Deciding whether Agoda should comp stays to seed reviews for newly listed hotels

Agoda is considering making a stay free for travelers who write a review of a hotel that is new to the platform. Should it go ahead? ```hint Find the problem behind the offer Start with why a newly listed hotel struggles without reviews and what that costs the hotel and Agoda. Then weigh what the next traveler would make of a review written by someone who stayed for free. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Does "new hotel" mean a property newly listed on Agoda with no reviews yet, or a property that has just opened? - Who would pay for the free stay: Agoda, the hotel, or both sharing the cost? - Is the stay free at booking with a review expected afterward, or refunded only once the review is posted? - What is the goal: faster bookings for new listings, more hotels joining Agoda, or more reviews overall? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - The underlying problem (new listings with no reviews convert poorly) and the goal the offer should serve, stated before deciding - How a rewarded review affects traveler trust, including disclosure duties and the credibility of Agoda's reviews across the whole site - Economics: who funds the stay, the cost per review, and how many incremental bookings it must drive to pay back - Abuse and selection risks, and alternative ways to reach the same goal - A clear recommendation, plus a pilot with a primary metric, guardrails and a stop rule ### Follow-up Questions - Hotels offer to fund the free stays themselves. Does that change your recommendation? - How would you tell whether reviews from comped guests are inflated compared with reviews from paying guests? - In a pilot, which result would make you shut the program down even if bookings went up?