Google reviews for motels, B and Bs and holiday stays

If you run a motel, a B and B or a small holiday stay, most of your reviews probably live on booking platforms. That is fine, but a lot of travellers still type your property name into Google before they book, and what they see there is your Business Profile, not the platform page.

Two reputations, one guest

Platform reviews only appear on the platform, and platforms control who can leave them. Your Google listing is the one you own, it shows up in Maps when someone is driving into town looking for a bed, and it carries across every channel. A property with three hundred platform reviews and four on Google looks oddly thin to anyone who finds it through a search.

You do not need to choose. Guests who book through a platform will usually be asked by that platform. Your job is to give them an easy route to Google as well.

Where the tap point goes

• The room. A small plaque or stand on the desk or beside the welcome book. Guests see it on arrival and again on the last morning.
• Reception, for check out.
• The breakfast room, in a B and B where people linger over coffee.

In the room, pair it with something useful so it does not read as a demand. A tap point for the house guide, local recommendations or the wifi details sits naturally next to one for reviews.

When to ask

The last morning is the classic moment, while the stay is fresh and before the drive home replaces it. For hosts who meet their guests, a word at check out works better than any sign:

If you enjoyed it, a Google review really helps a small place like ours. There is a card in the room that opens it.

What to avoid

• A discount on the next stay in exchange for a review. That is an incentive, and Google bans them.
• Asking only the guests who seemed happy. Everyone gets the same card in the same room, which conveniently makes gating impossible.
• Arguing with a bad review about a noisy night. Reply calmly and say what you changed. See how to reply to a bad Google review.

Distance and discovery

Travellers searching from the road are the purest case of Google’s distance factor: they want somewhere near where they are right now. A complete profile, current photos of the actual rooms, and a steady run of recent reviews are what put you in front of them. See Google Business Profile photos and why your business does not show up in Google Maps.