Let’s talk about your reviews.

You know, the glowing ones on TripAdvisor or Google.

The ones that rave about your amazing staff, comfy rooms, or the unbeatable view from your hotel.

They’re not just nice words.

They’re pure gold.

But here’s the thing: are you actually using them to drive direct bookings?

Or are they just sitting there on a 3rd party review site as proof that you are worthy of a booking?

Or worse, buried in your reputation management software system, never to be seen?

If that's all those reviews are doing, you're missing out on big opportunities to grow your direct bookings.

This cartoon captures it perfectly.

It’s like a miner digging for diamonds.

They work hard - like you, investing time and money in marketing

They go deep - like you, delivering great experiences.

Only to stop short of hitting the treasure.

That treasure?

It’s your untapped revenue growth, and your reviews are the key.

The Psychology of Reviews (aka Social Proof)

Let's geek out on the psychology of social proof and how it influences buying behaviour.

• builds trust - "If others like this place, I might like it too."

• increases confidence - "Hey, you're in good company here."

• increases authenticity and transparency - "This review score isn't perfect; that's probably real."

• creates urgency - "Wow, this place has a 4.8 star rating. What more do I need to know? Let's book it."

• signals demand and increase FOMO - "Someone just stayed here; what if I don't? I don't want to miss out."

Now that we understand the psychological power of reviews, let's talk about tactics.

5 Ways to Put Reviews to Work

1. Showcase Reviews on Your Website: Put those amazing guest stories front and center. Gone are the days of having your reviews all on one page. Sprinkle them throughout your website. Reviews that relate to the page's content pack a punch. Imagine if a review like this were on your dog-friendly page - "Our dog Willow loves this place. She had a cozy bed, daily treats, and a great dog-walking map for all of us to see the sights."

   Hot tip: If you use 3rd party review logos or graphics (i.e. TripAdvisor), do not link it to the 3rd party website(s). That's an exit sign for your guest to leave your website and book elsewhere.

2. Drop Reviews Into Emails: Share a glowing review in your next email and watch it build instant trust. Even your existing guest base needs to be reminded of your great experience.

3. Add Reviews to Your Sales Materials: Let those golden reviews do the selling for you! Increase trust, leverage FOMO, and boost confidence to shorten the sales cycle. Get that planner to book.

4. Turn Reviews into Ads & Social Media Posts: A real guest’s experience makes for a way more powerful ad than anything you can write.

5. Record a Video Reading Your Online Reviews: Responding to reviews is good. But, take it further and read a few reviews. Give a shout-out to past guests. Post the videos on your social and watch more reviews (and bookings) come in. My personal fav : Video is hot, hot, hot. We all need more of it. This is an easy and fun way to create video content.

Will people tire of seeing social proof across your marketing and channels?

Nope, because everyone loves stories.

That's what reviews are - stories.

When you start using reviews intentionally, everything changes.

You increase trust, authenticity, transparency, and confidence.

When you do that...

Your direct bookings increase.

Your commission costs decrease.

Your profits go up.

Keep digging for those direct booking diamonds.

You’re closer than you think.