How do you get more Google reviews for accommodation, in short?
Accommodation has an edge most businesses don’t: guests stay for hours, often days, and live memorable moments (arriving, breakfast, the view, a great local tip). It also has a handicap: guests already get review requests from the booking site that sold them the room. Your Google request has to be personal and simple, or it gets lost in the noise.
The general method (review link, QR code, Google’s rules) is covered in our guide to getting more Google reviews. Here we apply it to a stay: the moments, materials, messages and replies that work for hotels, B&Bs and holiday lets.
Why do Google reviews matter so much for a hotel or holiday let?
A traveller doesn’t know your area. They open Google Maps around the station, the venue they are visiting or the village, and compare what comes up: the photo, the price, the rating, the number of reviews and how recent the latest ones are. Recent reviews that mention a quiet room, a good bed or a warm welcome reassure more than a nice photo alone.
Google says so in its help page “Tips to improve your local ranking”: local results depend on relevance, distance and prominence, and the number of reviews you have received is part of prominence. Replying to reviews also shows, in Google’s words, that you value your guests’ feedback.
There is money at stake too. A guest who finds you on Google can call or book with you directly instead of through a commission-based platform. A strong Google listing is therefore also a direct-booking tool, as we explain in capturing more direct bookings via your Google profile.
Free tool, no sign-up
Google review calculator
How many 5-star reviews do you need to go from your current rating to your target? The calculation runs in your browser, free, no sign-up.
When in the stay should you ask for a review?
A stay offers several touchpoints, but only one is really right for asking: when the guest has experienced everything and feels good about it.
| Moment | Ask? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Check-in | No | The guest hasn’t experienced anything yet; they are thinking about luggage and wifi. |
| During the stay | Not yet | Ask “is everything all right?” instead: you can still fix a heating or noise problem. |
| Last breakfast | Yes, gently | In a B&B, it is often the warmest moment of the stay. |
| Check-out, handing over the bill | Yes | Guests take stock and often say what they enjoyed. |
| The day after check-out | Yes, by email | They have time, on the train or back home. |
| Weeks later | No | The memory has faded and few people respond. |
Hotels with a front desk
Check-out is the key moment. When a guest says “it was perfect”, the receptionist follows up with the request and points to the QR code on the desk. If check-out is rushed (a taxi waiting, a queue), leave it to the next-day email.
Bed and breakfasts
You know your guests by name, you have shared breakfasts and sometimes long chats. The request comes naturally on the last morning or as you say goodbye. Keep it sincere: “it would really help us” beats a speech.
Holiday cottages and self check-in
Often nobody is there at departure: key box, quick inspection or none at all. The welcome book and the next-day email then do all the work. If you do pop by to collect the keys, one sentence is enough.
Where should you put the review QR code in a hotel or B&B?
A QR code saves the guest from searching for your listing: they scan it with their phone camera and land on the review page. Put it where guests have a calm moment near the end of their stay. The Voxtya Review collection service gives you this QR code in your name, with print-ready materials.
| Material | Location | Line next to it |
|---|---|---|
| Table tent | Front desk | “Enjoyed your stay? Tell others in 30 seconds on Google.” |
| Page in the welcome book | Room or cottage, next to the check-out details | “A few words on Google help future guests find us.” |
| Bill or invoice | Handed over at check-out | “Thank you for staying. Your review: scan here.” |
| Small card | Breakfast table, last morning | “Loved our homemade jam? Tell the world!” |
| Business card | In the bill envelope or welcome basket | “See you soon! A Google review helps us a lot.” |
| Table tent | Hotel bar or restaurant | “Had a good time here? Leave us a review.” |
Avoid the front door and the desk at check-in: a QR code seen before the stay does nothing. Test every code with several phones before printing one for each room.
Which email should you send after check-out, and when?
For accommodation, the next-day email is often the channel that brings the most reviews: you have the guest’s address from the booking, and they finally have time to read. Send it the day after check-out, not on arrival, and only once.
Subject: Thank you for staying at [Business name]
Hello [First name], thank you for staying with us. We hope you slept well and enjoyed [a detail: the view, the Saturday market, the walk we suggested]. If you have a moment, a few words on Google would help other travellers find us: [link]. And if anything wasn’t right, just reply to this email: we read everything. We hope to welcome you again, [Host’s first name or team]
Subject: How was the cottage?
Hello [First name], you left [Cottage name] yesterday: we hope everything went well and that you enjoyed the house. A Google review helps us a lot, as we have no front desk to tell guests about us: [link]. Thank you and safe travels, [First name]
The link after a direct booking
When guests book directly, you have their email and can automate the message. With the Voxtya Bookings service in stays mode, the review request goes out automatically after the departure date (the next day by default, adjustable), with the link to your listing. You can also send a review request email campaign to recent guests from Review collection.
What about guests from booking platforms?
When a booking comes from a platform, the guest’s email may be masked and messages follow the platform’s rules: check its terms before adding an outside link. The welcome book and the check-out request are then your best tools. Either way, respect privacy rules: in the UK, the ICO’s guidance on electronic mail marketing requires you to say who you are and give a valid way to opt out; EU and US rules have similar principles. Check what applies where you operate.
Google, Booking.com, Airbnb, Tripadvisor: do you have to choose?
Accommodation collects reviews on several sites. Booking platforms send their own requests to their guests, so you don’t need to do anything there. Your personal effort should go where nobody does it for you: Google, which shows up in search and on Google Maps.
- Don’t ask the same guest for two reviews. If they came through a platform, they will already get its request; your check-out line can focus on Google.
- Guests can reuse their own words. If someone says they already reviewed you elsewhere, simply invite them to share their experience on Google too, without dictating anything.
- Reply everywhere the same way, with the same tone and courtesy.
For Tripadvisor rules and claiming your page, see our guide on managing Tripadvisor reviews.
Does a prize wheel make sense for a hotel?
Less than for a restaurant or a bar. Here is how the wheel works: the guest scans a QR code, enters their first name and email, opens your Google review page, and then the wheel unlocks. Their rating is never asked for or checked, and the prize never depends on it. Winners get a code by email (valid 30 days by default) to use on their next visit. The email is only used to send that code and to apply the waiting period you choose between two spins.
The weak point for accommodation: most guests don’t come back within a month. The wheel makes sense if your hotel has a bar or restaurant used by passing customers or locals, or if the prize can be used during the stay (a drink at the bar, a coffee on the terrace). For a cottage or a B&B, a sincere request at check-out and a next-day email are plenty.
Either way, never offer a benefit in exchange for a review: Google forbids it in its tips to get more reviews. The rules for games are covered in Prize wheel and Google reviews: the rules to follow and on our wheel of fortune page.
What should you say at the front desk or over breakfast?
The best request follows a compliment. When a guest says they slept well or loved the view, the door is open. Here are lines to adapt to your own voice.
“That’s lovely to hear. If you have a minute, a quick Google review would really help us. The QR code is right here.”
“We’re a small independent hotel, and guest reviews are how people find us. Thank you so much if you get a chance to leave one.”
“You’ll find the review link on the last page of the welcome book. It helps us enormously.”
“You said you loved the lake walk: if you mention it on Google, it will help other travellers.”
“I’ll send you a short thank-you email tomorrow, with the link if you’d like to leave a review. Safe trip home!”
“And if anything wasn’t right, please tell me now, I’d really like to fix it.”
What not to say
- “Please give us 5 stars”: ask for a review, never a rating.
- “Leave a review and breakfast is on us”: a benefit in exchange for a review is against Google’s rules.
- “You can write it right now on the lobby tablet”: let each guest write from their own phone, in their own time.
- Setting staff a weekly review target: Google’s policy forbids asking staff to solicit a set number of reviews.
How should a hotel or B&B reply to reviews?
Future guests read your replies as closely as the reviews. Reply to every one, in the reviewer’s language when you can, without ever mentioning the room number, exact dates or the guest’s full name. Our guide to replying to Google reviews covers the method; here are three templates for accommodation.
Positive review
Thank you [First name] for this lovely message! We’re delighted you enjoyed the quiet room and the breakfast. Our jams are made in-house every week, and we have passed on your compliments. We hope to welcome you back to [Business name] soon, [Host’s first name]
Mixed review (noise, small room)
Hello [First name], thank you for your feedback and your kind words about the welcome. You’re right, the street-facing rooms can be noisier at weekends. Next time you book, ask us for a garden-side room and we’ll do our best to reserve one for you. Kind regards, [First name], [Business name]
Negative review (cleanliness, equipment)
Hello [First name], thank you for taking the time to write. We’re sorry the room wasn’t up to the standard we aim for: we have reviewed this with our housekeeping team and had [the equipment] checked. We would like to talk to you directly: please email [email] or call [phone]. Kind regards, [First name], [Business name] management
To save time, our free AI review reply generator gives you a first draft. The Voxtya Review replies service drafts a reply to every new review in your tone: you read it, then paste it on Google.
Which mistakes should you avoid, and what weekly routine works?
Mistakes specific to accommodation
- Asking at check-in. The guest hasn’t experienced anything, and the request is forgotten by departure.
- A QR code buried in the welcome book. Put it next to the check-out details, with a short line.
- Emailing three weeks later. The day after check-out, or not at all.
- Chasing several times. One email after the stay is enough; one reminder at most.
- Replying with personal details. Room number, dates, surname: none of that belongs in a public reply.
- Asking family or staff to write reviews. Google treats them as a conflict of interest and removes them.
- Ignoring reviews in other languages. A short reply in the guest’s language shows that everyone is welcome.
A typical week checklist
- Every morning, check the QR code is in place at the desk and on the breakfast table.
- At every check-out, ask “did everything go well?”, then make the request if the answer is yes.
- Check the next-day email went out for yesterday’s departures.
- Put a card or an up-to-date welcome book back in each room or cottage after cleaning.
- Read new reviews twice a week and reply to each one.
- Note recurring topics (noise, beds, wifi) and fix one.
- Once a week, count new reviews and share the result with the team.
Summary
| Type of accommodation | Key moment | Main tool | Prize wheel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel with front desk | Check-out, handing over the bill | Desk table tent + next-day email | Only with a bar or restaurant |
| Bed and breakfast | Last breakfast, goodbyes | Spoken request + card on the table | Not very useful |
| Holiday cottage, self check-in | The day after departure | Welcome book + email | No |
To find out how many reviews you need to reach a target rating, try our Google review calculator. If you show reviews on your website, see how to display Google reviews on your website; for the site itself, read our B&B website guide.
The steps at a glance
The steps to receive Google reviews from your guests regularly, within the rules.
- Get your review link. From your Google listing, copy the “Ask for reviews” link and test it on your phone.
- Print the QR code. Place it at the front desk, in the welcome book next to the check-out details and on the bill.
- Pick a check-out line. The whole team uses the same simple sentence, said after a compliment.
- Prepare the next-day email. A short, personal message with the link, sent the day after check-out.
- Automate for direct bookings. Have the email go out automatically after each departure through your booking tool.
- Reply to every review. Thank guests, answer criticism calmly, with no details about their stay.
- Track it weekly. Count new reviews and fix one recurring issue.
Do it without spending your evenings on it
Voxtya Review collection
Print-ready QR codes for the front desk and welcome book, an automatic email after check-out for direct bookings, and review request campaigns. €29/month, 30-day free trial.
Google reviews: the guide for your trade
When to ask, where to put the QR code and what to say change from one trade to another:
- How to get more Google reviews for your restaurant
- How to get more Google reviews for your bar or café
- How to get more Google reviews for your bakery
- How to get more Google reviews for a hair salon or barbershop
- How to get more Google reviews for a beauty salon
- How to get more Google reviews as a tradesperson
- How to get more Google reviews for your garage or auto repair shop
- How to get more Google reviews for your shop
- Google reviews for a healthcare practice: what is allowed and how to reply
This guide for your trade
Go further
- How many Google reviews per month? Free calculator
- Google review reply templates, by trade
- How to get more Google reviews: the complete guide
- How to get more Google reviews for your hotel
- How to reply to Google reviews for hotels
- Google reviews software for hotels
- Google reviews for B&Bs and holiday cottages
- Review QR codes, post-stay emails and prize wheel
- The wheel of fortune for Google reviews
- Hotel: more direct bookings via Google
Sources
The rules quoted in this guide come from these official pages, checked on October 17, 2026.