Depends how much their bad review can impact your bottom line. For me, it’d be at least a one night refund and I would swallow the loss.
Jane,
We’re very sorry about [...]. Your comfort is our priority and your five star review is important to us. We’d be happy to credit [.....] for this incident. Please let us know if that’s fair to you. Alternately, I understand if you need to [leave early/cancel your upcoming stay]. Please let us know by [3pm] if you accept our offer
Instead of crediting cash, we’ve started offering the equivalent or near equivalent as a credit at a local restaurant so our community can benefit from our mistake. Here’s what that looks like...
Jane,
I’m so sorry [the water was turned off] when you arrived]. I spoke with the water authority and it was due to a broken main. Still, what an inconvenience, and we’d like to make it up to you. We’ve arranged for a [$] credit for you and John to enjoy at [local bar or restaurant] which will be valid until [check out date]. It’s one of our favourite places in the neighbourhood. [Ask for thé floor manager and tell them you’re guests of James Johnson].
In my experience it’s good to offer one positive experience for each negative experience and we get good karma by sending guests to our local businesses. We have a tab with two local restaurants where we just need to call them to send guests over for a free drink.
Sometimes, I save a lot more than I would by refunding a whole night. For example, $100 in drinks is cheaper than refunding a $250/night stay.
Anyway, hope that helps in the future. It’s helped us get five star reviews without mention of the million things that go wrong.
The Johnsons