Review Gating for Hotels: What It Is, Why It’s Risky, and What to Do Instead

If you’re trying to get more hotel reviews, you’ve probably heard this idea:

“Let’s ask only guests who are happy.”

That tactic is called review gating—and it’s one of the fastest ways to create policy risk and trust issues.

If your goal is more reviews and long-term credibility, use a safer approach.

What is review gating in hotels?

Review gating is when a hotel filters guests based on sentiment (or an internal survey score) and only asks “happy” guests to leave a public review.

It can look like:

• a “How was your stay?” survey where only 9–10/10 guests are shown the review link
• staff being instructed to ask only guests who “seem satisfied”
• automated review requests triggered only by positive signals

Why review gating is risky (even if it “works” short term)

1) It can violate platform policies

Many platforms want reviews to reflect the full range of real guest experiences. Filtering who gets asked can put your account at risk.

2) It harms trust with guests

Guests aren’t naive. If they feel manipulated, you risk:

• fewer reviews overall
• worse sentiment in the reviews you do get
• lower trust on your own website

3) It creates a data blind spot

If unhappy guests aren’t asked publicly and you don’t capture their feedback well internally, the same operational problems repeat.

4) It can backfire operationally

Teams get used to “hiding” problems instead of fixing them.

The safer alternative: ask everyone, and use feedback properly

You can protect trust and still increase review volume with a two-part flow:

Part A: Collect private feedback (for improvement)

Use an internal survey to capture details from every guest:

• what went well
• what could be better
• who should follow up

This is for learning, not for filtering review requests.

Part B: Ask everyone for a public review (simple + frictionless)

Send the same review request to all guests:

• at checkout via QR code, and/or
• post-stay email/SMS within 2–24 hours

Templates + placements: How to Get More Hotel Reviews (Ethically)

Make the review request frictionless

For Google, use a direct “write a review” link (and QR code): Google Reviews Link: Generate & Share (Hotels)

If you want to show reviews on your site (source-linked and fast): Add Google Reviews to Your Website

What to do when you receive negative feedback

Don’t try to “hide” negatives. Use them to improve—and respond professionally across platforms.

Start with: Hotel Review Management Process (SOP + Checklist)

If you suspect fake reviews, handle them calmly and evidence-first: Spot Fake Google Reviews (Hotels Checklist)

How ReviewAgent helps (without review gating)

ReviewAgent helps hotels execute an ethical, scalable review process:

• centralize reviews across platforms
• draft fast, on-brand replies (human edited)
• route sensitive negatives for approval
• surface themes so ops fixes happen faster

If you want to see the workflow: - Try the interactive demo - Book a demo

Read next

• How to Get More Hotel Reviews (Ethically)
• Hotel Review Management: Complete Guide