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Does Trip Advisor have aught to say to Lux Travelers?

Does Trip Advisor have aught to say to Lux Travelers?

Old Sep 19, 2014, 6:52 am
  #31  
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interesting, thanks Musken and bhrubin, re PMs. im assuming sent via reviews.

Last edited by Kagehitokiri; Sep 21, 2014 at 8:50 am
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Old Sep 19, 2014, 10:44 am
  #32  
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All that being so does not preclude TA from being useful as part of one's lux travel research.

Last edited by KatW; Sep 19, 2014 at 1:37 pm
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Old Sep 19, 2014, 1:15 pm
  #33  
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I always read TA reviews and look at pictures as part of the process of deciding where to go - after having selected a handful of options. As long as it is not my only source of information, I think it is a very useful place to look for information. I also use to post reviews there which might be a little less detailed than the ones I post here, but overall give the same message. I am very happy that TA exists. Does not mean at all that I do not find this forum or Gallivanter's guide loads better, just that I use and like all of them.

And to Kage: You can send PMs at TA, but only to ask questions related to a specific hotel.

Last edited by Musken; Sep 19, 2014 at 1:22 pm
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Old Sep 19, 2014, 1:22 pm
  #34  
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I know many here on FT don't like TripAdvisor, but I use it often and almost on every trip we take--almost all of which would be considered luxe. (We most enjoy casual luxury, so we love Aman, certain Peninsulas, certain MO, St. Regis, FS, RC, PH, and other luxe boutique properties, with a leaning toward smaller, more intimate type luxe properties when available.)

TA can be very helpful, but you need to parse the reviews and not worry about overall rankings.

I usually select for only 4 and 5 star properties to start. I then consider those properties and their reviews. I also try to focus on recent reviews AND reviews that are for the timeframe in which we'd be visiting the property--so we get a better sense of occupancy levels, weather, etc. for the time we plan to visit.

I then read the reviews from contributors who have a MINIMUM OF 25 REVIEWS. I disregard almost all others, and I NEVER trust positive or negative reviews from those who have contributed only a few reviews, especially since they so often talk about how often they stay at comparable properties and yet have not contributed any other reviews--making them dubious IMO.

I also look at the reviews on OTHER properties for those contributors whose reviews have the most priority for us on the property in question. If they have often reviewed comparably luxe properties or other places that I also have considered (all around the world), I feel their reviews have more substance for what we are considering. If they talk about how luxurious a property is and then seem to only have stayed at midscale or slightly upscale properties, I usually disregard their reviews entirely--as they don't reflect on the type of travel we most enjoy.

When I find several reviews that are particularly important for our priorities, I ALWAYS send those contributors a private message to follow-up. If they don't respond, I disregard their reviews...but almost everyone I manage to private message typically responds to me within a few days, surprisingly!

These private messages and concomitantly salient reviews almost always allow me to determine which property in any location are best suited for us, and often allow me to better choose what type of accommodation level is the best for us, as well. Often, I get other recommendations that also permit me to improve our itinerary--including or excluding sights or things that we had considered. These exchanges are more akin to those on FT for me but far more specific (exactly akin to the private exchanges on FT).

Is it work? Yes, it is--but not too much IMO and not that much more than having to read through an entire FT thread, either! I have often found that I don't need to use a travel agent at all on so many luxe trips, partly because I've had so much useful and prioritized advice from those screened travelers whose opinions are as valuable as any travel agent.

TripAdvisor is a very useful tool even for luxe trips, IMO.
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Old Sep 19, 2014, 9:58 pm
  #35  
 
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Originally Posted by LondonElite
To me it's like Seatguru...useless.
Not to go OT, but SeatGuru was extremely helpful a long time ago, when airlines didn't have aux revenue from the extra legroom seats, maybe 10 years ago. Now, if there's a better seat available, the airline will try to sell to me about 5 times during booking, so I agree on its uselessness !
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Old Sep 19, 2014, 10:00 pm
  #36  
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I use seatguru to advise about what seats NOT to choose.
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Old Sep 20, 2014, 5:44 am
  #37  
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Originally Posted by KatW
All that being so does not preclude TA from being useful as part of one's lux travel research.
If TA is full of false positives / false negatives, I'd argue that it's a pretty poor tool for any sort of research. Garbage in means garbage out.
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Old Sep 20, 2014, 12:19 pm
  #38  
 
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Originally Posted by LondonElite
If TA is full of false positives / false negatives, I'd argue that it's a pretty poor tool for any sort of research. Garbage in means garbage out.
C'est la vie, non?

As with almost anything crowd-sourced in life, one must filter. I'm sure most of us, even here, do so.

At the very least, the photos are useful in getting a sense of the place though my TA pet peeve is how many people upload photos either of themselves, or of random sites around the town/city in which the reviewed hotel is located.
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Old Sep 20, 2014, 12:59 pm
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Originally Posted by aa213bb
C'est la vie, non?

As with almost anything crowd-sourced in life, one must filter. I'm sure most of us, even here, do so.

At the very least, the photos are useful in getting a sense of the place though my TA pet peeve is how many people upload photos either of themselves, or of random sites around the town/city in which the reviewed hotel is located.
Exactly. As long as one is an informed user there is valuable information that can be obtained from Trip Advisor and many other sources. Flyertalk is generally reliable, but even here one must filter through all of the information available.
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Old Sep 20, 2014, 2:09 pm
  #40  
 
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I find flyertalk more valuable than TA, i know that writers here have stayed in ALOT of hotels and are giving a fair review. Often on TA, there is bitterness when a traveller has had a bad experience like an overpriced drink that seems to mar the whole review.
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Old Sep 20, 2014, 10:05 pm
  #41  
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I expect most know I was not positing a competition between our own Luxury Travel thread here at FlyerTalk vs. TripAdvisor.

In many ways TA is much easier to use; in other ways this forum we are on now is superior. Both are tools I use and intend to keep using.

It's NOT either / or. Anyone who confines herself to but one research tool is bound to be disappointed more often than not.
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Old Sep 21, 2014, 3:39 am
  #42  
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Originally Posted by KatW
It's NOT either / or.
Excactly. This 4 words say everything
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