RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted November 20, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 20, 2014 Problem is that the idiots read them and then post up even more idiot reviews. My in-laws run a 3* hotel and I often have to bear the brunt of my wife coming home with reports of trip advisor anger............ Although I obviously only hear her side of the story, I have been present at the hotel when a guest has "complained" about a room with noisy guests in bedrooms and corridors around them to find out that they are all from the same wedding party and close relatives........ Cheers, Mick One thing which does happen on Trip Advisor is that people put fake, or faked, reports on it purposely to make places look better or worse than they really are. And alas it's the usual story of the 'net - when you are not edited in what is being posting some folk can get carried away. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Hughes Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Without for a moment justifying the behaviour of the Blackpool hotel clowns, Trip Advisor certainly does seem to attract some idiot reviews. We recently went on a short cruise - which was excellent, by the way - and I didn't even think of reading the Trip Advisor comments on our ship until we got home. Lo and behold, there were complaints from earlier travellers that time had been wasted holding a life-boat drill, that ship's time changed from day to day, and even that the tribute Abba entertainment one evening wasn't actually by Abba. Makes you weep, doesn't it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted November 20, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 20, 2014 Without for a moment justifying the behaviour of the Blackpool hotel clowns, Trip Advisor certainly does seem to attract some idiot reviews. We recently went on a short cruise - which was excellent, by the way - and I didn't even think of reading the Trip Advisor comments on our ship until we got home. Lo and behold, there were complaints from earlier travellers that time had been wasted holding a life-boat drill, that ship's time changed from day to day, and even that the tribute Abba entertainment one evening wasn't actually by Abba. Makes you weep, doesn't it! Well it does happen - and I've heard comments 'live' which I simply couldn't understand, when we did our Norwegian coastal trip back in march/April some people were moaning about the poor service. The staff in the restaurant however seemed to be doing an heroic job and those 'doing' the cabins were excellent - all I can think is that some folk are never satisfied. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivercider Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Me and Mrs Rivercider try to get away for a short break three or four times a year, so we have stayed in about a dozen different hotels in the last five years. We try to do a bit of research beforehand, sometimes we have some local knowledge of the location, or a recommendation, but I also use use the internet and read the reviews on Tripadvisor. Feedback like the availability of gluten free food on the evening meal menu is important to me. Mrs Rivercider always then books by phone to confirm a few details, the result is that every stay has been enjoyable. As has been mentioned when reading the reviews with a bit of practice it is possible to get a good feel for an establishment, and to spot the odd rogue reviews in an otherwise good hotel. For example the Hotel in the news article has 17 excellent reviews and a massive 146 terrible ones, whereas the last place we stayed September has 105 excellent reviews and only 4 terrible ones. I have been contributing to Tripadvisor since 2011 and in over 200 reviews I have yet to rate anything poor or terrible, which I like to think is a result of doing some research, being a little choosy when looking for a restaurant, and being laid back when things go a little wrong, cheers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium pete_mcfarlane Posted November 20, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 20, 2014 For example the Hotel in the news article has 17 excellent reviews and a massive 146 terrible ones, whereas the last place we stayed September has 105 excellent reviews and only 4 terrible ones. I do get the impression that for some (probably less bright) reviewers everything is either 1 star or 5 stars. There's nothing in between, and no ability to think 'the hotel was good, apart for the one thing that went wrong, so I'll give it 3 stars'. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGC Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 I can understand the hotel discouraging spurious negative reviews but if the place is genuinely naff then they are censoring honest free speech. I always shave off the top and bottom scores and read what is in between. Its usually pretty accurate. You need to take trip advisor with a large pinch of salt. It's not just trip advisor, but a large proportion of the internet generally. Amazon, for example, has reviews - some of them useful, some totally useless. Then there are the "experts" who write ridiculous answers to serious questions. Working in IT, some of the answers to technical questions make me wonder (if the respondents really work in IT, and the sort of site's I'm referring to are specialist rather than general interest, so I guess they would do) how their network keeps working, or even how they keep their job. Sorry, feel better for that rant! Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 .....Amazon, for example, has reviews - some of them useful, some totally useless...... ...and some negative reviews have been shown to have been written by rivals or personal enemies! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbishop Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 What worries me, is that Exhibition Manager's from the North West may be reading this thread ..... Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
station cat Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 I do get the impression that for some (probably less bright) reviewers everything is either 1 star or 5 stars. There's nothing in between, and no ability to think 'the hotel was good, apart for the one thing that went wrong, so I'll give it 3 stars'. I think that one of the issues with Trip Advisor is that there isn't much guidance on giving ratings. You get hotels that are basic but clean and comfy with low ratings because they don't have a lift or serve a full breakfast. I try to cover both positives and negatives when I write a review (i'm up to about 25 now) but the overall star ratings don't allow that degree of subtlety. I don't think i've ever given anything less than 3 stars but, like RiverCider, I try to do a lot of research before booking so I don't end up anywhere awful (restauraunts are a bit more haphazard in that respect, but if I don't like the look of a place I don't go in). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted November 20, 2014 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted November 20, 2014 It's not just trip advisor, but a large proportion of the internet generally. Amazon, for example, has reviews - some of them useful, some totally useless. Phil You mean like these: http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B000KKNQBK Keith EDIT If you haven't seen these reviews you've been missing something! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jjb1970 Posted November 21, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 21, 2014 I sometimes review books I've bought on Amazon and sometimes it is clear there are agendas. You also get the reviews that give a book 1* because it arrived damaged, that is a fair cause to complain to Amazon but it is not a book review. Or the ones that are one sentence long and don't say anything. And there have been a few incidences of academic or commercial jealousy spilling over into reviews to try and get one over on the enemy. For all that, I find that often the Amazon reviews are better than press reviews and you do get a feel for which ones are honest and based on actually having read the book (it amazes me how many reviews appear before books are published by people who make no pretence of having read the thing). The thing that annoys me is the rating system, this is supposed to be for helpful reviews but seems to be a voting button to signify agreement when actually reviews counter to our own opinions can be very helpful. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 One thing which does happen on Trip Advisor is that people put fake, or faked, reports on it purposely to make places look better or worse than they really are. And alas it's the usual story of the 'net - when you are not edited in what is being posting some folk can get carried away. Owners putting their own 5* reviews on...? Surely not....! On the only occasion when I felt compelled to give a poor review, it seemed evident that there were a number of faked ones, basically all the high ones. I still occasionally check that establishment to see if they are still deluded...... At least there is a right of reply that can be used to redress the balance, but obviously some choose to use other means.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platform 6 Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 Trip Advisor offers the right to reply to business owners, of course - I like this review and the management reply to it of the Sotto Sotto restaurant in Bath. Rated the No.1 restaurant in Bath on Trip Advisor. I think the owners of the Broadway Hotel in Blackpool will be too busy fixing their place up than to craft such a comprehensive reply. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Reichert Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 I've always found advice on model railroad forums to be highly unreliable. . . . . . . . . . . . Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platform 6 Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 I've always found advice on model railroad forums to be highly unreliable. . . . . . . . . . . . Bet you're glad you're on a model railway forum then? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted November 22, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 22, 2014 Im going to try it the other way I think the Royal at Par is reyt poor cos some rooms look over the station there, and you can hear the damned trains moving about........... and the beer is too cheap so you just drink too much of it Now that's one place that I gave a great review to after our stay last September!!! I can't remember if there where any comments about train noise but if we find a hotel where people do complain about that sort of noise then we book it! I remember staying in a hotel in Florida because it was right next to the railroad and asked for a top floor room over looking it rather than the dual carriageway at the front. In the morning someone was complaining about the train noise. I wanted to complain that the trains weren't noisy enough as I didn't wake up when they went past. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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