How to get better reviews
July 2026
Feedback is so important in the holiday rental business. If you’re only managing to get average reviews, it’s time to try something new. Here are some tried and tested strategies to get better reviews from your holiday rental guests.
Improving guest opinions for your holiday rental: where to start
Marketing is not enough. No matter how well you advertise your holiday home, many guests still decide to book based on your reviews. After all, a landlord can control listings on holiday rental portals and social media campaigns, but guest reviews are totally out of your control.
If you rent out your holiday home and get average or even bad reviews, you might be scratching your head. To improve this situation, the first question to ask yourself is: why aren’t guests giving you positive feedback?
The easiest starting point is right there in front of you — your existing reviews. Read them carefully, writing down any weaknesses that guests have identified. Perhaps your property is not scrupulously clean. Maybe your furniture looks tired and dated. Your customer service may be lacking. It’s particularly important to highlight anything mentioned in two or more separate reviews. A single bad comment could be a one-off, but if several guests complain about the same thing, it suggests a trend — one you can nip in the bud quickly with effective action.
How to get better reviews
If you can identify specific problems with your holiday rental, that’s great. Now, you can work on fixing them. However, sometimes it’s not that easy. Maybe guests consistently give you three or four stars without much of an explanation. This means you’ll have to figure out ways of improving your holiday rental reviews by yourself.
Ask for internal feedback
Asking guests for feedback after you rent out your holiday apartment is a smart choice for landlords looking to improve reviews. You’ll need to do it properly, though. You should never direct guests to leave a review until after their stay is finished, but you can ask for internal feedback before they check out.
There are three ways to do this, each with its own pros and cons:
- Leave a QR code in your rental that will direct guests to an internal feedback form, such as a Google survey. Only you can see the results. This is handy for tech-savvy guests, but those who aren’t digital natives may ignore it.
- Leave a physical feedback form for guests to complete. This has the opposite problem to the QR code: some guests will fill it in, while techies will probably overlook it.
- Ask guests in person for feedback. This can be an extremely valuable exercise, but you’ll have to do it carefully, or you might come across as intimidating.
No matter how you choose to collect guest feedback, make sure to include a box for suggestions and comments. These can be a lot more useful to you than a series of ticks.
Get the basics right
If your holiday rental business doesn’t have a strong foundation, then it doesn’t matter how many bells and whistles you add — you’ll still get bad reviews. What does a strong foundation mean?
- Basic cleanliness. Your property should always be scrupulously clean. If you can’t handle this yourself, hire a professional cleaner. First impressions count, and a dirty holiday rental will disgust your guests.
- Maintenance. Remember, guests expect a property of the same standard as a hotel. If doors stick or the sockets don’t work, they’ll be extremely unimpressed.
- A well-stocked property. You have enough beds for six guests, but you only provide two plates and glasses? It’s time to revise your stock keeping.
- Fast, functional Wi-Fi. These days, almost every guest wants to connect to your Wi-Fi network as soon as they arrive. They will be unhappy if it doesn’t work, has blind spots in parts of your home, or is just plain slow.
Get these basics right every single time. After that, you can focus on the little details that will elevate your guest experience.
Personalise your service
Everyone wants to feel like they’re special, so one of the best methods to get positive reviews for your holiday rental is to treat every guest like a VIP. Take an interest in their booking. For example, if a family with kids is coming, send them an email about child-friendly attractions in the area.
Guests often want to build a connection with another human. You’re not just a faceless holiday rental website — you’re a real person behind your business. If you have a traditional check-in, it’s easy to give guests a warm, personal greeting. However, more and more landlords offer contactless check-in, which can cut out the human touch. To make up for this, give them a phone number where they can contact you whenever they have questions. Text them a few hours after arrival to touch base and check that everything is going well.
Leave a welcome pack
What’s the easiest way to make someone feel welcome in your holiday rental? Well, by giving them a welcome pack, of course. After a long journey, guests want to settle in with the minimum amount of fuss, so landlords who leave them a basket of goodies will win some brownie points.
Think carefully about what you’re going to put into your welcome pack. As well as basic items like coffee and tea, local products are a great idea. Supermarket own-brand products are unlikely to impress your guests, but local artisan cheese, chocolate or cake will put a smile on their faces. Add a personalised greeting card, ideally handwritten, welcoming them to your property.
Be careful if you’re including alcohol in your welcome pack. Remember, not everyone drinks, so you might want to send a quick message in advance to check with your guests.
Keep standards high
Are your bedsheets made from pure cotton or polycotton? What brand of washing-up liquid do you have in the kitchen? What about shampoo and conditioner?
These may seem like small, insignificant details, but they all work together to create the environment of your holiday rental. If you prioritise quality, guests will be happier.
Ask them for feedback
Finally, don’t be afraid to send an email with a link to a review page after guests check out. Unhappy guests often want to tell the world about their bad experience, while those who are content stay quiet. Unless you ask the happy guests to speak up, this can skew your reviews. Remember, always be polite and never pushy. You’re asking for a favour, after all. Send them a single link to a form where they can leave guest reviews for holiday rentals. Asking guests for Google, Airbnb and TripAdvisor reviews is just too much.