Why ask people for budget information?
 

I’m curious about why so many Fodorites ask for budget information before providing recommendations for lodging or restaurants. Surely the OP can check the prices and determine for him / herself if the price works?!? They may be flexible; they may be able to find offers that affect what they would have to pay, etc.

I’m sure my perspective is not everyone’s. I would never come to Fodor’s for lodging recommendations – I use booking.com and find it sufficient, though I can understand that people might ask for comments once they’ve narrowed their search to a few options. And when I have asked Fodorites for restaurant recommendations, price has never been a deciding point – over the course of a trip, I can balance costs out. Location and type of food have been much more important to me. Again, I can see why someone might want comparative comments once they narrow things down.

But it’s more than that: I try to avoid indicating anything about my budget on a public forum! I don’t think it’s necessary, and it seems to me that in today's world, with hackers and the ease with which onscreen names can be linked to specific people, I don't think it's wise to provide any more personal information than necessary on a public, non-secured website. I know one’s budget range for a hotel or restaurant isn’t necessarily informative, but even so, it’s more than I would want to share. And that means I wouldn’t ask. ;)

In any case, I’ll be curious to see what others think. Thanks in advance for sharing your views!

Maybe one of my posts earlier this evening triggered this topic? When someone says 'moderate' or 'not budget busting' or similar I just about always ask for details. Just IME that many first time visitors with that sort of request have no clue what things cost. A year or so ago a noob posted something like that - I don't remember exactly the budget description but it was something like 'medium range' and come to find out he meant $120-$150. per. night. in. London of all places!

So before going down the rabbit hole with all sorts of recommendations that might be totally useless -- I like to know approx. what the budget is. Same for restaurants.

janisj -- that helps me understand your logic. Thanks! As I noted above, my inclination would be to suggest consulting booking.com (for lodging) or asking about food preferences / location / atmosphere / type of experience (for meals). That said, I can imagine that people would not find my responses or queries to be on point.

BTW: One of your posts did inspire this thread -- in the sense of a last straw on a camel's back. I's something I've often pondered, and even discussed in the past: https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...stian-1730454/... particularly post # 4

I always try to answer the question that is actually asked. If the poster asked for recommendations for accommodation and an indication of budget is not provided, then I feel it is entirely appropriate to seek clarification on how much they want to spend. There is no point in suggesting a Four Seasons property if they are looking for a backpacking hostel. If the poster ask for suggestions on the way to reserve accommodation then I would offer suggestions for booking engines, direct booking etc. or just comment on the as a supplementary response.

People come to travel forums for a variety of reasons, one of which is for the "personal" interaction including recommendations on places to stay or eat which is entirely different from just reading a review on booking.com or Expedia which provide no opportunity to ask further questions.

I really don't feel that providing information on hotel budgets , screen names etc are of any use to hackers and have no problem providing or asking for such information.

As someone once said, "there is no such thing as a stupid question, only stupid answers". Asking questions of a poster helps avoid assumptions and gather facts, ensuring understanding and can prevent potential problems caused by ignorance (as suggested in the comment re London hotel prices above)

I ask so I can make an appropriate suggestion.

When someone wants a place to stay in Puerto Vallarta, it matters if they are seeking a hostel, a 1-star local hotel for $30usd, or they want a high-end all-inclusive resort for $700usd/night. No one has to tell me their annual income (lol) but they can say they want a place under $100/night or sky's the limit it's their honeymoon.

For Waikiki is similar, if someone gives absolutey no indication of what they want... the #1 hotel in Waikiki or they are a family on a budget and don't mind walking and staying further inland. Again I can certainly name dozens of hotels I am familiar with as low as $200/night and as high as $1000/night. But wouldn't it be easier for them to tell us a bit more what they want. To me it's no different than asking if someone wants a pool, or to be beach-front, or must have a lanai/balcony, or a view of the ocean, etc.

Why would I tell anyone to go use booking dot com instead? That's like telling them to go use Google Search. When I can give personal recommendations from places I have actually stayed (somewhere I have stayed multiple times).

Other questions I'd ask include things like if they need a kitchen or kitchette, do they need an elevator or are stairs OK, do they want a quiet location and will use a taxi or more in the thick of things where they can walk everywhere, do they want nightly entertainment at an all-inclusive, mutlple pools and restaurants, kids club?

Perhaps the difference is guiding someone to 'booking' or 'expedia' is bascially telling them to go do their own research. When I post about specific hotels or condos, these are places I have actually stayedin or at least visited and toured the property.

Thanks to all who responded! I now have a better understanding of why some of you with knowledge of a range of accommodations would ask for a traveler’s budget.

I still find asking about budget before offering restaurant recommendations a bit puzzling, but then, I make the assumption that someone asking about an exceptionally high-end experience would say so.

Restaurants are easier... for those I'd just suggest my favorites. Often I'll list them in my own categories, like breakfast / lunch / dinner, or casual / mid-range / high-end, and say the part of town I'm speaking to.

But for lodging I need more guidance than "What's a good hotel in Puerto Vallarta?" :-)

Yes, I agree that knowing a budget is helpful to advise. I always look at travel forums to get my list started and use Booking.com to read reviews and look at the map. But I am a research junkie. Some come on here and ask such a basic question and don't seem like they have looked it at anything at all. But even with my research, some of the subtleties, is the neighborhood quiet, is the staff accommodating, are there nearby good restaurants, etc. are nice to hear about from those who have experience with them.

We have friends who stay at high end luxury accommodations everywhere they go, so their recommendations don't help us at all. But we value occasional innovative and trendy dining and some of ours friends are not interested in that or paying those prices.

So instead of throwing out places we love, and them being too basic or out of reach, it is good to have guidance.

This is a bit off the original question, but for example, if anyone wants to visit Puerto Vallarta, and stay and one of a half-dozen condos or hotels I know from personal stays... I can answer every small question (is water provided, how do you pay, how often is maid service, is there a safe in your room, how is the kitchen, is there noise at night, are there bugs, etc.). That isn't going to be answered on commercial websites -haha.. And AirBnB maybe be even trickier in that regard, how you can't even see a street address at first.

Again, I appreciate the insights!

Just to be clear: I didn't mean to suggest that the input of Fodorites would be irrelevant -- indeed, I think people are fortunate to benefit from the generosity of Fodorites who share their experiences and knowledge.

Well sometimes it IS irrelevant -lol- not everyone who posts knows what they are talking about :-) That's something i try to make very clear, if what I write is from personal experience staying at a hotel/apartment, from eating in a restaurant, or just that I happen to know location and reputation of a place but have not been myself.

Good question KJA & good answers everyone else.

“ Please recommend mid range accommodation in Sydney” is typical of some requests we field on TA & Fodors Australia forums.

Errr … When? For how many people & beds? Hotel/ Apartment? Budget range in AUD?

Dates matter because we can advise about high holiday/ festival periods & pricing. Likewise # of people & beds. Our fire regulations are strict and no you can’t have 4 kids in a bed.

If someone is travelling with a family & staying a few days we will often suggest an apartment hotel, giving them extra room, kitchen & laundry facilities for the same cost as a hotel room. This is something we do well in all our large cities & towns - but people may not know about their existence

Thanks for adding your perspective, Bokhara2! I must admit that I still think travelers would do best to start with booking.com and then come to Fodor's if they have questions about specific options, but you and other responders have proven that some of you know enough to provide valuable information if someone chooses to start with Fodor's.

I still think travelers would do best to start with booking.com

The places I could recommend for Puerto Vallarta Mexico are from staying at them multiple times each and first were found by word-of-mouth, walking around town, or because I've been there often enough... I know people who know people :-) They are not listed on commercial websites like booking, hotels, expedia, etc.

Well, suze, I went on to say, "you and other responders have proven that some of you know enough to provide valuable information if someone chooses to start with Fodor's." And I stand by that.

Yes of course. I read your entire post. I am not disagreeing or arguing. Only meant my post to add that not all lodging options are posted on the standard websites. And how and why I (we) might know of places that a person would not find on their own.

I can also save time for hotels in my home city (Seattle) but for different reasons. Not hidden gems, but I know downtown well from working there for years and doing event planning. Am familiar with hotel locations, vibe of various sections of downtown, where the steepest hills are, who's right by the freeway, distance to public transportation options, restaurants on-site, etc.

I'm sure people benefit from your knowledge and your generosity in sharing it.

We love it when people do some research for themselves before coming to the TA or Fodors forums kja, but many don’t.

As noted above “ Where should we stay in Sydney that won’t break the bank?” Is a frequent query.

I confess my “ bother” button gets pressed fairly easily in that event and I just want to cut to the chase and give them the options that are most likely to fit their requirements. Hence the When/How many/who &$ in AUD? queries.

I and others put some work into making recommendations about places we know - and we generally suggest the OP lets us have a look at their short-list so we can comment on locations. As you would know, there are often factors that would not immediately be obvious either in Street View or the Booking.com/ Airbnb websites, but which locals well acquainted with the area would know.

Or the other common one - …” maximum 150 US/ £ or € per night”.

Oh yes? You’re asking for help from volunteers on an Australian Forum about accommodation in Australia and you’re too lazy to do the currency conversion - and expect us to do it? Or do you think we use your currency in our country?

If someone says budget isn’t important - I’ll either just refer them to Booking.com for an initial search or perhaps make a suggestion of places I think they might like - based on their other comments.

KJA - This was in the NYC Forum in TA today.“Hi,

Any advice on where to stay, on a budget as my with is from Yorkshire... I need 3 beds in the same room, seems to be very hard to find in NY.

All help very much appreciated.”

Multiple posts later, it’s revealed there are 2 adults & 4 assorted teenagers & other children to be accommodated next month.