How to get more reviews for your holiday let

Reviews are essential for any holiday let – they can often give people the extra confidence they need to make a booking at your property over someone else’s. So how do you get more reviews for your holiday let? Here we’ve laid out some of our top tips for getting more reviews .
 

1.Set a good first impression 

The first impression your holiday let makes happens far before your guest arrives – it starts with an enquiry. Whether it’s a short question, or they’ve just booked, your communication with your guest, particularly before they arrive, can be key to getting a good review.

A fast and courteous response can go a huge way of encouraging a good review later. If your guest feels you've gone above and beyond before they've even reached your door, they're more likely to happily return the favour by taking the time to write you a review at the end of their stay.

2. Request reviews shortly after check out

Make sure you request reviews – or get an agency like Click, Book, Stay to do the legwork for you. It can seem to be an extra annoying task to remember to follow up with your guests all the time, but it’s vital in order to build your holiday lets reputation.
People easily forget, but if you remind them with a personal email or note, it can make all the difference.

It’s especially important not to leave it for too long after the guest has stayed; you want to get someone to write you a review while they are still in a good mood from their holiday and while communication is still frequent and open between you both if at all possible.

3. Listen to guest feedback

Feedback is gold dust to any business – especially in the tourism sector. If you want to ensure your property keeps getting five-star reviews, you'll need to keep a close eye on your guests feedback.

Guests can help you flag up issues that you may not have been previously aware of, or issues that have developed over time. Resolving these quickly and professionally can make all the difference, especially for your future guests.

Feedback doesn't always include complaints, but sometimes new ideas too. Although it might not make sense to implement them all, acting on suggestions not only shows guests you care, but improves your property to attract your target market more.

Not only that, but making those improvements can even help convince the same guests to book again in the future.

4. Review your let

If you have the time, we recommend personally staying at your let once in a while to get a feel for what your guests' experience might be. Staying just one night can be all it takes to notice some minor issues that you may have previously overlooked – something as simple as a few missing pieces of cutlery, or a crack in the wall can go unnoticed in your reviews but can keep your guests from giving you a glowing five stars.

5. If you don’t have any reviews – offer a discount

When you first start out, it can be hard to get reviews because people are nervous to book; we’d suggest trying a ‘new holiday let discount’ simply with the caveat that you have to fill out a review after you stay. People love a bargain, so you should get a few reviews out of it!

Even if you’ve been running your holiday let for a while, you can encourage reviews by offering a discount on a low season, especially if you are struggling to get any at all.

6. Act fast when problems arise

Problems happen – that’s life.

How you deal with those problems though, matters greatly. If a problem happens during your stay, it runs the risk of a scathing review – but you can turn it into a five-star review if you go above and beyond to resolve the issue.

Offer your guests a way to contact you or your team during their stay, and ensure you act with urgency if any problems do arise. Some of the best reviews include reassuring stories of issues being resolved professionally and quickly.

7. Make the extra effort

The extra little things make all the difference when people write reviews – from fast responses at the beginning, to welcome baskets with local produce, and even little extras like soft cotton robes in the bathroom and extra toiletries for if people have forgotten – these are all things that aren't necessary, but show you really care about guests having a fantastic stay.

The personal touches encourage people to support your holiday let and want to leave you a good review – and even recommend it to their friends and family later.

8. Get an agency to help

Click, Book, Stay offer services that include everything you need to get more great reviews for your holiday let and much more. From quick, 24-hour enquiry answering, follow up review requests and even professional advice on how to improve your holiday let for better reviews – you can gain a great reputation with very little effort when you join an agency.

Click here for more information on Click Book Stay services