Quick answer: The best review sites for hotels and travel are Google, Tripadvisor, Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb, Agoda, Vrbo and Viator. These travel review sites and hotel review sites are where guests compare stays, tours and rentals before they book. Below you will find 34 real sites grouped by type, plus a clear plan to earn more guest reviews and reply to them well.
Last updated: October 2026
Key takeaways
- Google and Tripadvisor are the two places almost every traveler checks, whatever they book.
- Booking sites like Booking.com, Expedia and Agoda only let real guests review, so their scores carry a lot of weight.
- Vacation rentals live and die by Airbnb and Vrbo ratings. Tours depend on Viator, GetYourGuide and Tripadvisor.
- Ask every guest, not just the happy ones. Selective asking breaks Google policy and new laws in the US and UK.
- Reply to reviews in the guest’s language where you can. Future guests read replies to judge how you treat people.
- Track your score per site and fix the issues guests mention most. That is how ratings really rise.
Travel is one of the most review driven industries in the world. A guest booking a hotel in a city they have never visited has nothing else to go on. They read what other travelers say about the bed, the noise, the breakfast and the staff. A small change in your rating can shift where you appear on booking sites and how many people click.
This guide is for hotels, motels, B&Bs, hostels, guest houses, vacation rentals, campgrounds, tour operators, activity providers and travel agencies. It also helps travelers who want to know which travel review sites they can trust.
Why Reviews Matter for Hotels and Travel Businesses
- Booking site ranking. On online travel agencies (OTAs) like Booking.com and Expedia, guest scores are one of the factors that affect where your property shows in results.
- Local search. Google uses review count, rating and freshness when it picks hotels and attractions for the map pack and its hotel search.
- Price power. Properties with stronger scores can often hold their rates better, because guests feel safer paying for a well reviewed stay.
- AI travel answers. AI tools like Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT now plan trips for many travelers. They often draw on Tripadvisor, Google reviews and travel guides. Detailed, recent reviews help you show up in those answers.
- Guest feedback. Reviews tell you what to fix, from slow Wi-Fi to a confusing check in.
Before you push for more reviews, make sure your basic listings are correct everywhere. Our guide to citation sites for hotels shows where to list your property and how to keep details consistent.
Where Travelers Check Hotel and Travel Reviews
Most travelers look in a few places before booking. Here is what each main site is trusted for.
- Google. The quick look. Travelers see your star rating in search and Maps, and Google Hotels shows prices from many booking sites next to your reviews.
- Tripadvisor. The long form research site. Travelers read detailed reviews and look at guest photos for hotels, restaurants and attractions.
- Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com and Agoda. Trusted because only guests who booked through the site can review.
- Airbnb and Vrbo. The main places to judge vacation rentals and hosts. Guests and hosts both review each other.
- Viator and GetYourGuide. The go to sites for tours and activities, with verified reviews from real participants.
How Travelers Can Spot Fake Hotel Reviews
- Compare the score on a verified booking site with the score on open sites. A big gap is a warning sign.
- Read the newest reviews, not just the top ones. Hotels change with new owners or renovations.
- Be wary of many short five star reviews posted close together.
- Look for guest photos. Real reviewers often add pictures of the room or view.
- Read the three star reviews. They tend to be the most balanced.
Best Travel Review Sites by Type
These sites are grouped by type so you can pick the right mix for your business. Every one is a real, active platform where travelers read or leave reviews.
Major Review Platforms
| # | Site | Website | Type | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Google Business Profile | google.com/business | Search, maps and hotel search | Every hotel, rental and tour business |
| 2 | Tripadvisor | tripadvisor.com | Travel review platform | Hotels, B&Bs, tours, attractions |
| 3 | Yelp | yelp.com | Local review platform | US hotels, motels and local tours |
| 4 | facebook.com | Social recommendations | Small hotels, B&Bs and tour operators | |
| 5 | Apple Business Connect | businessconnect.apple.com | Maps listing with ratings | Travelers using Apple Maps on iPhone |
| 6 | Bing Places | bingplaces.com | Search and maps | Bing and Microsoft search users |
| 7 | Trustpilot | trustpilot.com | Business review platform | Travel agencies, tour brands, hotel groups |
Online Travel Agencies and Hotel Booking Sites
Reviews on these sites usually come only from guests who booked and stayed. That makes them highly trusted.
| # | Site | Website | Type | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Booking.com | booking.com | Online travel agency | Hotels, apartments, B&Bs worldwide |
| 9 | Expedia | expedia.com | Online travel agency | Hotels and package travelers |
| 10 | Hotels.com | hotels.com | Hotel booking site | Hotels and loyalty travelers |
| 11 | Agoda | agoda.com | Online travel agency | Asia Pacific hotels and rentals |
| 12 | Trip.com | trip.com | Online travel agency | Asian and global travelers |
| 13 | Priceline | priceline.com | Online travel agency | US deal focused travelers |
| 14 | Orbitz | orbitz.com | Online travel agency | US hotels and packages |
| 15 | Travelocity | travelocity.com | Online travel agency | US and Canadian travelers |
| 16 | Kayak | kayak.com | Travel search engine | Price and review comparison |
| 17 | Trivago | trivago.com | Hotel search engine | Hotel rating comparison across sites |
| 18 | Hostelworld | hostelworld.com | Hostel booking site | Hostels and budget stays |
| 19 | Hostelz | hostelz.com | Hostel guide and reviews | Hostels and backpacker lodging |
| 20 | Wotif | wotif.com | Online travel agency | Australian and New Zealand hotels |
Vacation Rental and Outdoor Stay Sites
| # | Site | Website | Type | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Airbnb | airbnb.com | Rental marketplace | Vacation rentals, unique stays, experiences |
| 22 | Vrbo | vrbo.com | Rental marketplace | Family vacation homes |
| 23 | Hipcamp | hipcamp.com | Camping marketplace | Campsites, glamping, private land stays |
| 24 | The Dyrt | thedyrt.com | Campground reviews | Campgrounds and RV parks |
| 25 | Campendium | campendium.com | Campground reviews | RV parks and campgrounds |
| 26 | Glamping Hub | glampinghub.com | Glamping marketplace | Cabins, yurts, treehouses, glamping |
Tour and Activity Review Sites
| # | Site | Website | Type | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | Viator | viator.com | Tours marketplace | Tours, day trips and activities |
| 28 | GetYourGuide | getyourguide.com | Tours marketplace | Tours and tickets in Europe and worldwide |
| 29 | TourRadar | tourradar.com | Multi day tour marketplace | Multi day and adventure tours |
| 30 | Klook | klook.com | Activities marketplace | Asia Pacific tours and attractions |
| 31 | Bookmundi | bookmundi.com | Tour marketplace | Multi day tours and trekking |
| 32 | Responsible Travel | responsibletravel.com | Responsible holidays | Eco and responsible tour operators |
Niche and Regional Travel Review Sites
| # | Site | Website | Type | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | Cruise Critic | cruisecritic.com | Cruise reviews | Cruise lines and shore excursions |
| 34 | HolidayCheck | holidaycheck.de | Travel review platform | Hotels popular with German speaking travelers |
For the wider picture across all industries, see our main guide to online business review sites.
Top 10 Hotel Review Sites at a Glance
| Site | Best for | Who can review |
|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile | All travel businesses | Anyone with a Google account |
| Tripadvisor | Hotels, tours, attractions | Travelers with an account |
| Booking.com | Hotels and apartments | Guests who booked and stayed |
| Expedia | Hotels and packages | Guests who booked |
| Hotels.com | Hotels | Guests who booked |
| Agoda | Asia Pacific stays | Guests who booked |
| Airbnb | Vacation rentals | Guests after a stay |
| Vrbo | Vacation homes | Guests after a stay |
| Viator | Tours and activities | Travelers who booked |
| GetYourGuide | Tours and tickets | Travelers who booked |
Hotel Star Ratings vs Guest Review Scores
Travelers often mix up two different things. Hotel star ratings, like a 4 star hotel, are usually based on facilities and services and are set by a tourism body, a booking site or a classification scheme. Guest review scores come from real guests and reflect how the stay actually felt.
A 3 star hotel with a 9.2 guest score on Booking.com can be a better choice than a 5 star hotel with a 7.0. Smart travelers look at both. For hotels, this means a small property can compete with bigger names by delivering a great stay and earning strong guest reviews.
Each site also uses its own scale. Booking.com uses 1 to 10, Google and Tripadvisor use 1 to 5, and some sites show a rounded figure. Do not compare raw numbers across sites. Compare your score with nearby rivals on the same site instead.
How to Choose Which Travel Review Sites to Focus On
No property can manage 34 sites well. Pick a smart core set based on how guests actually find you.
- Google and Tripadvisor for everyone. These two shape first impressions for almost every traveler.
- Your top booking channels. Look at your booking reports. If most bookings come from Booking.com and Expedia, those scores matter most.
- Your guest market. Serve many Asian travelers? Add Agoda and Trip.com. Many German guests? Watch HolidayCheck. Australians? Check Wotif.
- Your type of stay. Rentals focus on Airbnb and Vrbo. Campgrounds focus on Hipcamp, The Dyrt and Campendium. Tours focus on Viator and GetYourGuide.
- Search like a guest. Search “hotels in [your town]” and “things to do in [your town]”. Note which review sites show on page one.
Campgrounds and RV parks have their own listing needs, covered in our guide to campground and RV park citations. Hotels with a restaurant should also read our list of restaurant review sites, since diners use different platforms than hotel guests.
How to Get More Hotel and Travel Reviews
Booking sites send their own review requests after checkout. That covers part of the job. Google and Tripadvisor reviews, however, usually need a nudge from you.
Great Moments to Ask
- At checkout, when the front desk asks “How was your stay?” and the guest says “Great!”
- In a post stay email, sent within a day or two of checkout.
- At the end of a tour, when the guide thanks the group.
- After a problem is fixed well. Guests whose issue was solved quickly are often keen to say so.
Ways to Make It Easy
- Place a QR code on key cards, in rooms, at reception or on the tour bus. Link it to one review page.
- Use Tripadvisor’s free Review Express tool to email past guests a review invite.
- Use your property management system or channel manager to send post stay emails automatically.
- Translate your request into the main languages of your guests.
- Train staff to mention reviews naturally, never pushily.
Post Stay Email Template
Subject: Thank you for staying with us
Hi Maria, thank you for choosing [Hotel Name]. We hope you had a restful stay and a safe trip home. If you have a moment, we would love your honest feedback on Google. It helps other travelers and helps our team improve: [review link]. We hope to welcome you back soon. Warm regards, the team at [Hotel Name].
SMS Template for Tours
Thanks for joining our city tour today, Tom! If you enjoyed it, a quick review on Tripadvisor would really help our small team: [short link]. Safe travels!
Review Rules for Hotels and Travel Businesses
This is general information only, not legal advice.
- No review gating. Google and Tripadvisor do not allow you to only invite happy guests or filter guests with a survey first.
- No rewards for reviews. Do not offer free nights, upgrades, drinks or discounts for reviews. Tripadvisor and Google ban incentives.
- No staff or owner reviews. Staff, owners and their families should not review the property, and you should never review rivals.
- Do not hijack OTA reviews. Booking sites send their own review forms. Do not ask guests to change scores or pressure them at checkout.
- US. The FTC rule on consumer reviews, in force since October 2024, bans fake reviews, buying reviews, and suppressing negative reviews.
- UK. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 bans fake reviews and hiding genuine ones. The CMA can fine firms directly.
- Australia and Canada. The ACCC and the Competition Bureau treat fake or misleading reviews as misleading conduct and have acted against travel firms before.
- EU. EU consumer law requires businesses that publish reviews to say how they check that reviews come from real customers.
How to Respond to Hotel and Travel Reviews
Your replies are public. Future guests read them to judge how you treat people when things go wrong.
Example Reply to a Positive Review
“Thank you so much, Ahmed! We are delighted you enjoyed the rooftop breakfast and the view of the old town. Leila at the front desk was thrilled to read your kind words. We hope to welcome you back on your next visit.”
Example Reply to a Negative Review
“Dear Claire, thank you for your feedback, and we are sorry the street noise kept you awake. That is not the restful stay we want for our guests. We have since added extra window seals to street facing rooms, and on your next visit we would be glad to offer a quieter courtyard room. Please contact me directly at [email]. Mark, General Manager.”
Good habits for replies:
- Reply within one to three days on your main platforms.
- Thank the guest, name a detail, and keep it short.
- Explain what you changed, if anything. Future guests love to see action.
- Never share booking details, room numbers or payment information in public.
- Reply in the guest’s language when possible.
How to Handle Fake or Unfair Travel Reviews
- Check the booking. Search your system for the guest name and dates.
- Report it. Google, Tripadvisor, Booking.com and Expedia each have a way to report reviews that break policy, such as fake reviews, reviews of the wrong property, or abuse.
- Watch for extortion. If a guest threatens a bad review unless you give a refund or upgrade, keep the evidence and report it to the platform. Tripadvisor and Google both treat review threats seriously.
- Reply calmly. While you wait, post a short, polite reply so readers see your side.
- Do not post counter reviews. Never ask friends to bury a bad review with fake good ones.
How to Track Your Travel Review Results
- Track your average score and review count on each key site every month.
- Note your rank position on Tripadvisor and on your main OTAs over time.
- Tag common themes in reviews: cleanliness, staff, location, breakfast, noise, value.
- Share good reviews with staff. Praise by name is a strong motivator.
- Use reputation tools inside your channel manager, or a simple spreadsheet if you are small.
Reviews work best alongside strong listings, helpful content and a fast website. Our local SEO team can help hotels and tour operators bring these together, and our SEO content strategy service helps you build destination guides that win direct bookings.
Common Mistakes Hotels and Travel Businesses Make
- Only caring about one site. A great Booking.com score does not help a guest who finds you on Google first.
- Ignoring old reviews. A two year old complaint with no reply still hurts.
- Arguing with guests. Even if the guest is wrong, a defensive reply looks bad to everyone else.
- Not fixing the root cause. If ten guests mention slow Wi-Fi, a nice reply is not enough.
- Using the same copy and paste reply. Guests notice and it feels cold.
- Offering upgrades for reviews. This breaks platform rules and can get your listing penalized.
Wedding venues and hotels often share guests. If you host weddings, our guide to wedding vendor review sites shows where couples look. Restaurants inside hotels can use our list of restaurant citation sites. And if you have travel marketing know how to share, you can write a business guest post for our readers.
FAQs About Hotel and Travel Review Sites
What is the most trusted hotel review site?
Many travelers trust verified booking sites like Booking.com and Expedia most, because only real guests can review. Google and Tripadvisor are the most widely read. The smart move is to compare at least two of them.
Which travel review sites are best for travelers?
Tripadvisor and Google are the best all round sites. For hotels, add Booking.com or Expedia. For rentals, use Airbnb or Vrbo. For tours, use Viator or GetYourGuide.
Are Tripadvisor reviews reliable?
Tripadvisor uses screening tools and human moderators and publishes a regular transparency report on fake reviews. Most reviews are genuine, but because anyone can post, it is wise to compare with a verified booking site.
Why are Booking.com scores different from Google ratings?
Booking.com uses a 1 to 10 scale and only lets guests who stayed review. Google uses a 1 to 5 star scale and lets anyone with an account post. The different rules and audiences mean the scores rarely match exactly.
How can a hotel get more reviews on Google?
Send every guest a short post stay email with your direct Google review link, add a QR code at reception, and have staff mention it at checkout. Never offer rewards or only ask happy guests.
Can hotels remove bad reviews?
Only if the review breaks the platform’s rules, for example if it is fake, about another property, or contains abuse or private details. Honest negative reviews stay, so a calm and helpful reply is the best response.
Do hotel reviews affect rankings on Booking.com and Expedia?
Yes. Guest review scores are one of several factors these sites use to rank properties, along with price, availability and conversion. Better scores usually help visibility.
Should hotels reply to every review?
It is best to reply to all negative reviews and as many positive ones as you can. Replies show future guests that you listen and care about their stay.
Are Airbnb reviews trustworthy?
Airbnb only allows reviews after a completed stay, and both guests and hosts review each other. Reviews are generally reliable, but read the most recent ones and look at the details, not just the star rating.
Final Thoughts
Travelers book on trust, and trust comes from other travelers. Focus on Google and Tripadvisor, add the booking sites and niche platforms your guests really use, and ask every guest for honest feedback. Reply with care, fix what guests point out, and follow the rules. Your scores will rise, and so will your bookings.
