New York hotel demands $500 for every bad online review
The Internet has made it a simple task to find out how good or bad a hotel is before you book a room or venue. You’d think hotels would react to such online reviews by reading them and improving their service. But one hotel in New York is taking a very different approach, and charging a $500 fine for every negative review if you host a wedding there.

The hotel in question is the Union Street Guest House. It’s online policy is very simple. If you book the hotel’s inn as a wedding venue, then you also agree to pay $500 for every negative review anyone who attends your wedding may write. That’s any negative review anywhere on the Internet. So if the wedding goes particularly badly the bride and groom may be facing a fine for thousands of dollars.

The fine can be avoided, but the newly-wed couple will need to phone up their friends and relatives (probably while still on their honeymoon) and beg them to remove the negative reviews. I suspect most would when they found out about the fine.

This policy by the hotel is clever because it is a sure fire way to protect against any negative feedback. However, it’s devious and manipulative, and now it’s public knowledge I’m sure Union Street Guest House will see a significant drop in bookings and probably an increase in negative ratings online by non-wedding visitors.

Union Street Guest House is clearly “doing it wrong.” Positive online reviews should be encouraged by actually treating your guests well. If they are upset, deal with it before they leave the hotel. If a negative review appears, accept that happens and deal with it positively. Fining your guests pretty much guarantees they’ll never return, and never recommend you to others.

http://www.geek.com/geek-cetera/new-yor ... w-1601102/