Usefulness of Reviews

eDicky

The reviews posted on hotel and travel booking sites, also social media, are often used by prospective travellers, and those who come here for advice on problems they've encountered are often asked whether they checked such reviews before booking.

I was just listening to a brief but revealing survey of the review industry by Business Daily (BBC World Service), "The business of fake online reviews", 17 mins:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct5zh7?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile

Apparently the most proactive in controlling fakes, including AI generated, are TripAdvisor, who collaborate in their methods with other travel sites such as Booking.com etc.

NoodleDoodleMan

Interesting - thanks.

I always look at the unfavourable reviews on Tripadvisor if considering a hotel we've not stayed in before.

The % of terrible and bad comments compared to the higher ratings is usually indicative of how good an establishment is likely to be - but I take negative reviews with a pinch of salt generally - many complaints are trivial, even farcical.

For example a visitor to Maderia moaning about an outdoor pool being cold - they travelled in January !!!

From time to time you'll find comments that are not even linked to the property in question - there is an excellent RIU hotel we like and one of the very few negative reviews was based on a stay at another of their many hotels, not even in the same country !!!

Some punters seem determined to find fault on principle, where little exists.

The one aspect of TripAdvisor reviews that I dislike is the generic responses from hotel managers which don't address the issue(s) raised - they should either ignore the poor review or reply on specific points.

Westin

eDicky said:

The reviews posted on hotel and travel booking sites, also social media, are often used by prospective travellers, and those who come here for advice on problems they've encountered are often asked whether they checked such reviews before booking.

I was just listening to a brief but revealing survey of the review industry by Business Daily (BBC World Service), "The business of fake online reviews", 17 mins:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct5zh7?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile

Apparently the most proactive in controlling fakes, including AI generated, are TripAdvisor, who collaborate in their methods with other travel sites such as Booking.com etc.

I'm not sure about the collaboration but from this warning on a hotel in Jordan it does seem that Trip Advisor are proactive in monitoring and acting on fake reviews.

Tony5896

I generally ignore the very top and very bottom .. and look for the middle ones that have something other than Avoid at all Costs and Great place come here .. 

DullGreyGuy

I find the ones for more premium hotels etc are the funniest... someone wanting to visit a (in)famous hotel found the cheapest way was to book a pool side cabana for $400 for up to 6 people then complains the poolside bar only does club sandwiches or pizza, someone else gave it a 1 star review because it was windy by the pool and a third because they didnt comply with the dress code (trousers and shoes for men) and whilst offered a pair of trousers and shoes to borrow they weren't offered socks.  Someone else complaining that the 3,605sqft "room" had a flight of marble stairs.

TELLIT01

I always look at reviews 'in the round' i.e. proportion of bad reviews and when those bad reviews were posted.  You may find a cluster from a group travelling together who had a run in with the hotel, for example.  That sort of thing is pretty easy to spot.  A longer period of poor recent reviews would be more concerning to me.

I saw one review of a place we have stayed at many time which gave one star rating and went on to say they didn't stay there but thought it might get noisy!

NoodleDoodleMan

It's the negative reviews of food that really rattles my cage - yet some punters seem to think they should be dining at Egon Ronay level in a 3 or 4 Star tourist hotel !!!

I wonder how/what they eat at home, assuming they don't have a Michelin 3 Star chef in their kitchen !!!

eskbanker

NoodleDoodleMan said:

some punters seem to think they should be dining at Egon Ronay level in a 3 or 4 Star tourist hotel !!!

Showing your age there with a very dated reference!  Are they drinking Watneys Red Barrel too....?

IvanOpinion

NoodleDoodleMan said:

It's the negative reviews of food that really rattles my cage - yet some punters seem to think they should be dining at Egon Ronay level in a 3 or 4 Star tourist hotel !!!

I wonder how/what they eat at home, assuming they don't have a Michelin 3 Star chef in their kitchen !!!

The comment that always makes me laugh are those saying 'lack of variety' with the food.
I suppose if you are going to pig out on everything every night then there would be limited variety.

NoodleDoodleMan

eskbanker said:

NoodleDoodleMan said:

some punters seem to think they should be dining at Egon Ronay level in a 3 or 4 Star tourist hotel !!!

Showing your age there with a very dated reference!  Are they drinking Watneys Red Barrel too....?

Fortunately Watneys Red Barrel never made it north of Hadrian's Wall - nevertheless, showing my age indeed !!!

eskbanker

NoodleDoodleMan said:

eskbanker said:

NoodleDoodleMan said:

some punters seem to think they should be dining at Egon Ronay level in a 3 or 4 Star tourist hotel !!!

Showing your age there with a very dated reference!  Are they drinking Watneys Red Barrel too....?

Fortunately Watneys Red Barrel never made in north of Hadrian's Wall - nevertheless, showing my age indeed !!!

It features heavily in a legendary comedy sketch parodying unsophisticated Brits participating in the early days of Spanish package holidays in the 1970s: http://montypython.50webs.com/scripts/Series_3/45.htm

or, better, the full-on experience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz2LaJOVAiA