Customers asked to post a hotel review were more likely to write one, but the request was also linked to lower subsequent spending in an experiment examined in the journal Management Science.
Hülya Karaman’s research separates the effect of sending a review invitation from the harder question of what happens when a customer actually posts. It found that the relationship varied with satisfaction and loyalty.
The paper appeared online in 2025 and in the journal’s February 2026 issue. Its setting and method matter: the finding concerns customers of a hotel company in the study, not proof that every request for feedback reduces sales.
Why asking and posting are different
People who leave reviews voluntarily can differ from those who do not. They may have had unusually good or poor experiences, or they may already be more engaged with a brand. Comparing their later purchases without accounting for those differences would not isolate the effect of writing a review.
Karaman uses randomly assigned review solicitations to help study that problem. The invitation increased the likelihood of posting. The paper then uses that assignment as a statistical instrument to estimate the effect of posting on subsequent spending.
That estimate relies on assumptions, including that the invitation affects later spending through review posting rather than through another direct route. The author explains the steps taken to support that assumption, but it remains important when interpreting the causal claim.
Satisfaction changed the pattern
The paper reports that at the highest satisfaction level, posting did not change future spending regardless of loyalty. For dissatisfied reviewers, the estimated effect was negative. Among the most loyal customers, adverse effects appeared when satisfaction fell below a perfect score, even if the review itself was positive.
That is a reminder that a favorable rating does not necessarily mean a customer had no unresolved concern. It does not establish why any particular person spent less or how they would behave with another business.
Review requests can still produce valuable information for prospective customers and businesses. MBN has explained how to turn recurring review complaints into operational questions, while recognizing that reviewers are a self-selected group.
What a business can test
Instead of measuring success only by the number of reviews collected, a company can track repeat purchases, service contacts and complaints for invited and comparable non-invited customers over a suitable period.
It can also check whether the invitation arrives after a genuine opportunity to resolve an outstanding issue. A review request is not a substitute for a refund process or a working customer-support channel.
Such tests should not be used to screen out unhappy customers or distort ratings. The US Federal Trade Commission’s consumer review guidance explains rules on practices including incentives conditioned on a particular sentiment and suppression of reviews. Platform rules and requirements in other jurisdictions may differ.
One setting, several unanswered questions
All customers in the research setting completed a survey before some received an invitation. The solicitation did not take them directly to the hotel’s reservation website, and the company did not use solicitation status to target later promotions during the experiment.
A different invitation, service, audience or follow-up process could produce a different result. Businesses should avoid treating a rating target as a complete measure of customer relationships, while continuing to seek honest feedback and act on the problems it reveals.
