Why Hotels Must Train AI to Write Review Responses Like a Human. Expert Tips.

The Importance of Human-like AI Review Responses

Your guests can spot an AI-generated review response from a mile away.

So can potential travellers browsing your reviews before booking.

A recent study by Bynder found that 50% of consumers can detect AI-generated content.

Is your hotel using AI Response Software to respond to reviews?

Or are you considering it as a solution to the time-consuming task of responding to guest feedback?

AI can definitely help scale your review response strategy, but it's about choosing the right AI solution.

Be cautious of basic AI review response tools that may lack the customisation capabilities needed to create authentic, human-like responses.

This kind of AI Review Response software can make your responses sound robotic and unnatural, leading to wasted time on edits and, worse, eroding the trust your reviews have built in your hotel’s reputation, which can ultimately impact your booking revenue.

Tip: If you notice your AI-generated review responses often use phrases like, "It’s truly heartening," this is a sure sign your responses sound unnatural.

Your Guide to Train AI to Write Review Responses Like a Human

In this guide, you’ll learn what to watch out for with AI review responses—specifically the limitations of using ChatGPT or basic programmed response tools.

You’ll also discover why advanced, intuitive "prompt engineering"—the specific instructions used to train the AI—is crucial for helping AI write review responses that feel genuinely human.

Understanding the Pitfalls of AI in Review Responses

At BFN-AI, we’ve managed thousands of review responses, and through this experience, we've encountered a common challenge:

AI-generated responses often feel flat, overly flowery, and robotic.

This isn't just anecdotal feedback; it's backed by research specifically focused on hotel reviews generated by AI.

A study by Markowitz et al. (2024), which examined AI-generated hotel reviews, found that AI text tends to be more analytical, overly emotional, and less readable than content written by humans.

These characteristics can significantly impact how your guests perceive your commitment to customer service.

 

The Repetitive Nature of AI-Generated Text

AI tools like ChatGPT can produce impressive-coherent and grammatically correct text, but they often lack a human writer’s natural, engaging touch.

This can lead to overly emotional responses that fail to connect with your guests. 

You may have noticed common AI-generated phrases like:

• It’s truly heartening
• It’s wonderful to read
• Diverse breakfast menu
• Best regards
• We take pride
• Your kind recommendation means a great deal
• Our dedication to perfection
• It’s wonderful to know
• Your high recommendation
• It’s always rewarding
• It is a delight to read

These phrases, while polished, are repetitive and lack the natural flow of human conversation.

They’re telltale signs of AI involvement, often absent in human-written content.

Since reviews are deeply personal, understanding these differences and challenges is crucial to making AI write more like a human. 

Why Human Touch Matters in Hotel Review Responses 

Reviews are inherently human.

One of the hallmarks of human writing is the ability to convey emotion and empathy.

This isn’t just about using perfect sentence structures; it’s about understanding and reflecting on the human experience.

To make AI writing more human-like, we need to teach it to recognise and express feelings in context.

The importance of a human touch in review responses cannot be overstated.

Trust is built through authentic, relatable interactions—something AI struggles to replicate without significant customisation and testing.

Even Hotel Reputation Management Software Faces This Issue

Many AI review response tools, whether standalone or built into hotel reputation management software, rely on what’s called short or structured 'prompts'

These are typically limited to about 500 words.

This restriction can limit how well you can train the AI to grasp the emotional tone of the text, making it difficult for the AI to produce content with appropriate emotional nuances.

Even with more advanced AI review response tools, where you can add tone or pull in dynamic data such as keywords or smart snippets, it can often result in overly formal, unnatural or even scripted sentence structure.

The Cost of Trust: Is AI Review Response Automation Worth the Time Savings?

One of the biggest benefits of using AI review response automation for review responses is the time it saves.

But let’s be honest—if your team is spending significant time editing these responses are you really saving time?

Guests are becoming increasingly discerning, and they can often spot reviews that lack the nuance and personal touch of human writing.

When responses sound unnatural, guests don’t just question the response—they start questioning the authenticity of the reviews themselves.

With 1 million Tripadvisor reviews found to be fraudulent, as reported by The Guardian, and 82% of consumers having encountered a fake review in the last year, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

One off-key, robotic reply can shift guest perception from trust to scepticism, threatening the very foundation of your hotel’s reputation.

Voice and Tone Matter in Your Responses as Much as Responding Quickly

As you read this, think about how it might sound.

The pauses. The cadence. The tone.

AI hasn’t grasped the nuances of human language.

To make AI review responses more human-like, it needs to be trained to recognise and express feelings in context.

That’s crucial when you want your review responses to build and maintain trust—and it’s just as important as responding promptly.

How to Make AI Write Review Responses Like a Human: Expert Tips

We can all agree that AI will soon be widely adopted to respond to guest reviews across the hospitality industry.

But for AI-generated review responses to truly succeed, they need to be engaging, relatable and natural.

As AI review response software becomes more prevalent, the ability to craft responses that resonate with guests and potential bookers on a personal level has never been more crucial.

At BFN-AI, during our early development phase, we noticed a critical issue: many of our clients' review responses began to sound repetitive, using identical phrases and overly perfect sentence structures.

It became clear that this approach didn’t capture the genuine, human-like experience that guests expect.

To address this, we shifted our strategy and developed custom prompts tailored to each hotel.

This change not only made the responses more authentic but also reduced editing time by 60% and, for some of our clients, allowed them to auto-publish positive reviews with no human intervention—cutting down admin tasks by 90%

Today, we’re sharing tips on how we achieved this transformation and how you can apply these strategies to enhance your own AI-generated review responses.

TIP 1: Include Emotion and Empathy 

One of the hallmarks of effective review responses is the ability to convey emotion and empathy.

This isn’t just about responding quickly with perfect grammar and sentence structure; it’s about understanding and reflecting on the human experience.

To make AI-generated review responses feel more human-like, we need to train them to recognise and express feelings in context.

For instance, when dealing with challenging negative reviews, AI review response software should not only acknowledge the difficulties but also offer words of encouragement.

It’s not just about stating facts; it’s about connecting with the guest emotionally.

For example, rather than using overly emotional phrases like, "We are genuinely saddened by your experience," your AI review response tool should be trained to use more natural language, such as "I understand how frustrating this can be."

TIP 2: Develop a Conversational Tone.

Human communication often has a natural, conversational flow, making it feel like a genuine interaction.

AI-generated review responses should strive for the same.

This can be achieved by using contractions, colloquialisms, and a more relaxed sentence structure.

For example, adding a simple greeting like "Good morning, Jane, appreciate your kind words" instead of "Dear Jane, It's truly heartening to read about your exceptional experience at [hotel name]," makes the response feel less robotic and more personal.

Training your AI Response tool to balance professionalism with friendliness helps create responses that feel like authentic human conversations rather than automated machine replies.

TIP 3: Provide Context to Maintain Coherence. 

For AI to write like a human, it must maintain context and coherence throughout its responses.

This means not just presenting information, but also explaining why it matters and how it connects to the guest’s feedback.

For example, when addressing a guest’s complaint about wait times, AI can be trained to include context, such as:

"I get that the wait times can be frustrating. We make everything fresh as soon as your order comes in, which can slow things down a bit. I'm sorry this wasn't mentioned when you ordered—it's something we should have told you."

By focusing on emotion and empathy, a conversational tone, and maintaining context and coherence, you can guide your AI tools to produce more natural and human-like responses that resonate with guests on a deeper level.

TIP 4: Use Natural Language Processing (NLP)

Natural Language Processing (NLP) is critical to making AI-generated text sound more human.

By focusing on sentiment analysis, context understanding, and entity recognition, AI can produce more natural, coherent, and relevant responses.

Example Review:

"I had a wonderful stay at your hotel. The staff were incredibly friendly, and the service was top-notch. I’ll definitely be back!"

Human-like Response (Using NLP):

"Thanks, Sarah. Appreciate the kind words. I’m happy to hear our team made your stay so enjoyable. We look forward to welcoming you back!"

Response Using Basic Prompting (AI Training):

"Dear Sarah, It is with great pleasure that we read your review. We are glad you liked the friendly staff and top-notch service. We hope you visit us again."

In the human-like response, using NLP, the AI adds a warm and conversational tone and personalises the anticipation of her return.

These elements make the response feel more natural and engaging, reflecting the AI's ability to understand context and sentiment.

The response using basic prompting (AI training), despite starting with a polite but formal phrase, still feels generic and automated.

By including these advanced NLP techniques, you can ensure that the AI understands and generates text that feels genuinely human.

TIP 5: Personalise with Specific Instructions.

Personalisation is essential for making AI-generated review responses feel more authentic.

By providing specific instructions, you can guide your AI tool to generate more tailored and relatable responses.

Consider incorporating the following details:

• Handling Reviews with Usernames Only: Train the AI to personalise responses even when only usernames are available, adding a level of context to make it more engaging.

• Responding to Reviews with Star Ratings Only: Guide the AI on how to craft meaningful responses when reviews include a star rating but no comments.

• Including Soft Upselling in Responses: Teach the AI to subtly but randomly introduce upselling opportunities within the response, without coming across as too salesy.

• Incorporating SEO Keywords Naturally: Ensure that SEO keywords are woven into responses in a way that feels natural and maintains a conversational tone.

For example, if a review only includes a username, you can train AI to handle this by opening with the username but adding a touch of context:

"Dear Guest, (Sorry, I would’ve used your real name, but your review only shows spinderman563039),"

By implementing these strategies, you can significantly enhance your AI’s ability to write review responses in a more human-like manner.

Remember, this is an iterative process—continual refinement and feedback will lead to increasingly natural and engaging AI-powered guest communication.

TIP 6: Feed Your AI Review Response Tool with Your Writing Examples. 

 

If you run a boutique hotel or offer a highly individualised guest experience, and you want your AI review responses to reflect your unique style, one of the most effective strategies is to provide the AI with examples of your writing.

This approach helps the AI learn and mimic your distinct voice and perspective.

Here’s how you can do it:

• Collect Samples: Gather samples of your own writing or select pieces that capture the tone and style you want your AI to emulate.

• Train the AI: Use these samples to train your AI tool, guiding it to understand and replicate the nuances of your writing style.

• Mimic the Style: Instruct the AI to mimic the style and structure of these examples in its responses.

By feeding the AI content that reflects your desired style, you teach it to write in a way that feels more personal and human-like, ensuring that your review responses resonate with your guests just as if you had written them yourself.

TIP 7: Inject Personality into AI

Infusing Personality into AI-Generated Review Responses

One of the most effective ways to make your AI-generated review responses sound more human is to infuse them with personality.

This doesn’t mean creating a fake persona but rather giving the AI characteristics that make its writing more genuine and relatable.

To do this:

• Define a Specific Voice or Tone: Go beyond general categories like "Formal," "Informal," or "Neutral." Be specific about the voice you want the AI to adopt, such as "Warm and Welcoming" or "Professional but Friendly."

• Use Colloquialisms or Idioms: Incorporate colloquial language or idioms that align with the chosen personality, making the responses feel more natural and approachable.

• Incorporate Personal Anecdotes or Experiences: Provide the AI with personal anecdotes or experiences to weave into responses, adding a layer of authenticity that resonates with guests.

Example Review:

"I had a fantastic time at your hotel. The breakfast was amazing, and the view from my room was just perfect. I’ll definitely recommend this place to my friends!"

Personality-Infused Response:

"Morning, Alex. Glad to hear you loved the breakfast—it’s a guest favourite. You’re right about the view; it’s stunning, and I’m lucky I get to see it every day. Looking forward to seeing you and your friends back here soon!"

Basic Response Lacking Personality:

"Dear Alex, thank you for your feedback. We are pleased that you enjoyed the breakfast and the view from your room. We hope you recommend us to your friends and visit again."

In the personality-infused response, the AI adopts a warm and conversational tone, using casual phrases like "Morning, Alex" and "Looking forward" to make the interaction feel more friendly and personal.

It also shares a small personal anecdote about the view, making the response more relatable and engaging.

The basic response, while polite, lacks the warmth and personal touch that make interactions memorable.

It feels generic and less engaging, missing the opportunity to connect with the guest on a more personal level.

By infusing personality into your AI-generated responses, you can create a more engaging and memorable experience for your guests, making your communications feel more authentic and human.

TIP 8: Work with AI to Improve Review Responses. 

 

To create more nuanced, human-like review responses, it’s essential to work alongside the AI, continuously challenging and refining its outputs.

Here’s how you can do it:

• Generate Initial Responses: Start by generating review responses using your AI’s training prompts.

• Review and Critique: Carefully review the AI’s output, identifying any areas that sound too robotic or lack the desired emotional tone.

• Provide Feedback: Offer specific feedback and guide the AI to revise sections that need improvement.

• Repeat and Refine: Continue this iterative process until the response feels more natural and human-like.

This back-and-forth process mirrors how human writers refine their work, leading to more polished and authentic-sounding content.

TIP 9: Use Adverbs Sparingly

 

One telltale sign of AI-generated review responses is the overuse of adverbs.

While adverbs have their place, human writers tend to use them more judiciously.

AI, on the other hand, might rely on them excessively, leading to responses that feel unnatural and overly formal.

Common adverbs that are often overused by AI include:

• Truly: "We truly appreciate your feedback."
• Sincerely: "We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience."
• Extremely: "We are extremely sorry for the delay."
• Highly: "We highly value your opinion."

To make your AI writing sound more natural:

• Instruct the AI to limit adverb usage: Encourage the AI to use adverbs sparingly, only when they add significant value to the sentence.

• Replace adverbs with stronger verbs: Instead of relying on adverbs, guide the AI to use stronger, more precise verbs that convey the intended meaning more effectively.

• Use adverbs selectively: When adverbs are necessary, ensure they genuinely enhance the message rather than making it sound redundant or overly formal.

By being more selective with adverbs, you’ll create responses that feel more human and less formulaic.

TIP 10: Use Natural Word Pairings 

Word pairings, also known as collocations, are combinations of words that naturally go together in a language, like "comfortable room" or "helpful staff."

Human writers use these instinctively, but AI can sometimes struggle with them, leading to awkward or unnatural phrasing.

To improve this aspect in your AI-generated review responses:

• Provide Examples of Common Word Pairings: Include examples of natural word pairings in your prompts, such as "clean room" or "quick check-in," to guide the AI in using more natural language.

• Review and Refine: After generating content, review the AI’s output and replace any awkward word combinations with natural word pairings. For example, if the AI produces "nice service," you might want to correct it to "friendly service."

• Use Collocation Resources: Utilise resources like collocation dictionaries or databases to provide your AI with a richer set of word pairings that sound natural.

Example:

• Awkward Pairing: "We hope you enjoyed our nice rooms."
• Natural Word Pairing: "We hope you enjoyed our comfortable rooms."

Incorporating natural word pairings will make the AI’s writing flow more smoothly and sound more human-like, enhancing the overall quality of your review responses.

TIP 11: Employ Fine-Tuning Techniques

 

Fine-tuning is a powerful method that can significantly improve your AI-generated review responses, making them sound more human.

This process involves training the AI review response tool on a specific dataset that reflects the writing style you want to achieve.

Here’s how you can approach fine-tuning:

1. Collect a Dataset: Gather a collection of high-quality, human-written reviews that capture your desired style and tone.

2. Train the AI Model: Use this dataset to train the AI model, helping it learn the nuances of the writing style you’re aiming for.

3. Test and Iterate: After fine-tuning, test the model’s output and make any necessary adjustments to refine the results further.

While fine-tuning requires a bit more technical expertise, the results can be impressive, leading to AI responses that closely mimic the natural flow and tone of human writing.

TIP 12: Final and Most Important Tip: Use Feedback, Iteration & Testing

Creating human-like AI review responses isn’t a one-and-done process—it requires ongoing refinement, adjustment, and testing.

This is where continuous testing using live data comes into play.

By consistently checking, refining and testing AI-generated outputs, you can train the AI to produce increasingly human-like review responses over time.

Here’s a simple process you can follow:

1. Generate Reviews: Start by using the AI response software to create review responses.

2. Review the Output: Carefully review the generated response outputs.

3. Identify Issues: Look for responses that sound artificial or robotic.

4. Provide Specific Feedback: Offer clear, actionable feedback on how to improve these areas.

5. Adjust AI Parameters: Use this feedback to fine-tune the AI’s parameters or prompts.

6. Test and Repeat: Generate new responses, test them, and continue refining.

This iterative approach allows you to gradually improve AI’s output, making it increasingly indistinguishable from human-written responses.

Think of it as coaching the AI, helping it learn and improve with each iteration.

Don’t be discouraged if the results aren’t perfect right away—remember, even human writers need practice, feedback, and testing to hone their craft.

The same principle applies to AI.

With patience and persistence, you’ll see significant improvements in the AI response tool's ability to respond to guest reviews and sound like a human.

By leveraging these feedback, iteration, and testing strategies, you’re not just helping AI write better responses—you’re teaching it to write more like you.

This personalised approach can lead to AI-generated responses that truly resonate with guests by capturing the human touch that makes them engaging, relatable, and trustful.