Review guide · Hotels and B&Bs

Hotel Reviews: Getting More Guests to Leave One

How small hotels and B&Bs collect more guest reviews: when to ask after checkout, Tripadvisor and Google rules, request templates and reply examples.

By Plaudit Team · Updated October 1, 2026

Guests choose where to stay by reading what previous guests wrote. For a small hotel or B&B, a steady flow of recent, specific reviews is often what separates a booking from a scroll past.

The difficulty is that most guests are happy and silent. This guide covers how to ask every guest after they leave, where to point them, and what Tripadvisor will and will not let you do.

When to ask for a review in a hotel or B&B

Guests are most willing to write when the stay is fresh but they are no longer packing. The wrong moment is checkout itself, when everyone is looking for the car keys.

Standard stay

The afternoon after checkout

They have arrived home or reached the next stop, so they have a few minutes and the stay is still vivid.

Long or multi-week stay

Near the end, and again after departure

A guest who has stayed for weeks can describe it properly, but the final days can be dominated by travel stress, so the post-departure message does most of the work.

Special occasion

Two to three days after the stay

Anniversary and wedding guests want to say thank you. A few days later, once the photos are shared, is usually the most generous moment.

Group bookings

A message to the booker, plus individual links if you hold the guests' emails

A booker's review describes a whole group, so one message to them captures a lot, but only if the stay was handled well.

Which review sites matter for hotels and B&Bs

Tripadvisor

The main reviews destination for hotels and B&Bs. Tripadvisor says you can ask guests for reviews and offers its own Review Express email tool, but it prohibits incentives and asks that you do not solicit only positive guests.
Google Business Profile

Shows in map results and the knowledge panel when someone searches your hotel's name, so a healthy rating here helps convert people who already know you.
Booking platforms

Reviews on the sites guests booked through are governed by those sites' own systems. Use those for requests about those platforms and use Plaudit for Google, Tripadvisor and other review pages you control.

Review request templates for hotels and B&Bs

Swap the bracketed parts. In Plaudit these merge in automatically from your contact list.

Subject: Thank you for staying with us, [First name]

Hi [First name], Thank you for staying at [Hotel name]. We hope you got home safely and that the stay was everything you hoped for. If you have a few minutes, a review helps future guests choose us: [Review link] If there was anything we could have done better, please tell us directly at [email] so we can put it right. Warm wishes, [Name]

Text message · 148 characters

Hi [First name], thank you for staying at [Hotel]. If you enjoyed your stay, a short review would help future guests: [link]. Reply STOP to opt out.

Only text customers who agreed to receive texts from you. See SMS review request rules.

Tripadvisor's rules on asking and replying

Tripadvisor is more explicit than most platforms, which makes it easy to stay on the right side.

You can ask guests for reviews, but not reward them. Tripadvisor lists drawings or raffles, discounts on current or future stays, upgrades, coupons and free amenities as prohibited incentives. A late checkout offered in return for a review is a preferential treatment.
Do not selectively solicit. Tripadvisor tells properties to avoid asking only guests who had a good experience, so send to every guest.
Management responses must be original. Tripadvisor's posting guidelines ask that they carry no promotional content, no personal information about any person, and no copy of guest correspondence or snippets of the review itself.

Sources: Tripadvisor incentives policy; Tripadvisor management response guidelines.

Replying to guest reviews

Management responses on a hotel page are read by every future guest. Write them for that audience, and keep names and personal details out.

Positive, special occasion

“We celebrated our 25th anniversary here. The staff left champagne in the room without us asking.”

Congratulations on 25 years, and thank you for choosing to celebrate with us. It was a pleasure for the team to help mark the day. We'd be delighted to welcome you back for the next milestone.

Negative, noise

“Room faced the street and we hardly slept. Nobody offered to move us.”

We're sorry the street noise cost you sleep, and that you weren't offered another room. We should have. We've reminded the front desk to check availability for any guest who mentions noise. Please contact [email] if you'd like to talk it through.

Negative, cleanliness

“Bathroom wasn't properly cleaned when we arrived. Hair in the shower.”

That's not the standard we hold ourselves to and we're sorry you found it that way. We've spoken with housekeeping about that room. Thank you for flagging it so plainly.

Mixed, breakfast

“Lovely room and staff. Breakfast was nothing special and the coffee was weak.”

Thank you for the kind words about the room and the team. Your note about breakfast has gone to our kitchen, and we'll be looking at the coffee in particular. We hope to see you again.

Want a draft for a real review? Use the free AI review response generator, and edit before you post.

Setting this up in Plaudit

A hotel or B&B with a single property can start on Growth for email and text, since guests respond well to a text after they get home. If you run more than one property, the Pro plan supports multiple locations.

Export the departures list from your booking system (first name, email, mobile) as a CSV, or paste it in.
Choose your Google review link, and add Tripadvisor as a second platform if you are on Growth or Pro.
Set the request to send the afternoon after checkout.
Add any guest with an open complaint to the do-not-contact list before sending.

Plans: Starter $19 (email, 1 platform), Growth $39 (adds SMS, integrations, follow-ups), Pro $79 (multiple locations). See pricing.

Frequently asked questions

Can I offer a late checkout or room upgrade in return for a review? +

No. Tripadvisor counts upgrades and other preferential treatment as incentives, and Google lists incentives of any kind as prohibited. Ask, thank them, and keep rewards out of it.

Should I use Tripadvisor's Review Express or Plaudit? +

They solve different problems. Review Express emails guests asking for a Tripadvisor review. Plaudit lets you ask once, across Google and others, and send by text as well as email on Growth and Pro. Many properties use both.

How soon after checkout should I send the request? +

The afternoon after checkout works for most stays. Long stays and special occasions can wait a few days, because people want to be settled at home before they write something thoughtful.

Can I quote a guest's review in my reply? +

Not on Tripadvisor. Its guidelines ask that management responses do not include snippets of the traveler's review. Respond to the substance in your own words instead.

Review guides for other industries

Also useful: How to reply to a negative review, Google review link generator

All industries →

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