Review Request
A review request is a direct communication sent to a guest after their stay, asking them to provide feedback on their experience in the form of a public rating or written review on the booking platform or the operator's direct booking site. This process is often automated through a Property Management System (PMS) to ensure timeliness and consistency.
Why it matters
Guest reviews are a cornerstone of a vacation rental's reputation and directly influence booking decisions, search result rankings, and revenue. A consistent flow of positive reviews builds trust and credibility, providing the social proof many travelers rely on when choosing a property. Actively requesting reviews can significantly increase the volume of feedback, which in turn can lead to higher occupancy and the ability to command premium pricing.
Operator use case
An operator schedules automated messages to be sent to guests a few days after checkout. The timing is crucial; it should be soon enough that the experience is still fresh in the guest's mind. The request is personalized and provides a direct link to the review platform to make the process as simple as possible for the guest. For guests who had an exceptional stay, a personalized request might be sent to increase the likelihood of a detailed, positive review.
Industry insight
A common misconception is that simply providing a great experience is enough to generate reviews. In reality, many satisfied guests forget to leave a review without a prompt. A critical mistake is not having a systematic approach to requesting feedback, leading to missed opportunities. The timing of the request is a subject of debate; while post-checkout is standard, some operators find success with a pre-checkout message that plants the seed for a review. Furthermore, a sophisticated strategy involves not just requesting reviews but also reviewing the guests promptly, as platforms like Airbnb notify guests when a host has left a review, encouraging them to reciprocate.
Tech & tools relevance
Property Management Systems (PMS) are central to managing review requests at scale. They allow operators to create message templates and use triggers to automate the sending of requests after a guest's departure. This automation saves significant time and ensures no guest is missed. Channel managers and some booking platforms also have built-in features for automated review requests. More advanced tools can even help in rotating different review templates to avoid sounding robotic.
How Hostfully helps
Hostfully's platform includes automation features that allow operators to create and schedule review requests. Using templates and triggers, operators can set up automated messages to be sent to guests post-checkout to encourage them to leave a review on the booking platform. The system also enables the automation of leaving reviews for guests on Airbnb, which can increase the likelihood of receiving a review in return.