Thanks - I'm feeling a little more confident about my choice.

Ira: It is an honor that you have aknowledged me, I have followed you for years.

LOL, Patrick! No more questions. Everything is clear now.

Someone asked about Hotel Davanzati, so I looked it up on TripAdvisor. The first thing I saw was a protest about a fake review. Then I went to the web site, and they have a whole page devoted to their experience with fake (apparently) reviews.
http://www.hoteldavanzati.it/trip.html

Hi WillTravel,
That website is really interesting. Can't imagine why on earth someone would be terrorizing that place

Will, amazing and scaring! I'd like to know the end of the story, is she mad or else? How can people be so mean sometimes? :-(
I was disapointed not to have a place in the review section because I don't own a hotel but now I almost feel relieved! :-)

I just looked up that place in Rome that is now called 58 Le Real de Luxe. It has NINE 5-star (out of five) glowing reviews on Trip Advisor, all posted the the last four months! And one four-star review!! Listed near the top of all B&Bs in Rome.

AND plasma tvs, pure silk carpets, and rooms similar to those in Ritz Carltons.

Sooo, how much do they offer??? If they give a partial refund...joke!
DH and I usually go with a travel agent or some type of organization for hotels unless we know the place first-hand. I do read the reviews and have just gotten a place in Montepellier France based on TA. Will let you all know.

My free advise...look for bad reviews and whatever BAD review is least scary - choose that one Hotel.

Having thoroughly enjoyed a stayed at the Hotel Davanzati, having posted my comments on TA, and having periodically gone back to TA see what others thot of the hotel, I was very surprised to see the negative comments there because they seemed so ridiculous if you'd ever stayed there. So thanks, WillTravel, for setting the record straight. I was tickled to read that the Hotel Davanzati had successfully tracked down the offending troll/slanderer and that TA had removed the bogus posts. I have found TA to be very helpful but I guess we all have to be a little cautious, which is too bad. Dave

Being fairly new to this site, I have yet to base any travel decisions on what I have read here, but I am impressed with the sheer volume and diversity of opinion. I have used Trip Advisor and Euro Cheapo to make decisions in the past and have found them somewhat mixed --often some good finds such as the Hotel Florida in Rome on Euro Cheapo and the Castle Inn in San Francisco on Trip Advisor. For my recent trip to Prague and Vienna, I used both and had an interesting experience. I chose 3 possible hotels in Prague that were highly rated on both sites. Having some difficulty contacting them, I contacted a local agent in Prague who told me that they were full and recommended another place very highly that he said was far better and also less expensive and in a better location than the 3 I asked for. I was very suspicious, but time was getting short so I took his booking. He was absolutely honest in his assessment. Loved the place and area he recommended (on Kampa Island)and also checked out the 3 places I had asked for and they were not nearly as nice as the place I booked. Similar experience in Vienna. Booked a pension in a good part of the city that had very high ratings on both sites. It was awful! Found a great place accross the street the next morning for about $40/night more but worth every penny. When I post to this or other sites, I am aware of the subjectivity of posts but try to include some objectivity as well, particularly when there is something unusual. For example, the place where we stayed in Prague was unique in that it is entirely non-smoking and has a room that fully meets US standards for accessibilty, even having its own wheel chair lift. Don't see that too often.

basingstoke,
spill the beans...what is the name of that fab place? Thanks

Bribes are standard practice in any competitive business, and travel is cut throat. People can be pretty covert, too. For example:

A friend of mine writes for magazine X. Magazine X gets a complaint letter about a small airline and prints it, the complaint being that the smell of cookies coming from First Class was torturous to second class. In the next issue, magazine X prints another reader's rebuttal, saying that "that is why I always travel with company G (main competitor of the complained-against small airline). They give fresh-cookies to all of their passengers, regardless of class."

This is a real situation and what really happened was that the airline wanted a plug and they paid for it. My friend wrote the complaint (which was true in that the airline does only serve cookies to 1st class) and the rebuttal (also true).

When I was in Morocco this summer I would arrive at places and my first question was generally "How much did you pay Lonely Planet to print a positive review of this dump?" So, if I can't get advice from friends, I just wing it and at least have myself to blame if it goes wrong.

Claire

I posted a very negative review of a hotel I stayed at (in Istanbul) on Trip Advisor. What was very inconceivable was that the owner of the hotel was allowed to respond to my review. (He denied everything and stated that the problems listed were my fault because I didn't complain to him whilst at the hotel.) I will NEVER use Trip Advisor again after this incident. Management should not be allowed to respond to any review.

Why shouldn't management be able to respond to a review? Sometimes, (and I'm not saying you are one) there are cranks who will never be happy. I think you have to check the tripadvisor reviews with the sources here and maybe even make a phone call or email and inquire about the negatives from the management.

Ziana - The place is the Hotel Kampa Island. It is a 3 star and cost 2500 crowns to begin with and then we switched to low season and the rate went down to 1500! About $65. I am a rehab professional so I know ADA requirements and checked out room 110--it met them all. The hotel was once a school and recently was refurbished and opened as a hotel this past September so everything is new - your basic Scan modern. Bathrooms are fully equiped with hair dryer and towel warmer. The rooms are of decent size, particularly the handicapped room which is extra large so a wheelchair has room to easily get around. Most rooms in front have only a view of the back of the Estonian Embassy. There was some minor embassy construction then but it should be done by now. In any case, they did not work on weekends and did not begin weekdays until about 8:30 AM. The rooms in the back are nicer in that they have a nice view of the adjoining park and the top floor back rooms have spectacular views over the rooftops. You can see a bridge tower and the castle. However, the beds were too firm for my taste. Some others said the same. Included breakfast is OK -nothing special but does have both hot and cold offerings and fresh fruit. All you want buffet style. The best part is the location. Kampa Island is nothing short of ideal. It is right under the Charles Bridge and the hotel is no more than 100 meters from the stairs/ramp going up to the bridge. The Island is quaint, quiet, has some excellent restaurants (the one called 15 Kampa was a favorite) and right across the square). It is an oasis in the heart of everything with great views sitting on a bench in the park along the river. Staff was helpful and friendly, but young without much experience. English ability varied from OK to pretty good. We booked through TravelCook over the internet. Our agent was Tomas. Tomas was very helpful and very prompt and patient in answering my many email questions. He also arranged a private 1/2 day walking tour for 2000 crowns total. We were two couples and stayed seven nights. We all share this positive opinion.

There is alot of discussion about spotting fake reviews, and fake forum reports. I can see how you can deduce a fake forum report, but how can a fake review on a hotel or service be spotted.
Venere.com, Bookings.org are more authentic because you can only leave a comment with your reservation number so it is the truth!!!!
Forums like tripadvisor have become a bit too fake and tourist oriented!

Same problem here..

Disagree. I think Trip Advisor is a great resource. If you read thru all the reviews of a few different hotels, it's easy enough to spot the real from the fake.