BS: Crap hotels reviewed in Trip Advisor

Subject: BS: Crap hotels reviewed in Trip Advisor
From: Will Fly
Date: 20 Jan 14 - 02:22 PM

I use (and contribute to Tripadvisor) when looking for hotels and restaurants to go to when planning a holiday.

Perversely, I always enjoy reading the really crappy reviews - particularly for those hotels with really good reputations - and regularly have a good laugh at the expense of the poor old hoteliers.

I'm aware, of course, that hotel and restaurant reviews tell you as much about the reviewers as about the places reviewed. And I'm also aware of some of the cheating and maliciousness that pops up here and there on the site. Having said that, here's a typical - and delicious - example of reviews that bring a snigger:

Avoid this hotel whatever you do!!
Dirty, damp, smelly and many more words that would be suited to describing a hobo's sleepig bag... the building is falling apart and it seems no attempt is being made to sort it.

Breakfast was good; if you compare it to dog food, and its even served on a baby sized plate!

The staff couldnt care less about the people paying their wages by daring to stay here, had a few problem and when we tried to get them resolved we were just told 'i cant help as i dont know what i can do'. Even they seemed as though they didnt want to be in that rats nest.

There is much more i can say about this 'hotel' but i cant afford to take a month off work to sit and write that much...

If you decide to ignore this and stay anyway, prepare to itch for a day or two afterwards.. BEWARE!!!

Do you know, it's almost worth booking a night there just to test this out!

Subject: RE: BS: Crap hotels reviewed in Trip Advisor
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Jan 14 - 03:37 PM

I have stayed in really nice hotels and resorts and have been amazed with a few poor reviews and experiences by others. I suspect some folks are difficult to please, have unique experiences are fussy or have high expectations (with a tight wallet).

I have also been puzzled by the occasional high review of really bad hotels and resorts.

Below is a link to some realy bad experiences in a crappy resort hotel. I found some quite amusing -though l suspect honest experiences.


example 

Subject: RE: BS: Crap hotels reviewed in Trip Advisor
From: GUEST,Ed T
Date: 20 Jan 14 - 03:37 PM

Last post was me

Subject: RE: BS: Crap hotels reviewed in Trip Advisor
From: Jack the Sailor
Date: 20 Jan 14 - 05:14 PM

The perception of the quality of a hotel can vary widely based on which room you are in, who cleaned it, whether the exterminator has been there recently and who is on the desk that night.

Subject: RE: BS: Crap hotels reviewed in Trip Advisor
From: GUEST,Ed T
Date: 20 Jan 14 - 05:21 PM

Sometimes it goes beyond the basics, especially during a vacation (vesus work travel).!If you are spending precious bucks and once a year vacation time, it is often the extras, a good meal and extra staff effort that coverts an ok time to a great one.

Subject: RE: BS: Crap hotels reviewed in Trip Advisor
From: Jack the Sailor
Date: 20 Jan 14 - 05:43 PM

True. But the last two times we vacationed it was at local beaches and we got the three things we wanted, a view, a kitchenette and to be left alone.

Subject: RE: BS: Crap hotels reviewed in Trip Advisor
From: GUEST,Ed T
Date: 20 Jan 14 - 06:58 PM

I like local beaches in the warm summer- but because of latitude issues, the winter snow leads me more to southern beaches in winter time. Getting advance information from reliable an unbiased sources from folks who enjoy what you do and have travelled to those sites (versus from marketing sources) helps to decrease the liklihood of bad experiences. IMO, sources like Trip Advisor are useful-if you can sort out the whiners from valued comment. I also recommend Debbies Carribean travel website.

Subject: RE: BS: Crap hotels reviewed in Trip Advisor
From: Rapparee
Date: 20 Jan 14 - 07:49 PM

Unfortunately, there are actually people who are paid post negative reviews of almost everything. Paid. Likewise, there are those who are paid to provide extremely positive reviews.

Therefore, I do what I do with statistics (which these are): I toss out the best and the worst as anomalies and so with the rest.

Of course, if a product or service has, say, 415 reviews over 5 years and they are all very negative or positive I'd take another approach.

But then, I don't pay a lot of attention to the reviews anyway. For a restaurant or a hotel I'm more likely to believe the latest health department inspection.

Subject: RE: BS: Crap hotels reviewed in Trip Advisor
From: Janie
Date: 20 Jan 14 - 11:50 PM

Bottom line for me is cootie free. More concerned about bedbugs than other creatures. Interestingly enough in this day and age, I think mid to higher end motels and hotels in the USA are at greater risk of bedbugs than are lower end chains - less international travel in terms of clientele. I rarely can afford to take leisure travel, and on business, I tend to opt for very cheap motels such as Motel 6. I inspect the bed, bed linens, and shower when I arrive, don't toss anything on the floor or on the bed other than my body, and once I check in, am in the for the night, so not concerned about security or a meth lab two doors down.

I do try to steer clear of any motel/hotel that advertises hourly rates. - Cootie alert, i.e. "crabs," not detectable with a visual inspection.

Subject: RE: BS: Crap hotels reviewed in Trip Advisor
From: Bert
Date: 21 Jan 14 - 12:14 AM

We took a trip recently and were on a tight budget. We would stop at the welcome center as we entered a State and pick up a flyer with hotel coupons in it.

On the whole we found that Super Eight was usually a pretty good deal, nothing special but cheap and clean. The one in Carlisle, Pennsylvania was really good.

Subject: RE: BS: Crap hotels reviewed in Trip Advisor
From: Bert
Date: 21 Jan 14 - 12:33 AM

And to get the very best service in any hotel, start out by praising them highly.

"We stayed at one of your hotels last night and it was really great, so that is why we are here tonight"

or

"A friend of ours says that you have the best service"

Or something like that, then they will have a standard to live up to. We have even had them change a room because of that.

Then, if you have the slightest complaint, they will rush around to fix it for you.

Subject: RE: BS: Crap hotels reviewed in Trip Advisor
From: Rob Naylor
Date: 21 Jan 14 - 06:42 AM

I find TripAdvisor reviews are more extreme ( in both directions) than other sites. Booking.com reviews seem more objective.

I know some people threaten to post negative reviews if not given a discount!

I've been quite surprised at some of the complaints people have had about some of the hotels I've stayed in. For example, several reviews (very recent) complained about the lack of English spoken by staff at the "Golden Ring" (yes....I know, don't say anything....) in Moscow. Yet I've stayed there 3 times, twice for longish periods (more than a week, so covering shift changes etc) bracketting the complaints and found all the front-desk staff spoke virtually fluent English, with the bar staff and breakfast staff not far behind. Even the room maids on the floors I stayed on had a *few* words.

Maybe their good English came out because I intially tried to communicate in Russian (not very good at it yet)?

Subject: RE: BS: Crap hotels reviewed in Trip Advisor
From: Rapparee
Date: 21 Jan 14 - 10:07 AM

Learn to say "Hello" and "Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening" and especially "Thank you" in the local language and you'll go a very long way in the estimation of the staff. This is even true in Canada, the UK, and Ireland!

Subject: RE: BS: Crap hotels reviewed in Trip Advisor
From: GUEST,Ed T
Date: 21 Jan 14 - 12:22 PM

There are plenty of tiny close-to-your-facec "cooties" on your pillow in a hotel, that is shared by many. They enjoy the free food in your open mouth, as you sleep:) I frequently bring my own new in-the-bag pillow when travelingb and leave it when I depart. I also leave my bags outside overnight in the winter cold when returning home from winter vacation and bring all the clothes inside for a wash in the morning. You cant prevent all foreign cooties, but you can limit the liklihood of transfering some.

Subject: RE: BS: Crap hotels reviewed in Trip Advisor
From: Bev and Jerry
Date: 21 Jan 14 - 01:25 PM

A few years ago a new hotel was built in our town and the very first review on Tripadvisor was terrible. The second review mirrored our opinion exactly when it said, "It's too bad you had such a bad experience at that hotel - especially considering that it hasn't opened yet!"

Bev and Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: Crap hotels reviewed in Trip Advisor
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 21 Jan 14 - 01:31 PM

I recently ate at a restaurant that was given 5 stars on Tripadvisor and several rave reviews in the local press. It was very cosy, and the staff were very attentive, but, frankly, the food was barely better than average.

Subject: RE: BS: Crap hotels reviewed in Trip Advisor
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 21 Jan 14 - 02:19 PM

We stayed in a lovely hotel in Tunisia this summer. After coming home, I was disgusted to read the review it got from some nasty folk. Someone said the Tunisian staff were horrid and unfriendly. They were absolutely delightful. They said the rooms were filthy. They were spotless. They said the food was ghastly. It was the best we'd ever had. It was just a pack of lies. I left a truthful review, hoping that people would see the actual facts. I feel so sorry for the hotel manager and staff, they must be gutted.