisfaction but also allows you to resolve issues before they lead to negative reviews.

3. Supply accurate information about the property

In your descriptions and photos, you need to accurately and truthfully describe your holiday let and the experience guests can expect.

Misleading information will only increase the likelihood of a negative review from a dissatisfied guest who complains that the property was not as described. For example, don’t advertise a king-size bed when it’s a queen or that there’s parking if guests have to pay for a car park 5 minutes walk away.

Likewise, photos that show a sea view (when in reality you have stood on a chair and zoomed in) are not going to help earn you positive reviews. Add captions to your images to describe how far the sea is from your property, so guests find exactly what they anticipated upon arrival.

And if there is a snag, being honest can lead to more satisfied guests because they know what to expect.

You could ask friends or family to stay the night at your holiday let and try out the accommodation and facilities for themselves. You can then get some honest, candid feedback afterwards, which might help you assess whether your marketing presents everything comprehensively and accurately.

They may even identify some drawbacks or observations that you can then remedy (e.g., a broken lightbulb, hard pillows, chipped glass, etc).

4. Don’t skimp on the essentials

Most guests expect basic items to be left for them to use, such as toilet paper, coffee capsules, towels, cleaning products, kitchen essentials, and logs for the fire. There is nothing worse than arriving at a holiday let that has scrimped on amenities – especially toilet roll. Don’t underestimate the power of providing all the essentials and some unexpected ‘little extras’.

Send guests a list of what is provided and what is not. Setting expectations is key to satisfying guests. Ensure that all essential items are supplied and that guests won’t run out of items during their stay. Our inventory checklist provides some guidance on what you may want to consider offering in your holiday home.

5. Always supply a welcome pack

One thing that has become expected in terms of the ‘total guest experience’ is a welcome pack on arrival. If one isn’t provided, your review score could be lowered.

It may be a little extra effort and cost on your part to provide one, but it’s a relatively inexpensive way to impress each new set of guests and make them feel at home straight away.

You should also provide a guestbook that shares everything guests need to know about your holiday home, the surrounding area and your recommendations.

6. Check the amenities you offer are in good condition before each stay

It can’t be stressed enough that all the amenities, which are the reason someone has chosen to book your rental over someone else’s, are in excellent condition. A filthy hot tub, inadequate heating, poor Wi-Fi, burnt pans, towels with holes in or a leaking shower can quickly lead to disappointment and dissatisfaction.

This can prompt guests to question why they paid a ‘premium’ for your accommodation, leading to negative feedback or early departures.

Use your changeover checklist to identify items that are showing signs of wear and tear and need replacing or fixing. Maintaining your facilities to a high standard does take some effort and expense. However, the resources needed to rectify a bad review will be far more than replacing a few essentials now and then.

7. Invest in good-quality furnishings

You must equip your holiday let with home-from-home comforts and high-quality fixtures, fittings, and styling. You’ll likely spend more, but the payoff is that these items are likely to suffer from ‘wear and tear’ at a much slower rate. Also, ensuring a sense of ‘quality’ runs right through each room of your holiday let will increase the likelihood of you receiving a positive review.

One of the main reasons people go on holiday is to relax and de-stress. Ensuring guests get a good night’s sleep by investing in high-quality mattresses, duvets, pillows and blackout blinds means they’re more refreshed (and therefore happier) in the daytime.

8. Avoid overstating your rules

Although hosts need house rules in place so that bookings run smoothly, don’t bombard guests with rules in your correspondence or with signs posted throughout your holiday cottage. This is never going to go down well with your guests.

Defining and communicating your house rules clearly in the booking contact and in your guestbook should be adequate.

9. Don’t ask troublesome guests for reviews

Finally, this may seem obvious, but if you have had a nightmare guest who you simply can’t please, don’t ask them for a review. Ask them how their stay was so they can give feedback. Sometimes, the opportunity to complain is all a dissatisfied guest wants, and it’s better that they do so via email rather than publicly giving you a bad review.

How to ask your guests for reviews

Even the happiest and most satisfied guests may forget to leave a review unless prompted to. People generally love to share their experiences; they just need a nudge.

If you’ve received positive feedback from guests during their stay, they’ve written in your guest book in the cottage, or they’ve re-booked, then seize the opportunity to get a 5* from these guests. You already know they’ve had a brilliant time at your holiday home and are likely to give you a good rating.

Send an automated follow-up email (via your booking software or listing site portal) thanking them for choosing you, a couple of days after your guests have departed, while the good experience is fresh in their minds. Politely ask them to leave you a review – include a link in your email so the process is simple and quick.

Here is an example of a follow-up email you can use from our email templates article.

Dear (guest name)

We do hope you enjoyed your holiday in (property name) and that you have happy memories of your stay.

We would love to hear your comments about our holiday home or suggestions about how we could improve it.

We hope to welcome you back to our holiday rental in the future. As an extra way to say ‘thank you’ for choosing us, if you or your friends wish to book again, you are entitled to X% off the rental rates.

Finally, please could you take a few seconds to leave a review for our (property name) at (insert link where they can write a review, e.g., your website or the site where they booked).

It helps other guests and enables us to continue providing the best possible guest experience.

Regards,

(your name)

(signature with website address and phone number)

How to respond to a negative holiday let review

No one likes receiving a negative review, especially when you’ve put a lot of effort into providing the best possible experience for your guests. While it can be tempting to ignore bad reviews, you should always respond to reviews, even if you don’t agree with the review.

Responding to negative reviews shows potential guests that you value your customers’ opinions and are a responsive, friendly host. Negative reviews can ultimately have a positive impact. Not only do they tell you how to improve your service and product, but if you get your response right, they could help potential customers trust you and book your property.

Don’t respond to a negative review straight away

We’re not saying that you should put it off for several days – but take some time to digest what’s being said and weigh up your thoughts around it. When you receive a negative review, especially one that isn’t entirely true, it is best to sleep on it and respond the day after, when you’re not as upset or emotional.

There’s nothing more off-putting than seeing a host who cannot take criticism and is defensive. This approach directly conflicts with everything that makes a good host.

Get the facts straight

If you weren’t aware of the complaint, collect all the facts so your response is accurate and addresses the problem. Speak with members of your team who handled the guests’ complaint (maintenance, agency, housekeeping, etc.) to gather as much information as possible. Any evidence, such as photos, will help.

Send a polite email to your guest, asking them to elaborate on any issues or concerns they had during their stay.

Does the guest have a legitimate point? Some reviews focus on a single underlying problem they had, e.g., construction noise or a leaking shower. Others will mention several gripes, such as crumbs in the kitchen drawers, a TV remote that doesn't work, or a mouldy shower.

Focus on the key points in the bad review so you can address them.

Offer a solution

If your guest’s complaint is justified, the best course of action is to be honest, polite and say sorry – regardless of whether the problem was out of your control or if you think the guest is being petty.

Ask yourself if you could have done something to avoid your guest’s disappointment. If so, make sure this issue doesn’t arise again.

Explain to the guest the steps you have taken to improve the experience of future bookers. For example, “We apologise that the service you received didn’t meet our usual high standards. Following your feedback, we’ve hired a company to ensure the hot tub is fully maintained and ready to use”.

What are you going to do to make things right? It will depend on the severity of the complaint, but it could be anything from offering some form of compensation to a discount on their next stay. Once the problem has been resolved, encourage the guest to revise the review to a more positive one.

An example negative review response

Your response to guest reviews is an opportunity to show potential guests how important customer satisfaction is to you and that you care. Detail the steps you took to resolve the problem and put things right in your reply.

Dear (customer name)

Thank you for staying at our holiday cottage and for taking the time to write a review. We are always keen to receive feedback from our guests, as we strive to meet the highest standards.

(If you resolved the problem whilst the guests were staying, outline the steps you took, and any compensation offered, e.g.).

We apologise for the boiler breakdown and for the time you were without hot water. I hope you enjoyed your complimentary meal at (pub name) whilst Martin, our maintenance manager, fixed the boiler.

(If you didn’t know about the problem until the guest left/wrote the review, outline the steps you have taken to prevent it from happening again).

I’m sorry to hear that the hot water was intermittent during your stay. I can confirm that this was fixed as soon as we were made aware of the issue. Our booking terms and conditions emphasise that guests should report any issues during their stay so we have the opportunity to rectify them.

We would love to have you stay with us again. As a valued guest, we’ve sent you a 10% discount voucher for you, your friends or family.

Your feedback is much appreciated.

Regards

(Your name)

If you receive an inaccurate guest review, reply that the guest’s comments are not entirely accurate or fair. Give an overview of what actually happened and what you did to rectify the issue.

How to respond to positive guest reviews

You should reply to all reviews, both negative and positive. Whilst responding to negative reviews shows that you care about your guests, replying to positive reviews shows you appreciate them, and makes you appear friendly and approachable.

Final thoughts

Reviews are among the most powerful forms of social proof that potential guests use when researching where to stay. They influence the buying decision and are trusted as much as personal recommendations. Focusing on getting and responding to reviews should be a priority.

As a holiday let owner, you want your guests to have a great experience that exceeds expectations and leaves a lasting positive impression. This sets the foundations for a glowing review.

However, things do go wrong, which can lead to a complaint. Negative reviews present an opportunity to improve your business and show potential guests how dedicated you are to the guest experience. Resolve the problem, respond professionally, and the bad review could encourage someone to book a stay with you – a host who cares.

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