Hotels and restaurants respond to negative reviews

by Leon Gettler

Australian hotels and restaurants are fed up with getting negative online reviews from customers. They’re now dishing it right back.

When a customer posted a negative review about the Paradise Resort on the Gold Coast on TripAdvisor, claiming they  had damaged his car pushing it into the wall, the hotel’s general manager David Brooks responded furiously, letting everyone know who was to blame.

“It is a shame you didn’t mention your constant abuse, ranting, unacceptable behaviour and shouting at my staff for issues outside our control, or for leaving your car broken down across the main drive way preventing access, or for the police telling you if your behaviour continued, you would be evicted. If there was a TripAdvisor for banned guests I can assure you that you would be on it.”

There are similar stories coming up now around the industry right around the world.

Then there are stories of café proprietors who respond by explaining the other side of the business.

One example is the response to a recent negative review of Bennet’s Café and Bistro in York. A woman who had come there for some afternoon tea with friends on December complained that the place was “absolutely awful”.

Rather than abuse or an apology, the manager gave the customer a lesson in the overheads of serving food and drink at a busy bistro like Bennett's.

That included the waiter's time, in which he "selected a knife, chopping board, got a lemon from the fridge, cut off a slice and put it in the cup. Then, he returned to the dining room, drew off the necessary hot water and carried the cup to your table."

The response then went into great detail about all the costs involved.

“I accept that it makes the price of a cuppa in a city centre look expensive compared to the one you make at home but unfortunately that’s the cruel reality of life,’’ the proprietor said.

"It’s actually the facilities that cost the money, far more so than the ingredients.”

2^nd February 2016