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Writer's pictureAdele Gutman Milne, CHBA, CHDM

Want to Get More Positive Guest Reviews? Here's where to start.

Updated: Feb 4, 2022

Every business must already have satisfied customers to keep the doors open, but not every business enjoys the benefits of loyalty, new customer referrals, and increased perceived value that a stellar reputation provides.


In this episode, Adele Gutman, the authority on hospitality reputation marketing, shares a more effective strategy to not only get a few more reviews that you might have had before but to have your business bask in the sunshower of fabulous, enthusiastic, five-star reviews- focus on adding more warmth and energy to the guest experience.


These insights come from Adele’s personal experiences and astonishingly consistent results:


  • The #1, #2, #3, and #4 ranked hotels on Tripadvisor out of hundreds of hotels in NYC.

  • The # hotels in Czech Republic and Hungary on Tripadvisor

  • The #1 Hotel in the World on Tripadvisor in 2017

  • 96.1% GRI- The highest company-wide Global Review Index of any luxury hotel brand in the world according to a study by ReviewPro


Asking for reviews from satisfied customers will get you a few more reviews, but if you want more loyalty, more enthusiastic fans, and more new business recommendations, you need to focus on more 5-Star reviews, and fewer 4 and below. No quick campaign for more reviews will change the life of your business. A five-star online reputation must be created organically, by focusing on delivering 5-star experiences.


But you don’t need to be a five-star hotel to deliver 5-star service and inspire 5-star reviews! In any business where service matters, you can replicate this model and you too, can have stellar results.


It’s the smallest touches of thoughtfulness, convenience, and comfort that make the biggest impact on the guest experience. An elevation in experience not only means an elevation in quality over quantity when it comes to guest reviews. More enthusiastic reviews come from more sparkling experiences, and guests who are so grateful and inspired to take the time to give a review.


So let’s all think about how to add a little more sparkle throughout the guest experience journey to make a big impact on our financial results.


More listening, collaborating, and problem-solving are also required, but we will talk about that in future episodes!


We invite you to tune in to this podcast and subscribe to keep the conversation and the inspiration flowing. Please share and let us know how this content is helping, or how we can do more to provide you with the information you need.


Highlights from this episode:


  • 4-Star reviews are not that beneficial to businesses.

  • When you focus on the quality of service, you get more 5-star reviews.

  • Focus on the guest’s happiness, not the review.

  • A stellar reputation is the foundation for all successful commercial initiatives


You will hear:

  • The best way to encourage your guests to write a review?

  • How to inspire your team to make your guest feel like a VIP.

  • How working towards great views impacts the employee experience.


Some people and concepts Adele referenced during the show:


Horst Shulze: Excellence Wins “Don’t come to work; come to Be Excellent!”

Jeffery Victor: While not mentioned in the show, he does say, “Be Awesome for People”, which is a concept Adele addressed on the show. We encourage you to follow Jeffery as well.


Here are some Adeleisms that you can make your own when speaking to your team about inspiring five-star reviews:


  • “As long as we are here, let’s have some fun today! Let’s see how many guests we can make really happy today.”

  • “Let’s sparkle a little sunshine on your guests at every stage of the guest experience.”

  • “Let’s sparkle a little sunshine on each other while we are at it!”


If you would like to talk to Adele about how to achieve a stellar online reputation for your business, please feel free to book a complimentary appointment here:



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