Why Google and not only Booking
Booking reviews are seen only by people already on Booking. Google reviews are seen by anyone searching your name, hotels in town, or opening the map. Google uses them to rank hotels for “hotels Sarandë”: number, average rating and freshness directly affect it. A hotel with fresh reviews every week climbs.
How many you need
To be taken seriously by foreign tourists: over 100 reviews and an average above 4.3. To compete on the map with big hotels: a few hundred. Rhythm matters too: 10 reviews a month in season weigh more than 100 old ones. Any small hotel can reach these numbers in two seasons with a method.
The check-out method
The right moment is departure, when the guest is happy and has time. A QR code at reception opening the Google review form directly. A spoken request: “if you enjoyed it, a Google review helps us a lot”. A WhatsApp message or email an hour after departure with the direct link. Offer nothing in return: Google forbids it and deletes the reviews.
Typical result: one in five guests asked leaves a review. With 30 rooms in season that is hundreds a year.
Replying to all of them
Every review gets a reply within 48 hours, in the guest’s language, with their name and a detail of the stay. Future guests read the replies: they show someone cares. Google rewards active profiles. Short, personal replies work better than copied ones.
Negative reviews
Always reply, calmly, without excuses and without attacking. Thank them, acknowledge the problem if real, say what you changed, invite private contact. Future guests read the reply, not just the complaint: a good reply turns a lost star into a point of trust. Fake or offensive reviews are reported to Google with a removal request.
Reviews in three languages
Italian guests write in Italian, Kosovars in Albanian, Poles in Polish or English. Future tourists read them all with auto-translation, but replies in their language make an impression. If your market is Italy, Italian reviews are the ones that weigh most for Italian tourists.
Reuse on the site and in ads
The best reviews go on the hotel site, with name and origin, in the rooms section and next to the booking engine. They are used in Google and Instagram ads (“4.7 stars from 350 reviews”). In the email to past guests. A good review is the most convincing text you have: written by someone who paid.
Guest photos
Reviews with photos weigh more and guest photos appear on your profile. Ask for photos in the review request. Check that your profile photos are the good ones, not random guest shots: upload professional photos regularly so they stay first.
The mistakes
Not asking for reviews. Asking only happy guests with a discount in return. Not replying. Replying angrily to a negative review. Buying reviews: Google detects them and suspends the profile. Leaving the profile without photos and hours. Each of these costs positions and bookings.
A monthly plan
Week 1: QR code and check-out message ready in three languages. Every day: replies within 48 hours. Every week: check new reviews and photos. Every month: number, average, rhythm compared with competitors; best reviews on the site and in ads. Every season: analysis of recurring complaints and changes at the hotel.
Recurring complaints as information
Reviews are the most honest survey you have. If five guests in a month mention hot water or noise, the problem is real and costs more to ignore than to fix. Once a season read all the reviews and make a list: what is praised (keep it and highlight it on the site), what is complained about (fix it and say in replies that it has been fixed).
Reviews for B&Bs and villas
For a B&B with five rooms, ten good Google reviews in one season change everything: it goes from invisible to first in the village. The method is the same, but personal contact with the guest makes it easier: the request comes from the owner, at check-out, with the QR code on the breakfast table. For rental villas, ask for the Google review even when the booking came from Airbnb.
Frequently asked questions
Can I offer a discount for a review?
No, Google forbids it. Just ask, at the right moment.
How do I remove a fake review?
Report it from the profile with the reason; Google reviews it. Meanwhile reply calmly.
Should I reply to reviews with no text?
Yes, with a short thank-you: it shows activity.
Can I put Booking reviews on the site?
You can quote the score and number; for full texts prefer Google ones.