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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to wonder what some TripAdvisor reviewers expect for their money ?

36 replies

OhdearNigel · 18/10/2011 22:24

I do some casual work in a small local hotel. It's not amazing but it's OK, it needs a lot of work in the bedrooms but the staff are friendly and it is at least clean. We recently ran a groupon deal where people got 3 course dinner, afternoon tea, a glass of cava and an overnight stay for £39.50 a head. Now if I was getting all that for that money I would not be expecting to stay in the Ritz.

One of the recent TA reviews has really annoyed me as they have suggested "they should look at the Ashdown Park as to how a quality hotel should be run". Well, I used to work at that particular hotel and to compare the two hotels is ridiculous - they charge £199+ for bed and breakfast in a 4 red star hotel - we are a 2 star for which that reviewer paid £79 for DBB, afternoon tea and glass of wine. It would be like complaining that a T shirt from Primark didn't compare to the quality of one from Monsoon

AIBU to think that this is a ridiculous comparison to make and complain to Tripadvisor about the review ?

OP posts:

BeyondLimitsOfTheLivingDead · 18/10/2011 22:25

I love Trip Advisor reviews. They are just so stupid!! [hgrin]

My favourite (linked on a previous TA thread) was someone complaining that a beachfront hotel was on an incline. No shit - it would be in the sea otherwise!!

Original poster

OhdearNigel · 18/10/2011 22:27

sorry, forgot to say "paid £79 for DBB, afternoon tea and glass of wine for TWO "

OP posts:

tyler80 · 18/10/2011 22:36

We stayed in a 2 star self catering apartment in Gran Canaria.

The complaints on trip advisor included: the sheets weren't changed everyday, there was a dead spider in the middle of the floor and they had to see it there for 18 hours before the maid came in the next day, the lights attracted moths at night, other people only had 2 people staying in the same size apartment that they had for 4. Well you get the picture, yanbu, some people have ludicrous expectations

chunkythighs · 18/10/2011 22:38

Ah some reviews are pure quality- My favourite one was the ones involved the medieval castle in Ireland was rated 1-2 points by Americans because the hotel didn't have lifts or air conditioning .

Don't we all associate air conditioning with tropical Ireland? What 5th century castle does not have an original lift?

Indaba · 18/10/2011 23:27

thats the problem with getting the public to comment.....don't mean to be chippy...I always rely on professional reviews rather than joe public...always some stupid idiot who has a problem with how often salt bowl has been changed

WinduhPAYNE · 18/10/2011 23:34

OhdearNighel please would you PM me the details of your hotel, it sound pretty good value.

I promise to leave positive feedback

Thanks

Imnotaslimjim · 18/10/2011 23:37

Nigel, I would love to stay somewhere for that price and get that much for my money!! Any chance of a PM so I can keep you in mind? Thanks

dramatrauma · 18/10/2011 23:40

I love TA. Love it, love it, love it. Because it's so easy to tell who's an idiot and should be ignored. I was once leaving a (very good!) review for a veggie restaurant and noticed a previous reviewer who had given them one star for having no meat!!!

MilyP · 18/10/2011 23:42

Some online reviews are very entertaining whether for trip advisor or any review site really. I saw a review for airport parking where someone had complained that a bird had shit on her car. The car was parked in an outdoor car park FFS! The review actually said 'when I complained I was told that they couldn't be held responsible for what fell out of the sky, but clearly this was just an excuse'. Erm, no. That was just a statement of fact. Unless she was implying that the staff went round rubbing bird shit onto cars!?

VivaLeBeaver · 18/10/2011 23:48

I left a bad review on TA once. Ys I only paid £65 for the room but there were bed bugs in the bed. Live ones that left a blood streak on the pillow case when squished. And there were smoking rooms on the corridor so my room stank of fags. And the armchair was an inch thick in dust. Usual hairs in the shower, etc.

HauntedHengshanRoad · 19/10/2011 01:00

Despite its countless advantages, the internet is to be blamed for every Tom, Dick or Harriet being able to voice his/her opinions to the world and have it count for something. It gives credence to uninformed viewpoints.

KatieMortician · 19/10/2011 01:11

Ignore it. Really. It'll put off the knobbers and encourage the more sensible folk.

I love the batty reviews on Trip Advisor and the like. Sometimes I've deliberately gone to a hotel because the Americans who wanted a consierge service were outraged there wasn't one or because someone from Wiltshire or felt the welcome wasn't warm enough because they weren't offered a cup of PG Tips on arrival.

No sensible person believes everything they read on the internet.

wicketkeeper · 19/10/2011 09:30

Some hotels will put bogus reviews onto other hotels' sites. I would be wondering whether this is where this review has come from?

Shakey1500 · 19/10/2011 09:37

If my mother knew how to use a pc she would be a typical numpty TA poster.

We all went to Greece Sept 2010, it rained a lot. No matter to me, I love the place regardless. She moaned for Britain. They returned this Sept and guess what? It was "too bloody hot".

She takes her own teabags and any other foodstuffs she's allowed to carry. Constantly complains that things aren't "like back home". She always has such an awful time on holiday what with xyz beeing wrong I wonder why she bothers at all.

HairyBeaver · 19/10/2011 09:42

Ooh could I have a PM aout your hotel too please? And when does the offer run out?

Step · 19/10/2011 09:46

I read TA but take it all with a pinch of salt. Hotel we are going to next week has 85% positive reviews so I expect it will be good, and the rest are moaning because it's what they do.

lesley33 · 19/10/2011 09:47

tbh when I have a groupon deal, I rightly or wrongly judge it on the quality of hotel they are claiming to be. A groupon deal is a deal and you accept that you would normally be paying more to stay there. If what the low amounts you would pay on a groupon deal is what the regular price of a hotel is, I would suspect standards are pretty low and not stay there.

£79 for all that as a fair price is obviously far too low, so if a normal pricve I would assume it must be crap. So I would as a deal expect more for my money than £79 worth.

For example, I stayed at a hotel with breakfast on a groupon deal. And when I went there I could see why it was struggling. Rooms were fine - lack of attention to detail with cleaning, but ok. But the real issue was the wife of the pair who ran it. He was professional and helpful, she was mouthy and rude. And i did say this in a review but in a much gentler way - as did others.

tbh I never understand businesses doing groupon if they are not going to try and impress people. Businesses can't be making any money on groupon, so it is actually a form of advertising. However I have been to a few local restaurants and some hotels on groupons and with most, they don't come up to scratch. So I don't go back. So I now don't buy these through groupon unless I know the place.

ramonacoaster · 19/10/2011 09:50

I always leave possitive reviews (in great detail) about where I stay (as I have checked reviews before I go and know they will be good) and then I get PM's asking me for my views on the place (which I have listed in great detail)! .
It is easy to tell the reviews left by the competition because they never make any sense.

Lucy88 · 19/10/2011 09:52

I travel a lot and do use Trip Adviser, but you do have to take some reviews with a laugh and a pinch of salt.

I was very lucky that I was able to spend a week at a 7* hotel in Abu Dhabi this year. I knew it was going to be very expensive before I went, but you would not believe some of the reviews. People who were there at the same time as we were and complained about the lack of towels at the pool (there were staff who came over to you immediately and escorted you to a sunbed and gave you lots of towels). Moaning about the price of drinks - you know its going to be expensive before you go. Moaning about not seeing the butler during their stay - if you need them just ask! Moaning about not having bacon at breakfast - its a muslin country FFS! Moaning about the size of the beds - they were double the size of our doubles and the funniest - moaning about the heat! If you go to Abu Dhabi at the end of June it is going to be very hot.

I have left negative reviews on occassions, but it is generally for accom that is either very dirty or there are very rude staff.

lesley33 · 19/10/2011 09:54

I may be wrong, but I often think falsely positive reviews go on about how great the hosts are and always mention them by name. You know - Sandra and Kevin are so welcoming. They are very friendly and nothing is ever too much trouble. They gave us some great tips on where to go, etc. And trhey then don't even mention the bedrooms, but only very briefly.

I mean who would leave a real review like that unless they are the hosts or friends of hosts?

EllaDee · 19/10/2011 11:06

I think Trip Advisor is great though - when you get those reviews where the first line is something like 'Revolting filth, Edna and I shall never stay here again' and the only problem was there was dust on the skirting board when you ran your fingers over it, you know that hotel must be absolutely lovely or they'd have had something substantial to say about it!

wigglesrock · 19/10/2011 11:42

I look at Trip Advisor reviews for a bit of a giggle usually, its usually people that had a fantastic time or those that hated it that leave reviews. Those that thought it was good, did the job etc tend not to post. A lot of the reviews remind me of that old joke (think it was Woody Allen) "the food was dreadful and such small portions".

ionysis · 19/10/2011 12:02

We rent out a holiday home in France. Its a beautiful old place but its basically our house - not a 5 star hotel. The comments people leave in the visitors book are so rude and upsetting. What exactly they expect from a gite in Normandy is beyond me. We have had complaints that they wanted a barbeque (well, it wasn't on the list of facilities and its a thatched cottage so we don't have one for public use because of the fire risk), that there were wasps in the garden (WTH do you expect, it's situated in the middle of a wood in the most rural area of Normandy!), that one of the rattan chairs had a hole in the seat (all the furniture was sourced from local brocantes and is antique - would you have prefred IKEA?!)...

We have just stopped leaving the visitors book at all because its too hurtful and irritating. My parents and I decorated and rennovated the cottage ourselves from its original 1960s state when it hadn't been lived in for 5 years. But at the end of the day it is just a family house - and we charge for it as such!

We are not going to rent it out anymore I think because people are so thoughtless and careless with the property.

I sympathise with you wholeheartedly.

Hardgoing · 19/10/2011 12:11

I agree asking people for feedback is asking for trouble. Plus that one bad review stands out, so it ends up being unrepresentative amongst all the 'i was fine' type comments. But I still look on Trip Advisor and then make a decision. Recently, I went to a 3 1/2 star (out of 5) hotel but I knew it was in a brilliant location, but pretty basic and cheap, others clearly were expecting a lot more for their money and were disappointed.

Hardgoing · 19/10/2011 12:13

I also seem to remember that the hotel can post comments back as well, so why not encourage the owners to do that in a nice way saying 'thank you for all feedback, we felt we were offering an excellent deal of XYZ, obviously it is not the same as hotel A, but of course that would have been £400 you complete idiots '

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