My preference is often google because it searches everything easily and cleanly. Sometimes people post about a different hotel in a different thread for an unrelated reason that pops up. Not that it always happens but I have searched before and come up with posts that say something like "I stayed at the Ritz in NY but last time I stayed at the Conrad Midtown and it was so much better." If I was looking for the Conrad Midtown in the Hilton forum I would have missed this thread, but using google it helps find it.

Yes its not the master thread, but sometimes its a comparison that is helpful to you