Trip Advisor

[Icy Gull]

Watching the programme on Trip Advisor last night I was amazed to see how totally anal some people are in writing reviews. Staying in a bed and breakfast expecting 5 star facilities. Bed and breakfasts are mostly pretty grim so why bother writing revies about how a light kept you awake and that the fan in the bathroom didn't switch off the second that you turned the light out

I use it to get an idea of what a hotel is like, it's not a bible as people's taste and expectations vary enormously. I'll generally only pay attention to reviews over the last year as the hotel could have been taken over/refurbed so reviews from 2008 are likely to be totally out of date. The reviews shout "anal twat" so often. If I'm staying in a 3rd world hotel I'll expect slower and more laid back service, that's half the charm of the hotels when you are on holiday, not a reason to have a moan.

Anyway the programme made me appreciate that I am not in a business where some self important arsehole can write a review that effectively has the power to affect your livelehood and there is pretty well nothing you can do to rectify it.

Any serial trip advisor reviewers on here

 

[surrey jim]

Missed that last night, what channel was it on? Do you know if it is being repeated?

 

[Icy Gull]

Missed that last night, what channel was it on? Do you know if it is being repeated?

Channel 4 last night, no idea if it will be repeated but if it is it is well worth watching, you'll have to go a long way to find sadder people who think that they are something special. So cringeworthy it was great

 

[mikes smalls]

My favourite bit when when that guys Nan told him to stop being petty and making an issue of it, when they gave him a vodka and tonic instead of a vodka and lemonade and he said that was going in his report.
She went on to reveal he was bullied at school (unsurprisingly) and gets off on the power he feels writing totally over the top reviews!

 

[dannyboy]

we stayed in a little 15 room hotel in goa a few years ago . some of the reviews on trip advisor were terrible . examples were 'the staffs english is less than perfect'. and 'on one occasion there was a frog in the swimming pool..... disgusting' . guess what , youre in india didnt you realise. the hotel was actually really nice too and the staff were great

 

[Bold Seagull]

You can generally spot the 'serial reviewers' on trip advisor and pick out the ones to ignore. On a trip to Egypt, one review said about the hotel we stayed in (which we thought was very good) "the food at the hotel was awful, we couldn't eat it, and had to go into town rather than eat at the hotel. Luckily the town had both a KFC and Burger King."

Enough said really.

 

[Wozza]

Missed that last night, what channel was it on? Do you know if it is being repeated?

Attack of the Trip Advisors - 4oD - Channel 4

 

[Vegas Seagull]

B&B near me has someone every night of the year,packed weekends, 5 rooms, many repeats inc longer stays Inc pilots etc so potentially does 1,000 nights a year, for many years...On Trip Advisor 1 review & it's bad cos guy said he was arriving at 5-6 he turned up at 8, without ringing, and room was re-let

 

[trueblue]

Haven't seen the programme yet but I think Tripadvisor is superb. I've been using it for years for some long trips abroad and its consistently allowed me to find accommodation that offers excellent value for money.

I think it's pretty easy to wheedle out the reviewers who have unrealistic expectations as long as the hotel has lots of reviews to choose from. The main giveaway is that they usually complain about not having been treated as if they are on a royal visit or that they've had some trivial argument with the owner.

 

[surrey jim]

Channel 4 last night, no idea if it will be repeated but if it is it is well worth watching, you'll have to go a long way to find sadder people who think that they are something special. So cringeworthy it was great

Thanks, I have been looking for a holiday in January in Sharm, week or so in the Sun. Checking some of the reviews on Trip advisor makes the hotels look a cross between fawlty towers and the one from carry on abroad!!- not sure what people expect from £350 per week all inclusive!

 

[Springal]

I did think it was a bit OTT, are hotels or restaurants really that bothered about one bad review? Surely the whole point of it is you get a lot of reviews, so people decide for themselves? I have had the best meal I have ever eaten in a restaurant that had reviews making you think it was going to be awful.

People just don't understand these things, after all you get a right to reply also.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

It's the American reviewers that do my head in. I came across one review that complained about ALL hotels in historic European cities on the basis that the rooms would always be too small, because the buildings were hundreds of years old.

Yep. Florence would be a much nicer place to visit if they knocked down all those old buildings and put up a few Holiday Inns.

 

[Peteinblack]

At the risk of over-generalisation, the worst reviews tend to come from Americans, who seem to suffer from ridiculous expectations and self-important arrrogance - 'Service was slow in this restaurant', meaning that the food didn't come within 5 seconds of being ordered, because the staff are actually cooking it fresh (it's a proper restaurant, not Macdonalds).

Also, because most things in the States are on a massive scale, you'll get American's saying that the hotel room was too small, when in fact, it's huge in British terms.

My wife and I always look at hotels and restaurant reviews on Trip Advisor when going on holiday, and you soon learn which reviews and posters to ignore - rather like NSC

 

[seagully]

Working in the travel industry, Trip Advisor can be the bane of my life! I see it as the same as the Player Ratings on here. We all watch the same game but opinions differ wildly, exactly the same when giving an opinion on a hotel/restaurant...

 

[tinx]

Thanks, I have been looking for a holiday in January in Sharm, week or so in the Sun. Checking some of the reviews on Trip advisor makes the hotels look a cross between fawlty towers and the one from carry on abroad!!- not sure what people expect from £350 per week all inclusive!

We just got back from a week in Sharm last sunday. The hotel we stayed in was really criticised on Trip Advisor but it was brilliant, Nice hotel, firendly people and good food. Exactly what I expected but reading the reviews on Trip Advisor made it seem like the biggest shit hole full of ignorant rude people.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

I think it's pretty easy to wheedle out the reviewers who have unrealistic expectations as long as the hotel has lots of reviews to choose from. The main giveaway is that they usually complain about not having been treated as if they are on a royal visit or that they've had some trivial argument with the owner.

This (and believe me, this is a subject close to my heart)

 

[sten_super]

I thought the programme was great, and a real eye-opener for my wife who takes a lot of notice of the TripAdvisor comments. Some people are arseholes, although as others have said you can often tell them by the tone of the review.

 

[rmc_15]

Good TV. I use Trip Advisor and yes, you can make your own judgements fairly easily. Only ever written something about a place if somebody else had slaughtered it and I did not feel that was a fair reflection - in the question of balance and all that.
For work trips away, it's been more than useful.

 

[sam86]

Didn't watch this. Trip Advisor is one of my most used websites. It's brilliant. I've also got the knack of knowing who to ignore. Will have to watch this on 4OD.

 

[CP 0 3 BHA]

Totally missed this so will have to watch on the web.

We run a small B&B and have so far been blessed with excellent reviews on TripAdvisor - but we know sooner or later someone will come along and trash us. Hopefully when that happens people will put that in the context of our other reviews. We get a right to reply but my understanding is that Trip Advisor will not take stuff down.

It's been absolutely invaluable in building a brand new business from scratch in no time at all.