For most hotels, the way to stop bad reviews is to increase the level of service, spruce the place up a bit and have a staff meeting on manners. But The Union Street Guest House, charging $500k for every negative thought written on the Internet is the chosen technique.

Marriott HotelPerhaps you'd prefer to stay in a Marriott Hotel? [Getty/Andreas Rentz]

Situated in the town of Hudson, amongst New York’s Catskill Mountains, The Union explains that “wedding couples love Hudson and our Inn, your friends and families may not,” because “your guests may not understand what we offer – therefore we expect you to explain that to them.”

The fine for a bad review extends to anyone in your party, so if you and 30 guests decide to stay and one person finds a smudge on the crystal, you better bed they don’t let anyone know on a review section.  “USGH & Hudson are historic. The buildings here are old (but restored). Our bathrooms and kitchens are designed to look old in an artistic "vintage" way,” explains the hotel. 

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“Our furniture is mostly hip, period furniture that you would see in many design magazines. (although comfortable and functional – obviously all beds are brand new) If your guests are looking for a Marriott type hotel they may not like it here,” it continues, building up to some kind of justification for the following paragraph, which aims to detail the specific way in which guests are fined $500 for leaving a negative review.

“Therefore: If you have booked the Inn for a wedding or other type of event anywhere in the region and given us a deposit of any kind for guests to stay at USGH there will be a $500 fine that will be deducted from your deposit for every negative review of USGH placed on any Internet site by anyone in your party and/or attending your wedding or event.”