Miss Marple Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 How much do the guest comments on hotel websites and sites like Tripadvisor influence your decision whether to book or not? I'm trying to find a decent hotel in London that has reasonable prices for 5 people. Some of the hotels I've found look great on the website, the prices are fine, some include breakfast and free WiFi, but when I view the guest comments they range from "Don't do it" to "one of the best places we've stayed". The average rating then becomes middle of the scale. Do you think people post poor reviews because they get a thrill out of it? I know people's expectations will differ, but when someone says they wouldn't feed the breakfast to the dog and another says it was delicious and filling - well, it becomes difficult to sort the cranky folks from the hotel owner's relatives :001_huh: So, how do YOU sort through all the reviews? And, if you know of any hotel near all the attractions (Mayfair, Kensington, Baywater, Hyde Park areas) that is reasonable for a family, I would love to hear from you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Some people post a bad review because of a weird, fluky thing that happened to them, and it may not be a true representation of the hotel. I go to tripadvisor.com to review hotels now. I have based my hotel stays on that site many times, and they seem to be quite accurate. In general, it seems to be a board frequented by honest, experienced travelers, and usually there are enough reviews that you can sort out the weird, fluky ones from the overall impression of a hotel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alenee Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 My sister recently called to ask my opinion about some reviews she was reading for a hotel for her honeymoon. After reading the reviews, we decided that hotel wasn't an option. The reviews were very specific. Stained table cloths and the staff being seen flipping table cloths over from lunch for the dinner crowd, rather than clean cloths to replace. Ants on their toothbrushes. Stained pool towels. They went on and on and all were very specific. Those are the 'proofs' I want when someone is going to bad-mouth a place. If it's just a general negative experience but others posted positive reviews, then I think it's probably worth staying there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Oh, and when my daughter and I went to London a couple years ago, we stayed at the Surtees Hotel B&B, near Victoria Station. It isn't in the areas you talked about, but is in a safe area near Victoria Station, and we felt it was very convenient. It is clean and a place to sleep at night, nothing else. But, that was all we were looking for. We had a tiny room with a shared shower/WC across the hall. Friendly owners. Breakfast was yogurt and cheap granola bars. But again, it was clean, had a little character, and was cheaper than most accommodations without being a hostel! http://www.booking.com/hotel/gb/surteeshotel.en.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margo out of lurking Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 I put a lot of stock in tripadvisor, mainly because without it, I'd have nothing else. Some hotels will show a lot of inconsistency, and I take the number of reviews a poster has into consideration. Posters with one or two reviews may be writing specifically to harm a hotel's reputation (or, as you said, be related to the owner!), so I put more weight on posters with many reviews. I've used it a lot over the past three years, and the website has not disappointed me. It sounds like an awesome trip for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 I also use Trip Advisor. I look at the reviews, and I look at the reasons BEHIND the reviews. If someone gets into a tussle over the details of their credit card, or their extra fridge wasn't delilvered in a timely fashion, that is one thing. If they are complaining of uncleanliness, or high parking fees, that gets my attention. It's easy to tell who's complaining due to a one-time mixup, and who actually had a bad hotel stay because the hotel was bad. Yes, I put a lot of faith in the traveler reviews, particular WHAT the complaints are, if any. AAA diamond ratings basicially only tell you the level of amenities, not how clean the place might be. Also I tend to favor newer hotels. I'll stay in a brand new 3-star ahead of an aging 4-star if it gets good traveler reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RahRah Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Hotels in Europe have a pretty stringent set of standards to meet to be rated 1-5 stars, and the rating is based on what features a hotel has and its ammenities. I wouldn't put as much stock in reviews as the rating the hotel holds on its own based on the rating system in Europe. Be aware though, the system isn't unifed - so if you're going to the UK, read up on how hotels are rated in the UK. I'd first look at the rating system and figure out what level of hotel I need, then start looking over reviews. You can also look at AAA ratings, Zagats and other travel sites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 I love TripAdviser but I don't put stock in one or two bad reviews if the majority are good. Some specific photos also carry weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Trip Advisor is excellent. Don't go by one review - look to see if there is a pattern throughout, and remember that more people will take the time to complain than to compliment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 I take everything I read with a grain of salt. Example- We were in Bangkok, Thailand last year. My mother had been before and loved her hotel but decided it was too expensive. So she read and read and read reviews on Trip Advisor, read forum posts, etc. and based on what she read picked a hotel. There were only glowing reviews for it. The hotel was in the middle of nowhere. Cab drivers could not find it. Even with written directions from the hotel they could not find it. It was awful. It was so bad that after 2 days at this hotel we left for the fancier hotel that my mother had previously stayed out. It was 100000 times nicer. I wrote a review about the awful hotel on trip advisor. I was very specific (to reach the pool you had to go up super steep narrow staircase to roof, no attendants, it was deserted and creepy, old towels with holes in them, they barely speak english in the hotel). Other people continue to write glowing reviews including how nice the pool is. I am super suspicious that it is the hotel itself writing these reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmama Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 I love Trip Advisor and have picked places to stay based on ratings. That said, as others have noted, specific concerns can sometimes be a turnoff. But after a bad experience two years ago, we also go to this site next, after TA: http://bedbugregistry.com/ This is only for North America, and granted you can get these critters anywhere from the Ritz on down, but it's unfortunately part of our travel planning now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 I put a lot of faith in places like Trip Advisor. I mean, it's the customers themselves talking. If it's a random bad review here and there mixed in with a ton of good ones, then I'd go with the hotel. Those random people could just have a bad experience or be extremely picky. But if there are consistently bad reviews, then I definitely would not stay there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 I love Trip Advisor and have picked places to stay based on ratings. That said, as others have noted, specific concerns can sometimes be a turnoff. But after a bad experience two years ago, we also go to this site next, after TA: http://bedbugregistry.com/ This is only for North America, and granted you can get these critters anywhere from the Ritz on down, but it's unfortunately part of our travel planning now! Everyone should also know how to do a specific bedbug search in the room before even unpacking the luggage. Hopefully everyone remembers the technique from previous bedbug threads? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLG Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Trip Advisor is excellent. Don't go by one review - look to see if there is a pattern throughout, and remember that more people will take the time to complain than to compliment. My opinion as well. It's a reading between the lines thing based on the number of good reviews vs. bad. Also, the date of the review makes a hug difference. Sometimes establishments correct problems. Other times they deteriorate. A call to the place helps get another feel too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaBearTeacher Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Trip Advisor has been accurate for us too. I read the reviews and don't just go by the ratings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmith Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 We always follow the reviews on Trip Advisor. I look for patterns of the same complaints. It's usually kind of obvious when someone is writing a bad review just for the heck of it, or if they are extremely picky guests who expect too much for the type of hotel. Our whole month long trip last year was booked based on reviews and going street level on google maps. We didn't have a single dud, even with staying in a few budget hotel chains that we don't normally use on business trips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 I use Trip Advisor, and just booked a room for an upcoming weekend trip. I read the reviews and try to look at the reasons behind bad ones. Often the hotel owner/manager gives a response to the bad review, so I take that into consideration. I've never been steered wrong using Trip Advisor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 I go to TripAdvisor and read the reviews. I've found that if I read all the reviews and take out the one or two that don't agree with the rest, the reviews tend to be very accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 Everyone should also know how to do a specific bedbug search in the room before even unpacking the luggage. Hopefully everyone remembers the technique from previous bedbug threads? A friend of mine is borrowing my spring jacket for her trip to Reno. When she returns it, I'm putting it in a plastic bag and stopping by the laundromat on the way home to zap it with some heat in the dryers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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