By the Unity Stays directors, Marcus Chong & Gadir Al-Khatib · Last updated 12 August 2026
In short: Reply briefly, calmly and factually, writing for the next thirty readers rather than the reviewer: acknowledge what happened, correct any factual error once, say what changed, and stop. Platforms remove reviews only for policy breaches such as personal attacks or extortion — cite the specific policy, not the facts — and treat repeated complaints about the same thing as the real signal.
First, work out which kind it is
Fair. Something genuinely went wrong. These are the most useful reviews you will get, and the only correct response is to acknowledge it and say what changed.
Unfair but honest. The guest's expectations did not match the property. Almost always a listing problem rather than a guest problem — something was unclear, or something awkward was left unsaid.
Retaliatory or in breach of policy. Left after a dispute, containing personal attacks, irrelevant content, or an attempt at extortion. These can sometimes be removed.
The response differs for each, and treating all three the same is why most replies make things worse.
When a review can actually be removed
Platforms will remove reviews that breach their content policy — personal attacks, discriminatory content, content unrelated to the stay, reviews left in exchange for a refund demand, or reviews about something entirely outside the host's control.
They will not remove a review for being unfair, wrong, or damaging. "The guest is mistaken" is not a ground, however true it is.
If you are going to request removal, cite the specific policy the review breaches rather than arguing the facts. Requests that argue the facts get declined.
How to write the reply
Short. Calm. Factual. Written for a future reader who is deciding whether to book, not for the person who left it.
Acknowledge what happened without excessive apology. Correct any factual error plainly and once. Say what changed as a result. Stop.
What sinks a reply: length, defensiveness, sarcasm, arguing point by point, or anything that reveals guest details. A long angry response does more damage to your bookings than the review it answers — future guests read the reply as evidence of what you would be like to deal with when something goes wrong.
The maths that should calm you down
One poor review among many good ones is close to invisible, and a property with only perfect reviews reads as suspicious rather than excellent.
The damage comes from clusters and from patterns. Three reviews mentioning cleanliness is a cleaning problem, not bad luck, and it will keep costing you until it is fixed.
Read the pattern rather than the individual review. If several guests mention the same thing, they are right, and that is worth more to you than the star rating.
Preventing the next one
Most bad reviews are set up before arrival. A listing that oversells, photographs that flatter, an awkward fact left unsaid, an unclear check-in.
The cheapest fix in this whole business is putting the awkward things in the listing. Second-floor with no lift. Shared entrance. Busy road. Small kitchen. Saying so costs you the guests who would have been disappointed — which is the point.
The other half is response time. A problem answered within minutes rarely becomes a review; the same problem answered the next day usually does.