Comments on: Do You Trust Hotel and Restaurant Reviews?

By: Frank

Frank — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:31:54 +0000

It can be confusing and next to useless when the reviews run the gamut from “Nice place, management was very attentive” to “I wouldn’t recommend to my worst enemy”. I guess all things are relative. A few years ago we went to the “best luau on Big Island” and were immensely disappointed with the entire experience, from having to wait in a “garden” for more than an hour without even a complimentary beverage to the availability of food at the buffet table. But I’m sure others enjoyed it. I guess it comes down to live and learn.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:54:25 +0000

Thanks for your comment Pua. You make good points all around!

Aloha, Jeff

By: Pua

Pua — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:34:26 +0000

Just a few thoughts contributing to this great discussion.
1.
Unfortunately, a lot of the times people post feedbacks about a place they stayed at when they had a negative experience and wanted to vent their frustration. Why ‘waste’ time when it was meeting their experience?!
2.
Just heard recently from a friend in Hawaii that she never even goes in a blog when one comes up in a search result because she does not like blogs and does not trust them. Her reasoning: They always just want to sell something. Some truth there.
3.
Word-of-mouth is still the best advertising and trusted the most.
4.
Reading traveler reviews in tripadvisor or travelocity is a skill. Using comming sense mostly helps finding the basic message.

Much more to say. Mahalo Jeff for starting this valuable discussion. Aloha, Pua

By: Jeff

Jeff — Tue, 06 May 2008 19:31:10 +0000

Hi Jared,

On April 14, we did a review of Equus, so please have a look. We’ve stayed there twice recently, and for the money, were very satisfied.

Aloha,

Jeff

By: Jared Furman

Jared Furman — Tue, 06 May 2008 18:40:34 +0000

What information can you tell me about The Equus-an aqua hotel? I am staying there for 8 nights in January 09.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Sun, 04 May 2008 07:57:32 +0000

Hi Jeanne,

What a nice comment! Thank you.

We’ll be identifying the dreadful hotel in question in our newsletter that will be out next Monday.

As you’ll read, it isn’t a current review, and we wanted to re-check the property before we commented further.

I’ll say, however, that I’ve never been able to get the horror of a 1-night stay at this hotel out of my mind, even after 3 years.

I concur completely with your thoughts about both TripAdvisor and the value of triangulation between multiple professional and traveler reviews.

Best aloha.
Jeff
Beat of Hawaii

By: Jeanne Leblanc

Jeanne Leblanc — Sat, 03 May 2008 19:18:36 +0000

Hi,

Love the blog and immediately bookmarked it!

I’m wondering, though, why you don’t identify the hotel in the picture. I’m very curious to read the reviews in TripAdvisor. How many ratings did it get? Were they consistently good?

I use TripAdvisor all the time, and I love it. But I’m always wary when there are only a few reviews, or when they contradict each other completely. I take those with a grain of salt.

It seems to me that the real value of TripAdvisor is in the wisdom of the masses. Only when you can see the cumulative results of a large number of reviews do you get a relatively fair and objective idea of the merits of a place. And the photos that readers contribute are also very valuable in evaluating a property. I hope you’ve uploaded that one!

I’ve never seen TripAdvisor as a competitor to guidebooks and professional reviews, but as a complement to them. I read both, and evaluate all the information I can get, always considering the source.

Anyhow, congrats on the great blog. I’ll keep reading.

Jeanne

By: Jeremiah Owyang

Jeremiah Owyang — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:31:05 +0000

Blogging is a long term effort, and in fact, it helps to cement and build relationships. Some of these relationships indeed become ‘friends’ and as a result, move the trust into the first category.

Keep at it!