The Hotelier's Guide: AI and the Human Touch in Online Reviews - Best Practices and Examples

We see this common dilemma: 

Your property has received 15 new reviews across multiple platforms overnight. Your team is already stretched thin handling guest requests, and the brand/marketing director wants responses posted within 24 hours. Meanwhile, a particularly detailed review requires special attention from someone who understands the specific guest interaction mentioned.

How do you balance speed, authenticity, and operational efficiency when managing your online reputation?

Now, review management represents one of the most visible extensions of your customer service. Yet many properties are curious to determine the right approach: fully human-written guest engagement/responses, AI-generated, or a strategic hybrid of both.

‍

The Evolution of "Personal Touch" in Hospitality

Hospitality has always been about human connection. As humans we crave human connection.

However, what constitutes "personal touch" has evolved dramatically over time:

• Handwritten letters became emails and text messages
• In-person check-ins transformed into mobile app experiences or kiosk at the airport
• Front desk check-ins/calls are also shifting to messaging platforms for convenience and on-demand service

It is really important to note here that it is the medium and technology that evolves, the connection and genuine engagement is still intact. The essence of hospitality—understanding guests, addressing their needs, and creating memorable experiences—remains unchanged regardless of the technology used to facilitate it.

The question isn't whether technology belongs in hospitality—it's how to implement it in ways that elevate rather than dilute the guest experience.

Consider the airline industry transformation: self-check-in kiosks didn't depersonalize the experience; they freed staff to focus on more complex guest needs while eliminating frustrating queues. Technology isn't inherently impersonal—poor implementation and bad tech is.

This brings us to one of the most visible extensions of guest experience: online reviews and how to manage and respond to them well. 

‍

The Three Approaches to Reviews Management

Let's examine the three primary approaches to managing hotel review responses, with the pros and cons of each:

‍

1. Fully Human: The Manually Crafted Approach

Process: Every response is individually crafted by hotel staff or a specialized team, incorporating all relevant elements and personalizations.

Pros:

• Highest level of personalization and authenticity
• Deep understanding of property-specific contexts
• Ability to address nuanced situations with appropriate tone
• Creates accountability within the team

Cons:

• Generally time-consuming for staff
• Often neglected or due to time constraints, becomes generic
• Inconsistent response quality dependent on who writes them
• Variable response times leading to delays
• Challenging to scale during high-volume periods
• Staff burnout from repetitive writing tasks
• Expensive, staff time is quite valuable and often time can be invested in more high-leverage tasks

‍

2. Fully AI: The Automated Approach

Process: AI systems automatically generate and post responses with minimal human oversight.

Pros:

• Near-instant response times
• Consistent brand voice and messaging
• Significant time savings for staff
• Perfect scalability regardless of review volume
• 24/7 operation without staffing concerns

Cons:

• May miss subtle context or emotional nuances
• Risk of generic-sounding responses
• Cannot authentically address highly specific situations
• Potential disconnect between response and actual operations
• Some guests find fully automated responses insincere

‍

3. Hybrid: The Best of Both Worlds

Process: specialized team draft initial responses with your unique brand voice and understanding of your property, location and many parameters, send to human team members review, edit, and approve before posting. All happens seamlessly on the app. 

Pros:

• Dramatically faster than fully manual processes
• Maintains human oversight for quality and accuracy
• Staff still has full control over quality and still has chance to read every review
• Ensures responses align with operational realities
• Scalable during high-volume periods
• Frees staff to focus on complex or sensitive reviews
• Preserves authentic human connection
• Can control which review requires approval (2 stars or less, all reviews etc) 

Cons:

• Requires clear workflow and accountability
• A little initial setup 

Perfect for: Most properties seeking balance between efficiency and authenticity.

‍

The Authenticity Question: Should We Use AI At All?

A common objection to technology-assisted responses is that they feel "insincere." This argument deserves examination:

• Is online booking less sincere than calling the property directly?
• Is checking-in online/app for the flight less ideal than at the counter?
• Is a response from the front desk manager less sincere than one from the GM?

The answer to these questions is clearly "no." Technology and delegation are accepted parts of modern hospitality that guests appreciate for their efficiency and convenience.

However, there are specific cases when authenticity concerns become legitimate - not because technology is involved, but when reviews never pass through human eyes at all, particularly when guests have:

1. Taken considerable time to express detailed grievances
2. Shared personal stories about their stay
3. Offered specific positive feedback about staff members
4. Provided actionable operational insights

The risk isn't using technology—it's implementing technology that bypasses human understanding completely.

Modern hospitality requires balancing efficiency with personal connection. The most successful properties leverage technology to handle repetitive elements while preserving human oversight for meaningful interactions. 

This approach recognizes that authenticity comes from addressing guest concerns appropriately—regardless of the tools used to facilitate the engagement.

This is where GuestTouch's Review Response system shines - combining efficiency with human oversight with a built in approval system to ensure every guest feels truly heard and valued. 

‍

Implementation Strategies for an Ideal Approach

‍

1. For Properties Managing Their Own Reviews

Option A: Fully Staff Managed Approach with GuestTouch Reputation Platform

For properties committed to fully human-written responses, GuestTouch Reputation Platform provides a comprehensive system with brand voice guidance to respond to reviews directly.

Best Practices:

• Develop comprehensive property information documents for reference
• Establish clear voice and tone guidelines
• Create approval workflows for sensitive reviews
• Set up response time expectations and monitoring
• Regularly audit response quality and guest satisfaction

Option B: Built-in AI-Assisted Approach with GuestTouch built-in Response AI

For properties seeking maximum efficiency, GuestTouch Response AI is built into the GuestTouch Reputation Platform to automatically generate and post responses that maintain consistent brand voice.

Best Practices:

• Invest time in initial AI training with property-specific details
• Define clear parameters for which reviews require human review
• Regularly update the system with current property information
• Monitor sentiment analysis to catch potential issues
• Conduct quarterly audits of response quality

Self-Managed with AI Assistance Workflow:

• AI generates initial response drafts based on review content
• Staff reviews drafts in a single dashboard interface
• Quick edits can be made to personalize or correct details
• Approval and posting happen with a single click
• Analytics track performance and improvement opportunities

‍

2. For Properties Seeking Managed Reviews with Built-in Approval Work Flow

For properties looking to leverage technology, human oversight and have options for built in approval - giving your team the best of all worlds without the daily workload.

GuestTouch Concierge - Managed Responses Workflow:

• Team drafts the responses based on your specific brand voice, property details and nuances
• Based on approval parameters, hotel team receives approval requests
• Staff can easily provide input or make quick edits to bring unique perspective
• Reviews gets final QA
• Review gets published
• All taking place in a timely manner, meeting brand time guidelines and beating OTA requirements!

Best Practices:

• Assign specific team members to review categories of reviews
• Set internal SLAs for review and approval
• Provide specific input to track editing patterns to improve performance over time
• The GuestTouch system constantly learns!

‍

‍

Finding Your Balance: What's Right for YOUR Brand?

The ideal review management approach varies based on your property's unique characteristics and challenges. When determining your strategy, consider these key factors:

‍

Meeting Response Deadlines: Can Your Team Consistently Keep Up?

• Guest Expectations: How quickly do guests in your segment expect responses? 
• OTA Impact: Many platforms like Booking.com and Expedia now factor response times and engagement into property performance.
• Brand Standards: How soon are you required to respond to reviews? Typically brand requirements mandate 48 hours or less or 24 hours or less for negative reviews
• Peak Season Impact: Can your team maintain response quality during high-volume periods without assistance?

‍

Team Bandwidth & Specific Skills: The Reality Check

• Writing Confidence: Is your team comfortable crafting responses that sound professional, on-brand, and strike the right tone—even when addressing complaints?
• Time Availability/Consistent Follow Through: Is review management competing with other critical operational tasks?
• Language Requirements: Do you need to respond in multiple languages to reach your guest demographics?
• Staff Turnover: High turnover may impact consistency and institutional knowledge in review management.
• Response Quality Consistency: Does your team struggle to maintain daily review management to the high standards, leading to periods of neglect or compromised quality? 

‍

Review Profile Complexity

• Review Distribution: What percentage of reviews are complex vs. straightforward acknowledgments?
• Operational Follow-up: What percentage of reviews require investigation before an appropriate response can be crafted?
• Complaint Patterns: Are there recurring themes that could benefit from templated yet personalized responses?
• Sensitive Issues: What volume of reviews contain sensitive matters requiring manager attention?

‍

Brand Voice & Compliance

• Voice Consistency: How strict are your requirements for maintaining consistent brand voice across all channels?
• Quality Standards: Do you have detailed rubrics for what constitutes an acceptable review response?
• Important Approval Workflows: How many key stakeholders need to review responses before publishing?

Want to explore which approach might work best for your property? Book a consultation with our hospitality experts for a personalized recommendation.

‍

Key Takeaways: 

As we look to the future of hospitality, several key principles should guide your AI powered reviews management strategy:

1. Technology enhances personal touch, not replaces it. The best implementations of AI in review management amplify your team's ability to connect with guests rather than diminishing the human element. 
2. Not all solutions are the same: Remember, technology isn't inherently impersonal—poor implementation and bad tech is.
3. Flexibility is essential. Your review management approach should adapt to changing conditions—busier seasons, staffing fluctuations, and evolving guest expectations.
4. Start with your constraints. Rather than asking which approach is "best," ask which approach best addresses your specific challenges, whether they're related to time, consistency, quality, or multilingual needs.
5. Measure what matters for you. Track not just response rates and times, but also areas of improvement, driving more reviews and the impact of improved review management on your overall ratings, booking conversion, and revenue metrics.
6. See reviews as a key window to potential revenue, not obligation. With the right systems in place, review responses become valuable touchpoints for building strong guest engagement and demonstrating your commitment to excellence!

‍

Frequently Asked Questions

‍

Will guests know that AI was involved in crafting responses?

No. The responses generated through GuestTouch's AI or hybrid approaches are indistinguishable from human-written responses. The focus is on the content and helpfulness of the response, not the tools used to create it. Just as guests don't need to know whether your confirmation emails are automated or manually sent, what matters is that their concerns are addressed appropriately.

‍

How much customization is possible with AI-assisted responses?

GuestTouch's AI can be extensively customized to your property's unique voice, services, and surroundings. During onboarding, we capture specific details about your amenities, nearby attractions, seasonal offerings, and brand language preferences. The system continuously learns from your edits to better match your desired tone and style over time.

‍

What happens when a review requires operational follow-up?

Both the AI-assisted and managed approaches include alert systems for reviews that require operational attention. Specific keywords, sentiment scores, or star ratings can trigger immediate notifications to department heads or management. These alerts can be customized based on your organizational structure and priorities.

‍

How do you ensure multilingual responses maintain quality?

GuestTouch provides high-quality responses in over 30 languages. For fully-managed services, our team includes native speakers of major languages. For AI-assisted approaches, our technology has been specifically trained on hospitality language across multiple languages, ensuring natural-sounding responses rather than direct translations.

‍

How quickly can we implement a new review response strategy?

Most properties are fully operational on the GuestTouch platform within 48 hours. 

‍

What about mobile access? Can we manage reviews on-the-go?

GuestTouch is fully mobile-optimized with dedicated iOS apps for busy hoteliers. You and your team can manage reviews, responses, and guest messaging on the go!

‍

Useful Tools & Resources:

• Hotel Reviews & Reputation Impact Calculator: Calculate & visualize how reviews can impact your hotel’s revenue 
• Learn more about GuestTouch Concierge/Managed Responses
• See the GuestTouch Reputation Platform in action

Book a Demo: Schedule a personalized 15-minute call to see which solution best fits your property's needs.