Would you take this risk?
 

Out of character for me, I made reservations at a country spa/inn without checking tripadvisor, as we had been at the place years before. They promised me an updated room. When I went back to check, the current reviews were pretty dismal (carpets stained, musty, broken fixtures, pool closed, restaurant understaffed, common areas not well kept). So I wrote to the Innkeeper. Below is his reply- which seems sincere. I'm not a princess, and I know the place is country, but I do like things to be nice, what do you think. should I take the chance? Make a deal with him? Assume he will look after my happiness based on this? Opinions welcome. I'm looking into other options (which are limited in this area) in the interim. Thanks!

"Dear Ilana, it breaks my heart when I receive an e-mail such as yours. I have been here at the Inn for 3 years now and have seen truly happy guests and on occasion some disgruntled guests. I will not say to you that everything here at the Inn is perfect, as this is impossible. There are many positive reviews of the Inn on Trip Advisor as well. Have you had a chance to review any of those? It is always our goal to provide the best possible experience with every guest that comes through our doors. People from all over come here to enjoy the grounds, the service, the wonderful quietness and serenity of the property. The team that works here is second to none.

First and foremost, the hotel is a country Inn. For those that come to have a Hilton type experience I believe may be disappointed. We have a total of 7 buildings spread over a beautiful 25 acre property. If you are looking for a nice quiet getaway to spend time outdoors or simply relaxing by the pool, dining on the freshest local ingredients, or taking in a spa treatment then this is a place you will enjoy.

I do not respond to the Trip Advisor site, good or bad. I think the site is well intentioned and can be used positively by people like yourself, to get a feel of a destination. The reason I don’t respond is because all of the postings are anonymous. I do try to use the information provided to figure which guest they were and reach out to them directly.

Thank you very much for your time and reaching out to me with your concerns. If you wish to cancel your reservation, I will waive the policy and refund you fully."

I seldom use tripadvisor because typically you have a bunch of moaners on there. I am one who is really always ready to roll the dice & the Innkeepers points are valid. If you want a spa/resort, you have no business at a country inn. I'd give it a shot. (As an aside, I use vrbo a lot & only recently have they installed a 'comments' section for properties. I have had one bad experience out of maybe 75 rentals. I'll take that percentage everytime.)

I agree... trip advisor is where you go to complain... if there are 5 bad reviews posted, there are probably a thousand good experiences that don't get posted... seems like the guy really wants your business...

SAnParis- I usually take TA with a grain of salt, but when the recent reviews lean heavily in one direction, it catches my attention.I agree about moaners, but good places also tend to have people who take the time to say so. This place btw, has a spa which is part of the purpose of the weekend. I like country, I just don't like cruddy- trying to sort this one out. Not familiar with vrbo- thanks for your thoughts.

They've offered you an updated room and given you great customer service by way of communicating and allowing you to cancel at no cost.

Where is this place? I might like to check it out.

It's not been my experience that trip advisor is "where you go to complain." In many years of traveling, I have found most of the reviews very useful and in most cases factual. That being said, I'd take a chance on the inn. The owner sounds like a sweet guy, and makes many good points, including the one about not "expecting a Hilton experience."

LittleWing- the place is called Benmiller Inn. It's in Goderich ON, but I live in the US, and figured my US fodorites are more active and opinionated. It's more of a conceptual question. Apparently the property was purchased in 2009. We visited in 2008.

I may call and speak with the Innkeeper in person. I think he will assure me that I will have a good room- my biggest concern, since we will be out and about mostly.

Besides, truth is, I've stayed in some really bad places in my day. They didn't 'offer an updated room', I inquired (still in the same class of rooms) because I've learned that there can be variation within a class, and they agreed to my request. But I agree with your points that they seem to be inclined to be helpful.

Thanks all.

Could a property really go down hill so fast in 2 years since your last visit? In 2008 was it acceptable? It's liekly pretty similar.

I use TA alot but I try to take a look at what the complainers have provided in other reviews so I can get to "know" them to see if they are anything like me. I think some people tend to be listers - listing all the things that went wrong and while they are at it just go all hog wild throwing in everything they could think of. If it's really negative like that I completely discount it if it is a decent property.

I would stay there. I love TripAdvisor and would not stay anyplace without checking it out. One must read reviews very carefully, both negative and positive ones. I remember reading some whine bucket post negatively about a cruise - which was $300 for a 5 night cruise - that there was no lobster on formal night, they did not have Earl Grey tea, and the food sitting on a steam table on the buffet tasted like it was sitting on a steam table.

"Stains on the carpet" - what does that mean. All carpet has a light stain or 2 after minimal use - are we talking it looks like there was a paintball fight or random wear and tear. Or when someone dislikes the location of a selected hotel - you picked the damn hotel and knew where it was located prior to booking.

The helpful reviews are very specific -as are positive ones as well.

I always use Tripadvisor, BUT I also always factor in people's expectations. For example, many perfectly fine New York City hotels will get slammed on Tripadvisor. Why? Could be because people pay a lot more for a NYC hotel than they are accustomed to paying and their expectations are also higher than normal. Could be because NYC hotels tend to have smaller rooms than what they expect to get. So I understand what the innkeeper is saying regarding people going to a country inn and expecting a spa. I'd give this a try; certainly the innkeeper is aware concern; I'll bet he will do everything possible to make sure you enjoy your stay.

OK, I'm convinced. I'll have a personal chat with the Innkeeper and go for it. The reservation person said they were re-doing the spa, so I should ask what that means and will it be complete before we arrive. Otherwise, there is another cute town nearby and maybe we will spa off site.
Thank you all.

I love Trip Advisor. BUT I use the *Destination Forums* which are similar format to hear o Fodor's. I read the the "hotel reviews" sections with a huge grain of salt. The Reviews section picks up a LOT of 1-time posters with a gripe. On the normal forums you can ask about your hotel or B&B and get regulars from the area and frequent visitors to chime in and give their (much more trustworthy) opinions.

I check with tripadvisor for every reservation we make when traveling and I have never been led to a bad stay in any b&b or hotel.

After reading the reviews of this place on TA, I would not stay there. It may be nice but I would definitely look for a different place to stay. It seems like there were people who had stayed at the inn in the past and liked it but no longer think it is in good shape.

If you google just the name of the inn and NOT reviews, you;'ll see the inn is in bankruptcy court and in receivership with Deloitte and Touche looking for a buyer,. Which would explain hte lack of maintenance.

I personally would not risk it in that case.

PS Gotta get beyond TA sometimes...and just do a general search.

It appears to me that his response is a non-denial denial.

If he said - the reviews are wrong

the pool is open and has just been refurbished
We have recently redone out rooms, the paint is fresh, the carpets pristine and the furniture in good condition

Then I might take a chance. If you really want to consider this put together a specific list of questions and get his very specific answers - not a lot of romantic piffle.

You ask if I would take the rist, and I would. I would give more weight to my previous good experience at the place and less on the reviews. But I don't know that you should do the same if you are only happy with "updated" rooms and great service.

I think one sees this a lot in places such as New England, where an Inn has a "busy season" of maybe July, August and September. Not only can these places not afford to continually update and renovate, but they rely on transient summer help (translated: college students and foreign students) and many of them even have to look for a new CHEF every summer. I understand the innkeeper's frustration because people shouldn't expect that NYC "Hilton Experience" everywhere that they travel.

Sometimes I take a chance on a place and am pleasantly surprised, other times I open the door and immediately frown, but vow to make the best of the weekend. If you can't go with the flow, I'd say no, don't risk it.

I think this Innkeeper is right not to promise you the world. If you go there with high expectations that are impossible for the Inn to live up to, what happens? Another bad review.

And why are so many of those Tripadvisor reviews written by people who only make "1 contribution" to TripAdvisor and then are never heard from again? Seems like these, when they're bad, must be written by disgruntled former employees and when they're good might be written by the establishment itself.

OK so does NO ONE care that the inn is in bankrputcy???

I care - that makes a huge difference to me - since then the reviewers sound less like whine buckets than as cataloguing the gradual decline of a business trying to stay alive and cutting corners wherever they can - with repairs either unfinished for lack of money or wishful thinking.

I would never think to google a lodging to find out its financial situation unless it were international and I had no other resources to draw on.

The bankruptcy makes my vote for stay elsewhere - and trust the nice innkeeper on the phone even less - he is probably desperate for guests.

I'm going to try to find out more. The reception desk said that the spa was under renovation this month. Usually a receiver would not be engaging in any renovation- seems odd. At a minimum, I plan to spa elsewhere (Bayfield I think). I can't imagine great massage therapists staying when the place is not doing well. As to lodging, the other places I've emailed about lodging haven't responded (it's in 2 weeks, so it may get complicated- last minute trip). Until they do, I may take my chances, depending on how my call with Mr. Innkeeper goes. So far, he hasn't called me as requested.
Once again, fodorites insights haven't disappointed me. Thanks

I thought the information was right on target. I'd not go--it might be out of business by the time I got there.

End of the story: Cancelled at Benmiller. Requested the offered waiver of the cancellation fee. Booked at the Little Inn Bayfield- a known winner. More expensive, less worry.

The spa under 'renovation' in high season seems weird to me.

Glad you found a place that gives you piece of mind.

I wouldn't have gone, either, because it sounded clearly like you expected things to be better than they were. The owner even warned you.

I don't think Tripadvisor is just complaints, I always see positives and negatives of any place I check and I always post all my comments of every place I stay--most of which are positive. I agree with someone above who said they had never been steered wrong by Tripadvisor, and I haven't either. In fact, I have gotten good advice about things I wouldn't have known. I read the comments and decide for myself whether what they say is relevant to me and my wants or not.

to be clear - i didn't mean to google "hotel_name financial problems" literally - just if you google JUST the name of a hotel you often find some info you don't see if you google "hotel_name reviews"

Good Job on your change.

I went to an Inn similar to where you booked first w/o cking TA.

Nightmare.

I think Trip Advisor gives you a " view " of others opinions. When there are a lot of negatives, I never consider staying there.

Have a great vacation.

Where would I be without my fodorites to remind me of the obvious? Thank you. My common sense and good instinct were giving way to nostalgia.

Happy Summer to you all.

I would take a chance with this guy. He cared enough to address the problem and wants to make good on any past bad experiences.
The OP will probably be treated well.

Tripadvisor is an excellent resource if read correctly. Sure there are complainers. It’s what they are complaining about that makes the difference. If they are complaining about a stained carpet in a luxury hotel, listen to them. If the hotel is simply a mid class to lower end, who cares? You get what you pay for and they just don’t know any better.
If their complaint is a rude staff member, there again, I have to weigh how much I need from the staff. Not much.

A review that outlines a mistake that the staff may have made, is a good warning. It wouldn’t stop me from staying at a hotel but I like the heads up. Once I wrote a bad review about a hotel when the staff insisted that the breakfast was free with the room. I asked, “are you sure, we got this on Priceline?” “No problem, they said. Eat and enjoy. Until I got my bill.” I wrote about it on TA and to Priceline and the hotel.

If you can put up with soiled this and soiled that, and bad service, have at it. I don't know what the per diem is, but when I go somewhere for a vacation, I don't want to wake up every day wishing I had done something else.
I have done that==with 5 rooms for family. Everyone was great and the trip was also. BUT I wish I had paid attention because I undoubtedly could have done as well. I trusted ONE person. And the owners were VERY accomodating and helpful, as was my family for my decision. Other things made up.