of course, Tony the Tiger say he's Cereal is Greeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaat. I disagree. lol

spiro, IMHO, you haven't responded to nyt's complaint. Those all may be "great", maybe even the "greatest" and maybe even everybody would agree if you did a survey. But that's not what people ask. Hardly anyone ever asks, what is the greatest hotel in Venice, or New York, or anywhere. They ask for recommendations for a "great hotel", which is very very different, meaning the hotels you listed would fit the criteria (sure they're great) but so would many many others depending on the poster's criteria - for price, location, size, bedding, service, etc. One poster might think a hotel can't possibly be "great" because it doesn't have room service, another because it doesn't have umbrellas to borrow when it rains (I'm sure the Danieli has both of those things .

Getting back to restaurants, here's another pet peeve.

OP asks for dining opinions on a not-so-good place that shows up with frequency in guidebooks. You reply that it's not a good spot and suggest other restaurants serving the same cuisine but much better.

OP posts trip report later saying how they went to the not-so-good place anyway and didn't like it.

Oy -- why did I bother?

Curiously, I'm not personally bothered if a poster asks a very general instead of a specific question.

If what the poster wants is vague to me, then I just ask back "What do you mean by 'great'"?

What bothers me is when people depart from civil discourse for no visible reason. This seems to happen more and more in an anonymous internet world.

Once in a while what happened to bachslunch annoys me too. Why ask and get very specific, honest responses and then totally disregard what others have said?

My favorite worst: "Where can I find a great hotel in Paris $80 a night."

I agree that people should be more specific when asking for an opinion or advice. Some people might be new to this process and start off with silly quesions.

That said, puffery is a statement of opinion. Asking if something is great is asking for an opinion. I don't see any problem with anybody asking me if something is great, or if I ask if you think this is a great place for me to stay. That's what these forums are all about.

When puffery becomes a problem is when someone is trying to pitch something for their own gain or advertising for somebody/something.

If I was paying you for advice, then my expectations would be much higher.

nytraveler: You're right, asking what's "great" in New York is silly because New York has everything.

If you're looking for a "great restaurant" in a small town, there might really be only one worth going to, well, besides the Mickey D's.

This is a great topic.

This is a super duper topic.

of course, some people wouldn't find this topic great.

I do understand getting upset when people put the word greatest with low budget. But when a poster asks for a great hotel at a certain price, what they are really asking for is the most bang for their dollar at a certain price. Lets face it, normally you get what you pay for. I still think this is the way most posters, especially new posters will start a post, just for the sake of starting somewhere. I do a pretty good research before asking anything on here normally. I have seen a lot of posts saying they planned their entire trip on this board.

bachslunch, I think your complaint also applies to everyone who is coming to NYC but looking for a great hotel....in New Jersey. I think on forums, as in real life, a lot of people are just looking for "advice" that matches the decisions they've already made. And as the saying goes, everyone who doesn't agree is a moron.

Agree with nyt, although sometimes I think it's just a rookie error. If I asked my friends, "What's a great hotel in Paris?" they'd know my typical budget and that I prefer location over amenities. When you ask on a board, it's easy to forget that the people responding have no clue what your usual tastes are!

Looking at a post from this morning, I'm reminded of another weird request -- "please tell me the cheapest and the best. . ." There are few things in the world that are the best when they are the cheapest. So which do you want?

Another favorite --"is the ______Hotel worth it?" How on earth can one person tell another if any expense would be worth it to them?

You're confusing people with the idea of puffery. Puffery only applies to a goods/services provider describing their own products and services. And since everyone will describe their product as great, super or the best, then it doesn't have to be supported by actual product research, and everyone can advertise using those terms. If instead you said that your dishwasher was the fastest food particle remover, you'd have to be able to back that up if challenged.

Puffery doesn't mean that people can't use generic adjectives. But the point is taken that great to you may not be great to me. However, I will say that invariably when people give their specific criteria for what they're looking for, others still ignore those criteria and recommend their favorite hotels irrespective of those criteria.

Other phrases I can't stand to see in a post: "What place is a must see?" or "What is a romantic place for a honeymoon?" Both are SO dependent on the subjective interests of a person, the questions are meaningless!

Yes - but the problem is that the OP often doesn't say best for x$. You can answer that - and it's still a matter of opinion - but within the ballpark.

But if the OP just asks for great - without any perspective around it - and they really want something in a certain price range - or near a specific sight - it's practically impossible to help them.

If you ask for great in Paris I'll send you to the Crillon or Georges V - not helpful if you want to spend $100.

What place is a must see?

Along these lines, I love the ones that say "I'm going to NY for 1/3/5/7 days. Are there any must-sees? Not "what is a must see", but "are there any must-sees?" Please tell me you're kidding!

I never respond to the "must see' queries b/c I know that said poster and I have different world views, as that expression has no meaning to me.

Re: the posters who ask about some restaurant, are told it is just "meh"--an allusion to a lounge post --and are given other recs and then post back that they went to the so-so place and report it was only so-so....Well, I have to question the native intelligence of one who after *not* listening would come back to willfully expose themselves to a (deserved) chorus of "I told you so".......

All that being said, most travel advice requested and dispensed on this board is a wealth of knowledge and, dare I say, kindness and I am grateful that we have it!

So when going to a certain destination how exactly should a person ask a question. Generally I am interested in Lodging, Things to do or see, and places to eat. I think most people ask the "must sees' without doing much research and just want to know what the touristy things to do are.

So when going to a certain destination how exactly should a person ask a question.

Like mentioned above, for
Lodging: budget, neighborhood, style
Restaurant: budget, neighborhood, cuisine

Must-sees: tell us what your interests are. My must-sees are not always your must-sees. For me, since I like art museums, the must-sees in NYC would be the Met, Frick, MOMA, Neue Galerie. But this may bore someone else to tears.