Hotel Review Management Process: SOP + Checklist for Hotels

Most hotels don’t struggle with writing replies—they struggle with running a repeatable hotel review management process across shifts, platforms, and properties.

If you haven’t read the overview yet, start here: Hotel Review Management: Complete Guide

The goal of a review management SOP

Your SOP should do three things:

1. Make response time predictable (so reviews don’t “sit”).
2. Make tone consistent (so the brand sounds like one team).
3. Turn themes into action (so the same issues stop repeating).

Roles (simple RACI for hotels)

You can run this with a small team. Define who is responsible for:

• Responder (R): drafts and posts day-to-day replies
• Approver (A): approves sensitive responses (GM/ops lead)
• Ops owner (C): owns fix follow-ups (housekeeping, F&B, maintenance)
• Admin (I): keeps platform access and routing clean

For multi-location groups, assign one responder per property and one approver per brand/cluster.

Daily workflow (15–30 minutes)

Step 1: Intake and triage (5 minutes)

Sort new reviews into three buckets:

• Priority (1–2 stars): respond within 24 hours (same day if possible)
• Medium (3 stars): respond within 48 hours
• Routine (4–5 stars): respond within 72 hours

Flag for approval if the review includes:

• refund demands or legal threats
• discrimination/harassment allegations
• safety incidents
• staff naming/shaming
• public accusations you can’t verify

Step 2: Draft responses (10–15 minutes)

Use a structure that stays human but consistent:

1. Thank + acknowledge the core point
2. Confirm one proof detail (a specific from their review)
3. Action / service recovery (what you did or will do)
4. Invite offline follow-up (one clear contact path)

If you need fast starting points: - 15+ Hotel Review Response Templates - Respond to Positive Reviews (With Examples)

Step 3: Approvals for sensitive replies (5–10 minutes)

Approver checklist:

• does the reply admit fault you can’t confirm?
• does it promise compensation or policies you can’t keep?
• is it calm and professional (no defensiveness)?
• does it avoid personal data?

Step 4: Post + log the theme (2 minutes)

After posting, log:

• platform
• rating
• theme(s) (noise, cleanliness, Wi‑Fi, check-in, breakfast, service)
• whether it needs an ops follow-up

This takes minutes and saves hours later.

Platform-specific situations (and what to do)

“No comment” reviews

Use a short, polite response that doesn’t invent details: How to Respond to a Google Review With No Comment

Suspicious or fake reviews

Report first, then respond carefully: Spotting Fake Google Reviews

Weekly ops loop (30 minutes)

Once a week, review the top negative themes and assign owners:

• Top 3 themes (what’s repeated)
• Root causes (what’s behind them)
• Owners + due dates
• Update to guest-facing messaging (only if needed)

This is where review management becomes revenue protection, not just “community management.”

The one-page checklist (copy/paste)

• [ ] Check all platforms (or one central inbox)
• [ ] Triage: 1–2 stars first, then 3s, then 4–5s
• [ ] Draft with a consistent structure + one proof detail
• [ ] Route sensitive reviews to approvals
• [ ] Post within SLA
• [ ] Log themes and ops follow-ups
• [ ] Weekly: review themes, assign fixes, track progress

How ReviewAgent fits

ReviewAgent is built for this SOP:

• one workflow for key platforms (so nothing gets missed)
• AI drafts that you edit (to keep replies fast but human)
• approvals for sensitive cases (to control risk)
• themes and trends that turn reviews into action

See the product overview: Hotel Review Management Software

Read next

• Hotel Review Management: Complete Guide
• Hotel Review Management KPIs: What to Track in a Dashboard
• How to Manage Hotel Reviews Across Multiple Platforms