At ClickandGo.com, people come to us every day looking to book or avoid particular hotels based on what they have read on the TripAdvisor website. While TripAdvisor is an amazing resource containing over 100 million travel reviews with a new one added every second (according to their own figures) it is important to consider a number of factors before making any hasty decisions.
Here are a few tips for reading between the lines on TripAdvisor’s hotel reviews.
1. More than just a number
Don’t just look at the ratings but find out what is driving the ratings up or down. For example, a hotel might be getting poor ratings because it’s too far from the beach. However, if you’re not into going to the beach and prefer relaxing by the pool or going into the local town, then this isn’t a problem. Conversely, a hotel might be getting good ratings because it has great facilities for kids, but if you’re going away for a romantic weekend, that doesn’t mean very much.
2. Right of reply
If you read a bad review or comment, see if the hotel responded and addressed the issue raised. At least then you know that even if they did fall short on one occasion, they’re proactive and interested enough to take notice and take action.
3. Great Expectations
Sometimes reviewers have unrealistic expectations and expect 5-star facilities and service from a 2-star hotel. Also, watch out for people giving a bad rating because they couldn’t get a full Irish breakfast in their hotel in Rome or because the TV in their Paris hotel room only had French TV stations.
4. Don’t stop reading
Don’t stop reading after the first good or bad review. Keep reading to see if there are any recurring positive or negative trends.
5. Horses for courses
Remember that different people have different tastes, requirements and expectations. Believe it or not, the following two TripAdvisor hotel reviews are for the same property:
“What an excellent hotel. The staff were lovely and friendly. When we arrived we were upgraded to a superior room and couldn’t have asked for better. The room was lovely and clean and very spacious and the view was amazing”
And
“We were allocated a room which can only be described as uninhabitable. The room was filthy and didn’t appear to have been cleaned for months. The wardrobe was caked in black filth and you certainly wouldn’t put your clothes in it”.
As are these:
“Fantastic place to stay, helpful and pleasant staff. Brilliant food choices. Quiet location with the beach just outside the door”
And
“A disappointment from the moment we arrived. The hotel looks very old from the outside. The reception area is big but dark, and the receptionist was less than helpful. The restaurant area was ok and the food mediocre, with not a lot of choice”.
As one reviewer (from Cork as it happens) succinctly put it, “To all the older people writing bad reviews, why stay on the Santa Ponsa strip if you want peace and quiet?”
The lesson to be learned here is to look at the profile of the reviewer and then decide how relevant their review is for you.
6. Timing
Check the date of any hotel reviews you read. If it’s even a couple of months old, it’s possible that any negative issues raised have been addressed. Make sure to place more stock in the more recent reviews and see if they’re getting better or worse. Also be aware that sometimes hotels serve different clientele at different times of the year. For example, some hotels cater for the (perhaps euphemistically categorised) young and lively crowd during high season and families and older couples during low season.
7. Log in
If you log in to TripAdvisor with your Facebook account, you will be able to automatically see if any of your friends stayed in or near the properties you’re looking at. This enables you to get feedback from people you actually know as opposed to random bodies on TripAdvisor.
8. And the winner is…
If you want to cut straight to the chase and only check out the top rated hotels, go to the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice awards section. These aren’t just 5-star hotels but also include categories for bargain hotels, family hotels, small hotels, etc.
It’s all too much!
If all of the above seems like hard work, don’t worry. You can also contact us for advice when choosing a hotel or holiday destination. Between us at ClickandGo, we have visited all of the hotels on our website and will be able to tell you which ones are good for kids, which ones are good for couples, which ones are on the beach and which ones are on top of a hill.
