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I've been looking at hotels online and the reviews for some of them make me wonder if people have stayed at the same hotel in the same universe.
I'm looking at a hotel and reading the reviews on different sites. The reviews given by a good sized group of people on Priceline are good to great for the most part. On Trip Advisor, you'd swear it was cleaned by hoarders and managed by Satan. What is up with the difference? Are people on Trip Advisor more picky or people on Priceline more complacent?
I think people that review on Trip Advisor are looking at the hotel from a different perspective than Priceline. With Priceline, you don't know in advance what you are getting, so if the experience turns out to be more positive than negative, you're a winner.
With Trip Advisor, people are more likely to have booked a specific property at a specific price, and may be expecting more based on photos or the hotel web site. If the room and amenities don't match the picture, the review will be negative.
I like trip advisor reviews but one thing gets me - when you are staying at a budget hotel, you are going to get a budget experience. Some of these reviews think the Red Roof Inn they are staying in should be compared to the Four Seasons. Yeah, a $35 night a hotel room is going to be somewhat dumpy.
Yeah, I'm reading that too about some hotels. I think the some of the reviewers had some odd expectations for a 2-2.5 star hotel. One of the things I cannot figure out for the life of me is what people think room size should be. Half the reviewers wrote that it was a huge and spacious room. Half wrote it was cramped and small. Which is it?
Yeah, I'm reading that too about some hotels. I think the some of the reviewers had some odd expectations for a 2-2.5 star hotel. One of the things I cannot figure out for the life of me is what people think room size should be. Half the reviewers wrote that it was a huge and spacious room. Half wrote it was cramped and small. Which is it?
In older hotels particularly, rooms sizes can vary drastically. I've stayed at one historic hotel in NYC in rooms that had to have been close to 600 s/f and others in the same hotel that were 150 if I was lucky. I did give up space for a
250 s/f corner room with windows that actually opened on two walls.
It's also subjective. I'm in a hotel room right now, a fairly spacious one, yet I'm feeling boxed in. I spend a lot of time in hotel rooms due to business travel, and sometimes it doesn't matter how spacious it is, it's still "small" mentally.
I tend to stick with Tripadvisors advice because usually I'll get the general jist of what viewers are saying before staying or choosing a restaurant. Hasn't always worked out but usually I'm happy I picked the place because of tripadvisor.
With any site showing reviews of hotels, restuarants, etc. you need to consider sample size, date, etc. when reading reviews. Sometimes you can just tell some reviewers are just snobby or others that feel entitled to gold plated toilet seats at a 3 star hotel:P
I'm looking at a hotel and reading the reviews on different sites. The reviews given by a good sized group of people on Priceline are good to great for the most part. On Trip Advisor, you'd swear it was cleaned by hoarders and managed by Satan. What is up with the difference? Are people on Trip Advisor more picky or people on Priceline more complacent?
My wife and I spend about 35 nights a year on PLEASURE travel and ten on BUSINESS. 95% of our bookings are through Priceline and Hotwire. We do mostly 3-4* properties unless I am alone and I will do 2* properties.
Last year, I bid 4* in Minneapolis and received the Hyatt downtown. While the hotel was not the most exciting property in the US, the hotel was spotless, the staff friendly, and the rooms were well appointed. We were extremely happy with the property as it was centrally located.
Based on some of the reviews on TripAdvisor, I thought that we were checking into a total dump. Reading most of the negative reviews, there was always some tiny petty thing that people complained about. At least a quarter of the complaints was that the property did not upgrade the customer to a suite or better room.
I found that some of the WORST reviews on TripAdvisor was from people who booked through Priceline and Hotwire. You are getting a room that is normally $129 for $40 and the only thing that you can do is to post petty complaints. I don't get it.
Do I read TripAdvisor? Certainly, as it is a help in smaller towns. However, I read the reviews with an ENORMOUS grain of salt.
I try to rate all the hotels I stay in on Trip Advisor and do so fairly. I use it a lot and feel that I am giving a fairer view than most.
What I would say though is to read the other posts people have made. If all the do is pick pick pick the ignore the review....
I feel that the picky reviews come from the same people who complain about EVERYTHING in life. As previously mentioned, don't expect to pay $50/night then be treated like you are at the Ritz Carlton.
The thing about online reviews, you don't know if they're real or fake. There's a segment in the morning news recently about a guy who revealed that he was paid by hotels to post fake reviews on various travel sites online. His fake reviews varied from glowing (for the hotels who paid him) to nasty attacks (for hotels that are competitors to his 'employers').
I always skip reviews like "I found hair on the bathroom floor!" which seems to be the most used line for negative reviews and msot likely fake because it's so vague. Instead, I look for details with information like "there's an excellent hole in the wall daiquiry stand across from the hotel" or "you don't need a car if you stay in this hotel because there's a bus that stops in front of the hotel that goes straight to downtown for $1 fare" - both were real reviews I read about a hotel in Nassau Bahamas that I've stayed in.
I actually trust Priceline reviews more than any other reviews, particulary reviews posted through biddingfortravel.com because those are usually quite detailed and the reviewers have a better understanding of hotel star ratings. So you won't find Pricelien reviews complaining about Motel 6 being dumpy compared to Holiday Inn (duh!).
Hope that helps.
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