Fodor's lodging recommendations?
 

I was curious if the lodgings that Fodor's recommends are actually deserving of the praise? (The ones with the stars.) I've never stayed at one, but I've definitely stayed at nice places that they don't mention. This time though, I booked a place in Amsterdam that they recommended, so I will see for myself...but I am curious what others think. Thanks!

Recognize that there can be a significant time gap between the time a Fodor rep visits, not necessarily stays at, a hotel and the time the review is published and available to the traveler. Much can happen in the interim: management and ownership changes, remodeling, deterioration of the hotel and/or its neighborhood. Recognize, too, the difficulty in being objective in making an evaluation despite working from what is probably a checklist. Recognize that the "star" system is greatly misunderstood by many travelers. It doesn't necessarily address the ambiance of a hotel but rather its amenities. The one star hotel will not have a restaurant, may not have an elevator and has a small fraction of its rooms with private bath. The four star will have a restaurant, though the food may be atrocious, an elevator which may not work, and washcloths in the baths of most of its rooms. Hotel reviews here on the Forum, while highly subjective, can be more valuable than published ones simply due to the timeliness of the review. I can rave about Paris' Hotel Muguet because I was there last week and know it's not a crumbling wreck. Fodor's field people may not have been there in the past three years.

In my experience, the reviews are right on when the guides are published. It is, indeed, true that places change hands (especially restaurants with ever-changing chefs and owners). Practically speaking, the reviews are often out of date by the time the "latest" edition hits the printer and "starred" places tend to be "overrun" with all the tourists who rely on Fodor's. Sometimes, that huge star results in more business than the facility is prepared to handle (such as folks inquiring by fax or e-mail receiving no response due to the enormous volume of interest), and the result can be substantially increased rates and dismally reduced service and "upkeep". No matter where you're going, there are dozens or hundreds of lodgings available. I've found that Fodor's includes the best of the best, which are consistent from one edition to the next (ammenties, location, service, in various price ranges).

We've found the Fodor's hotel recommendations to be among the most accurate on the 'net or in print. We occasionally have a quibble about an omission or inclusion or the wording, but overall they're quite reliable. <BR> <BR>Rome.Switzerland.Bavaria <BR>www.twenj.com

I've used Fodor's recommendations many times over the past 20 years and have found the reality to match my expectations every time. Sometimes, I have found the hotel to wildly exceed expectations.

Hi, everyone. Carol and Ed. As editorial director here at Fodor's, I'm so thrilled to hear that you've had such good experiences with our recommendations over time. Our writers work very hard to come up with the best possible places. Yes, there is a lag time between the writer's visit, the book's publication, and your own visit (and that lag is longer for travelers who don't buy an updated guidebook but who assume that things stay the same from year to year). But one of the distinctive things about how we work is that with very few exceptions Fodor's research is done by people who live in the country, in the area they're covering. So if a hotel or restaurant changes management or starts to sag, we hear about it fairly often and we do pull stars---sometimes entire properties---at the last minute, when the situation warrants. Fodor's stars do mean something. Our writer has investigated a lot of places and has decided that the place is outstanding compared to others of its type. Our stars differ from stars given by various countries' national rating systems in that they do mean "oustanding." Whereas, as Wes points out, stars in these national rating systems are not qualititative at all---they reflect only the number of certain specified facilities, like whether or not a place has room service, a lobby, a swimming pool, or the like. Michelin ratings are something else again. Bottom line is that you have to know your stars. But you can be sure that the single star flagging a select few restaurants and hotels in our guidebooks means that they're something special. (And if you have experiences to the contrary, we would---of course---like to hear it.)

Hi! i just got around to read this posting. I have used Fodors for many years to help me find hotels and even restaurants.. I check it out before I register. Usually the only difference is in the price and I attribute to the time lag. Even it's restaurants, which I am usually more suspicious of have come true. Two recommendations come to mind the "Talizman' in Eger Hungary and the 'Koliba' restaurant and 'Grand' hotel in Smokovec. Ok Fordorites, where was I? alan

I'm glad to hear all the positive responses! It's making me look forward to my trip even more.

Hi, Karen -- <BR> <BR>Obviously, you monitor this forum or you wouldn't have answered, but do you use the information posted here for updates? I mean, do you forward comments to the in-country reviewers or compare their reports with what we say here?

I guess my experience has been a little different from everyone else's: I find the hotels and restaurants listed in the back of the "Exploring" guides (the white ones) to be very accurate. The other Fodor's guides (with the gold covers) are less so. I've never ended up in a total dog of a hotel while following Fodor's, but the descriptions and the places themselves don't always jibe.