In the modern hospitality industry, hotel reviews are a vital part of maintaining a hotel’s reputation and attracting new guests. With so many hotel comparison websites and review platforms available, it can be challenging for hotels to know where to focus their efforts. Here’s a deep dive into the top 16 hotel review platforms in 2026 (updated), including fees, benefits, and how to get started on each one.

#1. TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor is the world’s largest travel platform, with millions of reviews covering hotels, attractions, and restaurants. It’s an essential platform for hoteliers because it allows users to leave detailed feedback on their stays, which helps build credibility and trust with potential guests. Hotels can respond to reviews, engage with guests, and improve their visibility by actively managing their profiles. A strong TripAdvisor presence is often a deciding factor for travellers when booking their next stay.

• Fee: Free to register, but offers paid options like business listings for enhanced features.
• How to Register: Sign up via TripAdvisor’s Management Center.
• Benefits: Enormous user base and influence.
• Drawbacks: Negative reviews can be highly visible and may require significant management.

#2. Google Reviews – One of the best hotel review website

Google Reviews are highly visible and influential, appearing directly in Google Search and Google Maps results. These reviews provide quick and easy access to feedback for potential guests, offering a real-time snapshot of your hotel’s reputation. By claiming your Google My Business listing, you can respond to reviews and manage your online presence. As Google is one of the first places users go when searching to compare hotels, having a positive review score here significantly impacts your hotel’s visibility and bookings.

• Fee: Free.
• How to Register: Claim your business through Google My Business.
• Benefits: Huge reach, prominently displayed in search results.
• Drawbacks: Difficult to remove fake or irrelevant reviews.

Read more: 10 Tips to Increase Google Reviews

#3. Trustpilot

Trustpilot is a trusted platform for customer reviews across various industries, including hospitality. It allows users to leave detailed feedback about their experience, and hotels can engage directly with reviewers. Trustpilot’s focus on transparency and verified reviews makes it a valuable tool for building trust with potential guests. It’s widely used by businesses looking to maintain credibility, but the free version has limited features. Paid plans offer additional tools like review invitations and enhanced visibility.

• Fee: Free with paid plans for enhanced features.
• How to Register: Create an account on Trustpilot.
• Benefits: Builds trust with customers through transparency.
• Drawbacks: Limited functionality for free users.

#4. Yelp

Although Yelp is primarily known for restaurants, it’s a popular platform for hotel reviews as well, especially in the U.S. Users can leave detailed reviews about their stay, focusing on everything from customer service to amenities. Yelp allows businesses to claim their listing and respond to reviews, helping hotels engage directly with guests. While Yelp provides great local visibility, especially for boutique hotels, it’s important to actively manage your profile to prevent negative reviews from affecting your reputation.

• Fee: Free to list, with paid options for advertising.
• How to Register: Claim your business page on Yelp for Business.
• Benefits: Popular for local searches and helps boost credibility.
• Drawbacks: Open to all users, which can result in unfair or irrelevant reviews.

#5. Reddit

Reddit is not a traditional review platform, but for hotel operators, it plays a critical role in understanding real guest sentiment beyond structured reviews.

Unlike platforms where reviews are prompted and moderated, Reddit discussions are organic. Guests openly share detailed experiences, comparisons, and complaints without brand intervention. This makes it a powerful early warning system for reputation risks and a valuable source of qualitative data. For hotels, Reddit should not be treated as a channel to acquire reviews, but as a listening tool to identify recurring issues, emerging expectations, and competitor positioning in real conversations.

• Fee: Free 
• How to Register: Monitor relevant subreddits and track brand mentions
• Benefits: Deep, honest feedback; identifies blind spots in guest experience
• Drawbacks: No direct control, difficult to attribute impact to bookings

#6. Booking.com

Booking.com is one of the world’s largest hotel reservation websites, offering not only bookings but also verified guest reviews. Since only guests who have booked through the platform can leave feedback, Booking.com ensures genuine reviews, which builds credibility. These reviews play a crucial role in determining how your hotel ranks on the platform. Additionally, hotels can engage with reviewers, offering a chance to respond to feedback, both positive and negative hotel reviews, which helps improve guest relationships and booking rates.

• Fee: Free to list, but commission fees apply to bookings.
• How to Register: List your property through Booking.com’s property registration.
• Benefits: High credibility with verified reviews.
• Drawbacks: Fees on bookings can be high.

#7. Facebook Reviews

Facebook Reviews allow users to rate and review hotels directly on your business page, making it a social media-driven review system. With billions of active users on the platform, Facebook Reviews provide great visibility and a chance to engage directly with your audience. Hotels can use Facebook’s interface to respond to reviews and promote positive experiences. Since Facebook is a social platform, it’s a great place to build a community around your hotel, though moderation can be challenging for negative reviews.

• Fee: Free.
• How to Register: Set up a Facebook Business Page.
• Benefits: Integrated with social media for easy engagement.
• Drawbacks: Reviews aren’t always moderated, which can lead to spam.

#8. Expedia

Expedia is one of the most trusted online travel agencies and includes verified guest reviews for hotels. Guests who book through Expedia can leave feedback about their stay, making these reviews highly credible. Expedia’s platform offers hotels great visibility to a large international audience, and its review system helps potential guests make informed booking decisions. Engaging with reviews and maintaining a positive profile on Expedia can significantly increase your hotel’s booking rate, but the platform’s commission fees can add up.

• Fee: Commission-based.
• How to Register: List your property via the Expedia Partner Program.
• Benefits: Trusted by travellers worldwide.
• Drawbacks: High competition and commission fees.

#9. Hotels.com

Hotels.com is part of the Expedia Group, is a great choice among the best hotel rates website options. Known for its loyalty program, Hotels.com attracts repeat customers, making it an excellent platform for building long-term guest relationships. Reviews are an essential part of how guests choose hotels on this platform, and maintaining a positive profile can lead to more bookings. Like Expedia, Hotels.com offers high visibility, but the commission fees on bookings can be a drawback.

• Fee: Commission on bookings.
• How to Register: Sign up through the Expedia Partner Program.
• Benefits: Loyal user base with repeat guests.
• Drawbacks: Same commission structure as Expedia. 

#10. Agoda

Agoda is a leading OTA in the Asian market but has a growing global presence. It specialises in offering accommodations and packages with a strong focus on budget-conscious travellers. Reviews on Agoda are from verified guests who have booked through the platform, making the feedback reliable. For hotels looking to attract international guests, particularly from Asia, having a presence on Agoda is a must. The platform’s commission fees can add up, but the reach in the Asian market is unmatched.

• Fee: Commission-based.
• How to Register: Sign up on Agoda’s Partner Hub.
• Benefits: Strong presence in Asia, verified reviews.
• Drawbacks: Lesser-known in western markets.

#11. Kayak

Kayak is another comparison site that aggregates reviews and prices from various booking platforms. Known for its flight and hotel searches, Kayak provides users with a one-stop shop to compare accommodations. While it doesn’t host reviews directly, it pulls in guest feedback from partner OTAs, giving travellers a well-rounded view of each hotel. Kayak is great for increasing visibility among price-conscious travellers, though its focus is more on flights than hotels, so competition for attention can be tough.

• Fee: Pay-per-click advertising.
• How to Register: Partner with Kayak for listing.
• Benefits: Ideal for price comparison alongside reviews.
• Drawbacks: Less focused on hotel-specific reviews.

#12. Skyscanner

Primarily known for flight comparisons, Skyscanner also allows travellers to review hotels and accommodations. It’s a go-to platform for budget-conscious travellers looking to compare prices across different booking platforms. While Skyscanner isn’t solely focused on hotel reviews, it aggregates feedback from various OTAs, giving users a broader view of options. For hotels, having a presence on Skyscanner can attract price-sensitive customers, but it may not be as hotel-specific as some other platforms.

• Fee: Free to list, with pay-per-click advertising options.
• How to Register: List via a partner.
• Benefits: High traffic from travellers looking for deals.
• Drawbacks: Primarily focused on flights, not hotels.

#13. Orbitz

Orbitz is a well-known OTA that also offers a loyalty program to attract repeat customers. Verified guest reviews on Orbitz provide insights into the guest experience and help other travellers make informed decisions. Hotels can register through the Expedia Partner Program to manage their profiles and engage with guest feedback. Orbitz is particularly strong in North America and caters to both leisure and business travellers, but like other OTAs, commission fees are part of the business model.

• Fee: Commission-based.
• How to Register: Via the Expedia Partner Platform.
• Benefits: Attracts repeat customers with its loyalty program.
• Drawbacks: High commission fees.

#14. Trivago

Trivago is a hotel price comparison site that aggregates reviews from multiple platforms like Expedia, Hotels.com, and Booking.com. While Trivago itself doesn’t host reviews, it gathers reviews from other sites, providing a comprehensive look at a hotel’s reputation across different platforms. Trivago’s primary focus is on price comparison, so it’s highly useful for guests looking for the best deal. For hotels, being listed on Trivago helps improve visibility, but the pay-per-click advertising model can add up quickly.

• Fee: Pay-per-click advertising.
• How to Register: Sign up via Trivago Hotel Manager.
• Benefits: Large user base for comparison searches.
• Drawbacks: Click fees can add up quickly.

#15. Travelocity

Travelocity, another member of the Expedia family, focuses on providing verified guest reviews after bookings. Travellers trust Travelocity for its long-standing reputation and reliability, especially in North America. Hotels listed on Travelocity benefit from the platform’s large user base and credibility, which helps attract potential guests. Engaging with customer reviews and managing your profile on Travelocity is important for maintaining a positive image and boosting your visibility, although commission fees apply.

• Fee: Commission-based.
• How to Register: Join through the Expedia Group.
• Benefits: Reliable reviews from verified guests.
• Drawbacks: Fees on bookings apply.

#16. HolidayCheck

Popular in Europe, HolidayCheck focuses on vacation and holiday-related reviews. Guests who have stayed at hotels in Europe and other popular holiday destinations leave detailed feedback, making it a trusted platform for European travellers. Verified reviews ensure authenticity, and the platform encourages users to provide thorough insights into their stays. HolidayCheck is especially beneficial for hotels in Europe, though it may not have as strong a presence in other regions.

• Fee: Free to list, with paid options for enhanced visibility.
• How to Register: Sign up through HolidayCheck Business Center.
• Benefits: Strong presence in Europe, highly trusted.
• Drawbacks: Limited reach outside of Europe.

FAQs

1. How to prioritize which review website to focus on?

Your priority should depend on your target audience. If most of your guests come from search engines, focus 70% of your effort on Google Reviews. If you rely heavily on OTA sales, prioritize Booking.com or Agoda to improve your property’s ranking. For boutique or luxury hotels where travelers do deep research, maintaining a high rank on TripAdvisor is non-negotiable.

2. How can a hotel manage online reviews effectively?

To master reputation management, hotels should strive to respond to all guest reviews within 24 hours. When handling negative feedback, avoid arguments; instead, offer a sincere apology, outline corrective actions, and move sensitive discussions offline. For positive reviews, thank guests by highlighting specific details of their stay to foster loyalty. 

Ultimately, the true strategic value lies in transforming these reviews into actionable data. By categorizing feedback into key themes like cleanliness, staff friendliness, or Wi-Fi quality, management can identify recurring patterns and implement operational fixes that address root problems rather than just providing polite replies.

3. What is the best hotel review site in 2026?

In 2026, Google Reviews remains the most influential platform for local discovery and search visibility. However, for high-intent bookings and verified trust, Booking.com and Tripadvisor are still the gold standards. If you are targeting the North American market, Expedia is a must, while Trip.com is essential for capturing the booming Asian traveler segment.

Conclusion

Having a presence on the best hotel review and hotel reservation websites is essential for growing your hotel’s reputation, driving more bookings, and staying competitive. These platforms allow you to gather feedback, compare hotels, and connect with potential guests.

At Heads On Pillows, we specialise in digital marketing for the hotel industry, helping you optimise your online presence, manage reviews, and improve your visibility across the best accommodation sites. Reach out today to learn how we can help you boost bookings and enhance your hotel reviews Australia and around the world profile.