StartinSanDiego

Most definitely things have changed regarding reviews. I buy on Ebay. If it's not a "5 star review," then it's considered a bad review. It has skewed the review process, IMO. How can something be excellent if it merely met expectations...on Ebay, this would mean that I bought something, paid for it, had no direct interaction with the seller, and it shows up within a reasonable time in my mailbox. Yet, I'm requested to rate "seller communication." We didn't communicate! Is that a 5 or a 1?

For AirBnB, Hotels.com, etc, we use them more than chain hotels. I've stayed in amazing ones and funky ones. There are so many variables. I may give a 5 star review to both the mom and pop little guest house that's a little weird, or a nicer chain hotel.
That doesn't mean it's 5 star accomodations, but rather that it met expectations based on the type of accomodation that it is. Many of our stays are in remote or less traveled areas with limited international tourists, and they can be very offbeat. Frankly, I'm a little more generous in low income areas/nations, such as Greece (the subject of the OP), that is just pulling out of a nationwide economic catastrophe. Many people running a BnB are just trying to survive and are lucky that they have a place that can produce an income for them. Otherwise they'd be in worse financial shape or possibly unemployed. I think an "A" for effort counts hugely, in spite of perhaps not being able to match my American, high cost of living standards. Is it spotless? Are they friendly and helpful? How did they react if there was a problem? If breakfast was included, was it tasty or perhaps home cooked? I don't expect the little BnB mom & pop to be like a staffed resort hotel that expects to meet or exceed the expectations of vast numbers of international guests. Are the towels dried on a line instead of a clothes dryer? They will be stiffer! Possibly too stiff for my sensitive skin. I won't want to use them. So I bring a little soft microfiber towel, right along with my power cord and portable wifi. I pack light to prepare to haul my luggage up any number of flights of narrow stairs, since elevators won't be there.

lhrsfo

As an AirBnB home-owner and also a frequent renter, I'm torn on this one. It's absolutely vital as a home-owner to obtain and keep SuperHost status which means, basically, you have to have virtually all 5 star reviews. As a renter, I'm incredibly fussy and, generally, I'm unlikely to think any place deserves 5 stars - apart from my own! I've established that online reviews have a different language from mine. 5 stars online means it's fine.

So, I now pretty well always give 5 stars unless there are serious deficiencies (I stayed in one recently with significant maintenance issues - the dishwasher overflows (the owner admitted it had already happened before I arrived), the bed sagged massively, the bedroom door was coming off its top hinge, there was no kettle etc., so I gave it 4 stars and justified it briefly in the public feedback and more thoroughly in the private feedback). But, if the property is as described, and everything works (or the owner responds quickly and sensibly if something breaks - stuff happens -), then I always give 5 stars.

simpleflyer

I think you may have confused hotel category ratings with user satisfaction ratings. They are different things, apples and oranges. Hotel category doesn't vary by user. Obviously user satisfaction does.

Usually different hotel categories cater to totally different markets. The usual patron for a Hampton Inn simply isn't looking for Four Season amenities in the first place, so when you give a 5 out of 10 - a near failing grade according to the academic system of grading - to a given Hampton Inn, you will confuse that market. They will think not that the particular Hampton Inn you stayed at is a simpler place than a Four Seasons since they already know that, even if they can't afford the Four Seasons. Instead, what the market will conclude is that you thought that particular Hampton Inn was bad, for a Hampton-type hotel. I suspect this is why your Hampton Inn manager was concerned.

Same thing with a Motel 6. People won't expect a mark down because any given Motel 6 is on a small lot next to a highway since so many Motel 6s fit that description. They will expect a markdown if the one at which you stayed is next to a Mafia gun shop which uses motel guests for target practice. On the other hand if you open the door and there are complimentary fresh flowers and champagne on the bedside table, that's a 10 out 10 (or at least an above average value) at a Motel 6. At a given Four Seasons, maybe it only ups the rating from a 7 to an 8 because the pool was closed, and you'd rather have had the pool than the flowers etc but you appreciate the gesture. .

Kevin AA

The rating system is not based on how that property compares to other more expensive or cheaper properties. It's how does this property rate compared to what it should be. A Motel 6 with a clean room and hot water and clean towels and coffee as promised from 6 AM to 10 AM should get a 5 star. A Hampton Inn with a clean room and hot water and clean towels but only coffee from 6 AM to 10 AM (no breakfast) would get a low rating because they are supposed to provide more than just coffee in the morning.

It's similar to giving an airline coach seat a low rating because it's not First Class seating. You didn't buy an F seat, so why should the airline be punished with a bad review because you didn't get something you didn't buy?

Kevin AA

A major reason I refuse to use Uber is their stupid rider rating system. If you're a jerk, fine, ban the rider for a period of time. But to subject people to the whims of the driver, or punish the rider for not providing 5 stars for every ride just makes no sense.

If I rate a hotel less than 5 stars, they don't ban me from future stays. That's just asinine.

pinniped

But even if I rank Hampton Inns solely against other Hampton Inns, and I think of my '10' Hampton Inn experience, most of them are still 6's or 7's. Just a normal average stay with no problems.

For these simple-commodity brands, they really should just ask if I was satisfied or not. Did I have a problem or not? If there was a problem, did they resolve it? Some surveys do that and let you comment on the problem, but just skip the numbers.

Just for grins, if I had to peg my '10' Hampton Inn stay, it was probably the one in Quincy, Illinois in 2006 or so. Nice suite, nice old historic/renovated building in a small town, and welcome cookies at check-in. Cookies! Homemade!

Well, I do pretty much give all coach airline seats low ratings, but that's another story. I still go back to the fact that a Motel 6 survey should mainly just ask if I had a problem or not.

Star ratings in the hotel space are confusing because "5-star" already means a dozen different things. Forbes uses it to mean a truly top luxury hotel (more Ritzes are 4-star than 5-star). Priceline means "it's a little better than a regular Marriott." Some countries' tourism boards mean "it has this list of amenities, and we aren't vouching for the quality pro or con."

Motel 6 probably would mean "the rats tend to be smaller and less aggressive than 4-star rats."

Uber doesn't quite work that way. It would take a lot for a rider to get banned. I've gotten less-than-5-star ratings riding in Ubers abroad and never had an issue getting a driver either there or back in the U.S. I think you'd have to puke in a few cars to get yourself banned from Uber or Lyft. Those services are trying to grow as fast as they can, so they don't kick people off even when they probably should.

The typical Uber ends with rider and driver giving each other 5's and moving on. It's silly, but that is how it works in practice.

darthbimmer

In my experience most brand surveys nowadays explicitly are satisfaction surveys. They title the exercise a "Guest Satisfaction Survey" and ask questions such as, "On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied were you with the value you received?" That wording precludes someone rating a Hampton Inn a 5 because they didn't get a spacious and lavishly furnished suite like at the Ritz.

simpleflyer

But even if I rank Hampton Inns solely against other Hampton Inns, and I think of my '10' Hampton Inn experience, most of them are still 6's or 7's. Just a normal average stay with no problems.

Pinniped, I would agree that a 7 would reflect an average stay, or even a 6.5, since those numbers correspond to a B or B- respectively on the academic scale. . I don't think the HI manager has reason to be too concerned. On the other hand a 6 is a C. It's an okay mark but you are starting to notice some problems - not super serious ones, but problems nonetheless. 'Could do better' you are saying.

If you are rating anything 5 to 5.5, this corresponds to a 'D' and is barely passable. Not enough to deter me from staying but I would pause. Problems have been noted, not deal breakers but still disappointing."Could do a lot better."

I'm trying to think if I have ever stayed anywhere where I'd give a failing grade, i.e. below 5 out of 10 or 2.5 out of 5. For me, this would have to be serious - something to do with lax room security or fire codes not being adhered to or really bad planning (a drummers' convention booked simultaneously with a CPAP machine testing conference.). On the other hand I rarely give 9 or 10 out of 10 and if a manager harassed me for giving an 7 or an 8 instead of perfect marks, like I read some Flyertalkers talking about in earlier posts, I'd tear up the valuation sheet and say, forget it, the valuation is meaningless.

Jeannietx

I've found that rentals in some European countries do not live up to my expectation of comfortable beds, "modern", etc.

I think it is perfectly okay to write an honest review.

CDTraveler

I don't trust 1 star or 5 reviews anymore. What I do find useful are specific, detailed reviews so I can judge if what you saw as a negative would matter to me. Recently I saw a review where the writer liked the hotel room, but ranted and ranted that it didn't have 24 hour room service: that was a useful, albeit idiotic for that class of hotel, review. I don't care about room service, the price was right, and I found the hotel perfectly fine.

Be clear about pluses and minuses, use photos if you have them. Don't be a rah-rah or vindictive.

roberino

OP I'm heading to Crete later in the year and am about to book a villa. Can you PM me and let me know which one so I can avoid it?

lhrsfo

AirBnB is trying to become more like hotel rental, but it's a long way from that and I'm not convinced that it will ever mimic it entirely. Hotel rooms, at least in chain hotels, are fully commoditized, and the customers of chains want that - they like the fact that one Hampton Inn is just like another. AirBnB rentals can never be like that. The best AirBnB can do is to have a * rating, just like that of tourist boards, which rates properties on the basis of amenities provided.

But then you have cultural issues at play also - hotels have got over this by internationalizing their offering but even that doesn't always work - I'm sure that some will complain about the lack of bidet in UK or US hotel rooms for example. But decor and function are largely internationalized. Again, next to impossible for AirBnBs to achieve this and I'm not sure that's what many of their customers want - visiting a lovely apartment in Paris would be disappointing if it was done up just like a lovely apartment in Tokyo, for example. AirBnB guests are often looking for adventure and local nuance along with comfort.

The key is to read the description and look at the pictures very closely - if it's not mentioned or shown, then either ask specifically or assume it's not there. If it is shown or mentioned but is not working, then complain. But you also have to allow for the fact that maintenance is much more difficult with AirBnBs. If the previous guests leave the place a mess or break things, the host has no spare rooms to place the new guests.

bizeesheri

I just wrote a review this morning for a room in Mostar, the facilities were fine as advertised, but the family had a major blowout fight that was easily heard and went on for some time, so mentioned that as unprofessional.