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Tips · November 5, 2026
How to get better guest reviews, even from unhappy guests
Two men greet each other outside a stone holiday home covered in vines, one arriving with a blue suitcase. Next to them, a guest rating of 9.7, Fantastic, and a guest review: Something got accidentally damaged, and our hosts had it fixed very promptly. Great local tips too.
What you do when something doesn’t go as expected often determines the review. Here’s what nearly 2,000 guest reviews show about what guests praise and complain about, and how to reply to a critical one.
Two groups of guests, two holiday homes, five nights each. Both run into a problem.
In the first home, a fuse blows. The host helps them fix it quickly. When they write their review, the episode comes up almost as a compliment, next to how helpful and communicative the host was throughout the stay. They give five stars.
In the second home, there’s no hot water in the kitchen, and the only shower doesn’t work properly. The guests tell their host and find out the host already knew about the hot water and won’t repair it. There’s no dishwasher, so for five days they boil pans of water to do the dishes. Their review gives 1.5 out of 5.
Why your first reviews matter for the rest of the year
On a new listing, the first reviews carry the most weight. On Holidu, a strong first review (4.5 out of 5 or more) is linked to around 15% more bookings over the rest of the first year, compared with listings that had the same number of early stays but no review. A weak one (below 4 out of 5) is linked to around a third fewer (Holidu booking data, new listings 2024–2025).
About half of new listings that had one stay in their first 90 days didn’t get a review for it. Some booking sites ask guests for a review after check-out, but a friendly word from you helps too: tell your guests how much their review helps you and the guests who come after them. A scheduled message on the day of departure, or the day after, does this for you on every booking that comes through Holidu. You can set it up under Messages → Scheduled Messages in your Holidu account.
What guests complain about, and what to do about it
We read nearly 2,000 guest reviews from the past year, written on Holidu and other booking sites in 9 languages. The same five complaints kept coming back. Some sound small, like dirty dishes in a cupboard. Others cost a host the review, like a full deposit kept for three tiny spots on a bed sheet. Each one has a simple fix:
| What guests complain about | What you can do |
|---|---|
Not clean on arrival |
Walk through after every cleaning: cupboards, fridge, bins |
Missing or broken equipment |
Equip for the full group and the length of their stay |
Problems that don’t get fixed |
Reply fast in the Holidu Host App, then fix what you can the same day |
A listing that doesn’t match the home |
Update photos and amenities. Pool opening times are now required and shown to guests |
Rules that sound like threats |
Write rules as requests, and let Holidu Protect replace the deposit |
Praise is just as consistent. Guests remember small, personal things: a warm welcome at the door, a tip for a local restaurant, a cot already set up for the baby, a bowl waiting for the dog. One guest described the ideal hosts as there when needed, never in the way.
How to turn a problem during the stay into a good review
Sooner or later something goes wrong. In the reviews we read, the problem rarely decided the score. The host’s reaction did.
- Reply fast, even before you can fix it. “I’ve seen your message, I’ll be there later in the afternoon” already calms a guest. The Holidu Host App notifies you of every guest message, wherever you are.
- Fix it the same day if you can. When the heating broke in winter, one host brought firewood the same day, and the review still gave five stars.
- If you can’t fix it, offer what you can. When the washing machine broke, one host paid for a laundromat in town.
- Check back afterwards. When the hot water broke, a heating technician came on the same day, but the host never asked afterwards whether the guests were managing, and the review says so.
- Mind how you fix it. A host who brought the missing kitchen items while complaining “we’re not a hotel” still got 2 stars out of 5.
A cosy living room with a lit wood-burning stove. Over the photo, a five-out-of-five Holidu review: The heating was broken, but our host brought us firewood for the stove, free of charge. With the wood and the stove, it was still very cosy. Jonas W., Germany, 7 nights.
How to reply to a review, including a critical one
Every future guest can read your reply. You can reply to reviews from Holidu, Booking.com, Airbnb and Vrbo in each property’s Reviews tab, or from the review card on your Home screen. A countdown shows how many days you have left. If you don’t reply in time, Holidu publishes an AI-written reply for you, and you can’t turn this off.
AI checks every reply before it’s published. It keeps your words and only steps in when a reply seriously breaks the guidelines. You then see its version and what changed, and you choose to send it or edit it. Edits are checked again. If you don’t know where to start, ask the AI for a suggestion. Nothing goes out until you send it, and once it’s published, you can’t change it.
For a critical review:
- Thank the guest, even when it’s hard.
- Answer the actual complaint in a sentence or two, without arguing.
- Say what you changed. “We’ve replaced the shower head” tells the next guest the problem is gone.
- Promise only what you’ll do. One guest found that repairs promised in replies to earlier reviews had never been made, and said so in their own review.
Mock-up of the review reply screen: a Booking.com review scored 6.0 out of 10, the host’s reply, and a green AI check confirming the reply goes out exactly as written.
Your reviews checklist: before, during and after the stay
- Before. Check your home against your listing, test Wi-Fi, keys and codes, and equip it for the full number of guests and the length of their stay.
- During. Reply quickly, fix what you can the same day and check back afterwards. Stay polite and friendly, even when things get stressful.
- After. Ask your first guests for a review, and reply to every review before the countdown ends. Thank the guest and stay calm, even when the review is critical. Then fix what reviews point out.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a negative review removed?
Only if it breaks the booking site’s rules, for example with offensive language or personal details, or if the guest never stayed. A negative opinion alone doesn’t qualify. Contact Holidu support with the booking number and the reason, and we’ll take it to the booking site, which makes the final decision.
How can I ask my guests to leave a review?
Ask in person or in a scheduled message at the end of the stay, and say how much their review helps you and the guests who come after them. Booking sites send their own reminder too: on Booking.com, for instance, guests have 90 days after check-out to write a review. Don’t offer anything in return, though: incentives for reviews aren’t allowed.
What if a guest damages something?
Claim it through Holidu Protect, if you use it: within 30 days of check-out, through Holidu, never with the guest. It replaces the deposit and covers guest damage on bookings through Holidu, from stained linen to broken items.
What happens if a guest complains to Holidu?
We ask you three things: whether you knew about the issue, whether you can fix it and by when, and whether you’ve already offered the guest anything. Reply as soon as you can: while the guest is still staying, you have 2 hours to answer, and 24 hours after check-out. If you sort it out together and the guest tells us they no longer need our help, the complaint is closed and no compensation is paid.
Will the AI change what I wrote?
Only when a reply seriously breaks the guidelines, for example when it’s rude or doesn’t answer the guest’s review. Otherwise your words go out as you wrote them.
Your next good review starts with your next guest
Start today: reply to any review you haven’t answered yet, before its countdown ends.
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