Positive guest reviews are essential for attracting future guests to your property.
When many people look for information on a vacation rental, they look for social proof: evidence that others have stayed at your place and have positive things to say. Positive guest reviews are a great way to provide that social proof and help you get a clear idea of what experience your guests are having when they visit your rental.
How can you get those reviews and use them to your advantage? Try some of these strategies.
How to Get Reviews
Ready to start generating reviews? Make sure you’re incorporating these strategies.
Make The Process Easy
Send out an email so that guests only need to click on a link. Make sure you remind your guests of the option of leaving a review in your conversations with them. The easier you make the process, the more likely people are to leave a review.
Let Guests Know Why It Matters
Drop a short line about why you are asking for guest reviews. Remind them that they benefited from those reviews and that others staying after them will too.
Create a Great Relationship From The Start
If you cultivate a great relationship with your guests from the beginning, they are more likely to leave you a positive review. People are, in general, more likely to leave negative reviews rather than positive ones. However, when you offer a fantastic experience and tell your guests why reviews are important, they will be more likely to share what they love about your property.
Make It Fun
When sending your review prompt email, remind guests of the great time they had while staying with you. The more fun you can make it, the more eager they will be to participate in the process.
How to Use Your Guest Reviews Once You Have Them
Reviews are critical because they provide social proof from people who have stayed in your vacation rental. Equally important, however, is what you do with these reviews.
Respond to Reviewers
If there’s a problem, see what you can do about it! Fixing issues quickly while guests are still with you, offering a small refund, or promising to fix a problem with the property can show future guests that you’re willing to go the extra mile.
Highlight the Best Reviews
If you receive a great review, use it! Sometimes, those great reviews get buried. However, informative guest reviews that paint a picture of your rental experience should stay visible for your future guests. Keep these reviews near the top of your list if possible.
Use Quotes From Great Reviews
Highlight the best quotes in your rental description and include excerpts from great reviews in your marketing emails. You don’t need to go over the top, but make sure that your guests see this information and keep it at the top of their minds when they think about your property.
Don’t Delete Negative Reviews
Don’t delete or hide negative guest reviews even if you have the option. Instead, show your willingness to respond to them!
A five-star rating isn’t everything, but it does mean a lot. With these strategies, you can more effectively encourage your guests to leave reviews and provide social proof of what you offer your rental guests.
List Your Ocean City Vacation Rental at VacationAtMyPlace.com
Vacation At My Place is a vacation rental website serving the 7 beach towns within the Delmarva Peninsula: Chincoteague, VA, Ocean City, MD, Fenwick Island, DE, Bethany Beach, DE, Dewey Beach, DE, Rehoboth Beach, DE, and Lewes, DE. Guests can choose from the best inventory at the beach, while our “local” knowledge makes searching easy to find your perfect place. In addition, each vacation rental provides an instant price comparison to both VRBO and Airbnb. Property owners can list their property for free! Vacation At My Place, where vacations begin and memories await!
For more information, email us at info@VacationAtMyPlace.com, call us at 877-287-VAMP (8267) or visit VacationAtMyPlace.com! You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.