Google reviews: how to ask and how to reply

For a hotel, a B&B or a restaurant, Google reviews are often the first thing a customer reads, even before the website. In Italy there are also new rules this year: on 19 October the Antitrust Authority published the guidelines that put the law on restaurant and hotel reviews into practice. Here is what changes and how to handle reviews well, from asking to replying.

The new rules: law 34/2026 and the Antitrust guidelines

Law no. 34 of 11 March 2026, Italy’s annual law on small and medium-sized businesses, has been in force since 7 April 2026 and includes a section on online reviews of restaurants and accommodation. In short:

a review is lawful if it is published within 30 days of the experience;
only people who actually used the service can write it, and it must be about that experience;
proof of a tax document, such as a receipt, makes a review presumed authentic;
the owner can report unlawful reviews to the platforms and ask for them to be removed.

The Antitrust guidelines (AGCM), published on 19 October 2026, explain how to apply it: platforms must say how they manage and moderate reviews, when they call them “verified”, and how they deal with manipulated and outdated reviews. They will be reviewed within a year.

For business owners the practical message is simple: ask for reviews early, ask everyone, and offer nothing in return.

How to ask for reviews on Google

In your business profile, under “Read reviews”, there is the “Get more reviews” function: it creates a link to send to customers. From a computer you can also generate a QR code.

send it on WhatsApp or by email on the day of departure, or the evening after dinner;
print the QR code for the till, the table or next to the door;
put it in your guest guide, on the departure page.

With the 30-day limit, it pays to ask straight away, while the experience is fresh.

What not to do

No discounts, gifts or perks in exchange for a review: Google’s rules forbid it and the new law targets it;
don’t ask only happy customers: Google forbids selectively soliciting positive reviews or discouraging negative ones;
no reviews from friends and relatives who were not customers: they are not real experiences.

How to reply

To reply on Google your business profile must be verified. The reply appears under the review in the business’s name and the reviewer is notified. Four rules:

reply to all reviews, positive and negative;
reply quickly, within a couple of days;
write a personal reply that mentions something the customer wrote;
never share the customer’s private details and never attack them: offer to talk privately.

Examples to copy and adapt

Positive review

Thank you, Laura, it’s lovely to read that you enjoyed breakfast on the terrace! We’re also glad you liked our tip about Serapo beach. We hope to see you again next summer.

Negative review about a real problem

Thank you for writing, Mark, and we’re sorry about the hot water on your second evening: it was a boiler fault, now fixed. It’s not the experience we want to offer. If you write to us at [email], we would like to make it up to you.

Unfair negative review

We’re sorry your stay wasn’t what you hoped for. About parking: as stated when you booked and in the house guide, the property has no parking spaces, but there is a public car park 200 metres away. We remain at your disposal.

In a negative reply stay calm and factual: it is read above all by future customers, not just by the reviewer.

Fake or offensive reviews

A negative review can’t be deleted just because you don’t like it. But if it breaks the rules, for example it comes from someone who was never a customer, it is offensive or off-topic, you can report it to Google from your business profile. Law 34/2026 strengthens this route: owners can report unlawful reviews to the platforms and ask for their removal.

Booking, Airbnb and TripAdvisor

You can reply to reviews there too, and the golden rules are the same: reply quickly, calmly and personally, without private details. The new rules on tourism reviews apply to every platform that publishes reviews in Italy.

Where we can help

The best moment to ask for a review is the end of the stay. In the ENEA Cloud Welcomebook you can add a button with the link to your Google review: guests find it on their own, in their language, while the experience is still fresh.

Frequently asked questions

Can I offer a discount in exchange for a review?

No: Google forbids it, and the new rules target reviews obtained in exchange for discounts or perks.

How long does a customer have to write a review?

For restaurants and tourist accommodation in Italy, law 34/2026 sets 30 days from the experience.

Can I delete a negative review?

No. You can reply, and report it to Google only if it breaks the rules, for example if it is fake or offensive.

Do I need a verified profile to reply?

Yes: on Google you can only reply to reviews once your business profile is verified.

Should I reply to positive reviews too?

It’s worth it: it shows future customers that you care, and a personal reply is worth more than a plain “thank you”.

Sources

Article written with the help of artificial intelligence from the sources cited, under the editorial responsibility of ENEA Cloud. Rules, timetables and prices can change: always check the source.

Google reviews for hotels, B&Bs and restaurants: how to ask for them, how to reply and Italy’s new 2026 rules