shillmac

For several years, many of us stayed at Hotel Villa Bonita Bed & Breakfast and enjoyed getting to know Humberto and his family who owned and graciously operated the business. More often than not, most clients were impressed with the hospitality and gave the hotel good reviews on Fodor's and Trip Advisor. For quite some time now, however, Hotel Villa Bonita has been closed. It no longer exists. Humberto and Carmen have left the hotel business and are living in their hometown of Turrialba where they have bought a beautiful piece of property and are developing it as lots to sell. They have also opened a clothing store and, along with their little son, are doing quite well. It is our pleasure to see them often as Humberto is administering the building of our home near Turrialba.

Humberto contacted me this evening with a concern. It seems that someone has opened a new hotel on the outskirts of Alajuela and named it Villa Bonita Hotel. On Trip Advisor, this new hotel, totally unrelated to the previous one, is using reviews from the former Hotel Villa Bonita. The manager of the hotel responded to a review with the information that the hotel had "moved". No, it hasn't moved, It closed, and is no more.

As a new business, Villa Bonita Hotel must earn its own good reputation--or not. It is unethical for the owners to masquerade it as the same hotel, same ownership, different location. It may be that VB Hotel is an excellent hotel, but it can't claim the good reviews of the former Hotel Villa Bonita as its own.

qwovadis

It is a shame that someone is dishonestly trying to

profit off of the good name of www.hotelvillabonita.com

by transposing the name...

Thanks for the heads up SM..

plumboy

Maybe one of the TA experts can contact TA?

hipvirgochick

Wow. They actually said the hotel moved? That's BS. I'll send an email to TA for sure. I miss HVB!

shillmac

I posted on TA, also.

TiltedFlipCurves

TA has a portal for the business owner. That's what the owner of HVB II apparently used (abused). TA also has a pull-down menu for reporting inappropriate reviews. Perhaps Humberto could use the former, and some of y'all can do what I did and use the latter?

Kateedidnt

I brought this to Humberto's attention yesterday when I became aware of it ... I did email Trip Advisor, but will now go report it as abuse.

Kateedidnt

I don't find the pull-down menu ... help!

TiltedFlipCurves

Sorry, I should have written "float over" not "pull down." Click on the review title to open it fully, and then float cursor over "report problem with review" just above that so-called "management response."

shillmac

Thanks, all, especially Kateedidn't, for bringing this to Humberto's attention. He forwarded your information.

Ticoman

Can't thank you enought to all of you for all your support and kind words in regards to this false "Hotel Villa Bonita". Even after I have closed the hotel, I see on this posts the recompense through all these years of hard work, giving you our best of us. Thank you all for being such a great people, kind, HONEST AND LOYALTY!!
I will be here in this forum more often to keep in touch with all of you and any help regarding your trip to Costa Rica, I will be glad to help you unconditionally.

Hugs to all!

Humberto and Carmen
Former owners of
Hotel Villa Bonita