al

Before going somewhere new I always read hotel reviews from a variety of websites. I'm always amazed at the spectrum of opinions you can find. Two travellers go to the same hotel in the same month -- one says it's a bug-infested tourist trap, the other says it's paradise and they can't wait to go back. I suspect that some people post negative reviews just for the heck of it or because they have an axe to grind, but I also suspect "friends" of the hotel post glowing, over-the-top reviews just to make the hotel look good.

How much credence do you place in hotel reviews? I generally toss out the best review and the worst review and take it from there. That seems to work.

GoTravel

None.

Being in the hotel business for years, I can read between the lines in those hotel reviews.

Also, I'm much more tolerant than most.

JJ5

If it has to do with VERY specific criteria I sometimes believe them. But not usually.

When they use relative and generic words about overall service or some appearance issue, I always take it with a grain of salt.

One time I read one on the Swissotel in downtown Chicago and I did not register HOW that could be the place she was describing. My guess was that she was a person who never had to walk more than 100 yards on her own or something.

What's even funnier is the description of different pizzas or "famous" meals by different people in the exact same places. Personal choice and taste are so different that it is hard not to laugh.

J_Correa

I also take them with a grain of salt. I look for the agrigate rating based on several people's comments and go from there. I read the tone of the message to see if I can figure out where the person is coming from - for example if the words a person chooses makes him or her sound particularly high maintenance, then I will more than likely disreguard the person's comments, figuring that we are looking for different things in a hotel - LOL. On the other hand, if the person sounds like regular folk, then I am more likely to consider the comments.

NeoPatrick

Actually the comments that bother me the most are the supposedly positive ones where people say things like "it wasn't the Ritz, but how much time are you in the room anyway?" To me that shouts that the place is really a dump. When you have to talk about NOT being in the place to appreciate it, then I get worried. Just because I'm going to be out a lot, doesn't mean I don't want the place I stay to be great.

beachbum

I'm more inclined to believe the negative reviews, but it's odd that those are usually the ones readers find as least helpful.

If we can't trust the reviews, where do you all look for reliable info?

Kerry392

I normally like to read a few reviews on the same place. Sometimes, you see a pattern developing (the service was terrible, it is a hangout for college kids...); if multiple reviews say the same thing, I tend to believe it. But, I don't put much faith in overly glowing reviews or terribly negative reviews. Everybody has their own opinions!

Bunkhedena

Please go to Tripadvisor and look at the Moore Hotel in Seattle. There are so many inconsistent reviews that it made it hard for me to decide whether to go there. I had actually made a reservation for one night this summer, but cancelled it after reading all of the reviews.

FainaAgain

I don't know if I should or should not believe the negative reviews, but I don't want to be the one going: "oh, how stupid of me, why didn't I listen!"

jersey

I also take reviews with a grain of salt. But if 98% of reviewers are agreed one way or another, I usually take notice. I have made reservations by using TripAdvisor, Fodors, and other sites to get peoples opinions. In fact I just booked my trip to St Lucia this winter by asking advise from posters here on Fodors and reviews at TripAdvisor.

I agree with Patrick, damned by faint praise is a red flag to me. And JJ5-if I stick to my needs and criteria I'm usually fine.

Little_Man

I've cancelled reservations at a hotel this summer due to negative reviews. (Specifically Fairmont Mayakoba in Mexico). Then, when I saw the place in person, I kicked myself for cancelling!
I've stayed at places just because of stellar reviews on TA, and been disappointed.
I read them all, and try to glean the truly helpful from the complainers, and the too easy to please. Sometimes I think all the reviews just make me more confused, lol!

Barbara

I've written reviews on Tripadvisor, most positive and one negative. The negative one was very specific about the things I didn't like and most of them were things that most people here would not be happy with. I think if you choose not to believe any bad reviews you may as well not look at any reviews at all. What would be the point of only reading good reviews?

OO

GoTravel...me too about reading between the lines. Many are as clear as the bent-out-of-shape noses on their faces. LOL

I saw one recently on TA where the reviewer was unaware of the fact that there are two Hyatts at DFW, a Regency and a brand new Grand Hyatt. He wrote his review of the Regency under the Grands' name. Clueless. And these things go uncorrected.

We discussed this recently about restaurant reviews and the same lack of credibility holds for hotel reviews. My favorite restaurant boo boo was someone reviewing the Cirque show Le Reve, under the restaurant Le Reve in San Antonio. Not every seat is the same he says....LOL I thought he'd been seated next to the kitchen 'til I realized as he went on, he wasn't even talking about the restaurant, but the show...which has never been here.

I think the best information comes from forums like this one and Trip Advisor's forum, where locals who usually know the reputations of places in their town are answering the questions.

By the way...Trip Advisor's hotel and restaurant rankings, #1,2, 3 etc are totally out of whack. There is no explanation for how they come up with the list. #1 in Tampa is a motel out on the interstate 20 something miles out of town near nothing but USF. Or maybe that's how it got its popularity. Pardon...LOL! Savannah's #1 hotel is something similar, a motel way south of town on the interstate. Crash goes the credibility.

suze

I read all the reviews. I've spent enough time on the internet in travel forums, I feel I can "read" people pretty well.

I don't give credence to a "rude" person at the front desk, when the person writing sounds like a big whinner themselves.

And some things are simply fact that might bother other people but do not bother me. A favorite budget Waikiki hotel, people complained about rust on the mirrors and stains on the carpet... well that is true, but for me for the price and the other wonderful ammenities, I could not care less about those two "complaints".

goldilox

In every stay there are good and bad (or not quite so good) experiences.

I tend to trust the reviews that offer both. The overall experience will still rate as positive or negative, but offering some constructive criticism or specific examples adds credibility.

When people use phrases like "The worst restaurant ever!!!" or "The best hotel in the world!!!" or they use tons of exclamation points I question their authenticity.

Though not ethical, some hotels will write their own good reviews or negative ones to slam the competition. And others will encourage guests to write good reviews (some even offer discounts for those who do)... which, in my books, is almost as bad as writing reviews themselves.

toedtoes

I think it depends on the review. If it's a 2 star hotel and the review claims it's the Taj Mahal, then I disregard it.

If the reviewer spends five angry paragraphs complaining because the sunlight woke them up in the morning and how the hotel should have moved them to another room for the fourth time, I disregard it.

If the review calmly states that the rooms were dirty, the location was bad, the locks were broken, etc., I pay attention.

If the review calmly states that the rooms were clean, the location was good, I pay attention.

I also pay attention if they calmly discuss hotel conveniences that I want from the room (i.e., room service, internet access, etc.).

So, basically I guess I throw out any emotional outburst review - regardless if it's positive or negative.

tekwriter

One great feature now available with the Trip Advisor reviews is the ability to click on the reviewer's name and see all the reviews that person has submitted. That way, you can get a feel for if this person is a one-time whiner, or a bona fide traveler with objective opinions. Of course, no collection of reviews will guarantee that you'll like a hotel or restaurant - there are so many variables on any given day - but it's a place to start to make a decision. Certainly gives us a leg up on just relying on an establishment's glowing descriptions and pictures!

LoveItaly

I honestly do not have an answer to this question.

There is a hotel in Rome that I have always loved which was originally recommended by a friend in Italy who was in the travel business in Milan.

I have read some reviews on Trip Advisor some months ago that really slammed this hotel. Rude employees, filthy rooms, run down etc. I checked their website and it looked as good as it did when I last stayed there. But that was some time ago.

So if and when I go back to Rome do I stay there? I don't know. If the negative reviews are true I will feel quite stupid that I didn't listen. But if I stay there and the negative reviews are not true I will chuckle to myself and figure either the negative reviews are from constant whiners who probably want an American style hotel even when in Rome or by competitors.

One thing I do know about TA. I checked out reviews for the small city I live in. And I am appalled by most of the recommendtions be it lodgings or eateries. So consequently I don't give much importance to what I read on TA..and actually hardly ever go there.

When I make a suggestion to someone here I try to be honest in my evaluation (it is not luxery, the restaurant is expensive but I really enjoyed it etc) But again I always cross my fingers that my recommendation will work for the other person as we all have such different expectations. It is easier to recommend a hotel or restaurant if you have met a person and truly got acquainted with their likes and dislikes IMHO.

ilovetotravel29

I am more apt to believe the negative reviews than the overly positive ones. When researching a certain hotel, the first page of reviews looked great! and then, on the 2nd page, well...more than 1 reviewer discussed "fleas" and "bedbugs"....ugh!

aileen679

I don't trust the reviews when there are too many raves. There was a small Motel near us that got a ton of raves as a HOTEL from all over the USA. It was listed on TA as #1. Curiousity got the best of me so we drove out one day to see if the dump had been torn down. Nope. Same old dismal place. I posted a "review" explaining exactly where it was and what it was.