Managing Your Vacation Rental

Top 10 Tips to Acquire Positive Guest Reviews and Prevent Negative Ones

Written by Elizabeth Weedon
5/5 - (26 votes)

Updated June 2023

It should be abundantly clear to most homeowners how critical guest reviews are to the success of renting their vacation rental homes.  The goal is to get as many positive reviews posted as possible and to continue to get current, new ones each season.

Why are guest reviews so important?

  • They build the trust and credibility so valuable to vacationers when doing business online.
  • They provide significant, objective marketing value.
  • They may improve the search order of your listing.

What can you do?

Here are some important tips to help you to significantly increase the number of positive guest reviews from your guests (and also reduce the likelihood of your receiving negative ones).

1. Communicate. Be communicative and accessible to your guests before, during, and after their stay. This provides an important personal connection between you and may prevent misunderstandings. You are no longer an anonymous business contact but the kind and concerned owner who is invested in making sure your guests are having a wonderful experience in your home.

2. Be proactive. Don’t assume your tenant will submit a review. Ask them for one! Whether in person, by phone, by email, or using your listing’s Request Form feature – don’t be shy! Studies have shown that 81% of travelers consider user reviews to be important when on travel booking sites.  Your guests understand the value of reviews!

3. Don’t delay. Strike while the iron’s hot, while the memories of their idyllic stay in your home are still fresh and compelling. Asking past guests for feedback six months after they have left your home is less likely to be met with success. Incorporate your request for feedback into your post-rental routine.

4. Make it easy for your guests.  By far the easiest way for vacationers to submit a guest review is by you sending them an email using the Request Form from the Guest Reviews link in your Homeowner Center.

Although they may have the best of intentions when hearing from you by phone or in person, life gets in the way. However, with a quick email request using our form, they can just click the “Write a review” link and they are off to the races.

5. Present a pristine home. The most common complaint from guests is about cleanliness. Be sure to give your home a deep, thorough cleaning before the season starts, and maintain high standards of cleanliness at every turnover. Always use a professional cleaner. Homeowners who hire professionals to do turnover cleaning rarely receive negative comments about lack of cleanliness.

6. De-humidify. A close second in the complaint department has to do with mustiness, dampness and mold issues. Although it’s virtually impossible for homes in a seaside community like the Cape and Islands to be dry and free from mildew, here are some preventative measures you can take:

  1. Get one or more de-humidifiers or window air conditioners.
  2. Remove unnecessary carpets or rugs.
  3. Air out the home frequently.
  4. Remove trees near or around the house.
  5. Direct downspouts away from the foundation.

7. Provide a bug-free home.  Occasionally guests complain that the house was “infested” with bugs. We all know that a few bugs here and there hardly constitute an infestation and are to be expected in the summer. It is inexpensive and easy to exterminate a house before the season starts.  Add a professional exterminator to your professional service providers support team or by simply using store-bought foggers and doing it yourself. This way, if someone complains, you can let them know that the house was treated before their arrival, but you would be happy to have it treated again.

8. Provide an accurate and conservative listing. It’s simple: don’t oversell and under-deliver. Although your listing should certainly highlight your property’s greatest assets, once a potential guest expresses serious interest in your home, be sure that you point out any possible shortcomings or unusual features so that their expectations are managed properly and they experience only pleasant surprises upon their arrival. Read more about screening your tenants to assure a good fit.

9. Return the security deposit immediately. It’s their money – get it back to them right away. Homeowners often don’t realize how nervous guests get about the return of their security deposits.  A family could have enjoyed a fabulous time in your home and been all set to write you a rave review.  However, if they’ve had to wait overlong for their deposit, it could sour every bit of good will. Read more about security deposits.

10. Go above & beyond (It’s the “little things.”) Provide your guests with plenty of paper products, soaps and detergents, and even some basic seasonings. Leave a welcome gift of some kind such as fresh flowers, a bottle of wine, candies, local coffees, etc. The few dollars you spend will be well worth it.  Read more about welcoming your guests and treating your tenants as guests.

For a comprehensive look at our guest review policy and guidelines, features, and information about how to solicit guest reviews, submit an Owner Response, etc., go to our Guest Reviews Help Page.

Transferring reviews from another vacation rental platform

If you’ve listed your home on another site, you’ve undoubtedly worked hard to garner some great guest reviews from past guests.

To transfer reviews from another site onto your listing on WeNeedaVacation.com:

  1. Go to the “Guest Reviews” link in your Homeowner Center and click on the “Enter new guest review” link.
  2. Add the guest’s name and date of vacation. (We post only the first name and initial of last name.)
  3. Paste their review from the other site.
  4. Click on “Save” and the review will automatically be posted to your listing as “Homeowner entered.” OR, if you have their email address, you can click on the “Save & Request Confirmation” button instead of the “Save” button. An email template will appear enabling you to contact the guest to request that they grant permission for it to be posted on your listing on our site.  The guest can then simply click “I agree,” and the review will be posted on your listing as an actual guest review.

The bottom line is to never underestimate the value of positive guest reviewsThey really matter. 

About the author

Elizabeth Weedon

Elizabeth Weedon - Although I’ve worked for WeNeedaVacation.com since 2008, I’ve been a loyal homeowner on the site since early 1998, just a few months after the website was launched by the Talmadges. I grew up summering on the Vineyard and managed my family's rental home there since the mid-1980’s. I’m passionately devoted to the Vineyard – and to WeNeedaVacation, which I credit with enabling me to hold onto the special property that has been in our family for nearly a century. An enthusiastic member of the WNAV Homeowner Support Team, I endeavor to keep my finger on the pulse of the Cape and Islands vacation rental industry so that I can provide homeowners advice about how to ensure their booking success with us. With owner Joan Talmadge, I am also responsible for editing and writing much of the text on our website, our monthly newsletters, and Homeowner Blog posts.

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