Case study · Boutique hotel · Barcelona, Spain
How a Barcelona Boutique Hotel Improved Its Tripadvisor Ranking by 14 Places in 90 Days
A 32-room boutique hotel in the Eixample district of Barcelona was ranked 87th on Tripadvisor despite consistently excellent guest experiences. By automating post-checkout WhatsApp and email review requests with smart routing, they collected 78 new reviews in 90 days and climbed to 73rd on Tripadvisor and 2nd on Google Maps in their neighbourhood.
The situation
A genuine 4-star experience ranked like a 2-star on Tripadvisor
The hotel had been open for 4 years and had developed a reputation among guests for thoughtful service, a prime location, and beautifully designed rooms. Return guest rates were above the industry average and many guests left handwritten notes at checkout expressing how much they had enjoyed their stay.
None of that warmth was translating to online reviews. The hotel was ranked 87th on Tripadvisor in Barcelona with 43 reviews. Competitors with similar or lower service quality but more aggressive review strategies were ranked in the top 30. The Tripadvisor ranking directly affected their placement on OTA platforms including Booking.com which used Tripadvisor data in its own ranking algorithm.
The hotel had no post-checkout review request system. Staff occasionally mentioned Tripadvisor at checkout but the feedback card in the room was the only systematic touchpoint, and very few guests completed it. The manager estimated fewer than 3 percent of guests who would rate 4 or 5 stars were actually leaving reviews unprompted.
87th on Tripadvisor with 43 reviews
Despite consistently excellent guest experiences, the hotel was ranked well below its actual quality level due to low review velocity compared to more aggressive competitors.
OTA ranking impact
Lower Tripadvisor ranking affected placement on Booking.com and Expedia, reducing organic discovery from travellers using OTAs to find Barcelona hotels.
Under 3% of happy guests reviewed
The hotel had high guest satisfaction but no post-checkout system to convert that satisfaction into public reviews. Most happy guests left without reviewing.
The approach
What the hotel did with Get More Review
Post-checkout WhatsApp for European guests
WhatsApp penetration in Spain and across Europe is high. For guests who provided a mobile number at check-in, an automated WhatsApp message went out 3 hours after their checkout time. The message thanked them for staying and included a direct link to the hotel's Tripadvisor review page. The WhatsApp response rate was 44 percent.
Post-checkout email for international guests
For guests from North America, Asia, and other markets who were less likely to use WhatsApp, an automated email went out within 4 hours of checkout. The subject line was "Thank you for staying with us, [Name]" and the body included a brief personalised note and a direct Tripadvisor review link. Email response rate was 14 percent from international guests.
QR codes in room and at reception
A small card with a QR code was placed on the bedside table and at the reception check-out desk. Guests checking out early in the morning or those who preferred not to receive messages could scan the code immediately. The in-room QR code captured approximately 15 percent of total reviews.
Smart routing for negative guest experience
Every link went through smart routing. Of 184 total guest engagements over 90 days, 9 guests rated 1 to 3 stars. All 9 received an immediate private feedback form and a personal call from the hotel manager within 2 hours. Three of these guests went on to post positive reviews after the issue was resolved. None posted negatively.
The results
90 days of results
"We had guests writing in our physical guestbook for years saying beautiful things about the hotel, but those words were staying in a book on our front desk. Get More Review moved those conversations to Google and Tripadvisor where new guests could actually see them before booking."
Hotel manager, Barcelona boutique hotel
Platform-by-platform breakdown
Of the 78 new reviews, 47 were on Tripadvisor and 31 were on Google. The manager prioritised Tripadvisor initially because the ranking improvement had the most direct impact on OTA placement. After the first 45 days, the balance shifted to 50/50 across both platforms to strengthen Google visibility for local searches.
The 3 guests who resolved their complaint privately and subsequently posted positive reviews were particularly valuable. Their reviews specifically mentioned how the hotel manager had personally followed up and resolved their concern, which resonated strongly with other travellers reading the reviews before booking.
What changed operationally
The 9 private complaints identified two recurring issues: room temperature control in the upper floor rooms and slow breakfast service on Sunday mornings. The hotel was able to address both operationally. Sunday breakfast staffing was adjusted and a temperature guide card was added to upper floor rooms explaining how to use the climate control system.
The manager noted that the private feedback was more actionable than the occasional public review complaint because it was more detailed and came with a direct line to the guest. "When someone complains publicly they are already frustrated. When they come to us privately first, they are still in problem-solving mode and much more helpful in describing exactly what went wrong."
Frequently asked questions
Common questions
WhatsApp was used for European guests where WhatsApp penetration is high. Email was used for North American and Asian guests. Get More Review allowed both channels to run simultaneously with the system selecting the appropriate channel based on the contact information available.
The hotel manager observed a noticeable improvement in direct booking enquiries and reported that OTA visibility appeared to improve following the Tripadvisor ranking improvement, though isolating the exact booking attribution from Tripadvisor was difficult given multiple factors affecting occupancy.
9 of 184 engaged guests rated 1 to 3 stars. All were directed to private feedback. 3 of those 9 subsequently posted positive public reviews after the hotel manager called them personally and resolved their concern. Without smart routing, some of those 9 complaints would likely have appeared publicly on Tripadvisor.
The ranking improvement was gradual over the 90-day period. The most significant jump came in weeks 6 to 8 as the accumulated new review velocity signalled sustained activity to the Tripadvisor algorithm. Moving 14 places in a competitive market like Barcelona in 90 days was faster than the manager expected.
Related
Related resources
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