OpenTable · Hotels
OpenTable review reply templates for hotels
Hotels collect a specific set of review shapes, and OpenTable handles replies differently to every other platform you are on. This page pairs the two: the mechanics of replying on OpenTable, the complaints hotels actually receive, and six templates you can adapt in a couple of minutes.
How replying on OpenTable actually works
- Reviews only come from diners who actually honoured a reservation, so the reviewer identity and the booking record are both known to you.
- You can reply privately to the diner or publish a public response — private is the default and often the better choice.
- Ratings are broken out by food, service, ambience, and value, so the reply should address the sub-score that dropped.
Policy line: Do not reference a diner's booking history or spend in a public response.
What hotels get reviewed on
- Room not ready at check-in
- Noise from corridors or nearby rooms
- Housekeeping misses
- Breakfast quality versus price
- Billing and incidental charges
Tone notes
Formal but human, signed by a named manager. Address the sub-score that dropped rather than the overall stay. General manager or owner by first name.
6 templates
1. Strong stay
Review
"Room was spotless, staff went out of their way, and the location could not be better."
Reply
"Hi Priya — spotless is housekeeping's own benchmark and I'll read this to them at handover. — Sam, owner"
2. Late room
Review
"Arrived at 3pm and the room was not ready until 5."
Reply
"Hi Alex — a room two hours past the published check-in is a broken promise, not a delay. I've reviewed the turnaround board for that date. If you will give us another go, reply here and I will look after it personally. — Sam, owner"
3. Corridor noise
Review
"Could hear every door on the corridor all night."
Reply
"Hi Nadia — corridor noise through the night is a sleep you paid for and did not get. Our door closers on that floor were re-tensioned this week. — Sam, owner"
4. Bill dispute
Review
"Charged for a minibar I never opened."
Reply
"Hi Chris — a minibar charge you did not incur comes straight off, and I've refunded it today. Please get in touch directly so we can close it out properly. — Sam, owner"
5. OpenTable-specific: the mechanics reply
Review
"Decent enough, but I have left this feedback before on OpenTable and nobody responded."
Reply
"Hi Sam — thank you for coming back to this. Ratings are broken out by food, service, ambience, and value, so the reply should address the sub-score that dropped. That is on us to use properly, and from this week every hotel review here gets a named reply. — Sam, owner"
6. Escalation without a public argument
Review
"Worst experience I have had with any of the hotels around here. Avoid."
Reply
"Hi Jordan — a review this strong deserves a proper conversation rather than a paragraph in public. Please email me directly and I will go through it with you line by line. Whatever we find, I would rather fix it than debate it here. — Sam, owner"
FAQ
- How quickly should hotels reply to OpenTable reviews?
- Within 24 hours for anything below four stars and within a few days for the rest. Ratings are broken out by food, service, ambience, and value, so the reply should address the sub-score that dropped. Consistency matters more than speed alone — a visible response rate reassures the next reader as much as any single reply.
- Can I get a bad OpenTable review removed?
- Only if it breaks the platform's content policy — fake, off-topic, defamatory, or containing personal data. A review that is simply harsh is not removable, and the reply is the tool you actually have. Do not reference a diner's booking history or spend in a public response.
- What should a hotel never put in a OpenTable reply?
- Do not reference a diner's booking history or spend in a public response. Beyond policy, avoid re-litigating the facts in public: readers score the tone of the reply, not who was right.
- Should the reply be signed by a person?
- General manager or owner by first name. An anonymous reply from "the team" reads as automated to the exact audience you are writing for, and it removes the accountability that makes a service-recovery reply work.
Draft it in seconds
Paste the review, get the reply
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