Schnit

I wrote the post, we will see what happens

GoSh4rks

Use google and "site:flyertalk.com" appended to your search terms. Or just "flyertalk".

Eujeanie

What does that do differently than just hitting "Search This Forum" when on the Marriott or Hilton or whatever Forum? The problem with FT Search is that all threads come up that have even the one word you're looking for, often thousands of posts to wade through - at least on TA you can hone directly in on the Hotels in the City you want.

Jon Maiman

I agree with ElevatorEnthusiast I think people do read the reviews even if they don't acknowledge them. Schnit I don't create new threads for each run of the mill property. I use the comments section of the Elite Upgrade Experience Thread to do a mini review of the property. For FT members who want to contribute and aren't MR elites, that might not work. So I suggest the following:

1. Keep it simple and just create a master thread for each property the first time it is reviewed. It will make searching easy. Furthermore, folks who aren't interested in the property can easily skip the thread.
2. Use the same technique as the FT IHG forum. Create a Master Hotel Index sticky thread. It lists each hotel brand as a separate post within the thread and within each post for a hotel brand, each hotel has an entry which is a hyperlink to the master thread for the property broken down by geographic region. For the IHG forum, the sticky thread is locked and maintained by one of the moderators FLYGVA For this forum, I am willing to maintain the thread (like Sharon maintains the Executive Lounge Thread). I'll need assistance from the moderators to setup a sticky.

If folks think the above is a good idea, I will reach out to the moderators and ask for help setting up a sticky thread. What do folks think?

--Jon

ElevatorEnthusiast

You're at 3 likes already - that's more than I usually get!

I like it - though, I must admit, I'm usually pretty successful at just finding master threads by Googling [property name] + Flyertalk. Though, I'm not sure how long it takes for Google to index the results. I usually Google and then just create the master thread if I can't find anything. If someone was willing to make and maintain an index, that could work as well but wouldn't want to put that burden on someone unnecessarily.

GoSh4rks

For one, it’ll immediately bring up the master thread if there is one.

Eujeanie

I apologize. It does zero right in. Thanks.

edgewood49

Then stick with TA and save time reading our post here !

Eujeanie

Excuse me? How did you come to that conclusion?

Several people here said FT is not ideal for run-of-the-mill properties. Why not use a variety of resources?

There is a lot of good information here besides hotel reviews. I suggest you skip over my posts if they bother you. Better yet, is there a way for you to block me?

Found it...click on my screen name, last one on the list "add to Ignore list". Voila. Everyone's happy.

Intl359Widget

To be fair, I’ll be staying at a hotel that recently had its grand opening last week and no blogger to my knowledge has written about it yet so I think I’ll give FT the scoop.

yyzflyer

In my opinion reviews here carry more weight than those in Tripadvisor, for example. There doesn't seem to be the same ability to flame a hotel over a minor incident nor for a hotel to add positive reviews to enhance their ratings. Flyertalk reviews tend toward accuracy and people here seem to "get it". That's why I think we need to encourage follow-up on more mundane properties rather than just the flashy ones. It was worth a shot.

PHLGovFlyer

Have you read my posts on FT? I do post about the good, the bad, the ugly, and the aspirational regularly. The fact that I choose not to post about a single particular property is not defeating the purpose of being here at all. Just as you do, I contribute here where I feel it's appropriate.

DallasEsq

I think the main issue is that when a lot of us stay at mundane properties, it's usually because we have to stay there and a lot of us don't expect much more than a comfortable bed and operational heat or a/c. If someone on FT says there was too much hair in the drain at the Courtyard Sugar Land/Stafford, or that the elite breakfast selection is below par, it probably isn't going to make a difference as to whether I stay there. Heck, I've even stayed at a Towne Place that I'm almost certain was a hot bed for prostitution, and that's fine because it was $79/night. With aspirational properties, and even mid-level ones, you generally do have several choices so I care very much about my odds of an upgrade, how the hotel handles the breakfast benefit and late check-out, etc.

Jon Maiman

I agree that for "mundane properties" a comfortable bed and operational HVAC is all many of us are looking for. Well that and a clean and a quiet room.
After that, I disagree. In virtually all locations I stay, there is more than one MR property as an option. Furthermore, there is almost always an IHG option as well which is my secondary program. Almost all of them also have a Hilton option. So I think there is almost always a choice. Moreover, if the MR and IHG properties in an area totally suck, I will go to Hilton, Hyatt, or an independent. Knowing in advance which properties truly are bad is helpful in making that decision. So far between Marriott and IHG, %99+ of the time I have been able to find an acceptable property. I have gone independent at times; Bar Harbor, ME for example, for areas where the chain hotels have little or no footprint.

TL;DR We almost always have a choice of at least a couple of properties in area. Even for run of the mill stays at "mundane properties", it is still helpful to know which ones are bad in advance to help with decision making.

clarkef

I think the point is not that the property is mundane, but that the stay is mundane, neither good nor bad, folks are not incentivized to post.