Any guidebook is about 8 months out of date when freshly-printed copies hit the bookstore. It takes that long between the author's research and the delivery of the printed copies.

Thus, I do not rely on travel guidebooks for hotel/restaurant recommendations. A really great chef could have been fired in the past 8 months, the hotel could have change in ownership, the cozy intimate cafe could be in the middle of a constuction zone.

I do use the guidebooks for maps as it is unlikely the streets will have changed in the past 8 months. I also like guidebooks that offer an overview of the history of the location. Insight Guides are good for that.