Read ten reviews of your property, good and bad. How many mention something about the arrival? "Easy to find." "The room was not ready and we waited." "They welcomed us with a smile." "Nobody answered the phone."
A review is written after check-out, but the first impression forms in the first hour. If the guest struggled to find the entrance, they will still remember it on the last day. We collected six details of that first hour that come up again and again in reviews, and what you can do about each.
1. Arrival instructions arrive before they are needed
A guest driving from the airport does not want to dig for the booking email. They want to already have, from the day before, the pin on the map, where to park and which door is the entrance. A photo of the door solves more than a paragraph.
With the Email Manager you write the instructions once, in as many languages as you need, and choose when they go out, for example three days before arrival. Name, dates and room type are filled in from the reservation.
2. Check-in time is stated in advance, with the "what if"
Many bad experiences start with a misunderstanding about the time. Write the check-in time clearly in the instructions and, in the same sentence, what happens if they arrive early: can they leave their luggage? Is there a bathroom or shower to change? Is there a café nearby? A guest who knows in advance that the room is ready at 15:00 plans the day around it. One who learns it at reception at 11:00 gets angry.
3. A welcome without paperwork or waiting
Tired guests, children, suitcases. The last thing they want is to fill in forms at the desk. Whatever can be collected before, should be: the Email Manager has a ready template for an online check-in request before arrival. At reception the reservation is open with the balance in view, so the arrival takes a few minutes.
If you have no reception, the welcome is a door that opens on the first try. The article on TTLock smart locks shows how every reservation gets its own code for the room and the entrance.
4. The room is ready when you said it would be
"We waited 40 minutes in the lobby" is one of the sentences that costs a star. Usually it is not the housekeeper's fault. Reception simply did not know which room was already clean. With the housekeeping app the housekeeper taps "clean" on the phone and reception sees it on the calendar at once. The guest gets the first ready room of their type, with no calls to the floor.
5. Wi-Fi, breakfast, parking: without having to ask
The first question after the key is almost always the Wi-Fi password. The second is breakfast time. If the answers are already on the guest's phone, they skip the question and you skip giving the same answer for the fiftieth time.
The property's digital card is a page with Wi-Fi, parking, directions, what is nearby and your contact details. The guest opens it from a QR code at reception or in the room, without installing an app, and reads it in their language.
6. A short "all good?" soon after arrival
The most useful message of the stay is the simplest: "Welcome. If you need anything, just reply to this message." An air conditioner that does not cool, a balcony without shade: if you hear it on day one, you fix it. If you hear it in the review, it is too late.
With automations you set an email or message to go to the guest once check-in is completed. Replies land in the inbox, next to the reservation.
And after departure: the review request
If the first hour went well and so did the stay, all that is left is to ask. The Email Manager sends a review request the day after departure. The digital card has a button that opens your Google review form directly, so the guest does not have to search for you. Whether they write it is up to them.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get good reviews on Booking.com?
There is no trick. Reviews follow the experience, and a large part of it is decided on arrival: clear instructions, a room ready on time, a quick answer when something is wrong. Take care of those and ask for the review politely after departure.
When is the best moment to ask for a review?
Shortly after departure, while the stay is still fresh. The Email Manager sends the request on its own, on the day you choose.
Can I offer a discount to guests who write a review?
Better not. Review platforms such as Google do not allow reviews given in exchange for something. Ask for the review with no conditions.
What do I do with a bad review?
Reply calmly, briefly and with a thank-you, and say what you changed. With Bookmatrix.com PRO the AI agent drafts a reply to each review and you edit it before posting.
Want arrival instructions to go out on their own? Start the free 14-day demo with your own rooms at bookmatrix.com/demo, no card needed. Or leave your details at bookmatrix.com/form and we will call you on the next working day. You can also call us at +30 2351 151525.