In 2015, when the Royal St Andrews Hotel, Port Alfred, South Africa opened its doors, it was clear that the owners wanted to receive feedback from their guests as soon as possible. Difford Louw was the Sales Manager of the hotel at the time, and is now the General Manager. He pushed to implement GuestRevu before the first guests checked in. Difford Louw, who had seen the value of structured feedback in his previous role, knew it was crucial to ensure the hotel delivered high-quality experiences.
But more recently, Difford played another important role — helping to shape GuestRevu’s new AI-Powered Management Responses You can be one of the beta test participants.
Royal St Andrews: Why guest feedback is important
Royal St Andrews is proud to offer an exceptional guest experience. The hotel caters to travellers of all kinds with its luxury wing, a spa, conference rooms, and an updated pub. But providing great service isn’t just about amenities — it’s about understanding what guests expect and continuously improving.
People’s expectations are constantly changing. says Difford. “They don’t just want a place to sleep anymore — they want an experience. GuestRevu lets us know what our guests expect, so we can deliver.
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Watch the full Royal St Andrews case study
Royal St Andrews was able to gather clear and actionable feedback with GuestRevu’s tailored surveys. This allowed them to respond to guest concerns and improve their services — from refining breakfast service to upgrading their Wi-Fi setup after feedback showed guests were frustrated with passwords and slow speeds.
AI-based Reputation Management: How it is Made Easier
Royal St Andrews excelled at gathering and acting upon guest feedback. However, responding to reviews online was a tedious task. GuestRevu’s AI management response was able to help.
Difford was impressed with the AI generated responses, especially the personalisation.
Difford: “We all sat down together to watch it. I absolutely loved the show.” “The responses were spot on. It’s great that the responses to guests include the details of the review. And I really like the way it acknowledges negative reviews as well and addresses them — it’s quite spot on.”
The AI feature creates thoughtful, personal responses that reflect the guests’ sentiments and experiences. Instead of spending hours carefully wording responses, Difford and his team can now review and approve responses faster — ensuring they keep their online reputation strong without sacrificing the personal touch.
Difford says that the app can save her up to an hour and a quarter of time in thinking about what to say. “Especially when it comes to the not-so-positive reviews — you have to think carefully about how you address the guest, how you approach the issue with them, and assure them that it will be looked into. This takes a lot more brainpower and time.”
Difford highlighted the AI feature’s ability to ensure that negative feedback is not overlooked. “If you don’t respond to negative reviews it looks like you aren’t caring. The AI tool can help by suggesting thoughtful replies that demonstrate we have taken the time to fully understand and address the complaint. It’s not just about writing something — it’s about showing the guest that you care about their experience.”
Enjoy More Customisation with New Features
GuestRevu’s AI management tool has evolved since Difford’s involvement as an early beta tester. It now offers even more customization. Hoteliers can add their own instructions to the AI so that it responds in a way that is consistent with each property’s tone, branding and messaging.
The team at the Royal St Andrews, specifically requested this flexibility during the beta testing, knowing that responses to reviews are not just for the benefit of the guest who posted the review, but will be read by other potential customers as well. Mikhail Andrews is the Revenue Manager at Royal St Andrews. He says, “We can use them for marketing. We can add in special offers or packages.”
How to achieve lasting success
Royal St Andrews, on South Africa’s Sunshine Coast, has become a destination of choice by combining AI-driven reputation management, proactive guest feedback collection and a dedication to marketing their town.
Difford states that “we couldn’t manage guest feedback without GuestRevu.” “It’s a great tool that saves time and increases productivity. It also ensures we engage with our guests in a meaningful way.”
And with the addition of AI management responses — now with enhanced customisation — the team now has even more time to focus on what they do best: delivering exceptional guest experiences from day one.
