The Best Hotel Review Sites and How To Manage Them

Few industries rely on reviews more than the hotel industry, and managing and responding to feedback on the many hotel review sites is now part of the job for hotel management.

If you're wondering which are the best review sites to focus on, the answer is most likely 'all of them'. But some do carry more weight than others.

For hotel comms and marketing teams wondering where to focus their attention and cultivate more verified guest reviews, we've taken a look at the biggest and most visible options. We'll also look at how to maximise the impact of your reviews and where to share them for better visibility.

1. Google Reviews

Google's omnipresence in the online world makes it an undisputed leader in local search and, consequently, hotel reviews. When potential guests search for general accommodation or a specific hotel, Google My Business listings often appear prominently, showcasing ratings and reviews directly on the Google search results page.

With the option to scroll Google Map looking for the right hotel, or simply browsing prices, plus the opportunity to book directly from the search result, Google is a serious player for hotel review sites.

Importance: With the monopoly on search and the highest monthly traffic of any site in the world, Google reviews are perhaps the top concern for hotel managers. Google's algorithm tends to prioritize businesses with strong online reputations meaning cultivating reviews here is probably the most effective and visible approach.

For potential guests, Google reviews are often the first point of contact. They provide a quick snapshot of a hotel's reputation and can be a powerful determinant in their booking journey. The appearance on Google Maps can also be a decider, with the location plus the pricing and star rating being visible.

How People Share Reviews: Guests typically leave reviews directly on a hotel's Google My Business profile. This can be done via Google Maps, a direct search for the hotel, or through prompts received after visiting the location. Reviews can include a star rating (out of five), written comments, and often photos or videos. The Google profile for a hotel can sometimes also include reviews from other sites such as TripAdvisor.

Engaging with the Content: As one of the most visible platforms for hotel reviews, hotel owners, managers or marketing teams need to make sure they actively claim and optimize their Google My Business profile. This includes ensuring all information is accurate, adding high-quality photos, and most importantly, responding to every review – positive or negative.

2. TripAdvisor

Often considered the go-to platform for in-depth traveler feedback, TripAdvisor remains a titan in the world of travel reviews. TripAdvisor boasts a massive global user base, making its reviews highly influential. What's more, the TripAdvisor reviews award is still a sign of trustworthiness for visitors and a badge of for the business owner.

Importance: TripAdvisor's sheer volume of user-generated content and its focus on travel-specific reviews make it one of the most important travel reviews sites - possibly on a par with Google. Its "bubble ratings" (out of five), detailed written reviews, and extensive photo and video content provide a comprehensive picture of a hotel for prospective guests. TripAdvisor also offers various awards, such as the Travelers' Choice and Certificate of Excellence, which are highly coveted badges of recognition for hotels.

Hotels are also ranked, with a subtitle in the review header saying #5 out of 500 hotels in your city. This ranking is based on your total reviews on the website - another driver for business managers.

Many travelers consider TripAdvisor an essential part of their travel planning. They trust the collective wisdom of other travelers and often use the platform to compare hotels, read about specific amenities, and gain insights into the overall guest experience. A high ranking on TripAdvisor can significantly boost a hotel's bookings and even boost the hotel's perception among tourists.

How People Share Reviews: Many users do actively seek out TripAdvisor to share their travel experiences, not just in hotels but local attractions and other vacation specific businesses. They can leave detailed reviews, upload photos and videos, and even ask questions about destinations. What's more, the TripAdvisor platform encourages extensive feedback, often prompting users to rate specific aspects of their stay, such as service, cleanliness, smart hotel features, and value.

Engaging with the Content: Every hotelier should have a dedicated strategy for managing their TripAdvisor presence. This will involve consistently monitoring new reviews, responding promptly and professionally to all feedback, and encouraging satisfied guests to leave reviews. Using the "Management Response" feature is vital for addressing concerns and showcasing a hotel's commitment to guest satisfaction. Participating in TripAdvisor's business listings and potentially paid advertising can also enhance visibility and encourage people to leave feedback.

3. Booking.com

As one of the world's largest online travel agencies (OTAs), Booking.com's review system is integrated directly into its booking process, making its reviews highly influential for guests searching for and reserving accommodations.

Importance: Booking.com reviews are crucial because they appear directly alongside hotel listings, often playing a significant role in a guest's final booking decision. The platform's rating system focuses on specific aspects like staff, facilities, cleanliness, comfort, value for money, and location, providing granular insights. Booking.com also highlights "Genius" member reviews, which can add an extra layer of perceived credibility.

For travelers using Booking.com, the review score and specific category ratings are paramount. They can quickly filter hotels based on these scores and read comments from other verified guests to make informed choices. A hotel with a consistently high rating on Booking.com is more likely to secure direct bookings through the platform.

How People Share Reviews: Only guests who have actually stayed at a property booked through Booking.com can leave a review. So this does ensure that the feedback comes from verified customers, which adds to the websites trustworthiness - especially for prospective guests. After checkout, guests receive an email prompt to review their stay, typically within a few days - although they can leave reviews up to several months later.

Engaging with the Content: Monitoring and responding to Booking.com reviews, alongside Google and TripAdvisor, needs to be done regularly. As the feedback is from genuine guests, there can be action steps that might also need focusing on - especially in negative reviews. It's also important to encourage satisfied guests to leave reviews, as a higher volume of positive feedback can significantly improve a hotel's overall score and visibility on the platform.

4. Expedia

Similar to Booking.com, Expedia is a major OTA whose integrated review system directly impacts booking choices for millions of travelers. The Expedia Group also own other hotel booking sites such as Vrbo (the major Airbnb competitor), Trivago and Travelocity, among others. This does mean that reviews on the Expedia site can be visible elsewhere.

Importance: Expedia reviews are vital for hotels listed on the platform because they are prominently displayed alongside hotel details and pricing. A strong star rating and positive reviews can significantly influence a traveler's decision to book through Expedia. The platform also offers various filtering options that allow users to sort hotels by guest rating, making it easy for high-rated properties to stand out.

Travelers using Expedia often rely heavily on the guest ratings and comments to narrow down their choices. They look for insights into the overall experience, cleanliness, service, and value for money. A hotel with consistently good reviews on Expedia is more likely to attract bookings from the platform's extensive user base.

How People Share Reviews: Like Booking.com, only guests who have booked and completed a stay through Expedia can leave a review. This verification process enhances the credibility of the feedback. Guests receive prompts via email to share their experiences after their stay.

Engaging with the Content: Hoteliers should regularly check their Expedia reviews and respond to all feedback, both positive and negative. Addressing guest concerns publicly demonstrates excellent customer service and a commitment to continuous improvement. Actively encouraging satisfied guests to leave reviews can also help boost a hotel's overall rating and visibility on the platform.

5. Yelp

Although Yelp is often associated with local businesses and restaurants, reviews here do still matter. While this is arguably one of the lesser hotel review sites, it does still make sense for hotel managers to keep tabs on their reviews on Yelp, even if with less focus that say TripAdvisor or Google.

Yelp is most popular in the US and with US based customers - with less reliance on the platform in other locations such as Europe or Asia.

Importance: Yelp reviews can be particularly important for hotels in urban areas or those that attract a significant number of US guests. A strong Yelp presence can also contribute to local SEO and word-of-mouth referrals. While not as dominant as dedicated travel sites, Yelp can still be used to generate influential feedback.

How People Share Reviews: Yelp users actively seek out businesses to review, often sharing detailed experiences, photos, and ratings (out of five stars). Reviews on Yelp can be quite descriptive and often include personal anecdotes.

Engaging with the Content: Even if focusing less on this platform, hoteliers should make sure to claim and optimize their Yelp business page. Take time to ensure all information is accurate and up-to-date, respond to reviews, both positive and negative and generally keep tabs on activity on the site. Proactively asking satisfied local guests to leave reviews can also help build a stronger Yelp presence.

6. Facebook

Facebook's transformation into a multi-faceted platform means it's not just for social connections but also for business reviews and recommendations, including hotels.

Independent or boutique hotels sometimes use their Facebook page as their hotel website, making it important to the overall visibility and engagement of their business. The nature of Facebook also means there can be more user generated content (UGC) here too, and cultivating reviews and testimonials on Facebook can be effective for building brand presence.

Importance: With Facebook's massive user base and the power of social proof, reviews on your Facebook business page matter to potential guests. When friends or family recommend a hotel on Facebook, it carries significant weight. A strong star rating and positive comments on a hotel's Facebook page can influence booking decisions, especially for younger demographics.

Many travelers turn to Facebook for recommendations from their social circle or to check a hotel's social media presence. Positive reviews and high ratings on a hotel's Facebook page can enhance its credibility and attract direct bookings.

People can also use Facebook to ask questions of a business - so it's definitely a platform that needs to be managed.

How People Share Reviews: Users can "recommend" a business on its Facebook page, which includes a star rating (out of five) and the option to add a written comment and photos. These recommendations often appear in users' news feeds, extending their reach.

Engaging with the Content: Hotels should maintain an active and engaging Facebook page, encouraging guests to leave recommendations. Responding promptly to all reviews, sharing positive feedback, and utilizing Facebook's advertising tools can further enhance a hotel's online reputation and reach.

7. Reddit

Often dubbed "the front page of the internet," Reddit is a vast collection of online communities (subreddits) where users discuss a myriad of topics, including travel and accommodations. While not a traditional review site, its influence should not be underestimated.

Typically people here might ask questions in local communities, for example what to see or do in a specific city or region, or where to stay.

Importance: Reddit's importance lies in its authentic, often unfiltered discussions. Travelers frequently seek advice and recommendations in travel-focused subreddits (e.g., r/travel, r/hotels, r/ThailandTourism, r/HotelsReviewed), and a hotel that receives positive mentions or even dedicated threads can gain significant organic exposure.

Conversely, negative experiences shared on Reddit can quickly go viral and damage a hotel's reputation - especially if not managed.

How People Share Reviews: Typically Reddit content is shared within discussions and threads. Users post questions about cities or hotels, share their experiences (good or bad), and offer recommendations. These can range from detailed narratives to brief comments, often accompanied by photos.

You might also find people sharing links to their own reviews sites (eg. bloggers or vloggers) which can be an interesting opportunity to engage with guests.

Engaging with the Content: As it's not a typical reviews site, engaging with Reddit requires a nuanced approach. Direct marketing is often frowned upon. Instead, hotels should monitor relevant subreddits for mentions of their property or general discussions about hotel stays in their area.

Responding to specific queries or concerns in a helpful, non-promotional way can build goodwill. Understanding the sentiment around a hotel on Reddit can provide valuable insights into public perception.

8. Hotels.com

Hotels.com is another prominent OTA owned by Expedia Group - with a very similar style and layout. But the popularity of the site means that it's own review system is an integral part of its booking ecosystem. Although not at Booking.com levels of popularity, listings on Hotels.com do show up on Google and Trivago, making this an important review site to focus on.

Importance: Travelers using Hotels.com heavily rely on the guest reviews to compare properties and make booking choices. A hotel with a consistently high rating and positive feedback is more likely to attract and convert users from the platform.The star rating and guest comments are displayed prominently on hotel listings, directly influencing a potential guest's booking decision.

The platform's loyalty program, "Rewards," can also encourage repeat bookings and, consequently, more reviews.

How People Share Reviews: Similar to Booking.com and Expedia, only verified guests who have booked and completed a stay through Hotels.com can leave reviews. This ensures the authenticity of the feedback. Guests receive email prompts to review their experience after checkout.

Engaging with the Content: Hotels should actively monitor their Hotels.com reviews and respond to them promptly and professionally. Addressing guest feedback, both positive and negative, demonstrates a commitment to customer service. Encouraging satisfied guests to leave reviews can help maintain a strong overall rating and improve visibility on the platform.

9. YouTube

While not a traditional review site, YouTube is an important tool for anyone planning their vacation. This is especially for people researching an unfamiliar destination, or even enjoying a walkthrough of a hotel before they visit.

In fact, YouTube has become an increasingly powerful platform for visual hotel reviews, vlogs, and property tours - many of which do show in the search results. But should it be considered as a 'hotel review site'?

Importance: YouTube's visual nature makes it incredibly impactful. Video reviews, whether from professional travel vloggers, the local tourism office or everyday guests, can offer an immersive and authentic look at a hotel that text-based reviews cannot replicate. These videos can influence potential guests by showcasing the hotel's ambiance, amenities, and overall experience in a dynamic way.

Many travelers, especially younger demographics, use YouTube for travel inspiration and to get a visual sense of hotels before booking. Positive video reviews can be incredibly persuasive, while negative videos can be highly damaging

In addition to this, specific reviews can appear in the search results - so check your hotel brand to spot video reviews that are ranking.

How People Share Reviews: Specific hotel reviews can be shared either as an in-depth review by a vlogger, or as part of an experience. Hotel brands and local tourism offices might also create slick videos to showcase specific hotels, locations or attractions.

Engaging with the Content: Hotels can leverage YouTube by creating their own professional video tours and promotional content. More importantly, they should monitor YouTube for mentions of their property and engage with relevant content. Collaborating with travel vloggers can also be a powerful marketing strategy, as can responding to comments on videos featuring the hotel.

10. Social media

While we've included Facebook, YouTube and Reddit on this list of hotel review sites already, ignoring Instagram and TikTok would be a huge mistake. Visual social media sites have huge reach and engagement, and can be particularly powerful for attracting potential guests.

Importance: Younger travelers in particular are more likely to research a hotel or destination on Instagram or TikTok before they book. This means that both the hotel profile on these platforms, and any mentions, should be tracked and managed.

How People Share Reviews: Reviews on social media can be either posts, reels or stories (or all of the above) and can be shared either via hahstags, location pins or tagging the account.

As on other social platforms like Reddit or YouTube, people can also link to their blog and share more of their insight.

Engaging with the Content: For hotel brands, engaging with content consistently by commenting, liking or reposting the best content can help to boost positive perception of the brand. For negative feedback, make sure to reach out and offer genuine support or ask for engagement on a direct channel to rectify the problem.

The Power of Sharing Reviews: A Badge of Confidence

Displaying hotel review ratings, positive reviews and awards online and within the physical space of your property a big part of hotel marketing. In fact, more than that, it's a badge of trust to share with your guests and visitors.

Social proof is a huge part of the hotel and even tourism experience, and so hotels want to reassure guests that their choice is a sound one.

But the benefits extend equally, if not more, to the hotel manager and their team. Internally, displaying review badges and awards serves as a constant motivator. It validates the hard work of the staff, from the front desk to housekeeping, reinforcing the direct impact of their efforts on guest satisfaction. This recognition has many benefits for employee engagement, from boosting team morale, encouraging a culture of continuous improvement, and fostering a sense of pride in the workplace.

Using hotel digital signage means you can display not just your latest award, but the latest curated feedback from TripAdvisor, or images from a guest review on Instagram.

Why share hotel reviews on digital signage?

• Immediate Reassurance for Arriving Guests: Seeing high ratings from TripAdvisor or Google on digital screens in the lobby immediately reassures arriving guests that they have made a good choice. This helps to set a positive tone for their stay from the moment they walk through the door.
• Encourage On-Site Engagement: Digital signage can strategically display QR codes or links to review platforms, prompting current guests to leave their feedback while their experience is fresh. This can be a key driver encouraging people to leave their own reviews - crucial for maintaining a strong online presence.
• Highlight Awards and Accolades: Hotels can proudly display any awards or "Certificates of Excellence" received from platforms like TripAdvisor or Booking.com.
• Boosting Staff Pride and Motivation: When staff see the positive recognition their hard work has earned displayed for all to see, it reinforces their value and encourages them to maintain high standards. This internal motivation can translate into even better guest service.
• Upselling and Cross-selling Opportunities: Digital signage can also be used to highlight specific amenities or services that have received positive mentions in reviews, subtly encouraging guests to explore other offerings. For example, "Guests love our spa – book your treatment today!"
• Modern and Professional Image: Technological features convey an air of luxury and digital signage projects a modern and professional image, showing that the hotel is technologically adept and values guest feedback.

Read more: Uses for hotel digital signage

Choose ScreenCloud for Hotel Digital Signage

Whether it's sharing your reviews and feedback in the hotel lobby, through to displaying wayfinding information, event schedules or promotional content, digital signage is a powerful tool for hotel managers.

Global hotel brands trust ScreenCloud to power their digital signage networks. Easily set up a network of digital screens whether that's across a sprawling resort complex or an international chain of luxury hotels. Give local teams their own access and granular permissions to manage content, and also access and launch content remotely from your own head office or local department.

What's more, ScreenCloud offers remote device management, 99% glitch free operation and enterprise grade security for your peace of mind.

Find out today why ScreenCloud digital signage is the hotel digital signage solution you need. Book a demo or try for free...