Originally Posted by
bjh123
I never take anything in TA as gospel any more than I assume that travel and accommodation providers web sites do not exaggerate aspects of what they have to offer. I tend to disregard grossly vitriolic comments on TA, particularly when they are one of only a couple of comments made - my impression is that all too often there is a 'getting back at the provider' motive. Similarly grossly complimentary comments from someone who has only ever posted one or two comments also raise a cynical suspicion. I use TA as a guide and temper my reaction to posts with discretion. One can always go to a forum for advice if uncertain about entries. To say that TA is no longer reliable is a bit of a broad statement to make just as it would be a risk to say that it is always reliable.
Originally Posted by
Amelorn
I find that with a large enough sample of reviews and some discretion, I can usually make a decent judgement of a property.
The most credible I find usually make very specific praises/complaints and reference the room/service level. A property can be a very different experience depending on standard room vs superior/executive vs club floor vs penthouse suite.
My own review history (14 now) probably would look suspect, as I give mostly positive reviews averaging 4/5. I attribute this to the literally painstaking effort I put into finding the right property for me. I also take into account the star level (a 3* has a lower threshold to meet than a 5*). Sometimes I wonder when reading the reviews, "Did you not even give the hotel's website the most cursory glance?" I swear, some people don't even try.
I like writing good reviews on Trip Advisor. I find it helpful when there is a positive hotel stay, to share my experience. Alas, the number is in the low teens of reviews I've actually written, because the reviews that are already on the website I find covers most of what I would have to say anyways.
The vitriolic reviews is the ones I read. All hotels have them. #1, does the General Manager care, and follow up? We selected Floridays this past spring break, and I contacted the general manager prior to arrival. There was an unfortunate mishap, but the general manager followed through and made the stay for us exceptional. Our family had a great time. Had the General Manager not followed through, and I was left to deal directly with the staff, I would have had an awful stay, and a vitriolic review myself. Thankfully, I gave this hotel a 5 star rating in my TA review because of the excellent personal attention.