ONLINE accommodation provider Bedsearcher has launched a review service for its award-winning booking site.

The Darlington firm has designed a system that allows guests to review their experiences, and gives hotel owners the right of reply, in a move to improve customer service.

Company co-founder Jim Mann said: "At a time when the traditional accreditation schemes from the tourist board, RAC and AA carry less credibility with either the hotelier or the consumer than ever before, reviews have become a more and more important benchmark by which buying decisions are made.

"Bedsearcher has taken this process and added credibility for the first time. Only customers who have actually stayed at the property can place a review and, uniquely, the property owner has a right of reply, removing the skew that professional complainers can create."

Using a five-star rating system, Bedsearcher, which connects people with more than 40,000 hotels, bed and breakfasts and guesthouses across the world, asks reviewers to answer various questions. The review is posted on the website and sent to the hotelier.