A new analysis of more than 1,500 post-stay guest surveys has revealed that small, often overlooked design and wording choices can have a measurable impact on hotel survey response rates — challenging some long-held assumptions about survey length and guest fatigue.
The research, conducted using real-world survey data from accommodation providers in 2025, shows that while the average hotel survey response rate sits at around 20%, certain changes can help properties consistently outperform that benchmark.
Key findings from the research include:
Shorter subject lines perform better.
Survey invitations with subject lines under five words achieved an average response rate of 23%, compared to 17% for subject lines of 11 words or more.
Embedded questions boost engagement.
Emails that included the first survey question directly in the body of the message achieved response rates of 22.7%, compared to 19.6% for those that required guests to click through before answering.
Survey length is less critical than expected.
Most surveys containing 11 to 30 questions performed almost identically, with response rates hovering around 19–20%, suggesting that longer surveys do not automatically deter guests when designed thoughtfully.
Structure plays a key role.
The strongest performance came from surveys that were 1–3 pages long, with 5–7 questions per page. Surveys that were longer or more densely packed showed lower engagement.
Moderation is key for open-ended questions.
Surveys containing one to three open-text questions maintained strong response rates, while those with six open-ended questions saw response rates fall to around 14%.
Branding builds trust.
Surveys styled to match the hotel’s brand using custom design elements achieved an average response rate of 22.3%, compared to 19.4% for unbranded surveys.
The findings align with existing academic research on survey usability and design, while adding a hospitality-specific, data-driven perspective based on actual guest behaviour rather than controlled experiments.
Turning feedback into action
The study also reinforces the importance of acting on feedback once it is collected. Combining quantitative scores, such as Net Promoter Score (NPS), with insights from open-ended responses allows hotels to identify trends across guest types, lengths of stay, and reasons for travel.
When analysed over time, survey data can highlight operational strengths, uncover recurring pain points, and support more informed decision-making across teams.
About the research
The analysis of data from GuestRevu reviewed 1,520 hotel survey campaigns, of which 1,245 contained sufficient data to calculate response rates. The surveys were sent by a range of hospitality businesses, including hotels, guesthouses, and serviced accommodation providers, during 2025. Results are correlational and reflect real-world guest behaviour rather than controlled testing environments.
GuestRevu helps hoteliers worldwide to listen to, learn and earn from their guests by enabling them to leverage the power of guest intelligence to build lasting loyalty and drive revenue. GuestRevu’s mission is to give hoteliers tools they can use every day to develop a guest-centric culture in their hotels, enhance guest experience, optimise operations, and ultimately, to drive revenue using online surveys and reputation management. With their headquarters in the UK, GuestRevu is a TripAdvisor Platinum Review Collection Partner. For more information please visit www.guestrevu.com
Sarah Came
GuestRevu
+27 (0)87 231 0125
