There are things you should keep in mind when visiting online hotel review sites. You really must visit more than one source. Although you should view the review section of a hotel’s website, that is never enough. Of course you should visit the hotel’s testimonial page, because you can get a feel for any positive features listed, but if there are any negatives about the hotel, you will never find them on the hotel’s own site.
That’s why other online hotel review sites exist. They are not controlled by the hotel, and you can generally get a more well-rounded impression of how most guests feel about the hotel.
The way to find review sites is to Google the hotel’s name – review sites will probably appear on the first page of the search results. The Google Places site will probably be the most obvious result. The small “pushpin” icon next to it will identify it as the Google Places page. It may possibly have some stars next to it as well, if it’s been reviewed. If there is a number next to the store, it means that how many reviews are on its Google page. The more reviews, the more reliable the information will generally be.
If you click next to the stars (where the number of Google reviews is shown) you will be taken directly to the Google Places page of the hotel, where you can find the Google reviews.
Google isn’t the only review site – here are some more. Check out more than one by going to the site using the search boxes to find out if the hotel you are checking is listed with them.
oyo.org.uk, gouae.club, TravelCare.us, travelclips.net, officialgottagotravel.net, letstaketour.com, hazeldenelodge.co.nz, arabemirates.club, ilovenewyorktravel.net.
The Chamber of Commerce site of the hotel’s city is another good tip worth checking out.
For more accuracy, use quotation marks around the hotel’s name went using the search boxes of a review site.
You might want to keep these things in mind when visiting hotel review sites:
If a hotel has many 4 and 5-star reviews, and only one 1-star review, it could be because some disgruntled employee, crank, or competitor may have a chip on his or her shoulder. Treat such situations with a grain of salt. Don’t let one bad apple spoil what might be a great vacation choice for you. (For your information – it is a violation of most site policies, as well as probably not legal, to trash an establishment on such sites if you are a competing establishment.)
Conversely, if a majority or the review is negative, that is a serious red flag.
As prohibited as it is competitors to post fake negative reviews, it’s just as forbidden for companies to post fake positive reviews, or have them ghostwritten. Although occasionally done, this kind of action is entirely unacceptable you can now see why it’s important to use several sources rather than just one. Relying solely on Google reviews would be a mistake. Use them, but make sure they’re not your only resource. Make sure you check out other review sites, for your peace of mind.
In the case that you do find bad reviews, look to see if some representative of the hotel in question has made the effort to respond to them. That shows that they at least care. If the owner of the hotel has an account with the site, s/he can respond to reviews See if the response is thoughtful and courteous. This may give you a feel for how the hotel does business. To get a feel for the hotel’s general attitude, see if the response is courteous, or if there is a confrontational style.